Are you considering a change to a vegan diet? Awesome! The reasons to make such a lifestyle shift can be as unique as each individual, but they usually include an underlying commitment to health or the environment. Have you wondered what you can expect when you become a vegan? Let’s discuss the real truth of what it means to your body when you eliminate animal products from your diet.
Initial Expectations
At the start of a change to a vegan diet, you could experience a variety of differences to your body. These may include being hungrier, getting gassier, a change in your skin or body odor, weight loss or gain, better or worse sleep, headaches, tiredness, or having more energy. As you can see, it can go many ways! Changes, of course, depend on what you were eating previously and how your body responds to the different types of fuel it’s getting on a plant-based diet. Your journey is yours, although it will likely draw on the experience of others.
Common Results of a Change to a Vegan Diet
No matter who you are, when you change to a vegan diet, you will likely see some differences in your body. Most of those are positive, but some can be more challenging. Here are some of the most consistent experiences people have with the switch.
You’re going to get gassy.
One of the hallmarks of a plant-based diet is an increase in fiber. Remember that you’re eating plants, which include more grains, vegetables, and fruits, all of which are loaded with fiber. In fact, a study showed that vegans eat about 41 grams of fiber a day, the most of any of the major ways of eating.
Naturally, fiber is an excellent addition to your diet, but if your body isn’t used to that much of it, it’s going to take a bit to transition. And that means you’ll be gassier and probably have to poop more. Getting on a regular schedule is ideal for your body, so stick with it!
You could lose weight—and be hungry.
When you eliminate certain foods from your diet, it can take time to find great alternatives. Cutting out meat, dairy, and cheese, which can be higher in calories than plants, may mean that you’re eating fewer calories on a daily basis. It might also leave you feeling you have fewer snack options, another reason you won’t eat as much. That reduced calorie intake often leads to initial weight loss or being hungrier.
On the other hand, if you change to a vegan diet that is loaded with processed foods and simple carbohydrates, that may result in gaining weight. That approach to being plant based is a much less healthy option (and processed foods aren’t good for anyone), so it’s best to stick to whole-food choices.
Your gut health will improve.
Your gut is full of microbes, and several leading gastroenterologists encourage a plant-based diet to create a healthier microbiome. One excellent book that explains how all this works is The Gut-Immune Connection by Emeran Mayer, MD. According to Dr. Mayer, by making the change to a vegan diet, you’ll boost your immune response, and that’s a huge benefit. While your gut microbiome is changing, expect more gas (and maybe tummy aches), but it will pass, and it’s all worth it in the end.
You may need to change your supplements.
Many of us take daily vitamins and minerals in an attempt to get all the nutrients our bodies need. When you eat a whole-foods, plant-based diet, you’ll get most of what your body needs from your food. But there’s an exception: B12. Vegans must supplement their diets with this gem; a lack of vitamin B12 can result in neurological issues, metabolic problems, and in severe cases, death. It can only be found in animal products, so if you’re not eating animals, you must take B12. Other supplements to consider when you change to a vegan diet include calcium, iron, and omega.
The More You Know…
Making any changes in your diet can result in changes to your body, inside and out. The same is true when you change to a vegan diet. The Vegan Taste helps you enjoy delicious plant-based fare delivered direct to your door. All you do is heat and enjoy. And if you have questions about the transition, we can help you with that too!
Check out what Chef Jason has on this week’s menu and place your order!
FAQs
According to Dr. Mayer, by making the change to a vegan diet, you'll boost your immune response, and that's a huge benefit. While your gut microbiome is changing, expect more gas (and maybe tummy aches), but it will pass, and it's all worth it in the end.
How long does it take for the body to adjust to a vegan diet? ›
Adjusting your body to a plant-based diet might take up to four to six weeks. The time it takes to adjust depends on a variety of factors, including the person's current eating habits, the completeness of the diet change, and the rate at which the change is being implemented.
Do your taste buds change when you go vegan? ›
Further, an October 2022 study of 123 people published in Physiology & Behavior found that eating a vegan diet could change your taste perceptions. Vegans in the study found salty and sweet flavors to be more intense than their omnivorous counterparts did.
