There are many reasons to go vegan: weight loss, allergies, religious views, environmentalism. I decided to go vegan for a week for none of those reasons, but I still found it enlightening and maybe even educational.

Veganism — the practice of abstaining from all animal products — is a growing dietary and lifestyle decision, especially among young adults. While it is understandably rewarding to some, I never thought that it would be for me.

I used to watch vegans and vegetarians alike in awe from afar and marvel at their discipline and commitment. No meat? No dairy? How do you do it? So, I decided to take up a week-long challenge just to see if I had what it took — and to see if veganism was as awesome as it’s chalked up to be.

The first day was fine. I felt pretty good about myself, so I assumed I was doing something right. I’ve never been a very adventurous eater, so in preparation for my week I loaded up on all the most flavourless, pansy-ass grains, vegetables and substitutions that came to mind, including brown rice, broccoli, mushrooms, almond milk and bananas.

My primary concern beforehand had to do with cutting out meat, but after a couple of days I came to realize that going vegetarian would have been a vacation by comparison.

The meat meant nothing to me as I pounded back my fruits and veggies, but from day two and onward, there was nothing I wanted more than to guzzle back some milk — straight from the jug for dramatic effect.

In my darkest moment, after eating a spoonful of peanut butter, I instinctively went to grab the milk before realizing I couldn’t have it and that I’d have to pry my tongue from the roof of my mouth by alternative means.

Not that almond milk is necessarily bad, but it’s kind of like if regular milk and expired milk had a baby. It’s still drinkable, but it’s just off enough for you to know that something’s afoot.

I was really angry all the time for days three through five, although there’s no empirical evidence that meat deficiency was specifically to blame. After all, it was the latter half of a school week.

As I meticulously scanned labels, I came to realize that I never knew how many foods were off limits to my newfound vegan brethren. Honey, pasta sauce, virtually every variety of canned soup known to man, condiments. You name it, I couldn’t have it.

That being said, I also learned that you can identify as a vegan and still get away with eating a lot of unhealthy shit. Depending on brands and ingredients, even french fries, baked goods, potato chips, Skittles and more are all vegan. In other words, being a vegan doesn’t have to be a healthy thing if you don’t want it to.

However, if I ever started to feel like I was having too much fun, I felt like I was cheating, so I tried to keep myself on a bit of a short leash.

By the end, I felt beat into submission. A week of oatmeal, stir fries, vegetable broth and kale had left me a hollow shell of a man. The only thing that kept me going was the promise of a nice milky cup of coffee and some scrambled eggs the next morning.

Now that it’s over, I can say that it was easier than I’d anticipated, and while I can’t say I regret it, I can safely say that going vegan is not for everyone.

The main thing I learned — if anything — in my whirlwind week as a herbivore, is that staying vegan is not the hard part whatsoever. The real challenge is keeping in mind at all times that you’re vegan and trying to make the best of it.

I wasn’t banging down the doors of deli’s desperate to get my fix, but I did have to exercise caution and double check the specs of everything I ate before digging in. In that sense, being a vegan is less of a sacrifice and more of a hassle.

I’ve been hassled enough, though. Bring on the meat.