I’ve Been Plant-Based For A Month, Here’s How It's Gone
By: Claire Stapley
Tags: Plant Based, Sustainabilityms, Lifestyle, Vegan, Eating

I’ve Been Plant-Based For A Month, Here’s How It's Gone

So far, so good.

Photo by Anna Pelzer on Unsplash

For the last six weeks, I’ve followed a completely plant-based diet. I steer away from saying Vegan as I do believe that labels matter to a degree. However, I’ve not eaten any animal products at all!

Before going completely plant-based, I was the biggest meat-eater going. Beef, chicken, lamb, veal, duck — you name it, I’ve eaten it. Food is something I’ve always appreciated because I came from a family of foodies. My dad is a French-trained Chef, my mum is Serbian and my Aunt also worked in restaurants and cafes for a large portion of my life.

Going plant-based, or following a Vegan lifestyle was something that I always turned my nose up at, mostly because I thought it was pointless and also — because I had absolutely no desire to give up animal products.

However, my gut health started to deteriorate and I was certain that dairy products were causing me issues. I wasn’t sick by any stretch of the imagination, but I had constant anxiety about my skin, and felt like I couldn’t eat a meal without feeling uncomfortable.

I wanted to be open and honest with my journey, as I do believe there is a stigma attached to being Vegan/Plant-Based.

Below I’ve highlighted the good, the bad and the ugly from my own experience — as someone who is a self-employed freelance writer and has to think about budgeting fairly often.

The good

Let’s start off with the positives, as that’s always a good place to begin.

I feel “lighter” and have more energy: The biggest difference I’ve noticed, especially in week five and six is the energy levels. I’m a naturally fast eater, which often meant at lunchtimes I’d end up feeling uncomfortably full. Since following a plant-based diet my energy levels seem to stay at one level for the majority of the day and naturally drop off by the time I need to sleep.

The biggest difference I’ve noticed, especially in week five and six is the energy levels. I’m a naturally fast eater, which often meant at lunchtimes I’d end up feeling uncomfortably full. Since following a plant-based diet my energy levels seem to stay at one level for the majority of the day and naturally drop off by the time I need to sleep. Complexion and weight: My weight has naturally fluctuated over the years, and my BMI has been at both ends of the spectrum — overweight (68kg), as well as underweight (53kg). Please note that this was in relation to my height and age at the time, and was definitely a correlation of the food I was eating and the alcohol I was consuming.

Now I sit at a healthy 60kg which I’m really proud of, and following a plant-based diet seems to work a lot better for my digestion and overall weight management. I’ve never looked at being plant-based as a weight loss ploy, as I don’t think that’s a healthy way to look at things.

However, after dealing with a lot of fluctuating weight from 16–21, at 25 I find that this way of eating works well both physically and mentally. In terms of complexion, I started to develop problematic skin at 24, which seemed to directly correlate with the amount of dairy that I was eating. Cutting this out has helped my complexion to recover.

Accessibility: I’m incredibly fortunate and blessed to have access to large supermarkets and whole food stores, meaning I can buy good quality fresh and frozen products. My budget doesn’t allow for me to constantly buy the top end products on the market, so having shops that cater to varying price ranges has made a plant-based diet from an accessibility perspective really positive. I appreciate that accessibility plays a huge part in what kind of food you can eat, and I don’t think this is spoken about enough.

I’m incredibly fortunate and blessed to have access to large supermarkets and whole food stores, meaning I can buy good quality fresh and frozen products. My budget doesn’t allow for me to constantly buy the top end products on the market, so having shops that cater to varying price ranges has made a plant-based diet from an accessibility perspective really positive. I appreciate that accessibility plays a part in what kind of food you can eat, and I don’t think this is spoken about enough. Snacks: I love to graze, and definitely was a goat or sheep in a previous life. The snack options for those who follow a plant-based diet are varied, and usually pretty healthy. This was something I didn’t realise until I started to read up on what I could eat.