How soon after going vegan do you feel better? ›
The First 24 Hours After Going Vegan
You may feel a difference after just a few healthy plant-based meals. Vegan foods such as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes are rich in fiber, which promotes good digestion by reducing the amount of sugar your blood absorbs.
What happens to your gut when you go vegan? ›
Going vegan is like an extreme makeover for your gut, and it doesn't take long for this change to happen. The fiber in plant-based foods feeds good bacteria, which is essential for a healthy gut and better overall health. Fiber will also improve your bowel movements, keeping you regular and preventing constipation.
What i noticed when I went vegan? ›
The Pros and Cons of Going Vegan
Let's look at the pros first: * It vastly reduced the amount of fats and sugars I was taking on. * My body became leaner and more vasculated. * Going vegan produced less food waste including a lot less packaging.
How long does it take to detox after going vegan? ›
1. Short-term vegan cleanse – This group often uses the vegan diet to cleanse their bodies usually between 3-30 days. 2. Lifestyle change – This group are those going vegan for long-term health benefits, ethics and/or environmental reasons.
Do you lose weight switching to vegan? ›
It also concludes that the quality of such a diet makes a difference when it comes to how much weight is lost. Participants who followed a vegan diet lost an average of 5.9 kilograms (13 pounds), irrespective of diet quality.
What is the downside of a plant-based diet? ›
Some studies have shown that those on a plant-based diet are found to have lower plasma vitamin B12 levels and higher levels of vitamin B12 deficiency than those who consume animal products. Vitamin B12 is an important cofactor in DNA synthesis, and deficiency can lead to anemia and severe neurological dysfunction.
How long after going vegan do you see benefits? ›
A registered dietitian was on call to answer questions during the study, Stanford University said in a news release. After eight weeks, the group consuming the vegan diet showed lower insulin, decreased weight, and reduced levels of lipoprotein cholesterol, a protein associated with heart disease and stroke.
Vegan Substitutes for Meat
- TOFU. Tofu—a high-protein alternative to meat—is perhaps one of the most well-known plant-based meat substitutes. ...
- SEITAN. Need an easy and convenient meat substitute for cold cuts or prepared meats? ...
- JACKFRUIT. ...
- TEMPEH. ...
- BEANS.
But, bloating, gas, and stomach cramps seem to be especially big problems with new vegans, vegetarians, and flexitarians. The culprit is usually dietary fiber—the indigestible plant fibers that, unlike protein or carbohydrates, pass through your digestive system intact.
What happens to your body the first week of being vegan? ›
The first few weeks
The first thing that someone starting a vegan diet might notice is an energy boost with the removal of the processed meat that is found in many omnivorous diets, in favour of fruit, vegetables and nuts.
How long does it take for a vegan diet to clean arteries? ›
In a landmark study, he put a group of patients on a low-fat vegetarian diet and prescribed moderate exercise. Within a year, the plaques that had been growing in their hearts for decades actually started to dissolve. Patients' chest pains disappeared, and their cholesterol levels dropped.
What is the 7 days of being vegan? ›
How does it work? No meat, poultry, seafood, dairy or eggs for 7 days (any 7 straight days). Announce to your friends, family, followers that you're doing the challenge.
Does changing to a vegan diet side effects? ›
Low vitamin B12 intake is a significant problem in vegan diets due to the exclusion of vitamin B12-rich foods such as meat, poultry, and eggs. A lack of vitamin B12 has been linked to neurologic and hematologic problems [19].
What effect does a vegan diet have on the body? ›
Compared with other vegetarian diets, vegan diets tend to contain less saturated fat and cholesterol and more dietary fiber. Vegans tend to be thinner, have lower serum cholesterol, and lower blood pressure, reducing their risk of heart disease.
Does your body detox when you go vegan? ›
This may not be something you want to hear, but with increased amounts of fruits, veg, legumes, and beans, you're likely going to be visiting the bathroom more often than you had before. When you switch to a vegan lifestyle, your body detoxifies itself, which means excreting toxins in alllll the ways.
What happens to my body if I don't eat meat? ›
And people who don't eat meat, called vegetarians, generally eat fewer calories and less fat. They also tend to weigh less. And they have a lower risk of heart disease than nonvegetarians do. Research shows that people who eat red meat are at a higher risk of death from heart disease, stroke or diabetes.
