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One morning about ten years ago, I woke up and thought, “hey I think I’m a vegetarian now.” And that was it. A few months later I went vegan and I have never looked back. It wasn’t about animal welfare, I wasn’t concerned about greenhouse gasses (if I even knew what they were), and I hadn’t just watched any documentaries about diet-related diseases. It was just pure intuition.<\/p>\n
At the time, I had no way of knowing what a positive role this decision would play in my life.<\/p>\n
This momentary insight over a decade ago was the best lifestyle choice I have ever made, without question. Of all the changes and improvements in my life over the years, this one really stands apart as the most impactful.<\/p>\n
I just realized that I passed my 10-year veganniversary (lol) this year, so I thought I would share what I consider to be the biggest benefits, observations, and takeaways of being a vegan for the last 3,650+ days…<\/p>\n
Can you even remember what 2009 was like? Forks Over Knives, What the Health, and Game Changers hadn’t been shot. The millions of plant-based book\/cookbook bestsellers hadn’t been written. Even Dr. Greger of NutritionFacts.org<\/a> only had like 4 videos online.<\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton just won his first F1 title and definitely wasn’t posting #vegan #foodporn messages to his 13 million followers on Instagram (which also didn’t exist yet).<\/p>\n Restaurants and grocery stores had no knowledge, desire, or incentive to provide vegan options. The idea of Beyond Meat Del Tacos and Impossible Whoppers were laughable (maybe they still are?) and Veggie Grill was a single-location experiment.<\/p>\n What has happened in the meantime has been nothing short of a plant-based revolution. Compared with 2009, the nutritional world is completely transformed.<\/p>\n I mean, if you told me a decade ago that I could ask for non-dairy milk in a cafe and have the barista reply, “sure, would you like soy, almond, oat, hemp, rice, hazelnut, or cashew?” I would have thought you were crazy! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n In addition to the practical benefits of broad access to plant-based food at restaurants and grocery stores, the psychological benefits are immense. As all marketers know, “social proof” is the biggest driver of action. So when your neighbor, your grandmother, and your favorite celebrity are all going vegan (not just those crazy hippie kids), it makes you take it much more seriously.<\/p>\n For me personally, I was able to make it work in those dark ages just as well as in today’s paradise, but my ability to spread this message and help others improve their diet has gotten dramatically easier and more credible in the last decade.<\/p>\n In retrospect, it is obvious that this was going to happen. The nutritional science was already well established ten years ago, it just hadn’t yet gone mainstream. The groundwork for this revolution was being laid in numerous ways, but people just weren’t ready. From my perspective though, having been vegan this whole time, it’s pretty nuts to step back and realize just how much the public consciousness has shifted in the last decade. We have a lot of work to do, but the signs are encouraging. Well done, humanity.<\/p>\n Personally, eating a vegan diet has never been a big deal for me and I’m not at all vocal or preachy about it with others. I can’t remember one time where I insisted on eating at a certain vegan restaurant or preached to anyone for their dietary choices. Nevertheless, it has been a HUGE deal for some bigoted people with whom I have come into contact. When you go vegan, suddenly everyone in your life becomes deeply concerned about your diet \u2013 even more than their own. They have no idea what’s in their food, but they sure know what’s in yours!<\/p>\n A friend once called me selfish and egotistical for always eating “special food” … I’ve overheard several people criticizing me (in terms of my diet) behind my back … others have been obviously concerned that I may be malnourished and protein deficient … and not to mention the illogical yet pervasive ideas that real men eat meat, which I jokingly tackled in this article\u00a0(8 Scientific Reasons Why Vegan Men Are More Manly<\/a>) to a chorus of insecure men leaving me toxic comments.<\/p>\n All the above might sound… awful, but it really isn’t. Making conscious choices in your life creates immediate clarity. The people who are wrong for you will leave. This is great. Just think \u2013 if you knew that someone in your life would viciously criticize and reject you for making a positive health choice down the road, wouldn’t you love to know that now? Wouldn’t you love to clear them out of your life, instead of continuing to invest in a mismatched relationship?<\/p>\n As with any conscious lifestyle choice you make, your relationships will become more extreme. Some people will hate you, some will love you, and you’ll clear out those people who think “meh” of you. That might seem difficult, but it’s an immensely positive thing.<\/p>\n Just as it can turn people off, it can also bring new people into your life who are much more aligned with your lifestyle and values. One of the greatest things about being vegan is that I’ve been able to connect instantly and deeply with other vegans who would otherwise be total strangers. It’s like a secret club where all the members are respected and appreciated right off the bat.<\/p>\n This makes sense because this one simple dietary choice says so much about the qualities of this person. Immediately, you know that they are much more likely to be:<\/p>\n Don’t those people sound great?! Obviously people who are not vegan can have those characteristics too (and vice versa) but it’s a quick filter to find some really great people who are likely to share a lot in common with you.