Interested in finding out what I ate and how I felt during my first week of a vegan Whole30? Couldn’t care less? Well, you’re here anyway, so you might as well read on and find out!
If you’re considering a vegan Whole30 or wondering whether it’s doable, check my earlier piece for people thinking about trying a vegan Whole30.
(If you’re just joining me, you can find my weekly reports, menus and final results in the Whole30 section.)
What I learned during Week 1
I discovered that prepping several days’ worth of food in advance isn’t for me. I prefer cooking a bit extra at dinner and eating the leftovers for lunch the next day. It’s more cooking overall, but I actually enjoy what I’m eating.
I also learned that the Instagram crowd who post pictures of massive salads and claim they’re full until dinner are either liars, horses, or aliens. Leafy salads as a main dish are not for me — at least not for this Whole30.
If you don’t want to read every diary entry, here’s the short version:
Days 1–4: I felt awful — like something frozen, defrosted, then run over.
Day 5: I felt somewhat better.
Days 6–7: I felt closer to a normal functioning human again.
What I ate during my first week of a vegan Whole30
I describe the meals, why I chose them, and how they made me feel in the diary entries below. If you want inspiration or want to avoid my mistakes, here is a summary of every meal that week.
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
| Monday | Carrot-courgette-chia “energy” balls (failed) and melon slices | Large chopped leafy salad with nuts and seeds (unappealing) | Quick stir-fried carrots, parsnips, peppers with cashews and avocado |
| Tuesday | Same as Monday | Large chopped leafy salad with nuts and seeds | Quick stir-fried carrots, parsnips, peppers with cashews and avocado |
| Wednesday | Same as Monday | Large chopped leafy salad with nuts and seeds | Aubergine “tacos” with avocado sauce, fajita veg and pico de gallo |
| Thursday | Same as Monday | Aubergine “tacos” with avocado sauce, fajita veg and pico de gallo | Sweet potato gratin, roasted broccoli and cauliflower with cashew “cheese” |
| Friday | Same as Monday | Sweet potato gratin, roasted broccoli and cauliflower with cashew “cheese” | Zoodles with fresh green sauce |
| Saturday | Cherries, raspberries, pineapple and melon with tahini and desiccated coconut | Zoodles with fresh green sauce | Adapted chickpea-spinach curry with cauliflower rice (my portion without chickpeas) |
| Sunday | Cherries, raspberries, pineapple and melon with tahini and desiccated coconut | Adapted chickpea-spinach curry with cauliflower rice | Stir-fried vegetables with cauliflower rice |
17/06/2019 Day 1
So it begins. I was surprisingly hungry this morning and ate around 9 a.m. — a chia-carrot-courgette-banana-walnut mix that tasted okay but took forever to eat. I’d made enough for several days, which I already regretted; I need to actually like what I eat for this to work.
By noon I was cranky and hungry and forced myself to eat a big salad, which again took ages. Dinner was a quick mix of frozen stir-fry veg with cashews and frozen avocado. I finished the day not especially hungry but irritated at all the roughage I’d consumed. I also found myself wired at bedtime despite no caffeine.
18/06/2019 Day 2
Woke up feeling awful, probably dehydrated. Ate the same carrot mush and felt better by midday, though a headache lingered. I found myself drinking loads of water and herbal teas to stay busy and avoid snacking out of boredom.
Lunch again was the large salad, which I ate slowly while resisting distractions. Dinner was the leftover stir-fry, which was quicker to eat. I experimented with adding frozen strawberries to water — a simple trick that made drinking fluids more pleasant and helped me finish the bottle.
19/06/2019 Day 3
Woke feeling hungover and exhausted despite sleeping well. My urine still looked darker than it should, so I suspected dehydration or low salt. Lunch was another salad I promised myself not to repeat. Dinner was a revelation: aubergine “tacos” with avocado-garlic sauce, sautéed peppers and mushrooms, and pico de gallo. They were filling and delicious, and I slept easily that night.
20/06/2019 Day 4
Groggy from a night interrupted by a child and a mosquito, and my stomach felt upset with my skin breaking out. I brought biryani and banana bread to work for testing and resisted treats from coworkers. Lunch was leftover aubergine tacos, but a couple of hours later my stomach was upset again — I suspected aubergine might be the cause and planned to avoid it for a few days.
Dinner was sweet potato gratin with roasted broccoli and cauliflower and a cashew cheese sauce. It was satisfying and caused no stomach trouble. I noted the heat forecast and planned to prepare oven dishes in advance to avoid cooking in high temperatures during the week.
21/06/2019 Day 5
Still tired and dehydrated on waking, but pineapple and melon with my breakfast mush tasted especially sweet and satisfying. I felt less hollow and anxious about food choices. Lunch was leftovers; for dinner I planned zoodles with my fresh green sauce.
22/06/2019 Day 6
After a late night, I slept solidly and woke feeling better. Breakfast was a fruit plate with tahini and desiccated coconut — delicious. I planned and streamlined meals for the coming week so the household could eat similar bases with small swaps for me. For dinner I made an adapted chickpea-spinach curry using aubergine and carrot for my portion and served it with cauliflower rice. The cauliflower rice turned out great — simple to prepare and very satisfying. I felt less bloated, swam for exercise, and enjoyed an evening family walk.
23/06/2019 Day 7
Breakfast was fruit with coconut and tahini again, and I felt energized. Lunch was leftover curry and cauliflower rice. I swam 600 meters and for dinner made stir-fried veg with a sauce of coconut aminos, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic and ginger served over cauliflower rice. It tasted perfect and made enough for extra lunches.
Week one done and dusted!
