From the ages of 19 until 26, I was on anti-depressants. In college I had a lot of mental struggles which caused me to seek out therapy. My struggles apparently seemed severe enough to be prescribed anti-depressants which I took daily. When I turned 26, I switched my health insurance and these pills became too expensive to purchase. Little did I know then, but that was one of the best things that could have happen to me! In October 2019, I was able to go off these anti-depressants that had ruled my life for the last 7 years completely naturally.
Though I wouldn’t recommend this method to anyone without a doctor’s approval (and supervision), I want to share my story with you.
When I realized I wasn’t able to get my pills for a cheap price, I started to freak out. I mean FREAK. OUT. In the past when I had forgotten my pills while away on vacation, after a few days without them I started to get serious withdrawal effects: I would get very lightheaded, nauseous, dizzy, and unable to see straight, not to mention the downward spiral of my mental wellbeing (I should have known then it was time to say goodbye to these little pills!). Safe to say that I was willing to do anything to avoid these withdrawal effects when going off my meds for good! So, I started doing a lot of research of how to do this naturally and found that a plant-based diet was a recurring theme. Being an athlete, I have always been told that meat and other animal products are necessary to retain muscle mass and stay healthy while training. At this point I wasn’t sure what freaked me out more-the withdrawal effects of going off of anti-depressants or….being a vegan.
My initial thought of changing to a plant-based diet was a hard “NO.” I mean, who would willfully give up ice cream and steak fajitas?! Wouldn’t that cause my depression to worsen?! But after continual research into this type of lifestyle, I decided to give it a shot. In September 2019 I made the jump to a plant-based diet and have stuck with it for a year!
Before beginning this transition, I did some serious research into how to do this safely. I read articles, books, listened to podcasts, watched documentaries, and spoke to other people who had been following a plant-based lifestyle for several years. I went on a huge grocery haul to Costco, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and looked up hundreds (I wish I was kidding…) of recipes that looked easy and most importantly, enjoyable. I tried tofu, tempeh, seitan, lentils, tahini, and other seemingly foreign foods for the first time, and surprisingly actually loved them. I realized this new way of living wasn’t going to be as hard (or as torturous) as I had originally expected.
After two weeks of being vegan, I went off anti-depressants. I kept a strict plant-based diet and added in a few supplements that were supposed to help balance my hormones naturally. I braced myself (and everyone else around me) for the worst, expecting severe withdrawals that could last as long as a few months. To my pleasant surprise, I didn’t have a single physical or emotional withdrawal symptom. I was absolutely shocked. I decided I had to have been doing something right. After about a month I stopped the supplements but continued with a plant-based diet.
Over the past year I’ve experienced several changes both in mind and body that I contribute to being plant-based, and I wanted to share some of the most fascinating with you in this post. Before I go into it, I want to preface this by saying I don’t force anyone I consult with to go vegan (in fact, many of them are learning this fun fact about me for the first time in this post!). This post isn’t meant to convert all of my readers to a plant-based lifestyle, or shame anyone who loves meat. Instead, I just want to share my experiences with you and help you to get to know me and my story a bit better! With that being said, let’s continue talking about all of the changes I’ve observed in the past year.
Less sickness: for as long as I can remember, I’ve gotten bronchitis twice a year…once in the fall and once in the spring. Twice this bronchitis developed into full-blown walking pneumonia. I would get a deep chest cough that went way into my lungs and would have to be prescribed antibiotics to treat it. I attributed this semi-annual sickness to seasonal allergies and inheriting intense asthma from my dad. The fall of 2019 and spring of 2020 were the first times I did not suffer from any sickness or allergy related struggles.
Increased muscle mass and less body fat: obviously this wasn’t the reason that I adopted a plant-based lifestyle, but it sure was a nice perk! Before beginning my vegan journey, I was at 19% body fat and had about 85lbs of muscle mass. Today, I am at 14.8% body fat and 92lbs of muscle mass.
Increased energy: I didn’t realize how little energy I had before I switched to a plant-based lifestyle. I felt tired all the time, but just thought that was normal for a 26 year old grad student. After going vegan I felt an almost immediate change in my energy levels. It only took 1 cup of coffee to get me through my days instead of my normal 2-3.
Improved mental clarity: maybe this goes along with the increased energy, or maybe not, who knows. Ever since going vegan my ability to pay attention has improved significantly. I used to catch myself drifting off into other thoughts, memories, or planning for the future throughout my day. Now I feel sharp and focused almost constantly.
Clearer skin: I have always struggled with acne and blackheads. Although I still have the occasional breakout, they are much fewer and far between!
A new hobby: although this can’t be directly correlated to a plant-based lifestyle, this new way of living has forced me to find and cook recipes and foods that I never would have thought to try before! Before making this transition, it was easy to fall into a trap of eating grilled chicken, rice, salad, and veggies daily. Now I love looking up, cooking, and trying new yummy recipes that are both good for me and the environment!
With all of this being said, I don’t believe a vegan lifestyle is for everybody. And I also do not advocate for people going off of their medications without doctors’ approval and supervision. But I DO believe that everyone can benefit from moving a little bit closer to plant-based eating. Whether that’s just adding in an extra serving of veggies a day, swapping out meat for tofu one night a week, or exchanging cow’s milk for a non-dairy alternative, any little bit helps! If you want help transitioning to a vegan diet, or finding ways to be more plant-based, please feel free to reach out! If you want any more information on how or why this lifestyle might be beneficial to you, let me know. I have grown tremendously both physically (talk about gains!) and mentally over the past year. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that life’s inconveniences aren’t always drawbacks. When you make the most of them, your life might change for the better!