(All links can be found below the post.)
It's been quite some time since my last post - oops! Life
kind of gets in the way, and by life, I mean work, and by work I mean school -
but that's another post entirely!
My last entry in the Nest was about my journey into vegetarianism.
At that time I had given up meat and dairy in the form of milk, but I was still
eating fish, milk chocolate and yoghurt. I am pleased to say that those have
all been given up now too! I knew for certain that I wanted to move towards a
vegan diet; it just seemed illogical, knowing what I knew about the dairy
industry, that I didn't eat cows but I still participated in their exploitation
and abuse when I consumed other food items. The dairy industry IS the meat industry,
so I knew, that for me, veganism was the ultimate goal.
I started listening to The Chickpeeps podcast which
introduced me to Veganuary - I discovered it because I follow the actress Evanna
Lynch (Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter)
on Instagram. I decided to take part in Veganuary this year and it was just
the push I needed - I saw it as a marathon rather than a sprint for me, as I
want to make this a permanent change in my life. Therefore I didn't berate
myself if I had the odd slip up: milk as an ingredient in something or
non-vegan alcohol for example, but I didn't actively buy dairy products and I
am pretty proud of how well I did.
Milk chocolate and cheese are foodstuffs that had a pretty permanent place in my fringe and my belly and I was surprised at how easily I gave them up. I think my only slip ups during Veganuary were: 2 chocolates at work which were left over from Christmas (which, to be fair were horrible!), a Yorkshire pudding at my friend's house when she had a impromptu roast dinner and some milk in a coffee, in a hotel room in Folkestone, when I was running super late and unable to stock up at Sainsbury's as I had planned! (Be prepared, is not only the Scouts motto, it's the Vegan motto too!) Oh, and the alcohol! (Although I am getting much better at checking and making vegan choices) - check out Barnivore online to help determine if the booze is vegan!
When I signed up to Veganuary I bought their book 'How
to go Vegan' (with a foreword by the aforementioned Evanna Lynch.) I
found it really straight forward and helpful.
I'm not a great cook, although I do really enjoy cooking when
I get the time to do it. Therefore vegetarian ranges that do some vegan products, such as Quorn
and Linda
McCartney are a good, quick option. Lots of supermarket own brands are
good too - Tesco's spicy bean burgers are a staple in our house and Morrisons
have a fairly decent range of own brand vegan foods. Something I ate a lot off
as a veggie was quorn mince, but that actually contains milk and so was ditched
during Veganuary. At first I wondered how I would cope, as that was
the basis of many meals in our house: chilli, lasagne, spaghetti bolognaise.
But, I found it is a good thing that I had to readjust my thinking as
ultimately quorn is a processed product and I want to be a little healthier
with my choices. So fully veg versions, or substituting lentils or chickpeas became
the norm. (As a side note: I cannot convey how much I love and value the humble
chickpea!)
Having said I am no cook, I did try some recipes out at the
weekend. A friend was going to have an Indian food themed potluck, but it has been
postponed. As I had bought the ingredients I thought I would give the recipes a
go anyway! Sag Aloo, Aloo Gobi and shallow fried Onion Bhaji. (All recipes
linked below). They turned out pretty good for me!
In my last post I mentioned that I was having soya milk but wanted to investigate nut milks. I had almond for a long time, but found this made my coffee a bit too strong for my taste. I have now settled on cashew milk (which is delicious) for my coffee and oat milk for cereal and porridge.
Just before Christmas I visited the Hackney Downs Vegan Market,
which was set up by the Fat Gay Vegan. It's a small affair
but very friendly and a fun experience. I primarily went to see if I could get
some better cheese than the supermarkets offer but it sold out too fast! I did
buy some delicious cupcakes from Baking Bad, which were amazing! I
mean just check out their pics on Instagram and try to resist!
