Gettin' My Healthy On

  • Home
  • About
  • Favorites
  • Fitness
    • Exercise Guide
    • My Workout Log
    • Workouts
  • Recipes
  • Explore
    • Blogging
    • Fitness
    • Healthy Eating
    • Healthy Living
    • Music Playlists
    • Quotes
    • Recipes
    • Reviews
    • Tips
    • Workouts
You are here: Home / Posts / Healthy Eating / What I Learned from the Vegan Diet

What I Learned from the Vegan Diet

July 6, 2015 by Katie

Six weeks ago, I followed a Paleo diet; four weeks ago, I ate according to the Mediterranean diet; and last week, I finished a vegan-inspired diet. All of this was for a diet experiment, in which I followed three popular diets that have always intrigued me—not to fully understand each diet, but to get a taste of what they’re about to inspire my cooking creativity. Today, I’m sharing my pseudo-fail, yet enlightening week-long journey on a vegan diet.

Like the first two diets, I sat down and planned a week’s worth of meals and then bought all the goods. Below is what I got prior to going vegan-ish.

Vegan Ingredients

I say ish because after having such a difficult time simply going Paleo, I didn’t see the need to suffer through what seems to me as one of the most restrictive diets out there: veganism. Despite this, I DID try some things I don’t usually (or ever) have: tofu, sweet potato, coconut milk, almond milk, lentils, soba noodles, and more. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite prepare enough because when I tried my best to be 100% vegan, I always wound up hungry.

So while I think various diets like this have great qualities, I’ve learned you need to be very prepared (or even more motivated to make things constantly) to get through it in a healthy way. I had to supplement the vegan thing with a lot of non-vegan-friendly foods because I needed some extra umph to get through the day. However, I did eat way more vegetables and fruits than usual, so I definitely benefited from trying to follow the diet. So there’s that, at least.

Here’s a good look inside what I ate that actually was vegan:

Vegan Meal Ideas

  • Wide variety of fruit (basically all that were featured in my how to tell if fruit is ripe post)
  • Smoothies
  • Strawberry Banana “Ice Cream”
  • Banana nut quinoa breakfast bowl (cooked quinoa, almond milk, nuts, banana, and cinnamon)
  • Nut & Seed Bars
  • Chocolate avocado pudding
  • Hummus
  • Peanutty Quinoa Bowls with Tofu
  • Cold Soba Noodle Salad (more on this in Friday’s post)
  • Curried Red Lentil Soup with Goji Berries (ditto from above)
  • Veggie and sweet potato skillet
  • Veggie sandwich (celery, avocado, mushrooms, green pepper, carrots, and lettuce)
  • Lettuce wraps (basically same as above, but with a spicy almond sauce—aka almond butter + Sriracha)

I knew how this would go before I even started it. It was difficult, and I don’t quite understand how people can follow such a restrictive diet every day of their life. But kudos to them for having such self-control and drive. If anything, I definitely think what vegan’s all about (aka no meat, fish, dairy, or other animal products) is a great emphasis for a diet, but I personally would never want to follow it.

So do your thing people. Now you know what it was like for me to follow the vegan diet, as well as Paleo and Mediterranean diets.

Related Posts

  • Why I’m Going Paleo, Mediterranean, and VeganWhy I’m Going Paleo, Mediterranean, and Vegan
  • Dark Chocolate Almond OatmealDark Chocolate Almond Oatmeal
  • CORE Foods ReviewCORE Foods Review
  • Our Wedding: Part 1Our Wedding: Part 1

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
  • More
  • Reddit
  • Share on Tumblr
  • WhatsApp

Filed Under: Healthy Eating Tagged With: vegan

« Red, White & Blue Popsicles
A Few of My Favorite Things »

Comments

  1. Nicole says

    July 6, 2015 at 9:26 am

    I tried going fully vegan 3 years ago and now I call myself a “flexitarian” which basically means I cook vegan and vegetarian at home, eat mostly vegetarian out, and occasionally eat meat. It is definitely a challenge to be fully vegan and takes a lot of creativity at first! But once you get several recipes in rotation that work for you it’s doable. But I’m with you – being 100% vegan is not for me but I appreciate much of the vegan diet.

