Wednesday, 27 May 2009
Final thought...
OK, so even though I have finished being a vegan and failed my challenge by finishing early and cheating throughout the 28 days, I still think there are some things being a vegan has taught me.Throughout the 28days I felt if I was doing this for moral reasons, I would have found it easier.
However, eating meat and dairy doesn't bother me in the slightest. I do believe the welfare of the animal I'm eventually going to eat should be taken into account which is why I only buy free range eggs and chicken.
I know that vegans would argue that even free range food is bad, however, I believe if people are going to eat meat or dairy then it should be from a reliable source. Farmers are under a lot of pressure to mass produce meat and that can sometimes lead to the suffering of the animal.This issue has been highlighted greatly by the media recently.
Celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fernly Wittingstall have done a lot to change the way we think about our food and where it comes from.Every major supermarket now has the free range options available on foods such as eggs and chicken. I believe if we all take the step towards free range, it will make a big difference.
I've finished. That's it. I've had enough. Three days before I was due to finish anyway. I know, three days doesn't seem that much, but as we all know, I've failed many times during the 28days.
So to celebrate me being 'allowed' meat and dairy again, I had a lovely mini steak and salad. Lush!
I have since given all my left-over vegan produce to my friend Collette, who is an avid vegan and doesn't cheat (unlike myself)It's all good.
During my time as a vegan, I picked up a few healthy tips in the form of recipes and gained a wider knowledge of food. For instance, I never knew that soya contains all eight amino acids that are vital for human development.
Being a vegan is hard, but it does make you think about all the unnecessary additions to the food and drink we consume daily. I have decided to keep a few of the changes in my diet such as rice milk. I love it, and I actually think it tastes better than animals milk and it lasts longer. So I believe I have gained something from this experience.
So to celebrate me being 'allowed' meat and dairy again, I had a lovely mini steak and salad. Lush!
I have since given all my left-over vegan produce to my friend Collette, who is an avid vegan and doesn't cheat (unlike myself)It's all good.
During my time as a vegan, I picked up a few healthy tips in the form of recipes and gained a wider knowledge of food. For instance, I never knew that soya contains all eight amino acids that are vital for human development.
Being a vegan is hard, but it does make you think about all the unnecessary additions to the food and drink we consume daily. I have decided to keep a few of the changes in my diet such as rice milk. I love it, and I actually think it tastes better than animals milk and it lasts longer. So I believe I have gained something from this experience.
As I have previously mentioned the pros of being vegan, i feel I should aslo mention the cons;
- If you are a lover of meat and or dairy, it's very hard to cut it pout of your diet so suddenly
- I was hungry pretty much all of the time. Apart from fruit, there are very few snacks you can have
- I hated having to constantly read the labels on every food item I wanted to purchase, it gets boring!
- unless you are doing it for moral reasons, it's very hard to stick to
- Giving up certain alcohols is insane
Thats fair...right?
The tea party was a massive success! we spend the afternoon sipping tea whilst eating scones made by my own fair hands. I've never been successful at making scones so this was a double victory for me.
I am blaming Camborne for the lack of vegan friendly shops available. I therefore, couldn't find any cream alternative so it was just butter and the best jam ever!
Miss Holly even commented that if she didn't know any better, then she wouldn't ahve known they were vegan scones. Brilliant result :)
I could do it all again in a heartbeat!
I am blaming Camborne for the lack of vegan friendly shops available. I therefore, couldn't find any cream alternative so it was just butter and the best jam ever!
Miss Holly even commented that if she didn't know any better, then she wouldn't ahve known they were vegan scones. Brilliant result :)
I could do it all again in a heartbeat!
The challenge is nearly over! but before it ends, me and my lovely friend Miss Holly Barrett are going to have a vegan tea party, exciting times!
we will have tea (obviously) with rice and soya milk (not at the same time), followed by homemade vegan scones, black cherry jam and hopefully some kind of vegan cream alternative. If that even exists! if not then Pure butter will suffice. it's going to be yummy!
