13 Weird Ways Going Vegan Changed My Health

This was so amazing to me. I used to get bloated all the time, but when I cut out dairy, that pretty much stopped. (Who knew I had abs underneath!)

I never thought I was lactose intolerant, but the truth is, most of us are. In fact, 60 percent of us actually lack the enzyme to properly digest cow's milk. An estimated 95 percent of Asian peoples, 75 percent of African and Caribbean peoples, and nearly 100 percent of American Indians are all lactose intolerant. So even if you don't think you're lactose intolerant, you may be, especially if you're part of one of these groups. You may notice a change in bloating within weeks of cutting out dairy.

That said, since you'll probably add a lot more fiber to your diet if you go plant-based, be sure to drink plenty of water to help your body adjust. Otherwise, bloating can temporarily feel worse.

I used to get constipated all the time; I couldn't get moving without my morning coffee, and traveling would throw my digestion way off. Amazingly, once I went vegan, all that stopped, likely for the same reason I stopped getting bloated — cutting out dairy had improved my digestion. Many people on a healthy vegan diet experience more regular bowel movements because animal products like meat and dairy are especially constipating. A typical plant-based diet is also higher in fiber.

While people worry that a vegan diet won't give them enough protein, the truth is, 97 percent of Americans get plenty of protein. It's actually fiber that 97 percent of Americans get less than the RDA of. This is bad news for not just your BMs, but your overall health.

"Fiber helps you avoid minor health problems such as hemorrhoids or constipation while also helping to prevent major diseases like colon cancer and heart disease," Bruce Friedrich, coauthor of Clean Protein, tells POPSUGAR. In fact, one study published in the journal Stroke finds that increasing your fiber intake by seven grams a day can lower your risk of stroke, and Yale researchers find that premenopausal women who eat six or more grams of soluble fiber daily have 62 percent lower odds of breast cancer than women who eat less than four grams. Vegetables, nuts, whole grains, and fruit all have lots of fiber — while meat has none.

I wasn't trying to lose weight, but it happened anyway — it's common when people make the switch to a vegan diet. You have to eat more to make up for the calorie-dense meat and dairy you omit (great — I get to eat more food!). I haven't continued to lose weight, but my resting body weight is about five to eight pounds lighter now, which is still in a healthy range for me.

Not everyone loses weight on a plant-based diet, but many people see a weight change after just a few weeks, especially if they are medically obese or overweight. One recent study found vegetarian diets to be almost twice as effective for weight loss than typical caloric-restriction diets — and that was a vegetarian diet, not a vegan one.

Dr. Michael Klaper, an internationally recognized authority on diet and health, explains that metabolic changes begin soon after adopting a plant-based diet. He says that after just a few weeks, "Obesity begins to melt away and people observe bloat and edema fluid leaving their tissues, especially in their legs."

Now, to be fair, I didn't pay much attention to my cholesterol before, and when I got it checked, the doctor always said it was good. But after I went vegan, doctors started commenting that it was "perfect" and wanted to know my secret. I told them: as a vegan, I have a cholesterol-free diet.

All meat, including fish, contains saturated fat and cholesterol. But a vegan diet is low in saturated fat and devoid of any cholesterol, so it makes perfect sense that studies have consistently shown that when people switch to a plant-based diet, their cholesterol levels drop and their risk of heart disease plummets. Considering heart disease runs in my family, I'm pretty stoked that I'm doing everything I can to protect myself.

If this all sounds good to you, but you're not sure where to start, I'd suggest checking out The Green Plate, which offers free live-chat coaching and extremely affordable meal-planning services to get you started. Many of these effects can be noticeable after just a few weeks, so it's certainly worth a shot!