Doctor Mike Goes VEGAN For 30 Days | Here's How My Body Reacted...

Summary

In this video, the speaker shares their personal experience of following a vegan diet for four weeks. They discuss the health benefits and challenges, including gas and bloating, undereating calories, and the impact on their gym routine. The speaker acknowledges that while a vegan diet can be healthy, it's not the only option and recommends a plant-focused diet instead. They also highlight the importance of proper meal planning and seeking guidance from nutrition professionals when adopting a vegan lifestyle.

Takeaways

• 🌿 The speaker has successfully completed a four-week vegan challenge and is happy about achieving the goal.
• 🍽️ A vegan diet can be healthy at any life stage, but it's not the only healthy diet option; other diets like the Mediterranean diet are also healthy.
• 🚫 The speaker does not recommend veganism as the first choice due to its restrictive nature and high failure rates compared to simpler diets.
• 🍔 Even on a vegan diet, it's possible to eat unhealthily, such as consuming vegan burgers with sugary sodas and gummy candies.
• 📈 Research shows that switching to a vegan diet from a standard American diet can improve chronic diseases and potentially extend life.
• 🥗 The speaker recommends a plant-focused diet, which includes a majority of plant-based foods with some poultry, fish, and minimal red meat.
• 🤔 The speaker experienced gas, bloating, and a decrease in willpower to exercise while following a vegan diet.
• 🏥 During the challenge, the speaker got sick and had to consider whether to continue the vegan diet or start antibiotics, but chose conservative treatment.
• 🍯 The speaker discovered that honey, used for its health benefits, is not considered vegan, creating a dilemma in their challenge.
• 👫 Peer pressure was a challenge when eating out with friends who were not vegan, requiring careful selection of restaurants and menu options.

Q & A

What are some common reasons people choose to follow a vegan diet?

People follow a vegan diet for various reasons including moral, ethical, and environmental concerns. The script focuses on the nutritional and health aspects of a vegan diet.

Is a vegan diet suitable for all life stages?

Yes, a vegan diet can be a healthy option for all life stages, including for young, old, pregnant, and breastfeeding individuals.

What is the speaker's stance on recommending a vegan diet as the first option?

The speaker does not generally recommend a vegan diet as the first option due to its restrictive nature and high failure rates. They believe there are other diets, like the Mediterranean diet, that are just as healthy and simpler to follow.

What dietary advice does the speaker give to patients who want to follow a vegan diet?

For patients who want to follow a vegan diet, the speaker supports them but ensures they plan their meals adequately, supplement when necessary, check their blood tests, and ideally have guidance from a healthcare professional or a nutritionist.

What are the potential health benefits of switching to a vegan diet from a standard American diet?

Switching to a vegan diet can lead to improvements in chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and strokes, and may even extend life in some cases.

What is the speaker's personal diet recommendation?

The speaker recommends a plant-focused diet, which consists of getting the majority of calories from plants and a moderate amount of poultry and fish, with minimal red meat.

What challenges did the speaker face during their four-week vegan challenge?

The speaker faced challenges such as undereating calories, experiencing gas and bloating, decision fatigue affecting their gym routine, and dealing with peer pressure during social eating situations.

How did the speaker's experience with vegan food options during travel affect their challenge?

The speaker was initially worried about finding vegan options during travel but discovered that there were more vegan-friendly options than expected, which helped them continue with the challenge.

What was the speaker's experience with vegan sauces and snacks during the challenge?

The speaker found that vegan sauces were delicious and helped enhance the taste of vegan meals. They also relied on vegan snacks to make up for calorie deficits during the challenge.

What advice does the speaker give to those interested in starting a vegan diet?

The speaker encourages those interested in a vegan diet to consult with a dietician, nutritionist, or physician to ensure they do it healthily and safely, and to reduce the intake of refined carbs and processed foods.

Outlines

00:00

🌿 Embracing the Vegan Challenge

The speaker begins by expressing their excitement after completing four weeks on a vegan diet, initiated as a challenge. They clarify that while veganism can be motivated by moral, ethical, or environmental reasons, the discussion will focus on its nutritional and health aspects. The speaker acknowledges that a vegan diet can be healthy at any life stage but emphasizes that it's not inherently healthy just because it's vegan—it's possible to consume unhealthy vegan foods. They also mention that while veganism is often touted as the healthiest diet, there are other equally healthy diets like the Mediterranean diet. The speaker personally does not recommend veganism as the first option due to its restrictive nature and the high failure rates associated with restrictive diets. However, they support patients who choose this path, ensuring they plan meals, consider supplements, monitor blood tests, and seek guidance from a professional. The speaker highlights the substantial research supporting the health benefits of a vegan diet, especially when transitioning from a standard American diet, and mentions improvements in chronic diseases and potential life extension. They advocate for a plant-focused diet, which includes a variety of plant foods with moderate amounts of poultry and fish, and minimal red meat, which is the diet they follow and recommend to their family.

05:02

🍏 Overcoming Vegan Diet Obstacles

The speaker shares their personal struggles with the vegan diet, starting with undereating calories due to poor meal planning and lack of appetite for plain vegetables and rice, leading to unintentional weight loss. They found snacks from Thrive helpful in making up for the calorie deficit. Another significant issue was persistent gas and bloating, which was embarrassing and did not improve over the four weeks. Despite these challenges, the speaker discovered a variety of vegan options, including specialty restaurants and products that tasted good, especially with the right sauces. They also discuss the concept of decision fatigue, which affected their motivation to exercise and work ethic as they focused on adhering to the vegan diet. An unexpected obstacle was getting sick, which led to a dilemma about whether to continue the diet or start antibiotics. The speaker chose conservative treatment and used green tea with manuka honey as a remedy, acknowledging the gray area regarding the vegan status of honey. They also touch on the social challenges of sticking to a vegan diet when dining out with friends, who found it inconvenient to accommodate the dietary restrictions.

10:03

🍏 Reflecting on the Vegan Experience

In the final paragraph, the speaker reflects on what they learned from their vegan experience. They found that without proper planning, they consumed unhealthy vegan foods, and despite being under the weather and undereating, they did not notice a significant change in energy levels. Contrary to expectations, they did not feel weaker on a vegan diet and maintained their strength during workouts. However, the restrictive nature of the diet affected their willpower, making it harder to find the motivation to go to the gym. There was some weight loss, but the speaker did not feel leaner, attributing this to the high carb intake from sauces, rice, and pasta. The most significant issue was gastrointestinal discomfort, including gas, flatulence, and bloating, which was a major deterrent for continuing the diet long-term. The speaker suggests that those interested in trying a vegan diet should consult with professionals to ensure they do so healthily and reduce the intake of refined carbs and processed foods, which are linked to diseases and shorter lifespans. They conclude by encouraging viewers to explore their nutrition playlist for more information.

Keywords

💡Vegan diet

A vegan diet is a type of diet that excludes all animal-derived ingredients, including meat, dairy, eggs, and honey. In the video, the speaker discusses the transition to a vegan diet and its potential health benefits, such as reduced risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. The speaker also highlights the importance of proper meal planning and supplementation to ensure nutritional adequacy on a vegan diet.

💡Nutrition

Nutrition refers to the process by which the body obtains and utilizes nutrients from the food we eat. The video emphasizes the nutritional aspect of a vegan diet, discussing how it can be a healthy choice when properly planned, with a focus on whole foods like fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds. The speaker also points out the potential for nutritional deficiencies if not adequately planned.

💡Calorie deficit

A calorie deficit occurs when an individual consumes fewer calories than they burn, often leading to weight loss. The speaker in the video experienced a calorie deficit during the initial weeks of the vegan diet due to a lack of appetite and inadequate meal planning, which resulted in unintentional weight loss.

💡Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet is a dietary pattern characterized by high consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and olive oil, with moderate amounts of fish and poultry. In the video, the speaker mentions the Mediterranean diet as an alternative to the vegan diet, noting its health benefits and feasibility for long-term adherence.

💡Restrictive diets

Restrictive diets are those that limit certain food groups or types of nutrients. The video discusses how restrictive diets, including vegan diets, can have high failure rates due to their limited nature, making them challenging to follow long-term without proper support and planning.

💡Plant-focused diet

A plant-focused diet emphasizes the consumption of plant-based foods while still allowing for some animal products in moderation. The speaker in the video recommends a plant-focused diet as a balanced approach, suggesting that it can provide the health benefits of a vegan diet without the restrictive challenges.