    • Katie says

      July 6, 2015 at 9:57 am

      I like your version of flexitarian! I’ve always heard it as a joke for “I’m vegetarian, except when I don’t want to be.” Yours seems much more legit. Haha. And I could definitely see vegetarianism or veganism being way easier once you get some go-to meals in the rotation. Seems like a good system you have though. 🙂

  2. Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner says

    July 6, 2015 at 4:49 pm

    I am a lifelong vegetarian and could never be a vegan. I need cheese and yogurt and personally find that it is too hard to get enough protein and calcium without dairy and eggs. Fun that you tried them all. Which one are you going to ultimately stay on?

    • Katie says

      July 6, 2015 at 5:52 pm

      Although I didn’t try the different diets to pick a permanent one, I think my goal will be to attempt a Mediterranean-focused diet. So an emphasis on fresh goods and seafood, with some poultry, and keeping red meat to a minimum. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed my journey!

About Me
Follow Me on Facebook Follow Me on Twitter Follow Me on Instagram Follow Me on Pinterest

Get New Posts by Email:

Trending

Sorry. No data so far.

logo

Health Advertising by

Instagram:

Today I shared what will be my last post over at G Today I shared what will be my last post over at GettinMyHealthyOn.com. Due to exciting things 🥰 about to demand more of my time, I knew I was ready to officially retire.
.
It's been almost 10 years 😳 since I started my blog, but I'm ready to move on to the next chapter of my life. If you can't tell by the photo, I'm so happy to share we're expecting a baby soon! 👶💜
.
While it feels weird to announce my pregnancy in a farewell blog post, that's ultimately what led to my decision to step down from the personal blog world.
.
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has supported my blog over the last decade. ❤️ I'll still be posting here occasionally but wanted to share the news. 🤗 To check out the farewell post, visit the link in my bio.
Starting the weekend with a bit of sweetness. 😍 Starting the weekend with a bit of sweetness. 😍 First acai bowl in what feels like years. 🍓🫐 #TooPrettyNotToDocument #SendMoreGranola
Yessss, gimme dat chicken noodle, beef barley, pot Yessss, gimme dat chicken noodle, beef barley, potato, chicken tortilla, broccoli cheese, tomato, and all the other kinds I can't think of right now. 😅 #MmNoodleSoup
No idea how these are going to taste, but I'm pret No idea how these are going to taste, but I'm pretty thrilled with myself for finally taking the time to learn this canning thing.

 #SoManyPickles #SoManyCucumbers #TheresMoreInTheFridge 😅
If you're a cucumber fan (or have an overflowing c If you're a cucumber fan (or have an overflowing cucumber plant 🌱 like me), I recently discovered this 3-ingredient snack that's surprisingly good. Then again, I'll take any excuse to eat cream cheese. 😋 
.
All you need is cucumber slices, cream cheese, and Everything But the Bagel Seasoning. 😍
.
Recipe: ➡️ bit.ly/cream-cheese-cuc-bites/
All the rain we've been getting has been making my All the rain we've been getting has been making my garden (and therefore me) so happy. 😍 Cucumbers, green peppers, San Marzano tomatoes, and ghost peppers (😳) are all taking off. The green beans and strawberries aren't far behind. 🌱🍓 Pretty thrilled so far with my first in-ground garden. 🙌
.
Are you growing a veggie/fruit garden this year?
My favorite kind of Taco Tuesday: spicy shrimp tac My favorite kind of Taco Tuesday: spicy shrimp tacos! 🤤🌮 What's your perfect taco?
.
.
.
Recipe inspired by Oscar's Mexican Seafood in San Diego. ➡️ bit.ly/spicytaco
It's supposed to snow tomorrow, but today I'm goin It's supposed to snow tomorrow, but today I'm going to soak up the crisp air, warm sun, and a little bit of mud.
Follow on Instagram
logo
Health Advertising by

My Networks:

Fit Approach FitFluential Is Fitness Found Healthy Living Blogs
BlogLovin'

Recent Posts:

  • My Farewell to Blogging
  • Cream Cheese Cucumber Bites with Everything Seasoning
  • Goals for 2021: Living with Intention
  • December Favorites
  • Top 20 Posts of 2020
May 2025
S M T W T F S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Apr    

Archives

Follow Me on Facebook Follow Me on Twitter Follow Me on Instagram Follow Me on Pinterest Follow My RSS Feed
About Me | Workouts | Recipes | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Contact

Copyright © 2025 · Foodie Pro Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress