What happened after a Daily Mail journalist went vegan for a month?

I like to think I’m in pretty good shape – not great, but okay.

I walk almost an hour a day during my lunch break, I move twice a day and I go to the gym regularly.

I cook a balanced diet of protein, grains and vegetables most nights, meal prep and try to limit my alcohol intake.

It’s not perfect, but it generally works well, or at least that’s what I thought.

A few weeks ago, a blood test revealed that I had high LDL (bad) cholesterol, fats called triglycerides, and high blood sugar.

All of these factors combined could cause fat to build up in my arteries and raise my blood sugar, which could lead to diabetes, heart disease, and stroke, among other problems.

“Does high cholesterol run in your family?” the IVDrips team who administered my test asked me.

It’s not, and it’s not something I really thought about at 28, in good general health. Even the doctor said it was “strange” that it was high at my age.

I must admit, however, that I had become a little lazy when it came to diet and exercise.

Planning a wedding meant I spent more nights arranging seating plans and ordering takeout than I did cooking a home-cooked meal and hitting the gym.

Yet I could feel the dread setting in knowing that I was already at risk for a multitude of chronic diseases (I already have a whole host of minor health issues).

It was around this time that DailyMail.com covered a variety of new research touting veganism as a cholesterol-lowering, low-inflammatory diet.

Needing some motivation and alarmed by my test results, it was the perfect time to try going vegan for three weeks.

The goal wasn’t to lose extra pounds or completely change my lifestyle, but rather to see if a vegan diet could live up to its healthy image.

My “last meal” consisted of everything I would have had to give up: McDonald’s chicken nuggets, French fries (which are, for some reason, cooked in beef fat), and a vanilla milkshake.

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As I filled up on entirely plant-based foods, I began to regret not simply becoming vegetarian or doing something less restrictive.

When it came to “replacements” like fake meat and cheese, I immediately noticed changes in texture and flavor.

One night for dinner, I swapped regular cheeseburgers for Beyond Burgers with Violife dairy-free cheese.

The cheese, if you could call it that, was like biting into a slice of rubber that had a faint cheddar smell when you brought it to your mouth.

But it lacked real taste.

The opposite was true for Beyond Meat, which tasted too spicy to hide the fact that it wasn’t beef.

It also had a slightly pungent smell, almost reminiscent of my cats’ food.

Meanwhile, I watched my fiancé’s classic American cheeseburger cook in a separate pan. I almost wanted to salivate as I watched the cheese melt.

The cheese on mine never completely melted, and it was nearly impossible to get a good char on the patty without completely burning it.

The only meat substitute that could actually pass for real meat was a hot dog from my favorite bar.

For $2 more, I could enjoy a beautiful spring day outside with a hot dog and beer combo.

The appearance left something to be desired, the dog appearing paler and drier than most I’d had, but for a moment at least I forgot how much I missed real meat.

It doesn’t help that some recent research suggests that eating vegan meat is linked to a 15% increased risk of heart attack and stroke, as well as premature death.

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But I found I was less unhappy when I stopped trying to replace animal products with lookalikes.

One of the most enjoyable meals I had was a chickpea and spinach curry with coconut milk and spiced lentils over rice that I made two weeks into my trip.

But I also came across a fair number of restaurants with virtually no vegan options, which surprised me, living in New York.

At one event, I was only allowed to eat one thing on the menu: pita bread and hummus. I had to prepare an entirely separate dinner when I got home.

And while I was out for a birthday, I had to make a lunch of couscous and broccoli.

On my last night of veganism, a friend took it upon herself to prepare my “last meal”: BRoccoli and farro stew with capers and parsley.

It was by far the best meal I had in three weeks.

After almost a month of dreaming of real cheese and a big greasy burger, I finally got to the end of the experience.

Even after a relatively short period of time, changes were observed in my body. My LDL cholesterol level decreased by 7%, still in the high range, but back in the normal range for a person my age.

My triglycerides — fats that circulate in the blood and come from foods like butter and oils — dropped by 15 percent, bringing them back to a healthy level. And my blood sugar dropped by six percent — though it remained borderline normal.

I was honestly impressed to see a reduction in cholesterol after just a few weeks of being vegan without taking medication.

However, a study published in the journal Nutrition Reviews showed that dietary changes such as adding fiber and reducing fat could lower cholesterol in about four weeks.

However, drugs like statins remain a proven method for lowering cholesterol. According to Yale Medicine, these inexpensive drugs taken by nearly 50 million Americans can reduce cholesterol levels by 30 to 50 percent. And some drugs like Crestor claim to lower cholesterol levels in just two weeks.

Although diet has been shown to improve cholesterol levels, many people also need medication.

My vitamin D levels, which were low, also increased slightly, although I was still deficient and was told I needed to “supplement” daily.

However, some levels performed worse after eliminating animal products.

My iron levels dropped by more than 30 percent, putting me below the norm.

Iron is high in several animal products that I had eliminated from my diet, including eggs, chicken, beef, turkey, salmon and eggs, which could explain why my levels decreased.

While I’m grateful to have my cholesterol back in the normal range, I know it’s something I’ll need to monitor more closely to make sure it doesn’t go back up.

However, I’m much more likely to achieve this by adding more plant-based proteins like legumes to my diet and cutting back on fast food – and doing a few extra workouts.

I missed cheese so much that I don’t want to give it up anymore.