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6th June 2019
04:09pm BST


'There's so much I can have.'
Did you know that Oreos are vegan? And Walker's Ready Salted crisps? It's grand to eat fruit and veg all the time but knowing the other things that you can have, like pastas and breads and baked beans and different sauces, will keep your meals interesting and keep you sane.
'I have so much respect for people on restrictive diets.'
Seriously, props to anyone who is limited by coeliac's disease, a food allergy or whatever else means you have to be careful about what you eat. It can't be easy.
'This is expensive as hell.'
You know this already - buying lots of fruit and veg, as well as all the random substitutes like meat-free sausages and vegan mayo, really adds up.
'I feel good.'
A week isn't really long enough to gauge whether the diet had an effect on me and maybe it was a placebo effect, but I swear I was less bloated and a little more energetic. This initial change made me curious about what'd happen if I kept up being vegan for longer.
'F**k this.'
I fell at the final hurdle. I ate a beef burger on the Saturday night of the challenge and I regret nothing. It was unreal.
'This is fairly doable.'
My biggest takeaway from the week. Full-time veganism won't be for everyone but anyone could easily do it for a few days out of the week, which is what I'm now trying to do.
So what advice would I have for anyone trying to cut back on meat or even going the whole hog (pun absolutely intended)?
First, think of your diet as plant-based rather than vegan. This emphasises what you can have rather than what you can't.
Next, talk to other people who have done it and get recipes and tips from them. There are loads of vegans. They're everywhere. They will guide you.
Lastly, ease yourself into it and enjoy it. Beating yourself up over slip-ups will make the experience harder than it needs to be, so just open your mind, enjoy new things and feel your way around becoming vegan.
And please, please don't keep talking about.
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