Vegan-ism has become so mainstream now that I don’t think I should even bother with this post. I turned ‘vegan'(ish) at the ripe old age of 16, just before it started to get popular. It’s been a bumpy ride, it started off well as mum gave me lacto-free cheese until one day, about a month in, I looked at the ingredients (as I was astonished at how amazingly realistic it tasted) only to see the first ingredient labelled, in bold and caps, read MILK. Lesson learnt, I read all new packaging now. To the time a street food vendor gave me a taster and as he was talking about the vegetables used and the vegan options this satisfied me enough to tuck in. Mum made a comment about being veggie to which his eyes grew as big as my appetite for free food and he snatched the now half empty cup right out my hands, I didn’t bother asking what it was. To the time I tried a mushroom broth at school which turned out to be made with veal stock, a taste which lingers in your mouth for far too long. I am in no way a perfect, or even a ‘good’ vegan. I wouldn’t even call myself vegan if it wasn’t to make everyones life easier when eating out. And I get intimidated by real vegans.
However, here a few tips as such for being the best version of your vegan-self.
- Get educated! There are so many articles, blogs and even films on the internet to research anything and everything. Personally, I didn’t do any of this as I turned on my own accord but if you need some persuasion then Ive heard ‘Dairy is Scary’ and ‘Cowspiracy’ are pretty heart-wrenchingly convincing. Have a google and I’m sure you won’t look at those chicken thighs ever in the same way
- Don’t be put off by the prices- Being vegan isn’t more expensive! You don’t need to buy the mock-meats or vegan junk food. There has always been a vegan isle in every supermarket- The fruit and veg section! (duh) Stock up on these, your carbs and pulses which cost next to nothing and are super filling and nutritious and don’t resemble a chicken nugget. Also with the money you save you can spend a little bit more on buying good quality produce- organic if possible. You body and health (mental included, its all connected) and the most important thing about you, its your home so make sure you listen to it and give it some loving, not only with food but by allowing yourself to slow-down and rest (something I am still very much working on still) Food is the item I spend the majority of my money on rather than clothes or things, not just cause I love food but I want to know what I am putting into it.
- Don’t be fooled by fancy packaging and labelling. Quite a few common items are actually vegan- Like dark chocolate (75% and above) sorbets, most cheap supermarket-own biscuits (always check labelling though)
- Don’t apologise! I wasted so much time apologising to people for being vegan, a ‘nuisance’. But sorry for what? Sorry for saving the Earth? Your children future? Trying to better myself? or for trying to be kinder to animals? Yeah sorry bout that, maybe I’ll go back to paying people to kill animals so I can enjoy a 20 minute meal.
- Get inspiration! The amount of vegan cook books available is pretty overwhelming. There are books for the health-concicious, the bakers (ms cupcake is unreal), those seeking comfort food or those who want something a little more refined and fancy (plants taste better by chef richard buckley, try the cashew croquettes and thank me later.). Also there are some amazing bloggers and websites. Like ‘oh she glows, minimalist baker, Tom Walton on insta (not veggie but with loads of good options) If in doubt go on BBC good food, olive or delicious.
- Check your nutrition- yes its true that by following a vegan diet you need to be more conscious about you nutritional. However, despite popular and misinformed beliefs it is very easy to get enough protein from pulses such as chickpeas lentils and beans (and are super super cheap); tofu, tempeh and seitan are also excellent sources of protein. B12 is a little trickier as it is mostly found in animals products so I do take a daily spray or tablet just for peace of mind. I am not a trained nutritionalist, I just know what my body requires so do some research or ask you GP as every body is different. Buy tablets if needed, just read the labels as some contain products such as egg or gelatine. Before I went vegan I lived off pesto pasta yet no one seemed concerned about my nutrition.
- Don’t beat yourself up. Its hard and you’re gonna make mistakes as everyone does. But the most important thing is to NOT GIVE UP. Who cares if you had a drunken pizza last night or a slice of your sisters Birthday Chocolate cake as its the same one you’ve had every year since you can remember, as long as you don’t decide that its all been ruined and go back to being a flesh-eater. This is such a self-less act, you are aware and compassionate well done! Also, I will upload my recipe for my ULTIMATE vegan devils food cake which I now make every year which is just as good, or even better than any other. uh huh.
Helpful Websites
nutrition- theres more but my computer started to crash and wouldn’t let me upload more
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/the-vegan-diet/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-supplements-for-vegans#1
Jodie Cox 