Reflections about the 22-Day Vegan Challenge

I recently took on a new food challenge, given to me by Ori Shavit, to adopt a Vegan lifestyle for 22 days.

Like many of the other challenges I have taken on in my life, I thought if I could just focus on the goal, I would be able to achieve it. I never thought about how hard or challenging it was me to switch to become Vegan and I didn’t appreciate the struggle some of my friends deal with each and every day of their life because of their commitment to live the Vegan lifestyle.

To prepare for my life as a Vegan, I went to the supermarket and I purchased everything I thought I needed to have an ample supply of food in my home for Vegan breakfasts that were also Gluten Free. In effect my kitchen became Vegan and I removed any food products that were not consistent with my desire to be vegan. The result of this ensured me I would begin each and every day with at least one Vegan meal. And this is exactly what happened, when I wasn’t traveling, I started every day with a Vegan gluten free breakfast. The unintended consequence for me was I also gave up my morning coffee and transitioned into becoming a morning tea person. This transition happened easier than I thought.

As each day went on, whenever possible, I choose to visit restaurants which were known for specific vegan meal options and I am grateful for the great tasting food I was able to experience in New York City, Ft Lauderdale and Tel Aviv.

There were a few times where I made a decision to eat something gluten free over something that was vegan mainly because I learned my body is sensitive to wheat products and if I had to chose one food lifestyle over the other, if I was in a spot where I could only eat one way or the other, I chose vegetarian gluten free over non-gluten free vegan options. And I carried this food choice guilt with me into the evening because while I had intended to be eating vegan for the day, I felt I failed for the day.

Looking back, I can appreciate how challenging and difficult it is to switch overnight and eat only vegan options. During the past 22 days there were only a few days where I know I was able to eat at least three and sometimes four meals in a row as a gluten free vegan eater. And each time my streak was stopped due to my poor choice of eating establishment or my lack of knowledge that some great tasting vegan dishes were not also gluten free, I just carried the weight of such choices with me into each meal.

Whenever I woke up and started a new day, I looked at each day as another opportunity to be Vegan. I am grateful for the chance to have a much greater appreciation for the way food is prepared, for how great food can taste and how amazing certain combinations of fresh vegetables can taste when a master vegan chef prepares them.

I am grateful for the chance to learn how much I love coconut water. How much I enjoy cappuccino with almond milk and how I will now say yes to certain foods I never would have otherwise tasted or tried in the past.

My intention is continue eating as much Vegan food options as I can. To embrace the tastes and imagination of Vegan chefs and to see where they take me on their food tasting journey.

I am still a novice at living the vegan lifestyle. For now I plan on keeping my home 100% vegan and to look for vegan gluten free food choices when I eat outside of my home. I am trying to not feel guilty when the food I am looking for is not available I know my next meal can be vegan and to not feel like a failure but rather a winner because I was able to experience food choices I would have never otherwise made if I didn’t make a personal commitment to live 22 days as a vegan.

I am grateful to Ori Shavit and the people from the 22-Day Vegan challenge for their support and helping me taste a different way of being and living. For more information about the 22 Day Vegan Challenge, visit: http://bit.ly/ChallengeGroup205