30 day Vegan Challenge

It is almost Christmas, and the holiday season has brought many exciting moments into my life, as well as many exciting cookies, brownies, cakes, pies, chocolate... you get the idea. It is difficult to control your cravings for junk food around this time of year, but prior to this week I had been going to the gym Monday through Friday, and had been very conscious of what I was putting in my body.

I have accepted that the last two weeks of December can be my "lazy" weeks, and that although I want to be conscious of what I eat, I am not going to freak out about being super strict.

This is because starting January 1st, 2012, I am going to be beginning a challenge I have always wanted to do: The 30 Day Vegan Challenge.

I have been a Vegetarian since before the Thanksgiving of 2008, but have always been interested in seeing what it would feel like to try a diet without any animal products or animal bi-products. Due to recent deep discussions on the health factors as well as environmental and moral benefits of Veganism, I have decided to try a 30 day trial of Vegan living.

Just as before I began my Vegetarian lifestyle, I have been doing a TON of research on the Vegan lifestyle. This includes learning about studies such as The China Study, listening to lectures by nutritionists, finding recipes that are well balanced, and discussing benefits and disadvantages to the diet itself. I want to be well informed and prepared before I jump into this.

My goal here is to feel healthier, lose some excess weight, and to blog/write about this journey daily.

My plan is to begin the first ten days of January with a full body cleanse. I am currently debating about either doing a fruit cleanse, which I have done in the past, or committing to the Master Cleanse- which is known to be an effective, yet challenging way to begin a lifestyle change and completely cleanse your body of toxins.

I will not be consuming alcohol, caffeine, or any substances during this cleanse, as it would thwart the cleansing process.

If you have any tips for Cleansing or beginning a Vegan diet, feel free to comment and help me out! Videos, tutorials and studies are all welcome!

Thank you and I hope you will follow me on my journey!