How to Go Vegan in 24 Hours
Ahhhh! 24 hours! Impossible, right? Not quite. Though I’m not going to recommend you go 100% raw vegan overnight, I will show you what it takes to make the switch as efficiently as possible. Ready? Let’s do this.
Photo Credit: Micky**
I am a self-described fruitarian, which is also known as low-fat raw vegan, 80/10/10, or 811. These names are derived from Dr. Douglas Graham’s book, The 80/10/10 Diet, and I highly recommend you read that one closely. It’s my bible for a vegan diet and extreme natural health.
How to Go Vegan in 24 Hours
Read more about Raw Veganism here: Getting Started as a Raw Vegan ::: Blending, Juicing, and Thriving with Fruits & Veggies
Impress Me
My diet today consists of 90% fruits and veggies and whole lot of water. However, I used to eat a Standard American Diet (SAD), filled with meat, cheese, and a whole host of artificial junk. The transition from that to where I am today was a little goofy and took some time, but it was totally worth it!
The reason I mentioned that I don’t recommend you do this process in 24 hours is that it will shock your body. I’m not saying it’s not possible because people do it all the time. However, without a naturopath‘s close supervision, I can’t recommend you do something that extreme.
More importantly, people who make the switch slowly over time are significantly more likely to stick with it over their lifetime. Switching overnight could result in switching back overnight, and that’s not the point.
However, if you are an extremist like me, making bold choices and radical changes are part of a normal day. In that case, impress me. Try it out and let me know what happens. I definitely want to hear about it.
The Joys of Detoxing
As you eat fresh organic food, your body will be flooded with healthy nutrients, which begins the detox process. Detoxification is inherently painful. When your body has to dispose of years of toxic buildup you will have nasty toxins floating through your bloodstream and out through your bowels, which will most likely result in weight loss, headaches, stomach cramps, nausea, diarrhea, and a bunch of other TOTALLY NORMAL responses.
This is why I suggest you slowly integrate the changes, unless you have some time off, alone, and in close proximity to a bathroom.
More Produce
My journey took a few months of experimentation and research before I felt confident with my new diet and lifestyle.
Don’t worry about labels at first (vegetarian, vegan, raw vegan, etc.). The goal is to add as many fruits and vegetables into your diet as possible, while avoiding animals products.
You will have to try a few variations before you find what works best for your body and lifestyle.
My Assumption
I’m assuming you already have been inspired to go vegan and now you simply need the blueprints to get started. If you are still on the fence about going vegan, I have only one recommendation: watch Earthlings.
Ok, here’s the plan to transform your mind, body, and soul into a vegan. Ready? Good. Go.
The 24-Hour Fast and Dirty Method
- Go to a natural grocery store (Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s, Natural Grocers, etc.) and buy $100+ worth of organic fruits and veggies. Also, get high quality sub-lingual B12 supplements (sub-lingual means you let the pill absorb under your tongue). The only supplements I take are a daily sub-lingual B12 pill and Vitamin D.
- Clean out your kitchen of every animal product you can find. This includes all beef, chicken, pork, fish, milk, cheese, cottage cheese, cream cheese, yogurt, and even Jell-O (gelatin is made out of collagen which comes from the skin and bones of pigs and cows).
- Clean out your closet and your household supplies of anything made from animal products. You’d be surprised how many cleaning products and clothes are made from animals, not to mention the many ridiculously toxic chemicals. Shop natural whenever possible. I know it’s more expensive. This is part of your investment. Spend money on your health today or on cancer treatment in 20 years. Your choice.
- You’re Done. Congratulations! You’re now vegan. You’ve stripped all animal products out of your life and filled your kitchen with super healthy food. Now what? Read on.
What Should You Do?
- Eat fresh, ripe, and raw organic produce for every meal, every day. I actually don’t expect you to make this switch in 24 hours (it took me 6 months). However, this is the goal you should be shooting for. Always strive to be consuming as many fruits and vegetables as possible while limiting fat, processed sugar, and anything artificial.
- Only buy animal-friendly clothes and products. This is a process. Unless you have savings built up to replace most of your wardrobe and household products, this can take some time (it took me 18 months). The trick here is to avoid leather, wool, and silk while shopping at stores that provide natural and animal-friendly products. Not all companies label this information, so stick to brands that do.
- Don’t be a dumb vegan. Read, learn, and repeat. Most people who return to meat-eating after going vegan only do so because they claim the lifestyle is too difficult to maintain. That’s complete BS. To quote Friedrich Nietzsche, “If you have a strong enough why, you can bear almost any how.” In other words, if you are going vegan for the right reasons (personal health, animal welfare, environmental impact, or all of the above), then you will find a way to make anything work. You’re two biggest obstacles will be social pressure and lack of education. If you take the time to learn and then relay that information to your friends and family, everything will work out beautifully.
- Advocate for your lifestyle. You don’t have to write a blog, but the Internet is the best way to connect with vegans around the world. I recommend hooking up with a local vegan MeetUp group to swap recipes, get exercise advice, and to find vegan-friendly restaurants in your town.
Resources
- Read The 80/10/10 Diet by Dr. Douglas Graham. This is my diet and my top recommendation. It may seem pretty extreme, but this book is genius.
- Read Thrive Fitness by Brendan Brazier. Great for vegan athletics. Lot’s of recipes and recommendations from an accomplished vegan runner.
- I also recommend The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, but it’s more scientific than directly practical. Good to read if you’re curious about the science behind a plant-based diet.
