My first 5 days as a vegan

Hello!

Today marks the 5th consecutive day that I have followed a strict vegan diet.
No meat.
No eggs.
No milk.
No cheese.
No animal byproducts or ingredients whatsoever.

I quit all of this cold turkey. People have been surprised that I just up and ditched animal products from my diet, but honestly I don't even miss it. It almost wasn't even an option. All of the research I have been doing, documentaries and TED talks I've been watching, all reinforce my initial desire to pursue this kind of lifestyle for X amount of time. I say that because I don't know if I will continue as a vegan forever, or if I will be just a vegetarian later down the line; but right now, I'm happy. Isn't that what is important?

I had my first restaurant experience last night at a non-vegan establishment; Outback Steakhouse of all places. I used my trusty iPhone to search the vegan options that are available at Outback and had decided on a house salad without croutons or cheese and balsamic vinaigrette as dressing, a side of steamed veggies without seasoning, and sweet potato fries. As I was ordering, the waitress looked at me and was like "Are you vegan?" I told her I was, and she goes "Me too! Actually, the sweet potato fries are not vegan because of what they are fried in, but you should do the baked sweet potato with brown sugar and cinnamon" So that is what I did. How lucky am I to have the pleasure of being helped by a fellow vegan in a restaurant like Outback Steakhouse?! I'd say pretty lucky. My meal was delicious, simple and totally filling.

This is what I would normally get every other time I've been to Outback with my family:
-The bread they give you with butter
-Bloomin' Onion appetizer (to share)
-Steak and baked potato with all the fixings or a hamburger with French fries
-Some sort of alcoholic beverage.

What a difference, right?? Whoa.

In the five days that I have been vegan I am noticing how much more energy I have. I really do feel wonderful in body and mind.  Plus, it helps knowing that *no animals were harmed during the making of this blog!* (haha) This is definitely going to be a challenge, but I'm super open to it and excited to see what this next chapter of my life will bring me!

Have a happy Monday :)