1 WEEK VEGAN CHALLENGE

Introduction: Time to extend my spring cleaning to my diet.

Winter is almost over, I can smell spring in the air. I find that the holidays and everything that come along with it have left me sluggish and tired. I feel bloated,irritable and scatter-brained and I think I can contribute a lot of these feelings with the poor dietary choices I have made lately (~cough~ the last six months). More than JUST the choices of food, but I have noticed a negative trend in poor habit forming; skipping breakfast, grazing on crappy snacks throughout the day, allowing chocolate to become a major food group and ignoring the needs of my body. In short, I feel like I have been living like a frat boy, and I'm not sure how much longer my body can handle the abuse.

I have been thinking about doing a vegan challenge for awhile now, and originally had the lofty goal of 30 days, which quickly changed to two weeks, and then changed to ten days, before settling on a cool week. This will be a big change for me, and I don't want to bite off more than I can chew, so to speak.

I have been trying to make my way through The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, and if you get a chance I suggest you try reading it. It is hard to ignore or deny the implications of a high meat and dairy diet on the body after perusing this book. Couple that with the impact the meat and dairy industry have on the environment, through deforestation for grazing land and there are a couple of pretty good reasons to try a vegan diet.

Also, there's a rumor that Beyonce is offering tickets to people who go vegan, so if that's not a reason to try for a week, I don't know what is!

A family history of colon cancer means I should be taking care of my digestive track, and the one way NOT to do that is to stuff it full of meat and other stuff that is hard to digest.

All of this is great and my mind tells me one thing, except, my partner works in a butcher shop and our freezer is FULL of meat and we have been raising two little carnivores. A look through my Instagram feed will tell you how we live, and it isn't very vegan-esque. This week will be an...adjustment.

This will be a week long series, I will share the ups and downs of my experiment. I think it's important to add that I am not going into this challenge with a negative mindset, rather I am excited to challenge myself to cook food that will satisfy my taste buds and my goals. I am also going into this week prepared; I have a meal plan and recipes (which I will share with you along the way), and I have the support (albeit not participation) of my family. All super important to my success.

Will this week end with a dramatic, permanent change in my diet? I don't know, only time will tell. Stay tuned and wish me luck!

Are you curious about a dietary change? Curious about Veganism? Maybe you want to try this right along with me?! Comment Below! Let's Do This!