But won't I starve to death if I only eat lettuce and carrots?

Here is something a lot of people who are not vegan do not understand. If you like eating. I mean physically love to fill your plate up and chew, savor and taste each bite of food, then a whole foods plant based vegan lifestyle allows, in fact it demands, that you eat A LOT!

Yep, if you fill up your plate with mostly vegetables with some beans, nuts, grains and fruit mixed in then your body needs you to eat a pound or two of vegetables a day. So food lovers rejoice. You can eat and eat and eat with a vegan diet. Yes, you will starve to death if you only eat a carrot and a piece of lettuce a day. This is not how vegans eat though.

As you can see, a plant-based vegan diet has many benefits for your health. Vegan diets also have the added bonus of variety. There are so many combinations of soy-based products and vegetables as well as meat-like foods such as veggie patties to keep you healthy and satisfied in your vegan endeavors.

I personally enjoy a more whole foods plant based approach to my health. However, there are many kinds of vegans. There are junk food vegans who exist to eat Oreo cookies (yes, they are vegan...no, they are not healthy) and there are whole food vegans and raw vegans and lots of vegans in between. The important thing to remember is to pick a lifestyle that you can stick with. I would categorize myself as a whole food vegan but you betcha that I will go out to eat sometimes and get excited to eat a sugar-filled vegan dessert. I think it is OK because those rare times are few and far between and being able to "cheat" on my diet every now and then does keep me honest in my healthy decisions the rest of the time.

My philosophy is if that soda pop every 10 days is going to keep you on your journey then have it. I know I needed it at first and then as my taste buds changed and my resolve strengthened I needed the "cheat" meal less and less. My husband sometimes asks me if the tick that makes you not be able to eat red meat were to bite me would I feel sad. The answer is always, yes. You see, right now I am operating under the assumption that I could have a steak anytime I wanted to. I just don't want to. Do I plan to have meat anytime soon? No way! But I also don't want a tick to take my decision away from me. If you crave meat or cheese at first and that is a make it or break it line for you then by all means have it just have it after you have pushed all the nutrition into your body, after you have taken your supplements and drank your water. At the very least it will make you eat less meat and animal products and I believe if you really work at it that eventually you will see that your "cheat" meal will be less and less needed.

The goal of going vegan is not to white knuckle your way through it but to truly enjoy and thrive with this new lifestyle. I know it took me about 6 months of craving fast food or sodas before I just didn't crave those things anymore. There is a transition period and there is no need to beat yourself up while going through it. I would mess up sometimes and I would be gentle with myself. I reminded myself that I am practicing something new and there are bound to be slips. I also made sure to watch more animal documentaries and health documentaries when I did slip up because I realized that my thinking needed to change. Always work on your mind first and your body will follow.