Cant wait!
we will have tea (obviously) with rice and soya milk (not at the same time), followed by homemade vegan scones, black cherry jam and hopefully some kind of vegan cream alternative. If that even exists! if not then Pure butter will suffice. it's going to be yummy!
Cant wait!
I have previously discussed how eating out can be difficult when you're a vegan, however after a weekend spent with my boyfirend, I've found that eating in can also be a challenge.
when you're a vegan and your partner is not, nor does he have any interest in becoming vegan, it can be difficult decideing what to make for tea. As it turned out, we basically made two separate meals. Brilliant. Not only was this time consuming to make, but aldo time consuming to clean up afterwards. Also there's the added plus of dinner costing literally double the amount it ould have. Lovely.
However, I made a lovely strifry-esque thing that was delicious. But I couldn't stop wishing I went for the meat feast pizza he was joyfully eating beside me :( Bad times.
when you're a vegan and your partner is not, nor does he have any interest in becoming vegan, it can be difficult decideing what to make for tea. As it turned out, we basically made two separate meals. Brilliant. Not only was this time consuming to make, but aldo time consuming to clean up afterwards. Also there's the added plus of dinner costing literally double the amount it ould have. Lovely.
However, I made a lovely strifry-esque thing that was delicious. But I couldn't stop wishing I went for the meat feast pizza he was joyfully eating beside me :( Bad times.
I'm failing! I can't help it, being vegan is dull. Never mind the fact that I have previously listed the reasons being vegan is good, I want chocolate and milk and meat and cheese and pasta and gravy! I realise I sound like a petulant child but anyone whose been on a diet understands my troubles. Diets suck, this is why I've never been on one before and no matter what anyone says, being vegan or vegetarian is just like being on a diet.
I firmly believe that no one should cut whole food groups out of their diet, but I understand how the moral aspect of eating animals can affect your eating habits. It still sucks tho.
I firmly believe that no one should cut whole food groups out of their diet, but I understand how the moral aspect of eating animals can affect your eating habits. It still sucks tho.
After re-reading my previous posts, I realise how completely unhelpful I have been. One minute I'm loving being a vegan, the next I detest it. So I should make something clear; I do enjoy it for the most part. So I have listed some of the benefits of being vegan. The benefits of being vegan are:
- You are being healthy in the long run. Most dairy is not good for you and although you may argue that small doses are ok, lets be honest, most of us will eat more than a 'small dose'
- you're conscience will be clean. No animals would have been harmed in the making of your food.
- Most vegans, over time, lose weight. Be careful to replace missing nutrients with supplements.
- As mentioned before, soya has lots of heath benefits and multivitamins are available at most chemists (seek advice first)
- You get to experience new foods. No fast food, no frozen meals only fresh ingredients and a whole host of recipes
Speaking of which, I've found some awesome recipes which everyone must try, they're lush!
Ok, so today hasn't gone that well, I'm having serious cravings for 'normal' food so have decided to make this to take my mind off of meat, milk, chocolate etc.
Caramelised Apple Pastries
Ingredients
puff pastry
marzipan
apples
soya milk
sugar
Notes
These should end up looking like Danish pastries! Also works with other fruit.
Method
Roll out some puff pastry and cut into 3 inch squares. Roll out some marzipan and cut into squares half the size of the pastry squares.
Place a piece of marzipan on each pastry square. Place five thin slices of apple over each marzipan square. Brush with a little soya milk and sprinkle with sugar.
Cook in a hot oven for about 20 minutes, on a greased baking tray. Cool slightly and then eat!
Again, this was from http://www.veganvillage.co.uk/recipes/pastries.htm and they were amazing!
Caramelised Apple Pastries
Ingredients
puff pastry
marzipan
apples
soya milk
sugar
Notes
These should end up looking like Danish pastries! Also works with other fruit.