💡Gastrointestinal issues

Gastrointestinal issues refer to problems related to the digestive system, such as gas, bloating, and flatulence. The video script describes how the speaker experienced significant gastrointestinal issues while on the vegan diet, which affected their ability to adhere to the diet long-term.

💡Decision fatigue

Decision fatigue is the depletion of mental resources that can result from making many decisions throughout the day. In the video, the speaker mentions experiencing decision fatigue while following the vegan diet, which led to a decrease in motivation for other activities, such as going to the gym.

💡Willpower

Willpower, or self-control, is the ability to resist short-term temptations in order to achieve long-term goals. The video script discusses how the speaker's willpower was affected by the restrictive nature of the vegan diet, making it difficult to maintain other healthy habits like regular exercise.

💡Refined carbs and processed foods

Refined carbohydrates and processed foods are often high in sugars, unhealthy fats, and additives, and are typically low in nutritional value. The video encourages reducing the intake of these types of foods, regardless of one's dietary preferences, to promote better health and prevent diseases.

Highlights

Officially completed four weeks of a vegan diet and is happy about achieving the goal.

People follow vegan diets for various reasons including moral, ethical, and environmental.

A vegan diet can be healthy for all life stages when properly planned.

It's possible to be vegan and still consume unhealthy foods like sugary sodas and candies.

Veganism is not the only healthy diet option; other diets like the Mediterranean diet are also healthy.

Generally does not recommend vegan as the first diet option due to its restrictive nature.

Supports patients who choose a vegan diet but emphasizes the importance of proper meal planning and supplementation.

Research shows that switching to a vegan diet from a standard American diet can improve chronic diseases and potentially extend life.

Recommends a plant-focused diet with a majority of calories from plants and a moderate amount of poultry and fish.

Nutrition research is constantly evolving, and recommendations may change with new information.

There is no one-size-fits-all miracle diet; individual needs and preferences vary.

Initially had concerns about sticking to a vegan diet during travels and conferences.

Experienced undereating calories and a decrease in appetite during the first two weeks of the vegan diet.

Snacks sent by Thrive helped make up for calorie deficits during the vegan diet.

Suffered from gas, bloating, and flatulence throughout the vegan diet, which was a significant obstacle.

Discovered many vegan options and specialty restaurants that offer vegan versions of familiar foods.

Vegan sauces can significantly enhance the taste of plant-based foods.

Decision fatigue and the restrictive nature of the vegan diet affected motivation to exercise.

Faced peer pressure and inconvenience when eating out with friends while following a vegan diet.

Learned valuable lessons about diet adherence, personal preferences, and the importance of a balanced approach to nutrition.

Encourages those interested in veganism to seek professional advice to ensure a healthy and sustainable diet.

Transcripts

(upbeat electronic music)

- One of the biggest problems I ran into

and this is really embarrassing to say on camera, was.

Its officially official, four weeks of going vegan

are in the books, and I'm so happy about my goal.

I have to thank you guys for challenging me

Just to clarify, there are many reasons

why people follow a vegan diet.

Moral, ethical, environmental,

but information I'm gonna cover here,

is only what's related to nutrition, and health.

If you want me to talk about those other concepts

I'm happy to do so, drop me a line below

and it will make a dedicated vegan video to just that.

(playful music)

A vegan diet can be a very healthy diet.

Whether you're young, old, somewhere in between

pregnant, nonpregnant, breastfeeding, not breastfeeding,

basically it's applicable to all life stages.

The reason I put that word canon there,

you can follow a vegan diet, eat vegan burgers

with sugary sodas, with gummy candies,

still be vegan, and that's not really healthy, right?

And I have to say, it's not the only healthy diet out there.

Some of the loudest voices in the vegan community

are quick to say that veganism is the only healthy option

that's not the case,

there are several other healthy diets out there,

for example The Mediterranean diet

that I'm personally a fan of, that are just as healthy,

if not, healthier than the vegan diet.

(playful music)

I have to be honest and admit that

I don't generally recommend vegan as my first option.

I do know that its a restrictive diet,

and we know restrictive diets have high failure rates.

Plus, the benefits of a vegan diet, aren't that much better

than some of the other alternatives

that are simpler to follow.

When I recommend a diet,

I'm trying to create the healthiest diet,

but also one that's feasible and achievable

for my patients to face without disrupting their lives.

