For my Ecofeminist action, I think I’m going to attempt going vegan for a week. I am well aware that this is going to be a very difficult time to ‘try’ veganism, but luckily I am fortunate enough to be in a position where cheap fruits, and ingredients, are readily available. Veganism to me is less about saving animals, and more about saving the environment, as the meat industry is one of the planet’s top polluters. I am a big believer that veganism is going to be an essential step moving forward to save the planet, and I think it’s finally time to take the step for myself.
In order to do this, I will need to do a lot of research and meal planning. I’ve written out my three meals a day, and listed them below. Looking at it, it’s very clear that I like peanut butter. A good friend of mine makes specialty vegan pasta, so I had him send me the recipe. The vegan meatballs are store bought, but they taste totally fine. The tacos are a similar story, focusing on more beans and rice rather than the traditional meats. This fulfills the protein needs, and it will also pack a delicious spicy meal.
Monday
- Breakfast
- Peanut Butter Toast (A personal favorite)
- Lunch
- Fruits! (Apples, bananas, grapes, etc. Depends on how I’m feeling)
- Dinner
- Vegan Pasta w/ Vegan Meatballs
Tuesday
- Breakfast
- Oatmeal
- Lunch
- Apples + Peanut butter (another favorite)
- Dinner
- Leftover Pasta
Wednesday (this is gonna be fast food day)
- Breakfast
- Boring regular toast
- Lunch
- Impossible Whopper (Burger King’s Vegan Option)
- I will definitely want to talk about this.
- Impossible Whopper (Burger King’s Vegan Option)
- Dinner
- Vegan Tacos (Beans + Rice + Veggies)
Thursday
- Breakfast
- Cereal & Coffee (w/ oat milk)
- Lunch
- Peanut butter toast!
- Dinner
- Leftover Tacos
Friday
- Breakfast
- Cereal (Oat milk again here)
- Lunch
- More fruit!
- Dinner
- Vegan Pizza
Saturday
- Breakfast
- Cereal (Oat milk again here)
- Lunch
- Peanut Butter + Apples
- Dinner
- Vegan Pizza leftovers
Sunday
- Breakfast
- Cereal
- Lunch
- Peanut butter toast!
- Dinner
- Pasta (Round Three)
I am hoping this will snowball me into being vegan year round. While the vegan lifestyle is already much more ethical than the regular diet, it is also generally quite healthy when taken alongside supplements, primarily vitamin B12. I’ve got some friends who have also given me some great tips. Did you know sriracha was vegan? Fantastic news.
While being vegan is important for the animals, for me, practicing ethical veganism is more important. If there are days when I can’t eat a vegan option, I’m not going to starve myself, I’m just going to eat something that I would eat regularly. It is very important to me that my diet is practical. I cannot stand when I see people practicing veganism, and they don’t put their own health first.
I look forward to this upcoming week. I can’t wait to tell you all about my experience.
Hi Peter! I really like your idea of going vegan for a week, and I look forward to seeing your results! My boyfriend’s sister is actually vegan so I am quite familiar with the kinds of foods vegans eat. If you decide to go to the grocery store during this time, I would suggest looking for vegan butter, cheese, and eggs (yes it exists) I have been told that they taste pretty similar to the real thing. She likes to use vegan cheese to make mac and cheese and says it is really good, so maybe give it a try! Also, if you follow the YouTube channel, Julian Solomita, he has some awesome step by step instructional videos on how he makes his vegan dishes like fish and chips and tamales. Although he is also gluten-free, he also tells you how to make each recipe strictly vegan. On another note, I personally am not vegan but I do not eat red meat or drink milk, mainly because of the huge carbon footprint cows have. I am also lactose intolerant so that helps me to not want to eat dairy products, so I instead like to use almond milk and soy milk. If you are craving something sweet during your week of veganism I would suggest HaloTop ice cream, it is so good and is vegan! The only suggestion I can make it for lunch, in order to reach your daily calorie intake of about 2000 calories, you might need to eat more than just fruit and peanut butter, so maybe add something else to your list, or snack throughout the day! Good luck!
Hey Peter, I love your idea! I’m doing something similar with my whole family our results should be interesting. You definitely love your peanut butter I can’t blame you for that. I’ve recently been on a hummus kick, trying all new types and I started putting it on toast for breakfast and it’s actually really good. Maybe you could give that a try instead of all the peanut butter. There may even be peanut butter hummus, which will add extra protein with the chickpeas, which is important in the absence of meat. This may be difficult right now with our world’s chaos, but I encourage you to try new recipes maybe vegan pancakes for breakfast, acai bowls for lunch, different kinds of stir-fry for dinner. I think the more recipes you have the more exciting it is to stay within a vegan lifestyle. If you’re eating peanut butter toast every day you may revert back to your meat-eating days. Variety is always better when forming new eating habits. Are you planning on taking a vitamin B12 while you’re vegan for the week or is this something you plan on doing only if you’re able to stick with a vegan diet? I think this may be important to mention in your results blog. I also liked that you mentioned you’re not going to compromise your health for a vegan lifestyle, because it’s not for everyone especially if you’ve eaten most non-vegan things all your life. I commend you for giving this a real shot and trying to implement a vegan diet into your own life. Even if you find you aren’t able to live a full vegan lifestyle this may help you start eating vegan meals on a regular basis. Good luck Peter, I look forward to seeing how your week goes and if you end up having some really good recipes please share!
Peter,
I think this is awesome. The fact that you have even conjured up a catalog of meals for the week demonstrates to me that you mean business. I can’t wait to read your follow-up post. If it all goes well, I might even try to implement this on my own so please be sure to record the most trying moments of your journey. Veganism has danced around in my head for years but I have never committed because of the expenses that come with it. It also doesn’t help that I live in a household of meat-eaters. It’s very discouraging! Do you have any experience with that? I’m curious to learn how your family/household supports you through this personal endeavor. I know Trader Foods sells a range of vegan options but where do you do your grocery shopping? Can’t wait to follow up.
Best,
Celine
*Trader Joe’s, my apologies!
Hi Peter, I can’t wait to see how this goes for you. Your blog gave me the same idea for me to do mine. I just actually wanna learn how to make all the meals that I’m making. If we lived near each other we could’ve did this together! We can even video chat to be honest! I’m glad I read your blog because I had no idea what to do but I knew I wanted to do something that would be fun and preoccupy me during this quarantine. I’ve been eating a lot of fast food so I wanna cut it at least for a week and see what it does for me and my body. I’ve been looking at a lot of vegan blogs you should look some up, and go to tumblr I love the posts I’ve been seeing lately. I finally was able to get all of my ingredients for this next week today so I’m excited! I can’t wait to check in with you and see what’s up! 🙂 GOOD LUCK! DONT GIVE UP!