If you'd have told me a year ago that I'd be vegan, I would have been 1) Probably eating Camembert 2) Rather proud of myself. If you didn't know already, I had been a pescetarian for 4 years, then a vegetarian for a little under a year, and now a vegan for about 5 months (To the best of my knowledge anyway). It was quite a while ago that I did a blog post on becoming vegan, in which I tried and tested it for a week to see if this lifestyle could potentially work for me. The results were surprising, as I'd found alternatives to old favourites, new recipes, and a new admiration for vegans. And so, after that experience, me and my mum decided to become fully pledged vegans. By having her alongside me this did make things a lot easier, as we'd make meals for each other, try new things with one another, and generally supported the other person which sometimes you need as with any 'diet' change.
In the beginning, I did find myself in a routine of what I was eating, purely because I became familiar with those particular foods being vegan. As I researched more and became more aware with what was available, it did become much easier and even excited me which helped believe that this was going to be easy enough. Research is probably a key word there, as a lot of blogs, Instagram accounts and particularly YouTubers, opened my eyes to the range of vegan foods out there. My favourite videos to watch are from people like Liv B, Hot For Food (Especially their challenge videos!) and Avant Garde Vegan. By gathering new recipes I was able to broaden what I could eat, and cooking became much more enjoyable for me.
Now as a vegan, sometimes there is the preconception that you must be super healthy, and in the first month or so this was definitely the case. I was eating way more than 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day, I was drinking more water, and I had much more energy during exercise. However, when also discovering more and more vegan options, some not being as healthy as others, it was very easy to become a junk food vegan. With Free From sweet treats at supermarkets, to Oreos, to Biscoff, to pasta, it's easy to slip into. I think this 'junk vegan' in me began to emerge when I became more confident eating as a vegan, and also the excitement of when I would find a new vegan food that I would have eaten when I was a vegetarian. And so with this here, my point is that yes, veganism is an amazing lifestyle and for me this was not only to save animals, but also for my own health - As weight gain had become a problem for me previously. Therefore when becoming a 'junk vegan,' I'd forgotten one of the reasons why I became vegan in the first place.
When telling my family and friends, of course like last time, the first question was 'Well, what do you eat?' After hearing this question hundreds of times, even from my own dad who eats vegan evening meals with us now, I began to write lists of foods that were my go-to for breakfast, lunch, and tea (or dinner). This became super helpful, as not only could I tell people what I ate, but if I was ever in a rush to put something together, then I could take a look at my list and whip it up in no time. From this list, I'm also considering throwing a few recipes that I've learned on this blog, so let me know if any of you would be interested?
Of course, like any lifestyle change, you can also make mistakes. Becoming vegan hasn't been plain sailing, as you would have read from my previous blog post, giving up cheese was a big deal for me. Overtime I disciplined myself, I began to live without it, and now even vegan cheese is something of a treat for me. My mistakes made with non-vegan foods have genuinely been accidental mistakes, for example using the wrong butter, or realising that a brand of guacamole had cream in it. These mistakes were immediately rectified of course, and I realise that even now after a few months, I'm still learning myself.
Another obstacle for me has been going out for meals at restaurants, as sometimes options can be limited, but nowadays (depending on where you go of course) most chain restaurants have vegan options - Or vegetarian meals that can be made vegan. For this I tend to check online with vegan bloggers and forums who suggest places to eat and what to eat when you are there. It was only the other month that I went to Ask Italian who catered for vegans with their own set menu, which I thought was amazing, and shows that attitudes towards veganism are changing and it's slowly becoming part of the norm.
Would I go back to how I was before? Certainly not. After realising how it makes me feel in terms of health, and how much weight I have managed to lose, I don't think leaving this lifestyle is for me. After watching What The Health on Netflix, that documentary also left me uplifted to know that I'm not consuming any animal products. However one thing that does upset me, especially as a beauty enthusiast, is the cruelty of animals in the cosmetic industry. On this blog in the past, you will have seen brands and products that I feature that are not cruelty-free, and this more recently has been playing on my mind. I've become more aware of this for sure, and I'm also interested in learning about new cruelty-free brands, and slowly incorporating them into my routine.
And so, from this I intend to learn more about this lifestyle, as I'm certainly not an experienced vegan in the slightest - In the context of things, I'm still very much a newbie. But I'm definitely happy with the choice that I've made, and I intend to maintain this lifestyle as I've discovered that I'm much happier for it. Of course, if you're someone who's reading this post and is asking 'Well, what do you eat?' then I will happily list some things down below for you - And like I said before, if there's anything that may interest you, I'd be more than happy to share the odd recipe every so often.
B R E A K F A S T
Porridge
Smoothie Bowls
Yogurt / Fruit Smoothie Drinks
Belvita Tops
Hash Browns
Linda McCartney Vegetarian Sausages
Toast
L U N C H
Hummus and Avocado Bagel
Baxter's Carrot and Butterbean Soup
Pasta Dishes
Quorn Vegan Pieces
D I N N E R
Mac N Cheese
Creamy Garlic Pasta
Fried Rice and Vegetables
Quorn Vegan Hot & Spicy Burger Wraps
Pizza
Garlic Dough Balls
Onion Rings
Burritos
Mixed Bean Chilli with Tortilla Chips
S N A C K S
Tortilla Chips and Salsa
Apple Slices and Peanut Butter
York Fruits
Oreos
Jamesons Raspberry Ruffle Bars
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