On the other hand, if one of my patients comes in

and wants to follow a vegan diet,

I'm totally in support of that,

I just have to make sure that

they're adequately planning their meals,

their supplementing when need be,

checking their blood tests,

and ideally having some guidance either from myself

or a nutritionist.

(playful music)

The research behind health benefits

of following a vegan diet are substantial, and high quality.

If you're following standard American diet

and then switch over to a vegan diet,

you're gonna see improvement and chronic diseases

like diabetes, heart disease, strokes,

even an extension of life in some cases.

And what's most interesting is when we add

some animal product into the mix,

those outcomes still hold true.

That's why what I recommend to my patients,

is a plant focused diet.

Meaning that they should get the majority

of their calories from plants.

Fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, healthy fats,

and a modern amount of poultry and fish,

with a minimal amount of red meat.

In fact, that's the diet I follow,

and recommend to my own family.

The field of nutrition research has ever changing

and as we get more information, more quality studies,

we, doctors and nutritionists alike

are gonna be able to give better recommendations

when it comes to a vegan diet, a plant focused diet.

All of this is susceptible to change,

but its important that we make the best decisions

with the knowledge that we have on hand.

The one thing that I can say with 100% certainty

is there's no such thing as a miracle diet for everybody.

(playful music)

On day one, I was excited,

I was like, if I could tackle keto,

The first point at which I had a little hesitation,

was when I ordered my first, at-home delivery.

(deep bass music)

Buffalo cauliflower bites,

with some kind of not real mayo, and this is a wrap,

with vegan cheese, and unchicken.

What is unchicken?

I was having second thoughts,

and that's not like me.

If I set a goal for myself,

I'm gonna do everything in my power to meet that goal.

But for some reason when sticking into this vegan diet,

I was concerned about so many things.

The following week, I was leaving to MIT

for the leadership conference,

I was worried if they're gonna have vegan options available

for me, I was then traveling to Miami for a few days,

all these worries started bubbling in my head

and I was really wondering,

can I stick to vegan this entire month?

Why should I do vegan?

- Because it's more healthier for you, boo.

- You think so? - Yes.

- But 30 days' a long time.

- Just do it!

(playful music)

- One of the first obstacles I ran into on the

vegan diet was undereating calories.

Now, I'm partially to blame here, 'cause I didn't prep well

and even at the opening of this video, I said,

"The healthy way to follow a vegan diet,

is to adequately plan your meals."

For the first two weeks, I have to be honest,

I didn't have much of an appetite.

I'm not a huge fan of just eating vegetables,

and rice, and beans.

So, I didn't have tremendous portions,

and because of that, I was calorie deficit,

I actually noticed some weight loss.

What helped me tremendously to make up those calorie deficit

is eating some of these snacks that Thrive sent over.

If I didn't have these snacks, I'd be undereating calories

the majority of the time.

Long days in the hospital, but I got my Simple Mills.

These crackers, gave me through some rough, rough days.

(playful music)

One of the biggest problems I ran into,

and this is really embarrassing to say on camera.

The whole plane ride I'm sitting next to a doctor

my stomach is going (gurgles)

had to ask him to stand up like three, four times.

From day one, up until the last day of the diet,

I was having tremendous gas and bloating,

it's so embarrassing to say.

I mean think about this, I fly on planes,

I interact with patients for long periods of time,

I sit in conferences,

I can't just be sitting there with flatulent.

I did try and isolate some ingredients

to see which ones were causing

this gas and bloating combination for me,

but I couldn't find out what it was.

I normally eat brown rice,

I normally eat vegetables, and fruits, and beans,

I expect them to go away after four weeks,

but no, they stuck around.

I would have to say that the vegan diet

probably won't work for me long-term.

I just can't sit there with my stomach going (gurgles)

and me wanting to pass gas the entire time.

God, that's embarrassing.

(playful music)

What I didn't know about veganism is that there are a ton of

up incoming options,

for those who aren't used to eating vegan.

There are specialty restaurants that just offer vegan foods

with no animal products

that remind you of foods that you may have eaten

when you ate animal products,

and I thought that was really cool.

On top of that, a lot of these restaurants

and even some of the products I got from Thrive

tasted delicious, because of the sauces.

Vegan sauces are on point.

I'm loving these blue chips,

but without some like sauce

like I'm really digging this primal kitchen,

classic barbecue sauce.

These chips just aren't cutting it.

