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9 Apr 2025
Image: Midjourney x The Sandy Times
I am a vegan's worst nightmare. The real-deal, steak-on-my-plate, cream-in-my-coffee, caviar-on-my-toast kind. I don't wake up feeling guilty about it either. Sure, I believe the future of food should be cruelty-free, lab-grown, and serenaded by a sustainable orchestra of ethics — but hand me a marbled steak and I shall not say no. My fridge is usually a celebration of cow: eggs for omelettes, pecorino romano, full-fat milk, and enough butter to start a small dairy revolution. I eat fish, too. And seafood. Hand me these oysters. So when I entered a vegan-for-a-month challenge, let's say it was... ambitious.
The goal was not spiritual enlightenment or ecological sainthood. It was curiosity. A dare. And, frankly, I thought I would be a martyr for the cause. But as it turns out — well, it was not exactly what I expected.
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Image: Midjourney x The Sandy Times
Pro: Less options, more options
I began this challenge with the same assumption many meat-eaters have: that vegans live off a holy trinity of beans, hummus, and regret. And perhaps a smoothie, if they are feeling festive. The first few days were bleak. I wandered supermarket aisles like a ghost mourning past lives. Everything I loved seemed to contain some rogue animal extract. Kimchi, of all things — I thought it was cabbage and spice, but no. Anchovy extract says hi, while I say bye to one more joy.
However, once I adjusted to reading the fine print (and stopped crying over cheese), something changed. I started noticing options. A whole universe of pickles, grains, sauces, vegetables I previously walked past in total ignorance (though my baked artichokes were a disaster, some celery and broccoli elevated my ordinary salads). The frozen goods section? A goldmine. It turns out 2025 is a pretty decent year to go vegan — oat milk flows like wine, and meat substitutes come in more shapes than strictly necessary.
Eventually, my fridge went from its usual protein palace to a kind of hipster picnic: wholewheat bread, olive tapenade, and enough tubs of hummus to start a Middle Eastern mezze pop-up. I began mixing flavours I had never considered before, and to my horror, some of them were delicious (who would have though that hummus and pesto are a perfect match?).
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Image: Midjourney x The Sandy Times
Con: Vegan ≠ healthy
Let's be very clear: veganism does not automatically make you healthy. It makes you... suspicious. Sugar lurks in plant-based milks like a Victorian villain in a foggy alley. “Coconut milk” often means “mostly rice flour, plus a marketing budget.” The longer the ingredients list, the more the food starts tasting like a chemistry experiment.
At some point, I tried vegan nuggets. They were, in a word, fine. But only because chicken nuggets themselves are already a mysterious beige food-group. Vegan cheese, however, is where joy goes to die. A slice of vegan cheddar in a burger might pass, but vegan parmesan? It tastes like nobody loves you.
Protein was the real issue though. I tried soy protein — technically nourishing, emotionally... just meh. For the first week and a half I was constantly hungry. My regular three-meals-a-day rhythm turned into a back-and-force-to-the-fridge pattern. I relapsed into fizzy drinks and craved crisps, biscuits, pasta — anything to soothe the gaping protein void. My fantasy of a slimmer, glowing self? Beaten by bread and drowned in olive oil.
Pro: Your brain loves a puzzle
This might be the unexpected hero of the whole month. I have a history of disordered eating, and anything remotely restrictive tends to summon a storm of anxiety. But here is the twist — this didn't feel like punishment. It felt like a game.
The rules were clear, the timeline was fixed, and my brain treated it as a challenge. It stopped panicking about survival and started solving problems. What can we eat? How can we make it satisfying? It turned out that, with the pressure off, I could live without my usual indulgences. I was not in mourning for rib-eye or daydreaming about ice cream. I felt... fine. A bit hungry, but fine.
Now, I am eyeing up my next experiment: no added sugar. I wouldn't have considered this before. But now? I know the apocalypse won't come just because I skipped dessert.
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Image: Midjourney x The Sandy Times
Con: Bye bye, eating out
If you think the world is a vegan-friendly utopia, please come with me to a standard British pub. I hope you like chips and silent resentment. I finally understand why some vegans announce it like a personality trait — if you don't speak up, you will see that even the most innocent dish often hides a surprise: creamy dressing, cheese garnish, or that mysterious “butter glaze.”
Extra tip: Ditch the screens
Alongside the vegan experiment, I tried something radical: no screens during meals. That is right — no Instagram, no WhatsApp, no videos of cats falling off sofas. And yes, I hated it at first.
But something strange happened. When you are forced to sit with just your food and your thoughts, you start to notice things. Like when you are full. Or what you actually like. I discovered I cannot stop eating if there is still food on the plate — something to work on. But I also started to savour the act of eating, properly. 20 whole minutes away from notifications? That is not punishment. That is peace.
Now I make exceptions — a coffee-and-scrolling break here, a dinner with friends there — but the ritual stuck. It is like meditation, but crunchy.
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Image: Midjourney x The Sandy Times
To sum up
By the end of the month, I had confirmed what I already suspected: I am not going vegan for life. My heart belongs to protein and fat. But I did love the experiment. I discovered new recipes, learnt about my own cravings, and proved that I can live without cheese — at least temporarily.
So yes, I will keep a few vegan days here and there, especially when my body cries out for balance after a feast. Because in the end, eating well is not about labels — it is about knowing what works for you.
Here are some of my unexpected favourites from this plant-powered month:
- Bulgur + pesto + jalapeños — spicy and filling, with just the right kick
- Boiled potatoes + spring onion + pickled cucumbers + olive oil — retro comfort food
- Fresh cabbage + fermented cabbage + seeds + truffle oil — crunchy, salty, a bit weird, in a good way
- Aglio e olio pasta — garlic, chilli, olive oil. Who needs parmesan anyway?
- Baked aubergine + hummus + rocket — good with or without bread
- Fried potatoes + mushrooms — childhood on a plate. Still unbeatable
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