“and I completely forgot I was vegan”

Scrolling through my Instagram feed the day before my senior year of high school started, I came upon a post of a girl I knew from a former school, displaying her collection of fruit juices, elaborating on how proud she was to be vegan. I always knew that vegans did not eat meat or dairy, but I was unaware of the health benefits I could gain from this rigorous diet. After extensive research, I figured that the reduced amount of fat I would consume could help me drop a few pounds and make me feel more energized. I had been invited to a dinner at a steakhouse that same night, so I decided to begin my vegan lifestyle the following day.

Day 1:

Wake up feeling: dreading school but excited to start my journey of veganism

Breakfast: Trader Joe’s bottled green juice

Lunch: Trader Joe’s bottled strawberry juice

Snack before work: slice of bread with peanut butter

Dinner: lentils and ciabatta bread

Overall Feeling: a little hungry but energized overall

Day 2:

Wake up feeling: ready for the day and hungry

Breakfast: two apples and a banana

Lunch: two Kind bars

Snack: homemade green juice

Dinner: Publix quinoa salad

Overall Feeling: energized and not as famished as yesterday

Day 3:

Wake up feeling: normal but craving more food

Breakfast: banana and slice of unbuttered toast with avocado

Lunch: green juice

During fifth and sixth period all I could think of was how hungry I felt and how much I craved a Five Guys burger, which surprised me because the thought of consuming greasy red meat always disgusted me. Racing to the back of the parking lot to get in my little black Nissan on time to get out of the lot quickly felt like a marathon; my whole body felt weak and my legs gave up on me. My six minute drive home felt like half an hour and when I finally got home, I built up the energy to call my friend to bring me protein. He walked through the door with a bag of Burger King and I completely forgot I was vegan and I had never appreciated processed meat as much as I did when I took my first bite out of a chicken fry.