Method
Roll out some puff pastry and cut into 3 inch squares. Roll out some marzipan and cut into squares half the size of the pastry squares.
Place a piece of marzipan on each pastry square. Place five thin slices of apple over each marzipan square. Brush with a little soya milk and sprinkle with sugar.
Cook in a hot oven for about 20 minutes, on a greased baking tray. Cool slightly and then eat!
Again, this was from http://www.veganvillage.co.uk/recipes/pastries.htm and they were amazing!
Another brilliant recepie that turned out amazing. You've gotta try this. Yum!
Ingredients
1 tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
12oz / 350g mixed red, green and yellow peppers, chopped
400g tin chopped tomatoes
4oz / 100g mushrooms, sliced
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp oil
2 sticks celery, chopped
2 small sweet potatoes, chopped
1 carrot, diced
2 tsp nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
1 rounded dessertspoon tomato purée
1 dessertspoon soy sauce
4 drops of tabasco sauce
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
black pepper
24 fl oz / 725ml vegetable stock
Method
Heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion and garlic until softened. Add the tomatoes, tomato purée and soy sauce and cook until pulpy.
Add all the remaining ingredients and stir well. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the bay leaves and serve. Delicious!
Notes
This is delicious served with sweetcorn rice.
I found this at http://www.veganvillage.co.uk/recipes/beanstew.htm
Ingredients
1 tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
12oz / 350g mixed red, green and yellow peppers, chopped
400g tin chopped tomatoes
4oz / 100g mushrooms, sliced
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp oil
2 sticks celery, chopped
2 small sweet potatoes, chopped
1 carrot, diced
2 tsp nutritional yeast flakes (optional)
1 rounded dessertspoon tomato purée
1 dessertspoon soy sauce
4 drops of tabasco sauce
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
black pepper
24 fl oz / 725ml vegetable stock
Method
Heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion and garlic until softened. Add the tomatoes, tomato purée and soy sauce and cook until pulpy.
Add all the remaining ingredients and stir well. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the bay leaves and serve. Delicious!
Notes
This is delicious served with sweetcorn rice.
I found this at http://www.veganvillage.co.uk/recipes/beanstew.htm
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
celebrities!
They're all at it. Celebrities everwhere are climbing aborad the vegan wagon and loving it!
Avril Lavigne (left), Joaquin Pheonix (right), Drew Barrymore, Andre 3000, Natalie Portman, Moby and Gweneth Paltrow just to name a few.
You see it must be cool to be vegan if celebrities are doing it. So come on and join the vegan wagon, it's cool.
Now the imprtant stuff...Alcohol
As I've briefly mentioned before, some alcohol is not vegan or even vegetarian friendly.
OK, this is how it works, in some cases if the product is vegan friendly, it will have a symbol on the label stating so. However there are other cases when the product looks suitable for vegans but in fact, its not.
Some products such as Baileys are clearly not vegan as cream is used as a main ingredient, however some aren't so obvious. Some red wine, for instance is actually coloured with cochineal, a crimson red dye made from the pregnant female cochineal scale insect. Lovely.
Other than relying on the list of ingredients, finding out what conditioning process was used is virtually impossible when looking at a bottle on the shelf in Tesco's.
Many products are 'fined' during production. This is a process where one ingredient is added in order to remove another. Whether the end product actually contains any of the items used in during fining is irrelevant. The fact that they were used at all is what matters to vegans.
Here are a list of things that can be used for fining alcohol;
Examples of finings used in beer, cider, wine, sherry and port include egg albumen, isinglass (from swim bladders of tropical fish like the Chinese sturgeon), potassium caseinate or casein (derived from milk), gelatin (nasty), chitin (from lobster or crab shells) and - saving the best until last - animal blood (eg ox blood). Equally horribly, some imported vodkas are passed through a bone charcoal filter during the conditioning process.
