Years of suffering with a slew of health-related issues, Huffington Post news editor, Anjali Sareen, decided to try out a vegan diet.

The decision not only led to the expected benefits like losing a few pounds and having more energy, but she quickly discovered her nagging health issues where directly related to her diet. 

"...Overnight, my skin turned from an acne-prone mess into beautiful, clear, healthy-looking skin," she said. "I had struggled with acne my entire teenage life and into my early adulthood, and to be completely honest, I had tried everything to help solve the problem. ..Little did I know my dairy habit could have been the culprit."

Sareen next discovered the impact on her sleeping habits.

"...I discovered that I slept better than ever. I have a reputation among friends and family for being able to sleep for unusually long amounts of time, but after I went vegan, I realized a lot of that was because the quality of my sleep had always been terrible," she said. "After I went vegan, I found that I was sleeping for less time each night but waking up more refreshed. Turns out, it wasn't just me: A study on the physiological benefits of a vegan diet found that subjects who switched to eating purely plant-based reported an improvement in the quality of their sleep."

Other than physical benefits, Sareen also discovered a whole support system of friends and health experts.

"I discovered a whole community of friends I was missing out on -- not just vegans, but those interested in better health and environmental sustainability. It wasn't fun to be at work and invited to a gathering where I knew everyone would be chugging beer and eating greasy pizza, so I welcomed meeting people with similar interests. To be completely honest, the veggie potlucks I was invited to certainly helped improved my circle of friends."