‘I felt bloated and brain-fogged!’
Johdi Woodford, 43, is a restorative movement specialist. She has three children.
I grew up in Zimbabwe, eating a huge amount of red meat, but also lots of fruit and vegetables, too. I loved spices, tucking into prawn or chicken curries.
Over the years I had a fairly normal diet, eating a little bit of everything and managing to keep to a healthy weight. It wasn’t until I turned 40 in February 2019 that I began finding it harder to keep my weight down.
Soon after, I watched a documentary about veganism and decided to give it a try.
Being a competent cook, I googled recipes and experimented with my own creations. On an average day, I’d start with a green smoothie made with apple, celery, spinach, nuts and cucumber.
Then for lunch I’d have a huge salad. Dinner would be a lentil or a chickpea curry, or a soup.
But I felt frustrated that I was hungry all of the time. And although I was eating large portions of fruit and veg, it left me just wanting more.
I was spending money on protein powders and tofu in a desperate attempt to up my protein, instead of just being able to have an egg or two and stay full for longer!
At the end of the first two weeks, I was really proud of myself and hopped onto the bathroom scales to check my progress. Before I’d started my vegan diet, I weighed 8st 7lb, and I was shocked when the scales bounced up by over six pounds! Not much to some people, but a lot when you’re only 5ft 3in. It wasn’t only the weight gain that bothered me, though. I felt bloated and brain-fogged, too. Plus it was so hard to stick to the diet. I found it difficult to enjoy a non-dairy cappuccino, and really tough to get enough protein into my diet.
I managed to stick to veganism for two months before admitting defeat. I felt incredibly relieved to be able to eat eggs and yoghurt again.
Now I eat to stay lean, to have mental clarity, to balance my hormones and to protect the planet. Being a vegan didn’t deliver the health benefits
I was expecting, so for me, a balanced diet is always best.
✣ johdiwoodford.com
‘I WAS HUNGRY ALL THE TIME’