The bad

Portion management: The first month of being plant-based came with some challenges, as I lived in a state of constant hunger due to not having larger portions. This was something I worked on straight away and now eat around 25% larger portions than I did when I was eating animal products. I don’t advise counting calories as that isn’t healthy — but intuitive eating was something I had to get my head around and find a portion size that would work for me!

The first month of being plant-based came with some challenges, as I lived in a state of constant hunger due to not having larger portions. This was something I worked on straight away and now eat around 25% larger portions than I did when I was eating animal products. I don’t advise counting calories as that isn’t healthy — but intuitive eating was something I had to get my head around and find a portion size that would work for me! Time: Being plant-based takes a lot of time. I don’t want to skirt around that. I work from home and I’m self-employed, so the luxury of time means I can marinate and cook things at home from scratch, I can go to a market if I want something specific and preparing meals is factored into my day. If I worked in an office or a standard 9–5 I definitely think I’d struggle, so time is a privilege which is often overlooked.

Being plant-based takes a lot of time. I don’t want to skirt around that. I work from home and I’m self-employed, so the luxury of time means I can marinate and cook things at home from scratch, I can go to a market if I want something specific and preparing meals is factored into my day. If I worked in an office or a standard 9–5 I definitely think I’d struggle, so time is a privilege which is often overlooked. Finances: I’d say on average my food shop is still the same as when I bought animal products, so financially I don’t feel like I’ve saved any money or spent any more than I usually would. A lot of the expensive things are usually pre-made plant-based meals, as well as supplements, nuts, seeds and spices. You can live on a plant-based diet comfortably, but I can imagine if I had less time to prepare things from scratch I’d end up spending more on pre-made products.

I’d say on average my food shop is still the same as when I bought animal products, so financially I don’t feel like I’ve saved any money or spent any more than I usually would. A lot of the expensive things are usually pre-made plant-based meals, as well as supplements, nuts, seeds and spices. You can live on a plant-based diet comfortably, but I can imagine if I had less time to prepare things from scratch I’d end up spending more on pre-made products. Accessibility: Although I have a lot of access where I live, there are certain circumstances where things may be sold out/low stock and then I’ll either have to buy a more expensive alternative, or go without. Of course, this is a privileged problem but accessibility is one of the main reasons why I think fewer people are plant-based. This pressure should be put on retailers as opposed to the average person having to travel to multiple stores just to be able to buy the food they need.

Although I have a lot of access where I live, there are certain circumstances where things may be sold out/low stock and then I’ll either have to buy a more expensive alternative, or go without. Of course, this is a privileged problem but accessibility is one of the main reasons why I think fewer people are plant-based. This pressure should be put on retailers as opposed to the average person having to travel to multiple stores just to be able to buy the food they need. Socially: Having a supportive friendship group is great, and in that aspect, I feel very comfortable socially eating plant-based food, however, once we’re out of a pandemic I imagine this will come with challenges. My main worry is being a burden to other people if they have to cater to my eating habits.

The ugly

Fast food: Plant-based fast food is delicious , but it’s a lot more expensive in comparison to your average McDonalds or Burger King. I guess this is positive as it does deter me from eating bad food (even though it tastes so good), however, this does tie into accessibility and finances. I paid £14.99 for a burger and chips yesterday, and although it was delicious — that’s a helluva lot of money.

Plant-based fast food is , but it’s a lot more expensive in comparison to your average McDonalds or Burger King. I guess this is positive as it does deter me from eating bad food (even though it tastes so good), however, this does tie into accessibility and finances. I paid £14.99 for a burger and chips yesterday, and although it was delicious — that’s a helluva lot of money. Skin purging: I noticed in week three and four that my skin seemed to be in a hurry to get rid of any blemishes and spots that I had on my face. It alarmed me at first as I thought the plant-based diet wasn’t working for me, but after reading and understanding what happened — it looked as though my skin was clearing itself. Now, crystal clear aside from the odd hormonal spot!

Conclusion

Overall, I do think there have been a lot of positives to my journey so far, however, I think the real test of time will be three, six and twelve months down the line to see how it impacts me across the aforementioned points.

If you’re following a plant-based diet I’d love to hear from you. Follow me on Twitter!