7 Lessons From Going Vegan

Instead of a trendy juice cleanse to start the New Year, Heather Wood Rudúlph went with a different detox diet: going vegan for a month. She shares seven lessons she learned from the experience in Sirens Magazine:

• She can cook: And so can you. Forced to stop making your staple chicken casserole over and over, you discover the joys of “culinary creativity.”
• Skip the colonic and eat veggies instead: “Eating massive portions of leafy vegetables and whole grains” led to “that ‘clean’ feeling" within just a couple of days.
• You never know what you’re going to miss: In Rudúlph’s case, she craved fish and yogurt but never meat, other dairy, or eggs.

• Farmers’ markets are a must: Buying locally made Rudúlph a more responsible consumer—and gave her lots of fresh ingredients to cook with.
• Wine is vegan: If you must have organic, try places like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.
• Dairy and meat are still OK: The most important thing is to eat them responsibly, and not just because they’re “easy and familiar.”
• Unlikely foods can become staples: You, too, can learn to love quinoa, chipotle peppers, fennel, lentils, and cheese-free pizza.

(Read more vegan stories.)