I followed a vegan diet for a week and it had a major impact on my energy and skin

me eating apple
How hard can it be?
INSIDER / Ciara Appelbaum
  • I went vegan for a week to see what it was like.
  • I failed at eating 100% vegan because there are a lot more regulations than I realized.
  • That said, eliminating meat and eating a plant-based foods gave me more energy . 

Veganism has been taking the world by storm for over a decade and, being a meat and dairy lover, I avoided it at all costs. Lately, however, a number of celebrities like Kylie Jenner, Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, and even Beyoncé have been eating vegan. This, along with buzz-worthy documentaries supporting veganism like "What the Health," inspired me to try the plant-based diet out for myself.

Before I could take on the challenge, I had to figure out what being a vegan entailed. Unlike vegetarians, who don't eat meat, vegans avoid any products that come from animals, like milk, dairy, and even eggs. Think full-on PETA style.

Although I believed I could get through a week without meat, I didn't know how I'd handle the "no dairy" part because cheese is my biggest weakness.

Keep scrolling to see how my week as a vegan went. 

Breakfast proved to be the toughest meal for me to get through as a vegan.

Rolled oats with strawberries and almonds.
INSIDER / Ciara Appelbaum

My typical go-to breakfast items are milk and cereal, Greek yogurt, bread with Nutella, or some kind of egg dish. All of these are vegan no-nos, so I really had to put some thought into what I was going to eat every morning.

I thought I had solved my problems by eating cereal with soy milk, a vegan alternative. I realized, however, that Cheerios are not vegan because they contain vitamin D3 derived from sheep

Although there are vegan cereals out there, I ultimately opted for a bowl of rolled oats with fruit and almonds or a vegan granola bar in the morning. Despite having fewer options, I wasn't complaining. It was still pretty tasty. 

Making a vegan lunch, however, was actually pretty easy.

Vegan tacos
Vegan tacos.
INSIDER / Ciara Appelbaum

I got super into making vegan tacos and made them in a variety of different options. My favorite combo was black bean and sweet potato tacos with corn, tofu, tomato, avocado, and a hint of lime.

Trader Joe's vegan Japanese Style Fried Rice became my best friend.

vegan taco
Trader Joe's vegan Japanese Style Fried Rice tacos with vegan shredded soy cheese.
INSIDER / Ciara Appelbaum

I fell in love with Trader Joe's pre-made vegan Japanese Style Fried Rice. I'd heat some up, add extra tofu, throw it on a toasted corn tortilla, and sprinkle some vegan shredded soy cheese on top. It only took about three minutes to make, and it tasted so good.

I would also pair the fried rice with a vegan salad.

salad and tofu
Vegan fried rice with added tofu and an avocado salad with vegan Goddess dressing.
INSIDER / Ciara Appelbaum

Thankfully,  I love tofu. 

I could even eat out for lunch!

Avacado on toast
Avocado toast and berry cup from Le Pain Quotidien.
Ciara Appelbaum / INSIDER

Although I was getting the hang of cooking vegan, I was worried about eating out. Thankfully there are a lot of vegan options in many New York City restaurants and cafés like this avocado toast and berry cup from Le Pain Quotidien.

Dinner was pretty easy to make, too.

vegan pasta
Vegan spaghetti and meatballs.
INSIDER / Ciara Appelbaum

Spaghetti is a staple dinner in my apartment, so I was excited I could still indulge. I grabbed some vegan tomato basil marinara sauce and Trader Joe's vegan meatless meatballs and was ready to dig in. 

Surprisingly, the meatless meatballs tasted really good. After I drenched them in the marinara sauce, they almost tasted like meat. 

When I wasn't eating spaghetti, I made sautéed vegetables over white rice or more tacos. 

I didn't even miss meat thanks to tofu and fiber-rich veggies.

veggies and rice
Sautéed vegetables over white rice.
INSIDER / Ciara Appelbaum

This meal was actually pretty filling.

Soup was even on the menu.

Coconut milk soup with veggies.
INSIDER / Ciara Appelbaum

One particularly cold day, I was really craving soup and didn't know what to do. My usual chicken noodle was definitely out of the question, so I ordered a coconut milk based vegetarian Tom Kha soup, and it totally hit the spot.

I also ate vegan fast food.

Chloe burger
The Guac Burger with sweet potatoes fries from byCHLOE.
Facebook / by CHLOE. Bleecker Street

I didn't even have to give up fast food during my week as a vegan and indulged in a vegan guac burger and fries from byCHLOE. It was so tasty I didn't even care that it lacked meat. 

I felt the most limited when it came to dessert, until I discovered vegan ice cream.

Vegan Ice Cream
Trader Joe's vegan chocolate ice cream.
INSIDER / Ciara Appelbaum

I have a massive sweet tooth, so I was super distraught to learn that many chocolates aren't vegan. Luckily, after consulting with my vegan friend, I discovered the wonders of vegan ice cream.

Coconut milk chocolate ice cream from Trader Joe's quite literally saved my life. OK, not really. But the hints of coconut in it are delicious.

It's so good, I still opt to buy it over other ice creams. It's also less calories: a true win-win.


I support you, vegans! Keep doing your thing.
INSIDER / Ciara Appelbaum

Although I tried my best, I couldn't make it an entire week being 100% vegan because there are a lot more regulations than I realized. Even foods that seem to be totally vegan can still have trace amounts of animal product in them.

I probably didn't even make it an entire day on the diet due to the Cheerio fiasco earlier in the week. Oops.

Despite all my failures, however, I still noticed some benefits from going vegan. 

I felt like my energy level significantly improved from eliminating meat and eating a plant-based diet. I typically drink a cup of coffee every morning, but I didn't need coffee when I was on the vegan diet. I woke up feeling more alert than ever before, and that energy carried over to my workouts, helping me feel stronger.

This shouldn't have been a total surprise. Studies have found being vegan can increase your energy, because your body doesn't have to use as much energy for digesting food and the absence of added sugars, saturated fats, and carbohydrates which can slow you down.

My skin also seemed to clear up on the diet which makes sense, because eating vegan is said to improve your skin from eating more fruits and vegetables are high in essential vitamins and antioxidants and from avoiding dairy products which are often a contributing factor to acne.

These could be coincidences, but I definitely believe the diet had something to do with it.

My wallet also benefited from going vegan because meat products tend to come with a larger price tag than veggies.

By the end of the week, however, all I wanted to do was dive into a big cheesy pizza.

INSIDER / Ciara Appelbaum

Despite the many benefits I noticed, I'm not vegan anymore. It's mostly just due to poor self-control on my part.

I have, however, started limiting the amount of meat and animal products I use in my daily life. For example, instead of dairy milk, I now use soy or almond milk. I rarely eat meat, unless I have a big craving for it. And I still opt to eat vegan meals when I eat at a restaurant that has a lot of options.

By the end of the week, however, all I wanted to do was dive into a big cheesy pizza—and that's exactly what I did.

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