So my thirty days of veganism are up. Over the last two weeks I’ve been good about avoiding dairy and eggs. However, I’ve gotten a little bit lax on cutting out honey.
Honey
I had a conversation with a vegan co-worker about this sticky-sweet substance. Apparently there is a debate over honey within the vegan community. If you’ve ever seen the Vanishing of the Bees, your sympathies and support for the honey-bee and his keeper has probably been aroused. Because of pesticides and other environmental toxins, honeybee hives have been steadily decreasing in number-a problem for us humans since honeybees are important pollinators for our food crops and simply to keep the ecosystem in balance.
The pro-honey side of the vegan community is in support of the honeybee and believes in supporting happy bees by buying and consuming local, organic honey.
image provided by flickr creative commons user marfis75
Community
In the same conversation, I learned a little bit about the sense of community among vegan individuals. It turns out that here in Denver, there is actually a fledgling vegan mentoring program. The vegan community is fairly tight-knit and they hold potlucks and events-pretty cool!
Health
Over all, I’ve felt pretty good on this diet. My energy picked up after the first two weeks. I weigh exactly the same as I did when I first started, but my tummy looks flatter because I’m not constantly bloated from eating heavy meals. I ate more greens than I normally do, and incorporated foods that I don’t normally eat – including almonds, cashews, avocado, mango, grapefruit and arugula.
Clear Skin
The absolute best result from going vegan for 30 days is that my skin is by far the clearest it’s been in my entire adult life. For those who have problem skin, I would seriously suggest trying a vegan diet and quitting your commercial face washes and moisturizers. Eating more fruits, veggies and whole grains and eliminating most greasy foods and dairy, along with simply rinsing with water and applying coconut oil to your face might just be your cure for problem skin – it worked for me!
Know What’s In Your Food
Another awesome thing about this diet was that it forced me to read labels on EVERYTHING I ate, and also to ask questions about what I was eating. I think it’s important that people take the time to look at the ingredients in their food, instead of idly putting things in their mouths all the time. Diet really does determine how you’re going to feel.
As for me, I don’t plan on continuing with a strictly vegan diet, but I think I’m going to go back to vegetarianism while continuing to avoid dairy as much as possible. I do suggest that people try going vegan for 30 days – it’s not as hard as you think it will be, you’ll learn a lot about a different way of living, and you’ll feel probably pretty darn good in the process.