I tried vegan and felt awful

“I was vegan but started feeling awful. I had migraines, was tired all the time, always hungry, bloated. I felt better after eating meat.”

If I start feeling terrible then for sure I’m going back to eating meat! Fingers crossed. In the meantime, I’m going to give it the old college try and see if I can make it work.

Here are some things that I might need to watch out for.

You’re not you when you’re hungry

When I’m in control it’s all good and I eat enough, in fact way more than enough! But there are definitely times, like parties or hanging out with friends, when I might not get enough to eat.

In this non-vegan world, it’s super easy to find meat or cheese to get some quick nutrient-dense calories. These nutrient-dense calories exist in the world of plant-based eating. They just don’t show up so much in the kitchens of friends and family (I don’t mind, just happy to be invited) or cafes and restaurants when I’m relying on them for meals.

So I need to make sure I plan my meals accordingly, and either eat before going out or bring along some plant-based snacks to avoid getting too hungry.

Protein maxxing

So this was the first thing I looked at when deciding to go vegan. I needed to know that I could get enough protein for gym life.

I was tracking protein before going vegan, so I knew how much I needed and looked into what complete protein sources I could include in my diet. Turns out it’s quite manageable with a mix of beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, seitan, and soy milk.

Fibre maxxing

No one really tells you this, but going from the bare minimum amount of fibre to a high-fibre plant-based diet surprised me with a lil bloating and a lot of pooping. After two weeks, my gut started to adapt and things settled down.

I should have ramped up my fibre intake gradually instead of going all in at once.

Pill popping

I found there are a couple of things you don’t get as easily on a vegan diet. B12 is the one that all vegans need to supplement. I’m also mindful of getting iron from veggies, lentils, and pumpkin seeds, and omega-3s through flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts. Not hard, but a lil harder than before.

Chips and Oreos

My favourites. It’s easy to eat trash like chips and Oreos and all those fake vegan processed meats. But that’s true of every diet. Moderation is key.

2 blessed to be stressed

Luckily, for now, I don’t really have IBS or soy allergies. I think if I did, I would just try my best. Veganism is about going “as far as is possible and practicable”, and not forcing it when it’s too difficult. Thankfully I can enjoy all the plant-based goodness without any issues.

Is it cause I’m vegan now?

Whenever I have some sort of pain, discomfort, or headache, low-key I wonder if it’s because I’m vegan now. Because if it is, I could happily go back to eating animals and just blame health issues on the diet rather than my choices. Easy fix.

There’s plenty of research showing that a well-planned vegan diet is completely fine. So if I’m feeling off, maybe it’s the veganism, or maybe it’s the 4 hours of sleep paired with doom-scrolling as soon as I wake up. Who’s to say?

The bottom line

I’m just going to try my best! That’s all! It’s not too difficult with my current lifestyle, and if I start feeling off, I’ll reassess and make adjustments as needed.

For now, it looks like I’m sticking with it and seeing how it goes.

If you’ve tried it and struggled, I’d genuinely like to hear what happened.