15 days ago, I stumbled upon the documentary “WHAT THE HEALTH” on Netflix. I was chatting with my good friend (co-NTC coach) Trish Ayson about finally trying to eat healthier and she recommended for me to watch the film.

Now, I know there are a lot of people who don’t agree with the video and who have been very vocal about it but I guess the video did the trick for me. The day after I watched it, I immediately decided to go vegetarian (yes, cold turkey!) and I’ve been choosing to stay plant strong to date! People have repeatedly asked me what’s my biggest reason for the shift and I always say, I just finally decided to put better things in my body. Trish and the documentary made me realise that I work so hard every day to get into the best shape of my life and yet, in my food choices, I always end up going for junk. So yes, 15 days ago I decided to change that. 🙂

So yup, I stopped eating all kinds of meat altogether – pork, beef, chicken, fish. I still do eat eggs and most other dairy products but I’m slowly trying to find ways to shift to plant-based alternatives too. I bet you’re curious how it was like transitioning huh? Here’s a little rundown of what I went through:

1. Get ready to feel hungry ALL. THE. TIME.
   I’ve always been a 3 big meals for the day kind of girl (I’m lucky coz I’ve never been a snacker nor have I ever been big on desserts) but after I went vegetarian, I found myself feeling hungry all the time! During my first few days, I ate my usual food portions and I did feel I didn’t eat enough so I felt weak and irritable. The funny thing is, after I ate more (brown rice is now up to 3 cups per day!), I felt totally satiated and my energy levels have been better than ever.
2. Get ready to feel thirsty ALL. THE. TIME.
   I don’t know if it’s all the fiber I’m consuming but yup, I feel super thirsty all the time! This is a good thing for me though because I always forget to drink my water and so nowadays, I like it that my body really sends clear signals for me to hydrate more, more often.
3. For some reason, I started salivating a lot the first few days.
   They say this is normal when your body consumes more plant-based stuff. It kinda felt like juicing actually. I’ve read up on some explanations for this and most literature will say that its because the body is expecting to digest a lot more complex nutrients and so the saliva helps break down the green party in your mouth. Kinda makes sense but will read up more on this and get back to you guys as I learn more
4. This might be TMI but yup, get ready to poop A LOT!
   Okay this whole section might be too much information for most of you but the bottomline is from not being very regular in the bowel movement department, I’ve been going multiple times a day! I think that’s good because toxins are going out more frequently and my metabolism is surely picking up.

   

5. Bye bye Rosacea!
   For those of you who don’t know, I suffer from really aggressive Rosacea! Rosacea is a skin condition wherein my skin gets really red because of inflamed blood vessels. There’s no real cure for the condition and when left untreated, it can look really horrible and commonly mistaken for adult acne. Sad right? Anyway, the happy thing is, after going vegetarian, I saw immediate improvement in my skin! I have less flare-ups and I flush less. I think its because plant-based nutrition naturally prevents inflammation and this is totally one major reason why I’m loving my transition so far.
6. Hello, dry skin!
   That being said, I’ve noticed that the skin on the rest of my body started becoming drier. I’m still figuring this out but maybe I need to get some more fat or other skin health essential nutrients into my diet. I’ve never had dry skin before so this is quite a surprise for me.
   
   
7. Some people will question your choices!
   At first, I got a lot of the comments about the documentary being badly done and how the claims on it were not properly substantiated. Then, I got some people telling me I can’t do it and that I’ll falter soon enough. But you know what I realised? People are entitled to their own beliefs and as long as I hear them out and acknowledge their views, at the end of the day, it is still my choice on how I want to take care of my body. 🙂 
8. It’s easier than you think!
   I just realised that there are so many vegetarian options out there already unlike when I first tried transitioning a couple of years back. From restaurants to vegan alternatives, there are now so many choices available for anyone trying to go plant based. I’ve survived so far ordering vegetarian options in most restaurants and by ordering pre-prepared vegetarian meals I can easily heat up at home. I’ll be writing more on this on another post!

Okay, so that’s been my first 15 days so far! Overall, I feel lighter, healthier, and I’m actually very happy with my choice! I haven’t craved for meat at all and I’m pleasantly surprised how easy the transition has been so far. I’m definitely hoping I can keep this up (wish me luck!).

If you know anybody willing to give going plant-based a try too, hope you can share this post! I’d love to connect and share tips!