Do I Regret Going Vegan??

Every time someone finds out I'm vegan, I always get asked the same questions. People are usually just super curious about why I made the change, what I even eat, if it is hard, how I feel, and most importantly…. how do I get PROTEIN?!?!? So I wanted to make a little post kind of going over some of these questions and how I personally would answer them. If you have ANY other questions please feel free to reach out to me!

I decided to go vegan last summer (July 25, 2016 to be exact) basically because of the beautiful Claire Michelle (plantifulsoul) on YouTube. One day I was super inspired by her and a bunch of other YouTubers who made "What I Eat In A Day" videos. I was in this unhealthy rut and I just thought that their food looked so delicious, healthy, satisfying, and none of it contributed to any animal cruelty. So I just kind of decided that day that I wanted to be vegan. I get asked all the time why I did it and ultimately for me it just boils down to being the change I wish to see in the world. I am vegan for everything. My health, the animals, and the planet. A lot of people probably think that just one person being vegan doesn't make much of a difference but I might as well try! Why not be one less person contributing to animal cruelty? Being vegan for 11 months I have saved 363,000 gallons of water; 9,900 sq feet of forest; 330 animal lives and 6,600 lbs of CO2. But don't just take all this information from me, I HIGHLY encourage everyone to get on Netflix and watch documentaries like What The Health, Cowspiracy, and Forks Over Knifes just to name a few. They are mind blowing and so informative!

If you would like to know what I eat, defintiely check out my food instagram @mak.lovesfood . Might sound kind of weird that I have one but I was keeping a folder on my phone of all the pictures of my new vegan meals that I was so proud of and a friend suggested I just make an Instagram to keep them all together. I thought it was a great idea to be able to show other people that might be interested in seeing them too and I can have a place to follow a ton of other inspirational vegan accounts. Aaaand now I’m obsessed. I might not take the best pictures (honestly don’t know how food bloggers do it. I am always way too hungry and impatient to set up a perfect photo) but the food is always really good!!

But besides my instagram, here are some of my favorite meals and brands that I have found!

Breakfast:
Oatmeal
Tofu scramble (I might make a recipe post for how I make mine soon!)
Smoothies (love Tropical Smoothie or just making my own)
Fruit bowls
Pancakes (Bob’s Redmill gluten free or Enjoy Life Foods pancake flour are really good)
Waffles (Nature’s Path has really good gluten free/vegan frozen waffles)
Cereal with almond milk
Peanut butter toast (Schar makes my favorite bread! It is an Italian company and sometimes hard to find but pretty much every other gluten free bread has egg in it soooo I love it when I can find theirs)
Breakfast sandwhiches - toast or an english muffin with Kite Hill cream cheese, tomato, and spinach
Hashbrowns or any type of breakfast potatoes

Lunch/dinner:
Sushi- veggie rolls
Burrito bowls (rice, beans, peppers, corn, salsa, romaine, guac, etc.)
Salads (always add some rice or quinoa and some sort of protein like tofu, beans, or edamame)
Pasta with lots of veggies
Veggie fried rice (since Asian restaurants use little to no dairy, it is easy to make a meal vegan by just removing the meat)
Pad Thai
Zoodles
Spaghetti Squash (Beyond Meat has an awesome “Beefless Ground” that I use to make a “meat” sauce sometimes)
Veggie pizza (extra veggies, no cheese)
French fries (I always bake mine with no oil instead of frying them)
Sandwiches (lettuce, tomato, hummus, apples, carrot shreds, and chao cheese is my favorite combo!)
Bruschetta
Avocado toast
Veggie fajitas or tacos (just no sour cream or cheese!)
Black beans and rice

Snacks:
Raw Rev Glo Bars (peanut butter-chocolate is my favorite. I am SO obsessed with these protein bars and they are so good for you)
Fruit
Chips and hummus/guac/salsa
Air popped pop corn
I love baking so I will often have cookies, brownies, or muffins around lol

For me, I know a lot of people are surprised that I can keep up a vegan diet because I am also allergic to gluten. The only way that this really ever effects me or makes things difficult is when I'm eating at someone's house or a party/event like a wedding, BBQ, ect. For the most part, so many restaurants are so gluten free friendly now that it is rarely a big deal. If a place has rice, pasta, potatoes, salads, or veggies I am pretty much good to go (and honestly that is most places)!

Besides for "where do you get your protein?" (tofu, beans, quinoa, edamame, nut butters, vegan protein bars/powders, chia seeds, hemp hearts, peas, chickpeas, etc.), the second most asked question I get is "how do you feel??" I feel AMAZING! Mentally, physically, and emotionally veganism has impacted every part of me! I physically and mentally feel so great about everything that I fuel my body with, just knowing that I am eating nutrient dense, healthy meals with no animal products and the long list of nasty stuff that comes with them makes me feel amazing in every way possible. I mean trust me, we do NOT live in a vegan world and no one goes vegan because they just hate the taste of meat and cheese. I continue because I know it's what is best for me and I experience so many benefits from it that I would NEVER turn back now.

As far as supplements go, I recently got my bloodwork done to make sure I'm not missing anything and the only thing that came back was that my b12 was HIGH! B12 is the one and only vitamin that you cannot get on a plant based diet and apparently my little supplement is really taking care of that situation. So I've cut back on the B12 a little but also take an Algae Omega cause I know it’s sometimes hard to get those being vegan. Unrelated to being vegan though, I also take turmeric, biotin, magnesium, probiotics, and sometimes C and D3.

I have been so happy with my choice, I seriously feel like it has been my best decision ever! I am truly shocked that I have been able to keep it up, I used to think I could never be vegan. It’s crazy how much my tastebuds, cravings, and mindset have quickly changed and adjusted. I just feel so much better mentally and physically about what I eat, I even think my skin looks and feels the best it ever has. Still working on making the full vegan lifestyle transition. Currently I really just have a plant-based diet, but I’m starting to only buy cruelty free makeup and beauty products and looking for more ethical clothing shops. But like I said before, please feel free to reach out, I’d love to answer anyone’s questions!