<\/p>\n This has definitely been the case for me. I have no prejudice against non-vegan people (everyone is on their own journey), but this is why much of my social circle is now vegan. It would be really hard, for example, to have a relationship with someone who isn’t part of the club… vegan girls are just instantly so much more attractive \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n One of the biggest ironies of going vegan is that you’re cutting out entire food groups and yet somehow end up eating a much wider variety of foods. Huh?<\/p>\n The reason is, there is like 10,000x more diversity in the edible plant kingdom than the factory-farmed animal kingdom. Compared to 10 years ago, I probably eat a 5x greater variety of foods.<\/p>\n Once you’re in the mindset of being a plant eater, a whole new world of variety opens up. You find new recipes with strange-sounding ingredients like nutritional yeast, dandelion greens, champagne mangos, adzuki beans, oyster mushrooms, quinoa, wakame seaweed, and so much more.<\/p>\n Not only is this fun, but it’s also really good for you. Our bodies were designed to eat a ton of biodiversity because each has a different balance of vitamins and micronutrients that we need for optimal health.<\/p>\n Just as important, I also began to understand and become mindful of the foods I was eating rather than taking them for granted. This led to so much more positive feelings towards food, and it’s rare that I eat a meal now without feeling immense gratitude for the nutrition and flavors, and the larger harmony of nature that supports these plants.<\/p>\n I think it’s dumb to play those “what if” games, but I shudder to think what my life would have been like if I hadn’t switched to a plant-based diet. I can tie so much of my positive character development to this one decision.<\/p>\n Putting aside the huge benefits of both health and career (i.e. this blog would have never been started), going vegan made me a better person in numerous ways…<\/p>\n I would suggest that if you’re looking to revitalize your life and grow your character, there is no better starting point than diet. It’s an “easy win” that will improve your confidence, clarity, and awareness so much that everything else will become easier.<\/p>\n This was both an immediate and long-lasting benefit. After I went vegan, I felt like I could just run forever. Within months, my speed, endurance, robustness, and recovery increased dramatically \u2013 but also my enjoyment. That look on most runner’s faces (something between constipation and terror) was a thing of the past. Running became so smooth and effortless no matter how many miles I was logging.<\/p>\n Every year since, my endurance and enjoyment have both increased. Today I love running more than pretty much anything else. Next year, as long as my ankle ligaments behave themselves, I hope to do my first 50-mile ultra.<\/p>\n For endurance sports especially, veganism is like a superpower, and that’s why such a high percentage of ultra runners and triathletes are plant-based. I just don’t know how non-vegans can compete.<\/p>\n [Update: I just watched Game Changers on Netflix and it does an awesome job of explaining this. If you’re curious about this topic of plant-based athletic performance, that documentary is a must watch!]<\/p>\n Surprisingly, this was the most obvious shift in my pre\/post vegan life. Almost immediately after making the switch, I felt a pronounced energetic upgrade. I don’t know what to call it other than, maybe, spiritual awareness?<\/p>\n What specifically caused this is a mystery to me. Maybe it is some kind of physical energy boost from a cleaner diet? Maybe it was the lack of ingesting suffering multiple times a day? Whatever the cause, this increase in pure awareness was like taking off sunglasses I didn’t know I was wearing. Everything got brighter and clearer.<\/p>\n This shift was both internal and external. Inwardly, I felt so much more intuitive, clear-minded, and centered. Outwardly, the world felt so much more alive and I could notice the energy patterns around me more easily.<\/p>\n It also extended to nature. Hiking through a woodland and feeling the harmony of the birds, grasses, sunshine, soil, air, water.. it’s all so alive. This is something I never would have even noticed ten years ago, but is now one of the things I appreciate most.<\/p>\n I don’t even notice this as often anymore because it has become so normal, but the effect is definitely still there, and it has enhanced my ability to appreciate life immeasurably.<\/p>\n Before I went vegan, cooking was a cool idea. I thought it would be nice to someday learn how to cook something. I think I even tried to follow a recipe one time…<\/p>\n Ha!<\/p>\n On a vegan diet, cooking more of your own meals from scratch is inevitable. True, there are more and more ready-made vegan meals available now, but it would still be nearly impossible to eat vegan without knowing how to throw meals together on your own.<\/p>\n Since the default SAD (Standard American Diet) no longer applies to you, you’ve got to take control over what you’re eating on a daily basis. That often means much more cooking \u2013 and also more awareness of exactly what you’re eating. Both are super positive side benefits of a plant-based diet<\/p>\n2. It’s a lot harder for those around me than it is for me.<\/h2>\n
3. Vegans have a secret club.<\/h2>\n
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4. I eat a much wider range of foods (and appreciate them more).<\/h2>\n
5. It has made my character stronger.<\/h2>\n
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6. Exercise is now fun.<\/h2>\n
7. Spiritual awareness?<\/h2>\n
8. I got better at cooking. Obviously.<\/h2>\n