A month ago, Brayden challenged me to go vegan for the summer as a result of my interest in vegan eating. This is the one month mark. Yay us! We had planned to start the blog sooner but as always life can get in the way of some of the things you’d like to do, especially when you’re trying to keep your newfound vegan diet fresh and interesting.
Some health related things have improved as a result of the transition. For instance, I used to have a lot of stomach aches that I’ve since linked back to dairy. Running was tougher while I ate heavier foods with meat as well. The change encouraged me to sustain primarily on fruits and vegetables in order to get all my vitamins and not so much on breads. As of the past couple weeks, my stomach feels great and I’ve had a lot more energy. I haven’t checked the scale to see if I’ve lost any weight but my clothes do fit a bit better. I’m mostly curious to see how I size up during my next doctor’s appointment.
As far as the challenges I’ve approached so far, the most obvious would be eating out. While Boston has a decent amount of dedicated vegan eateries and options, the company I keep are omnivores that like general fare. Finding vegan options at a standard pub or fast food restaurant can almost be impossible. I’m usually limited to one option if I’m lucky without any modifications, otherwise I’m going for the dry salad sans cheese. The result is a LOT of veggie burgers. (thankfully all delicious)
I’m quite thankful to live in a town like Jamaica Plain that has the lion’s share of vegan fare with wonderful places like Fiore’s Bakery and VeeVee. The two local grocers, City Feed and Harvest Co-op are also excellent for finding meat and dairy alternatives. My place of employment is also in the corner of Allston with several vegan eateries. Vegan Summer would have proven to be quite the challenge otherwise.
Well, that’s my update for now. Happy eating!
-S