It has been very amusing having long discussions with my cardiologist trying to explain to him the changes I did as he could not believe the data he was getting.
Perhaps our common benefits are as much from the foods that we no longer eat as from those we do eat.
I was raw vegan for six months a decade ago. I bounced off of that with health problems including brain fog at that point. At the moment carnivory feels more sustainable to me. Possibly the "raw" part is a difference between our experiences.
Yes I would bet just being deliberate and having a philosophy will have an impact.
Doing labwork regularly is a good tool. There are so many things that can be monitored that gives you data to supplement your self-reported feelings.
(being raw vegan can not have been fun)
I wonder why you say that. I enjoyed the food a lot, as well as the shopping and prep. I was surrounded by a large supportive raw vegan community, and it may have been one of the most social times of my life. It was literally fun and I would have continued if not for the health issues. And yes, some cravings. It was culturally easy for me in a way that carnivory isn't, yet here I am.
That brain fog issue sounds like you were missing something, did you test yourself? I am sure if you miss your old diet you can still do it with some additions. As mentioned in the article B12 is important.
However 1) correlation does not mean causation, less so with one data point 2) people who radically change their diet often do some other lifestyle change out of the same concerns.
For instance is not uncommon to switch diet and start exercising at the same time, or switching to a more regalar sleep schedule. Did you?
I think any change you make will feed into changing other things about you.
In my case I changed only diet. This in turn changed me so that I could move more. Both of those things changed how I sleep. Which again feeds back into new changes about my mood and goals. I do not think I could have started with one of the other changes and end up here. Especially in my own circumstance.