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Vegan for 2+ years here, went from daily meat eater to entirely plant-based overnight because I can't do slow transitions lol. I used to have some digestive issues that the plant-based diet did wonders for, heartburn and nausea used to be daily occurences and are pretty much completely gone now - likely due to cutting out dairy which appears to be the biggest offender for issues like these. It's been easier to keep a stable weight which is probably because eating plant-based kinda forces you to cut out a lot of junk and convenience food since they're not that widely available yet. On the other hand there are a lot of meat and milk/cheese replacements available nowadays that should make the transition a lot easier. Expect some gastrointestinal discomfort in the beginning, especially if you consumed a lot of meat and dairy before. From what I understand your gut flora needs time to adjust to the new diet, and your body likely isn't used to the amount of fiber and plant-based proteins which can cause some bloating and other issues for the first couple weeks, but this subsides and goes back to normal if you keep at it. I second the suggestion of checking out local cuisines from cultures with a vegetarian history, I've found that especially Asian cuisine offers a lot of variety and flexibility. As for the effects beyond diet itself, I went through a hardcore activism phase when I just made the switch (and pissed off everyone around me :D) - but I've found that no matter if you do it for ethical, environmental, or health reasons, people usually don't really want to hear about it anyway. Let others open up the conversation, and direct them towards further resources (like Netflix documentaries) if they show interest. Vegetarian and vegan jokes get pretty boring pretty quick, nowadays I don't even register them anymore lol. Bottom line, and back to diet, don't be afraid to try new foods and dishes, and make it your goal to find out what works for you - some swear on whole-foods plant-based (check out Dr. Greger for some good resources on this) while others are fine with a "junk food vegan" diet. It would be a good idea to get your blood levels checked (as with any other dietary change), you might need to take some extra precautions for B12 (at least) and possibly Vitamin D and iron but supplements are cheap and easily available so it shouldn't be too much of a hassle. Take as much time as you need, you're already taking the right steps towards better health and a more sustainable diet. |