I just found out that November is World Vegan Month. Which is perfect because for the last couple of days in October I have been telling my husband that I want to do a Vegan Challenge for the month of November. With Thanksgiving in November, I figured it will truly be a challenge. I am both excited and scared. Excited because I want to really see how my body reacts and feels to truly going vegan, and scared because there are so many delicious foods during this month and I am usually weak when it comes to food.

I have been what I call, “part-time vegetarian/vegan” for a long time. I have not 100% committed. My weaknesses are extra extra extra crispy wings from our favorite wing place and smoked food. Living in Florida, that is hard to avoid. People offer smoked food up and down roads here. The smell of it alone makes you forget what vegetables are. So really, this will be a challenge.

Eating vegan helps with better skin and digestion. I have never had the best skin growing up. As I have gotten older, it has gotten better. My vegan skin care products definitely have helped with that as well. Throughout my research, I have found that dairy could be a reason for bad skin. The hormones in milk cause inflammation to your skin. Meat is hard for your body to digest. In a recent blog I talked about how I used to get really bad stomach aches, but since I have cut meat out of my diet, they have gone away.

Eating vegan is healthier. I am eating and drinking so many more fruits and vegetables now than ever. I am trying vegetables that I have never tried. I never knew I would enjoy cauliflower so much. I never knew what a parsnip was and how you could serve it. Eating vegan will also help prevent heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. My husband and I have these illnesses in our family history.

Eating vegan can improve my fitness. Since meat and dairy are hard to digest, that can take up a lot of energy. Eating plant-based gives me the nutrients and protein that I need to have plenty of energy. A vegan bodybuilder stated, “No matter what sport you’re involved in and no matter the level of performance you’re shooting for, you get the best nutrition and plenty of protein from a whole food, plant-based diet.”

Eating vegan can help you lose weight. This is not a big concern of mine, but eating vegan can help me to maintain my weight. I used to be that girl that never weighed over 90 pounds. Since I have gotten older, I hit 90 and kept going. I do not by any means consider myself overweight, but I fear the older I get, the harder it will be for me to stay at my healthy weight. Eating plant-based will steer me from that extra animal fat, and not to mention the junk food that I love so much.

Eating vegan keeps the animals alive! I am an animal lover, so the thought about what these poor cows and chickens and pigs and everything else goes through doesn’t digest well with me. (Literally)