I went vegan for three days to participate in a study called “The effect of vegan food on empathy”. Here is my experience of vegan days
Today the post is different , is the kind of posts that I used to post, when I started blogging, like this one Who I’m I? A writer or a blogger? my posts were not about recipes, but mainly thoughts, experiences and opinions. You can find them here.
That was my idea about blogging. But then life changed in so many ways. Cooking, baking and photography took place on the blog.
At the beginning of June, I saw a post in a vegan group on Facebook, about a study of the effect of vegan food on empathy. It caught my attention immediately. I read it, contacted the person who posted it, and asked her for more details about the study.
I was always interested in human behavior and everything related to it. Long time ago, before I got obsessed with food (hence the blog, and Instagram) I took online courses in psychology and social psychology. Also, I was a volunteer in a crisis community center in Iowa city. They trained us very well, on how to respond to calls in an empathetic way, and how to give emotional support. Not advice, not therapy , but emotional support and helping them to feel better.
So I took this study seriously, and I had vegan dishes and snacks for three days. If you are subscribed to the blog, you know that I post lots of vegan dishes here. You can find the categories Vegan also, Vegan & Gluten Free on the homepage.
Read:
Should you become a vegan? (Part 1)
Should you become a Vegan? (Part 2)
The experience of vegan days
The experience was a bit hard. I’ll tell you, the days were not consecutive, that’s made it a bit easier. I had many vegan dishes before for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and desserts. But I’ve never had a FULL DAY! It was easy to pick up what to eat, because I have good knowledge of vegan alternatives. But I felt restrained, since I was staying at my parents in Jordan, so many things were unavailable. However, they had plenty of fruits and vegetables.
I relied mostly on:
- Oatmeal, like my mocha oats
- Fresh fruits & vegetables.
- Nut butter, like natural peanut butter
- Beans that are cooked and mashed like Hummus, and foul mudammas
- Also, falafel sandwiches were really perfect healthy snack, despite the fact the falafel pieces are fried, but the sandwich’s were full with tahini salad, hummus and vegetables which made it are very flavorful and fulfilling.
- And soy milk with coffee, to feel more fulfilled.
What I felt, most of the time is
I’m Hungry
I kind of had a brain fog, I was thinking of food most of the times. I had real fatigue. Also, I didn’t take my supplements as there were no evidence they are vegan, except one. It was stated on the bottle, it was suitable for vegans. The hardest part was giving up on eggs and cheese. Since, I almost have eggs for breakfast, I missed it dearly. . I didn’t count the calories, I admit, it was a mistake. But it was holiday, and I didn’t want to be busy counting grams and calories. I could had less than my usual days.
But as normal person and even dietitian, I don’t enjoy counting calories all day, nor believe in it (Not for weight loss thou) to ensure that I’m not hungry or not eating much. We are not living for that, that’s my main concerns for most diet plans and trends. You spend plenty of time, thinking what you should eat, and how you can find alternative for your special diet. (of course I’m talking about healthy person with no allergies).
The hardest day was, when I went for a run in the morning. I ran 6km and the hot weather also made it worse . I thanked god that black tea & black coffee are vegan options because they at my favorite drinks. (Most of the snack and dishes I had, are on my Instagram highlights, under the name vegan days)
However, Few food that helped a lot in filling up without filling my stomach:
- Spirulina
- Mushrooms
Spirulina has complete proteins, strengthen your stamina and increase significantly your energy level, you can take in powder form or tablets, You can get it here . Mushroom, contain traces of vitamin B12 which is essential and almost not found but in animal products, so it’s a major concern for vegans.
My niece- she is a teen- wanted to do this experiment with me. I said of course, YOU CAN. The first day, we almost ate the same food and but more quantities for her. We were eager and enthusiastic, that day passed smoothly. However, the food we had on the second day, was not enough for her, and I blame myself for that. It seems the meals we had, didn’t meet her energy needs. So she was a bit lethargic, and I asked her to stop the experiment, and not complete a third day. If she really wants to follow vegan diet for other reasons, I would have certainly helped her, but for the sake of the study, I didn’t want to take any risks.
I didn’t actually worked enough to have balanced days. It would require more food prepping. And lastly, I won’t rely on vegan processed food, like cheese, burger, or even proteins shakes. That’s besides that most plant milks are not enough, and inadequate.
The study questionnaire
The questions were focusing on our feelings towards others like friends, and how do we feel regarding some pictures and so on. Three vegan days didn’t make me MORE empathetic, and I’m sure they are not enough as a measure. However, I found that I was more calm on vegan days, but less energetic anyway. It made me pause and think of how less empathetic I feel these days, and certainly. Because of life tragedies, I do feel like now I’m immune to empathy, and like I’m putting emotions on the side, but this is not right, I believe we need to feel with others and be empathetic. But I feel actually empathetic with vegan themselves, people criticize them, for what they choose to eat, and when.
What I mostly ate was simple vegan dishes, many that you can find on the blog, to name a few:
Zucchini with Tomato Stew (Kosa w Bandoora)
Vegan Stuffed Grape Leaves (Yalanjee)
Garlicky Walnut Pasta with Cashew Cream {Gluten Free}
Rice and Lentils Pilaf (Mujaddara)
Bottom line
I don’t think I even gonna eat fully vegan, and that’s not a medical advice, it’s just my opinions and thoughts and I did write before, about my omnivorous diet.
So if you believe in animal rights, or you want to follow a vegan diet for other reasons, go ahead. But you need to plan ahead, and to seek a medical advice if you feel tired or sick.
Have you ever had vegan days? What was your experience?
I would love to hear from you!
Photo of spirulina by Vitalii Pavlyshynets on Unsplash
