Think you could go Vegan for a month? Regular guest blogger Joss Moore checks out the Veganuary trend exclusively for On The Sliding Scales.
We’ve not even finished January yet but my first title for this blog was going to be ‘Why I failed Veganuary’. But then I thought more about it and realised that I haven’t failed; Veganuary (Vegan January) is about giving veganism a go and cutting down on meat and dairy products. It’s not about being a militant vegan, punishing yourself when you slip up on one small thing. In this blog I want to share some of things I’ve learnt over this month, challenge some of the myths about this dietary lifestyle and generally encourage you to give it a go. |
| Try Livia’s Kitchen Gooey Salted Caramel Brownies - exactly like normal brownies but gluten & dairy free |
The image of veganism has changed massively over the last few years. Gone are the days when it was thought of a diet reserved for ‘hippy environmentalists’. Now athletes such as Venus and Serena Williams, the NFL's David Carter, Scott Jurek the ultramarathon runner, and David Smith, an Olympic rower, advocate this dietary lifestyle, not to mention countless food nutritionists. There are so many benefits to reducing your consumption of meat and dairy, which leads me onto my first tip:
Tip 1: Choose your reason for becoming Vegan
Whether you hate animal cruelty or want to reduce to your carbon footprint… or reap the many health benefits of a vegan diet – decide what your motivating factor is and focus on this. There are lots of documentaries and literature out there on how cruel the meat, egg and milk manufacturing industries are as well as the serious implications for the planet. These include the documentary Cowspiracy, Land of Hope and Glory on YouTube, and the book Eating Animals.In terms of health, a vegan diet can lead to healthy weight loss, feeling more energized, better internal (ahem) movements, healthier, happier skin, the list goes on! One myth I want to dispel is that as a vegan, you are always hungry, you feel weaker and less energetic. The opposite is true! Just look at the list of top athletes who are vegan. As long as you have the right portion size - which may mean increasing it - you should never feel hungry. Just make sure you are still having a balanced diet of carbohydrates, protein and fat.
Another myth I want to bust is that vegans can eat hardly anything apart from leaves. This is not true AT ALL. Yes, you are more limited in terms of processed, packaged food but we should be making efforts to cut down these types of food anyway. This links nicely to my next tip …
Tip 2: Meal plan!
 |
| Homemade turmeric quinoa fritters – Deliciously Ella recipe got thumbs up from vegan-sceptic boyfriend |
Steph wrote a great article on meal planning which you can see here. As a vegan, meal planning and preparation is key to keeping on track. There are some great plans online and on Pinterest to keep you inspired in order not to eat the same dinner every day. It’s all about a well-stocked cupboard with staple ingredients and a fridge full of fresh fruit and veg to go with this. Make sure your spice rack is full too, bland lentils or rice is the worst! Look to Asian, Middle Eastern and Moroccan cuisines for inspiration. I have to admit it is easy to slip up with meal planning, if you run out of snacks it’s so tempting to turn to the biscuit tin or secret chocolate supply. My advice is: don’t have these temptations in the house! Keep a good selection of dried fruits and nuts around as well as delicious snacks such as Nakd bars for when hunger strikes. If you feel your motivation slipping, just go back to Tip 1 – why are you doing this, and look for blogs and articles which support this motive.
Myth #3: You need to take loads of vitamin supplements.
It can be admittedly harder to get all your vitamins, particularly B12, without meat and dairy. I decided to take B12 supplements, but fortified non-dairy milks as well as nutritional yeast contain the vitamin. This is not to be confused with normal yeast as my well-meaning but uninformed boyfriend did! (Luckily the addition of bread yeast was prevented in time before it ended up in our vegan lasagne). If you do your research, you can find plenty of plant-based sources of calcium, Iron and vitamin D too.
Tip 3: Eating out is difficult - prepare for a limited menu!
This was definitely where I struggled most. I found it relatively easy at home when I could make everything myself but when it came to eating out, or at a friend's house, I found it very difficult. Whilst more vegan options are appearing on menus, it is still quite limited. I find when you’re paying for a meal you usually want a bit of choice rather than one option. If you’re going fully vegan I would suggest researching vegetarian and vegan restaurants beforehand or phoning up and checking if they have suitable options available. |
| Indian food is often vegan - we had this at the Bhaji Shop Thali Café in Sheffield |
When it comes to eating at a friends, try to be as flexible as possible. If they’re not vegan, I would recommend compromising on a vegetarian main, or taking your vegan main with you and tucking into the veggie sides. There are many ways to do veganism:
- Eating vegan during the week
- Eating vegan all the time apart from when you’re out for dinner or with friends
- Being vegan apart from when travelling and you still want to try cultural dishes.
Tip 4: Don’t to be too hard on yourself
 |
| By Joss Moore, blogger |
Hopefully this has inspired you to give veganism a go!
Remember: On The Sliding Scales features opinion written by bloggers and journalists, please consult qualified doctors and nutritionists for diet and health advice that's tailored for you.
Comments
Post a Comment