I’m not a fan of new year’s resolutions, but after trying and succeeding at Dry January last year, I craved the sense of achievement that came from spending the first month of the year doing things differently. So, when the clock struck midnight on 31 December, I made another commitment: to eat a vegetarian diet for the next month.

Now, I know Veganuary is more of a thing than ‘Vegetarianuary’ (as I insisted on referring to it), but I didn’t want to give up dairy. I have, however, flirted with the idea of going vegetarian for some time for – for both ethical and health reasons – so I’ve done my research when it comes to plant-based protein. Armed with this knowledge, I set out on my vegetarian month excited to try some new recipes and see what changes (if any) I could notice. Here’s what happened.

1. My supermarket shops were cheaper

Meat substitutes kind of creep me out, so I stuck to whole food protein sources like tofu and tempeh. That meant that my weekly shops were a lot cheaper and also less frequent. I could buy cans in bulk and just pop to the shop on the way home if I needed fresh produce, as opposed to getting regular deliveries because of the short shelf-life of meat. On top of this, I worried less about products going out of date, which meant I could prepare meals based on what I fancied on the day.  

2. I had fewer sugar cravings

As anyone who’s read this article will know, I’ve long struggled with intense sugar cravings; I’ll always have a sweet breakfast and often hanker after something sweet after lunch and dinner. In an ideal world, I’d like to consume less sugar – and to my surprise, it was something I craved much less during my vegetarian month. My best guess is that this was down to increasing my fibre intake – something that’s been shown to slow down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream. Whatever the reason, it meant that I could be more conscious about my sugar intake and save treats for when I genuinely wanted them, which ultimately meant I enjoyed them more.  

3. My runs felt easier

As a regular runner, I’m all too aware of how small lifestyle tweaks can impact my workouts. After a couple of weeks of eating a veggie diet, I felt way more energised on the road – something I put down to being far more considered about fuel than usual.

4. Dizzy spells became more common

While I enjoyed my venture into vegetarianism, I did experience one major downside: dizzy spells. I think these may have been iron-related; I’d been so focused on protein that finding plant-based iron sources never even crossed my mind. There are plenty of them out there – kidney beans, spinach, pumpkin seeds and dried fruit – but they never made it onto my plate. 

Of course, I’d need a blood test to say any of this with confidence, but when I started supplementing with iron, I did notice a slight decrease in the severity of these dizzy periods. If I were to go vegetarian full-time, I’d want to find a more long-term, food-first approach. 

5. I leant on cheese – a lot

In a bid to spice up some of my less inventive vegetarian meals, I reached for cheese a lot more than I usually would – especially salty cheeses such as feta and halloumi. While there’s nothing wrong with cheese, it tends to be high in saturated fat. If I wanted to go veggie full-time, I’d have to really think about managing cholesterol and fat intake while finding satisfying ways to add flavour and texture to my meals. I did, however, notice that my cheese cravings started to lessen the further I got into the month. 

My vegetarian month is now over, and while I really enjoyed being more experimental with my cooking – dishes included lentil pie, crispy tofu stir fries and pasta with a sundried tomato, cashew and broccoli sauce – I’m not going to fully embrace vegetarianism for the time being. I do want to make it a full-time thing in the future, but for now, I’m not sure I have the culinary knowledge, time or energy for a full nutritional overhaul.

That doesn’t mean I’m going back to how I ate before, though. I’ve given up red and processed meats (the amount of research linking regular consumption of them to heart disease and cancer is terrifying) except on special occasions, and I’ve vowed to include more plant-based meals throughout my week.

If you want to try going vegetarian too, just remember to do your research beforehand to ensure you have the best experience. You’re going to feel rubbish if you’re not eating a complete, balanced diet, but if you have the time and motivation to identify different plant-based nutrient sources and plan out your meals in advance, you can stick to a vegetarian diet while feeling good and reaping all the long-term health benefits it offers.  

Images: Getty