60 Days Vegan, Now Vegetarian'ish: The Surprising Lessons I Learned

Alright, my fellow midlife ponderers, pull up a chair and grab your beverage of choice—lets chat. How does a woman with 40+ years of meat-eating to a  full-on vegan diet for perimenopause? Well, if you read my Navigating Perimenopause and Menopause ponderings, you already know the answer: it all started with an unexpected revelation at my GYN’s office.

Picture this—me, sitting there, blissfully unaware that I had crossed into the land of perimenopause until my doctor hit me with the news. She must’ve seen the flood of emotion on my face because she quickly reassured me that modern medicine has options. Pills, creams, and all sorts of solutions to make the transition smoother.

Now, let’s be clear—I have nothing against medicine. Some brilliant folks and beautiful hearts have dedicated their lives to helping our bodies function better (thank you if you are one of those smart people). But if I can manage my perimenopause symptoms without popping a pill or slathering on a cream, why not? And that’s how I ended up spiraling down a Google rabbit hole, searching things like “best foods for a healthy vagina” (yes, I typed that), “preventing UTIs in perimenopause,” “Perimenopause and sex,” and “foods that help balance hormones.”

Through all my frantic searching, three things stood out:

1. Food impacts your body’s natural bacterial balance —good and bad. Which means it affects vaginal health.

2. The old saying “You are what you eat” is real —hormones, brain health, and yes, your girl down there.

3. Not all vegans are healthy (that was not a typo), and not all vegans are doing it for the animals.

   
   

Armed with new knowledge (and probably too many YouTube videos, blog posts and audiobooks), I was full of curiosity....what if: What if I gave a vegan diet a shot? No lifelong commitments—just 30 days. A little experiment with to see for myself if I would experience any of the affects others have shared through their testimonials.

I told my husband and last teenager at home what I had been deep diving, why I was interested (officially wandered into the perimenopause chapter incase you forgot).  I let them know I did not mind making & buying enough of what I would be eating to feed all of us, but I did not have the mental space, time, or desire to make multiple meals to accommodate everyone’s preferences. (Translation: If you want bacon, you're cooking it yourself.) Thankfully they were both on board for the 30day vegan run, and we all approached the month intentionally and together.

Side note for my fellow ponders who aim to please. Although my husband and youngest daughter were on board I initiated this conversation as informational and, as an open invitation. They did not have to join or support me, this one was for me, my mental health, physical health, and simply my experiment. I definitely wanted them to help make the journey easier for me, but the reality is that I can’t always control what goes on around me.

Now, let’s talk lessons learned, because oh boy, did I learn some things.

Lesson 1: You Are the Exception Now

You are no longer following the standard diet or way of eating. Switching to a plant-based diet for any reason takes effort. Suddenly, every quick meal or snack wasn’t as simple as grabbing something from the drive-thru. I had to be intentional—watching videos, trying recipes, and figuring out my personal “no-go” foods (looking at you, fake cheese, this one took a few tries). You have to be intentional and honest about what you think your not willing to give up and do just that give it up. But to soften that blow, if your not willing to give up something, then you’ve got to find an alternative. There are tons. My first food alternative to find was mayo & butter.

Lesson 2: Change is Hard, but you wont know if its worth it until...

Here’s the thing—this wasn't just about food. Change is hard, but that idea of if you don’t try you may miss out on something is real. Yes, you may miss out on new food experiences but there is the physical experience and experiencing a lot of simply enjoyable moments, in my case both individually and as a family.  Taste testing new foods and the hunt for good vegan options was half the fun, the other half was together discovering new recipes, restaurants, and yes – new grocery store sections we never really noticed. We bonded over the process and creative ways to try new foods.

Lesson 3: Time Investment is Real

Ever heard the saying“you make time for the things you want”? Well, definitely true here eating differently requires planning. No more quickie fast-food stops; meal prepping—even just loosely is a must. I had to level up my adulting/prepardness and set myself up for success. Tips: Make a grocery list and a meal plan even a loose one, even if it must be 1-2 days at a time. Think about the basics you normally eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack attacks. Consider each days plans, schedule, and routines. If you’ll be out, pack something. Grabbing a quick filling, vegan bite on the go is not always easy.

Lesson 4: Be Open-Minded

Be open to trying new foods, ingredients, and ways of eating them. Would I have ever gone looking for jackfruit before this experiment? Probably not. Did I discover some absolutely delicious meals along the way? Absolutely. Not everything was a hit, but keeping an open mind kept the journey interesting.

Lesson 5: Don’t Expect Duplicates

Vegan “chicken” will not taste like chicken. A plant-based burger won’t magically replicate that greasy diner bite. And that’s okay. If you go in expecting a different but still delicious experience, you’ll enjoy it way more.

Lesson 6: Pay Attention to Your Body

Here’s where the experiement results shine, by the end of my vegan experiment I felt… good. My energy levels improved, cooking became less of a chore, and my bowels were healthy and regular (this one was a great bonus cause regurlar healthy bowl movements are real these days). But, let’s not forget about my girl down there—she was thriving. Moisture? Check. Comfort? Check. Readiness for fun? Oh, absolutely.

This one is important though in everyday life, check in on how you feel, mentally and emotionally. Where you less moody? Fuss less? Waking up easier in the morning? (I answered yes to all these durring this time by the way) as you reflect on those review your recent diet, routines and encounters. Sometimes when we feel good/normal we don’t realize how good we felt until we feel like crap again and googling things like how to increase my daily mood and energy.

So, to wrap things up why am I vegetarian’ish now and not fully vegan? Well, the 30day goal comfortable extended to 60 days and somewhere around Day 61, some cheese (or was it meat?) found its way back into my life. But here’s the thing—this experience reshaped how I eat. Some days, I’m fully plant-based. Other days, I lean pescatarian. And on special occasions, I might indulge in old favorites. There’s no official group my eating waves fall under, and I still work at maintaining a good consistent food balance for ongoing health, but I now have a better understanding of eating in a way that feels good for my body. In reshao reshaping how I eat one thing I do know for sure is cutting back on dairy is a win for me. I will forever consider dairy a friend, but it is not always friendly in return.

If there’s one big takeaway, it’s this: food is personal. What works for one woman in midlife might not work for another. But experimenting, whether its trying a vegan diet for midlife health or simply cutting out one thing, can teach you more about your body than any article or expert.

So, tell me….have you ever changed your diet for health reasons? Did it stick? Did it flop? Let’s swap stories!