Leeds - spread word about Veganuary!

The answer, of course, is because they’ll tell you!

And after a week of trying out the plant based diet, I can kind of see why.

Veganuary is in full flow, and you only have to look at the long list of health benefits to see why so many people are ditching the meat and giving it a go, without even considering the bounteous ethical and environmental bonuses.

Weight loss, decreased risk of heart disease and many other conditions, as well as improving kidney function, are all on offer.

It would be optimistic at best to expect any of these results in a week.

But ,what was evident in the seven day trial, was how easy it is to make the transition from eating meat to only plant based foods – even after two years on a high protein, low carbohydrate diet.

Yes, it was definitely time for a break from the endless egg ‘muffins’ and I never want to eat plain chicken breast again, vegan or no.

Instead it was banana and blueberry smoothies for breakfast, sweet potatoes with broccoli, tomatoes and hummus for lunch and a vast array of dishes for dinner.

All of them quicker to cook, cheaper, and provided four portions rather than two.

My reluctant, carnivorous husband even whipped up a decent mushroom pasta dish, even if he did say it was missing three things (cream, chicken and cheese.)

He also wolfed down pita packed with spicy peppers, black beans and Quorn vegan pieces, and home-made spicy cauliflower wings were a revelation.

We’re lucky to live in a Yorkshire city with lots of vegan-friendly restaurants, so takeaway night wasn’t a problem, and it turns out marinated tofu tastes a hell of a lot better than it looks.

I admit the waft of cooking bacon from a cafe on day three did stir a few cravings, and it was the little things such as yoghurt and protein powder which can so easily catch you out while trying to avoid dairy.

It wasn’t all vibrant fruit salads, turmeric lattes and happy smiling faces!

Something that nobody tells you about veganism in advance is that your stomach may not be as thrilled as the brain with the transition ... or two bowls of chickpea curry.

If you’ve seen the scene in the film Castaway in which Tom Hanks battles to survive on a diet of coconuts, you’ll know exactly what I mean. Bloating just wasn’t the word.

And despite chowing down on plenty of grains and pulses, it was a struggle to get my daily protein intake above 11 per cent, from a usual rate of 40 per cent.

What I did realise was that there really is no need to eat animal products for breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day.

The extra carbohydrates from vegan week didn’t add any weight and we certainly weren’t hungry.

Next week we’re splitting our meals between veggie, fish and white meat. If only there was someone I could tell about it!