Sorry this is a little late, I had a few days off of school and used them to clean the house and organize myself for the rest of the semester. After doing 30 days of Vegan, my verdict is that 30 days is not long enough to see a real difference in our bodies. My weight didn't decrease, nor did my overall measurements, but being less bloated after meals made me look and feel thinner and made my clothes fit better too. Also my total cholesterol, LDL, and triglycerides we lower by about 10 points all around. So although it wasn't the life changing experience that I was hoping for, it still made us feel good about what we were eating. So our plan for now is to eat "vegan-ish", where we'll cook mostly vegan at home with the occasional addition of good quality cheese, but if we have dinner with family or friends we don't mind eating a little meat on those occasions as it is easier for the person cooking, helps satisfy cravings, but still keeps our meat intake to a minimum, and supplements our vitamin B12 intake. Things may change in the future. I am definitely still drawn to a "whole food" diet, including organic milk and cheese, farm fresh eggs, grass feed-pastured beef and pork and wild caught fish.
P.S. That last week of 30 days had me craving a bacon cheeseburger like nobody's business. I'm sure people would like to think that it was my body's way of telling me it needed protein, but I know it was all in my head. My iron levels were spot on following the 30 days so it's true that a varied diet with plant sources of protein and iron are enough to keep a person nourished and healthy.
3.08.2011