Being a member of the Veganuary Facebook group was so helpful - it reinforced for me daily why I was undertaking this journey and also provided a wealth of recipes and destinations to visit for vegan treats. If you consider signing up next year, or at any point throughout this year, I would recommend joining the group.
I have found that eating out was easier than expected and a quick
Google search will show you that many places (especially chain restaurants)
will give you a separate vegan menu on request. I have eaten at PingPong
(twice!) recently as the vegan food on offer is delicious and Wahaca
have a vegan menu too - I was surprised, as my husband and I have eaten here a
lot in the past, and I feared it might be a place I would have to give up because
of all the cheese, but happily that is not the case! There are also more and
more specifically vegan pubs, cafes and restaurants opening up across the UK.
In January I went to The Blacksmith and Toffeemaker in North
London as they have recently changed their menu to fully vegan. I had a seitan
burger (the first one I have every tried) - it was nice, and incredibly
filling, but for me tasted a little too much like real meat! Perfect for those missing
meat though I imagine! I really want to try Mildred's in London, as I
have heard really good things about it.
Something else which has inspired me is starting to find and follow
vegan bloggers, chefs and activists on Facebook and Instagram. Here are a few
of my favourites if you are interested in following them too:
For Activism:
Earthling
Ed - www.instagram.com/earthlinged
James Aspey - www.instagram.com/jamesaspey
Joey Carbstrong - www.instagram.com/joey_carbstrong
Evanna
Lynch - www.instagram.com/msevylynch
For delicious recipes , travel and lifestyle:
Alternative
Chef Steph - www.instagram.com/alternative_chef_steph
Baking Bad
Vegan - www.instagram.com/bakingbad.vegan
Vegan by Somi - www.instagram.com/veganbysomi
Romy London UK
- www.instagram.com/romylondonuk
Fat Gay
Vegan - www.instagram.com/fatgayvegan
Silly
Ginger Vegan - www.instagram.com/sillygingervegan
Amy for the
Animals - www.instagram.com/amyfortheanimals
Viva La Vegan - www.instagram.com/vivalavegans
Dough Society - www.instagram.com/doughsocietyldn
And finally, for hilarious memes (which are
essential in a vegan journey!)
The VeganKind - www.instagram.com/thevegankind
I don't
feel I can describe myself as a vegan as yet, as I still need to transition all
my cosmetics, household products and (probably most difficulty) my clothes to
represent my vegan principals. Again, this was something that being in the Veganuary
Facebook group helped with, because members asked questions or raised issues
which were probably common for many people transitioning to this lifestyle. It
seems wasteful, and I certainly couldn't afford, to get rid of everything in my
wardrobe that used animal products in the manufacturing of it, but I can try to
make better decisions with any new purchases I make. I knew for me too, that if
I tried to do everything all at once, it would overwhelm me, and I would be
more likely to give up, so the food is the first step and hopefully by the end
of the year any new products in my house will be cruelty-free.
A slogan I see
a lot in the vegan world is: "My
only regret about veganism is that I didn't do it sooner," and my
favourite, which is on my keying: "Friends not food!" So whatever
people's reasons are for transitioning to a vegan diet and / or lifestyle (I
can't really say I am plant-based because of all the cake that goes in my gob!)
I think it cannot bring you anything but positivity and well-being. Bringing my
diet in line with my believes has certainly helped my mental health and
outlook, and if you are on a similar journey I wish you all the best and I
thank you for caring about the animals!
Links for organisations,
businesses and recipes mentioned in the post:
https://www.thechickpeeps.com
https://veganuary.com
http://www.barnivore.com
http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/aloo-ghobi
https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/recipes/budget/saag-aloo
https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/recipes/gluten-free/shallow-fried-onion-bhajis-gluten-free
http://fatgayvegan.com/hackney-downs-vegan-market
Vegan. http://fatgayvegan.com
https://www.instagram.com/bakingbad.vegan
https://www.theblacksmithandthetoffeemaker.co.uk
http://www.mildreds.co.uk
