Lizzo's vegan diet left me groggy and gassy, but I loved her hangover brunch
- Lizzo recently shared her new vegan lifestyle with fans on TikTok, including green juice, salads, vegan "meat"balls, smoothies, and snacks.
- I tried Lizzo's vegan diet for a week, and it was more fun and enjoyable than I thought.
- But this style of veganism took a lot of preparation and was much more expensive than my usual grocery budget, with lots of processed foods.
- It took some work to get enough calories, and balance carbs, fat, and protein, but I'll definitely add some of the recipes to my normal routine.
Musical superstar Lizzo has recently starting eating vegan, and has been sharing her meals and snacks to more than 9 million fans on TikTok.
Each day she makes green juice, salad, meals of vegan "eggs," and protein-packed smoothies — and a daily video with a message that "we still need justice for Breonna Taylor."
As a big fan of Lizzo, and an even bigger nutrition nerd, I decided to test out her eating plan and recipes for myself, embarking on a week-long vegan diet based on the meals and snacks she mentioned on TikTok.
How to eat like Lizzo
Lizzo's TikTok included a typical day of eating, so I tried to stick closely to that but incorporated some variety so I wasn't eating the same thing every day.
Breakfast: Usually a green juice of coconut water, frozen fruit, and kale or spinach. I later added a protein shake. On the weekends, I started the day with a tofu scramble for brunch.
Lunch: Typically a huge salad with plenty of kale, cabbage, and other veggies, a homemade dressing with sesame oil, lime juice, and ginger. I'd also add leftovers from the night before.
Dinner: The most variable meal — from chickpeas and quinoa with vegan meatballs, to a Beyond Burger with vegan cheese, to vegan hot dogs with baked beans.
I ended each day with another protein shake with fruit and peanut butter for a post-work out dessert.
At first I felt low-energy, but that changed once I started planning my meals to ensure enough calories and protein
Lizzo didn't specify portion sizes, so I had to estimate.
The first day of the experiment, I felt groggy. Although I felt satisfied after meals, I got hungrier (and hangrier) more quickly than usual.
I wrote down the calories and macronutrients (carbs, fat, protein) I'd consumed, and I noticed I was getting substantially fewer calories than I normally would.
By around 3 pm of Day 1, I had only eaten about 6oo calories and hardly any protein. (My normal total daily intake is 2,300 calories and about 125 grams of protein.)
I adjusted the amount of food every time I ate to make sure I was getting enough, and saw an immediate shift in my energy.
That made a big difference for my work day and also my workouts. I typically work out with a mix of weights, plyometric movements, and cardio (including moves Lizzo herself does) 5-6 days a week. Aside from the first day, I didn't notice much of a difference in my energy levels during my workouts, or my post-workout recovery.
Like many new vegans, I experienced an unpleasant side effect
I did, however, notice that my digestive system was a little more sensitive than usual during the week, partly because I was getting a lot more fiber in my diet than usual.
As such, I experienced a typical side effect of new vegans: gassiness.
I loved Lizzo's vegan hangover breakfast
One of the meals I was most nervous about turned out to be one of the best. Lizzo mentioned in a TikTok that being vegan could be a challenge for hangover meals, but that she substitutes vegan sausage, cheese, and Just Eggs or tofu for a brunch scramble.
Determined to test this, I spent some quality time with a bottle of tequila (Lizzo's favorite) on Friday night.
The next day, definitely not feeling good as hell, I did not have much faith in tofu.
But I was pleasantly surprised that my scramble was delicious and really satisfying, and I did actually feel much better afterward.
It was expensive, and required a lot of planning
Although I enjoyed the meals and didn't have difficulty sticking to the vegan diet, two things made it hard to sustain long-term.
First, I ate a lot processed vegan food to substitute meat, eggs, and cheese, which were tasty and convenient, but expensive. The week's worth of food cost at least twice as much as I'd normally spend, for portions that were much smaller.
Then, recipes I made with whole foods took a lot of time to prep, to make sure I was getting enough calories and had the right food on hand. Normally, I have plenty of calorie-dense food like cheese and yogurt to get through the day. Last week, I had to consume more food than usual to stay healthy, and I had to snack more.
I won't be sticking with the diet, but I will definitely keep these 3 recipes
I generally liked everything (the only recipe I really didn't like was a veggie soup with rice noodles, which was bland and the texture was awful). But there were three stand-outs:
I really enjoyed my dinner of spicy chickpeas and quinoa on Day 1, and will definitely make that again.
Another of my absolute favorites was a peanut butter and jelly smoothie (oat milk; peanut butter, I used powdered; frozen fruit; vanilla protein). It's now a staple.
My Sunday brunch tofu and vegan sausage breakfast tacos were one of the best meals I ate all month, including non-vegan contenders.
Read more:
7 times Lizzo said something that makes you feel good about your body
5 celebrities who went vegan, and how they get their nutrients on a plant-based diet