A while back, I challenged myself to a diet for thirty days. I call it the extreme vegan diet. It is essentially only fruits, vegetables, beans, and nuts. I wasn’t supposed to have anything with meat, animal products, salt, sugar, or oil. This all started because my lack of healthy eating and the fact that almost every meal was fast food.

I was on the fast track to obesity, diabetes, and other health conditions associated with bad eating. Not to mention that I felt horrible and unsatisfied after every meal. This is when I decided that I wanted to take extreme measures and cut all of the “bad stuff” out to help get my eating habits under control. I’m not big on eating meat and I love fruits and vegetables, so how hard could it really be?

Pros

I began eating healthier and I started feeling better. Not only that, but I noticed a change in my skin. It was clearer and glowing. The best thing though, was taking an active role in what I decided to ingest every day. It forced me to look at labels and consider what I was buying and eating. I was also preparing meals at home and saving money!

Cons

The downside to this diet was that I was constantly hungry and craving. Not only that, but I got tired of eating the same meals over and over. It got to a point where I didn’t want to eat, so I’d eat just a little because it was no longer enjoyable. Then, I started cheating by adding meat into my diet every now and then or possibly have a dressing that was full of sugar and oil. It felt like the thirty days would never end!

Results & Suggestions

What I learned was that extreme diets are not sustainable. I would suggest eating more balanced meals and limiting yourself on salts and sugars. If you are wanting to follow this diet or something similar, I would suggest doing it in phases so that your body can adjust to the changes. Start off with a vegetarian diet and slowly take things out of your diet to become vegan.

If you do it this way, you are less likely to struggle with the change. However, it will make it more difficult in not falling back into old habits. I also want to point out that extreme diets can lead to eating disorders, so please be careful in how you manage what you eat, but also how you view your body and food. If there are any questions or concerns, you should consult a doctor.