Going Vegan! Detox first?
 

So I've made the decision to go vegan!

I adopted a vegan diet about 2 years ago but only continued with it for a semester due to many factors but the biggest being it was my first semester in college and it was rocky transition period. My life is more stable now and I know going vegan, with forever intentions this time, is what I want. My approach is completely different, I'm researching a lot and making sure my diet is balanced.

My only concern is that for the past few years I've been eating... like a college student. I assumed a diet of overly processed food, fast food, and a lot of meat. I don't want my transition to veganism to be a negative one, so I'm wondering if I should try and detox through a cleanse first? I'm not sure if I'm just being extra cautious or if this seems like a necessary part of the transition and I'd love to hear your thoughts :]

Your body is capable of "cleansing" itself. I don't think there is any evidence that a cleanse is helpful or beneficial, whether one is getting ready for a dietary change or not. My personal experience: I went from omnivore to vegan almost four years ago with no negative experiences.

I agree with betsysunqueen, its not necessary to detox but if you feel like you should than go for it! When I went vegan I made it a gradual change because that was what was best for me. The only thing I think you might need to watch out for is fiber! When I switched to vegan I had bad gas for a month because my body wasn't use to fiber in good foods. This unfortunately happens no matter what to all people eating more fiber, you have to build up a tolerance. You could also try beano or gasx for a little while till your body gets used to it.

Just trust me though, it goes away. And I don't know what your eating already, you could already be eating a good amount of fiber and have no problems.

First of all, great job on making the switch to a more eco and animal friendly lifestyle - the planet will thank you for it!

I agree with the other girls, I think your body is capable of cleansing itself however if you want to cleanse then go for it.

I think naturally as a vegan you will (or def. should be) consuming a very high portion of veggies, fruits, whole grains and healthy non-animal proteins so your body will feel better in no time. You could kinda call it a lifestyle cleanse :)

I have read up alot on detoxes and even done a few. I love the idea of detoxing and cleansing your body. But my experience has not been a good one. I would drop weight like mad on a detox. Feel crappy almost the entire time I was on it, and then bounce back almost to pre detox weight after, and on healthy foods. I don't know that it helped my to feel good any sooner than when I simply cut out processed foods and still ate solid foods an healthy starches. Now I have no idea what kind of cleanse you are planning. And people swear by liquid cleanses. But for me, the beat detox is to cut processed crap out and limit my starch or grain servings.

That said. Try a detox however you like. People bodies react differently and you may feel the benefits are worth the days of h$&@. :) Good luck! And congrats on vegan! I've been veggie for years and recently (this week)?recommited to going vegan.