(playful music)

I've talked about on this channel

of decision fatigue.

Because you're constantly making decisions

and you're using your willpower,

its actually a finite resource.

What I noticed while I was following the vegan diet

was that, I lost the drive to go to the gym.

My work ethic actually suffered,

because I was putting such a strong emphasis

on sticking to vegan, when there were so many temptations

and there were things I wanted to eat.

I didn't want to hop on my spin bike in my bedroom,

I didn't want to go to the gym with my friends.

This is really unlike me, and it's an obstacle

I didn't actually expect to face.

When I went to the gym, I lifted fine,

getting to the gym was the actual struggle.

(playful music)

At the time I least expected it

disaster struck, I got sick.

(coughs)

I started coughing, I got a sore throat,

I got a low-grade fever.

I went to see the doctor, I weighed the pros and cons

of starting antibiotics, of stopping the vegan diet.

I decided to stick with conservative treatment

and treat it like a viral illness.

One of my favorite hacks to treat viral illnesses,

actually, symptoms of the viral illnesses,

is green tea with manuka honey.

(gasps)

- [Woman] Patrol members be advised.

- Freeze, vegan police, vegan police.

- Apparently, honey is not vegan, what?

I guess honey is an animal product,

but man, I didn't force the bees to make the honey,

they make it on their own.

We didn't have to milk them for it, wait.

If you wanted to disqualify my four week vegan challenge

because I ate honey, so be it.

(playful music)

I gotta say, at this point, I was rolling,

I was starting getting into the vegan vibe,

I was trying out new restaurants,

I was sampling all the delicious foods

that I got from Thrive,

and I was excited, I was getting close to the finish line.

But I will say one of the hardest things with the vegan diet

is peer pressure.

I mean, when I went out to eat with my friends,

they were annoyed to say the least

that we had to choose the restaurant

based on my eating preferences.

I did do a decent job at trying to pick out vegan options

in not so vegan places.

Look at this dedication.

Greek salad, no feta,

asparagus, fries. - [Woman] Oh wait for me.

- While I got this next to me,

while Keith is eating this. - [Keith] Mm.

- [Woman] And I'm eating octopus

- [Mike] ... is eating that, octopus.

(laughter)

What are you eating?

- Fish.

- The vegan struggle's real.

(playful music)

I wanna say I was really proud of myself,

and it's nice every now and then

to take a challenge like this,

and learn something new about yourself,

in fact, I want to tell you five things

that I learned not only about the vegan diet,

but also about myself during this process.

One, when I didn't plan well, I ate very unhealthy.

When I was at MIT for breakfast,

I ate Cinnamon Toast Crunch with almond milk, and a banana

every morning, that's not healthy even though it's vegan.

Two, I didn't notice a major change

in my energy level like I thought I would.

I mean maybe I had a slightly decreased energy level

but we have to remember that I was sick,

and in the beginning I was undereating calories

so I don't feel its fair to blame vegan for that.

Three, surprisingly I didn't weaker on vegan,

I was lifting strong and I felt good.

But what did suffer, was getting to the gym.

I really noticed a lack of willpower

when I was following this restrictive diet.

Four, when it comes to my body

I lost three pounds, I dropped from 203, to 200 pounds

so there was some weight loss,

probably from undereating calories.

But, despite losing weight, I didn't feel as lean.

I mean all those sauces, all the rice that I ate,

pasta, that contributed to the carb load

and probably made me feel a little bit pudgier than usual.

Five, this is the big one.

The real difficulty was my GI system,

I mean it was a mess.

The amount of gas, and flatulence, and bloating got a,

it's like gross to even talk about, but it was really bad.

If you have that with any diet,

there's no way you're sticking with it.

And I tried taking some over-the-counter

supplements for this.

It did absolutely nothing.

(playful music)

If you're curious or interested in starting a vegan diet,

I don't want to dissuade you, in fact,

I want to encourage you.

Go talk to a dietician, nutritionist, physician,

someone who is well-versed with vegan diets

that way you could do it the healthy, happy, safe way

without hurting yourself in the process.

And please, reduce the amount of refined carbs and

processed foods that you're eating

because as more research comes out,

that's the stuff that causes diseases

and shortens your lifespan.

Now, if you want to check out a really cool playlist,

check out my nutrition playlist right here for some goodies.

Click here, and stay happy, and healthy.

(upbeat music)