The information here was found at http://moakes.com/vegan-facts.htm
OK, this is how it works, in some cases if the product is vegan friendly, it will have a symbol on the label stating so. However there are other cases when the product looks suitable for vegans but in fact, its not.
Some products such as Baileys are clearly not vegan as cream is used as a main ingredient, however some aren't so obvious. Some red wine, for instance is actually coloured with cochineal, a crimson red dye made from the pregnant female cochineal scale insect. Lovely.
Other than relying on the list of ingredients, finding out what conditioning process was used is virtually impossible when looking at a bottle on the shelf in Tesco's.
Many products are 'fined' during production. This is a process where one ingredient is added in order to remove another. Whether the end product actually contains any of the items used in during fining is irrelevant. The fact that they were used at all is what matters to vegans.
Here are a list of things that can be used for fining alcohol;
Examples of finings used in beer, cider, wine, sherry and port include egg albumen, isinglass (from swim bladders of tropical fish like the Chinese sturgeon), potassium caseinate or casein (derived from milk), gelatin (nasty), chitin (from lobster or crab shells) and - saving the best until last - animal blood (eg ox blood). Equally horribly, some imported vodkas are passed through a bone charcoal filter during the conditioning process.
The information here was found at http://moakes.com/vegan-facts.htm
Reduce your carbon footprint vegan style
I've just come across the vegan society website and have discoverd that becoming a vegan is just one of the many wys you can reduce your carbon footprint.
Agriculture is one of the environmentally damaging aspects of industrialised living.
"Farmers used to be seen as 'custodian's of the countryside,' but the overriding image of modern industrial farming is one of destruction and waste." http://www.vegansociety.com/html/environment/
The Vegan Society website is very helpful and informative for those who are interested in becoming a vegan. The have also raised the issue that by people eating meat, we are in fact starving ourselves.
The animal population reared for food is 21billion. Thats more than 3 and a half times the human population. by feeding the animals that are reaerd for food with grains and cereals, we are in fact depriving people who are starving in the world of basic foods. Over 60% of US grain is fed to animals.
There is an interesting article on the vegan society website with more information about this topic http://www.vegansociety.com/environment/land/
Agriculture is one of the environmentally damaging aspects of industrialised living.
"Farmers used to be seen as 'custodian's of the countryside,' but the overriding image of modern industrial farming is one of destruction and waste." http://www.vegansociety.com/html/environment/
The Vegan Society website is very helpful and informative for those who are interested in becoming a vegan. The have also raised the issue that by people eating meat, we are in fact starving ourselves.
The animal population reared for food is 21billion. Thats more than 3 and a half times the human population. by feeding the animals that are reaerd for food with grains and cereals, we are in fact depriving people who are starving in the world of basic foods. Over 60% of US grain is fed to animals.
There is an interesting article on the vegan society website with more information about this topic http://www.vegansociety.com/environment/land/
OK, it's official. I'm the worst vegan EVER! I technically shouldn't even call myself a vegan anymore as I've slipped up majorly this weekend.
You see, My best friend Alannah has just returned from months of travelling so we had a night out with our two friends Rhea and Jo. Firstly we bought rose wine (which I'm pretty sure I'm allowed), but then we got a take-away. I had Malaysian style chicken (which was amazing, But clearly not vegan!) I don't remember much about the rest of the night, but I have a sneaking suspicion I may have had some non-vegan alcohol and more non-vegan food.
I also had a burger with brie the day before. I'm hanging my head in shame.
You see, My best friend Alannah has just returned from months of travelling so we had a night out with our two friends Rhea and Jo. Firstly we bought rose wine (which I'm pretty sure I'm allowed), but then we got a take-away. I had Malaysian style chicken (which was amazing, But clearly not vegan!) I don't remember much about the rest of the night, but I have a sneaking suspicion I may have had some non-vegan alcohol and more non-vegan food.
I also had a burger with brie the day before. I'm hanging my head in shame.
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