vegan questions

My thoughts on food waste | How to limit food waste | Masterpost

Something i have noticed alot of online is the amount of food waste that is due to example different video ideas…. Such as making shoes out of sandwiches, making freak shakes which the people just throw away later because they become so inedible. Or just buying a bunch of food which just doesn’t seem to be eaten up, of couse I can never know… they may give the food away, but sometimes they say that the food has gone cold and they are just going to throw it away.

And it just all feels so unnecessary…. And of course there is nothing that one person, like myself, can do about it. Instead there just needs to be more awareness about food wastage and how unnecessary it is. Especially when it comes to things like just wasting food for the sake of a video.

There is food wastage everywhere and if I am honest the biggest problem is big companies such as food stores, restaurants, school, factories where the food is made. That is where the most food goes to waste. I work at a store and it is crazy how much food we throw away each DAY. I wrote a post about it HERE (along with some facts and thoughts about food wastage), if you want to check it out.

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But as individuals we can all do our best to try to limit our food wastage.

I have some meal ideas for limiting food wastage, HERE. & Some tips for what to do with food leftovers! & another post: what to do with leftovers

But I thought I would give some more tips on how to limit how much food you throw away.

Let’s start off with, that everyone has some foodwastage, it is hard not to end up with some food wastage each week or month.

Sometimes you buy food that is already moldy and there is no way to save it. Othertimes you don’t manage to eat the fresh produce fast enough before it turns to go off and mold. And othertimes there may be crosscontamination or the risk of bacteria on the food which means you have to throw it away… and othertimes maybe you burn the food, drop the food or anything else that means you can’t eat the food and have to throw it away.

However, we can all do our part to try to limit the amount of food we throw away, and the first step is:

Tips to limit food wastage:

Planning your groceries and meals so that you don’t buy an excess of fresh produce which you might not be able to eat throughout the week.

Buying frozen food can be a good way to both save money and stop food from going moldy before you manage to eat it. You can read more about the nutrition differences between fresh and frozen food (Hint, there isn’t a huge difference!). Post HERE.

By planning your meals you both save money buy also just buy the food you know you will eat so that you don’t have food just sitting in your fridge. Another option is that if you do cook an excess amount of food, then you can freeze it in for later. That’s what I do whenever I cook too much of something and know that I may not want to eat only that food for the whole week. It is perfect for the days you don’t feel like, or don’t have time to cook!

Get better at using up what you have at home before buying more. Sometimes you end up with just a tiny bit of rice or two potatoes, or barely a portion of pasta left and many people have the automatic response to just thor wthose away (from what I have noticed from friends or family). But don’t… instead get creative and making something out of those small remainders. Or…. You could just use that amount when cooking and not leave just a tiny bit left, hahah.

Practical tips are: If you have a little coffee left, you can pour it into ice cubes and make frozen coffee later. The same goes with example fresh herbs/lemon/mint/lime, so that you can later add to water to make flavoured water.

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If you have a bunch of vegetable scraps left, turn then into your own vegetable broth.

Vegetable peels: You can even turn vegetable peels into chips.. but then just make sure you really scrub and clean then as they could have pesticides or soil on them which you don’t want to ingest in too high amounts. (Home made vegetable crisps: recipe)

Fruit going bad? If you have left over bananas, slice them and freeze them. – The same goes for other fruit or berries… if they are beginning to go bad, just place them in the freezer to make smoothies later on. (Of course, this also means you have to have a food processer or blender to make the smoothies/nice cream.) Otherwise, if it is apples, pears, nectarines that are beginning to go bad, you can always bake them or fry them and add to oatmeal….. Or why not make a pie out of them if you have time and ingredients for it.

Maybe you have a little cooked rice or roasted vegetables left which have gone dry…. Then you can refrey them (of course, you should be careful with rice as it is a risk that bacteria can grow in rice. So if you havenät eaten rice within 48 hours I would throw away… however if it was placed in the fridge right away and not left standing in room temperature it might be ok. But typically reheating, cooling and reheating rice over and over isn’t recommended).

How to save fresh salad in packages? I recently learned a tip that once you open a pacakge of fresh salad, example spinach in a plastic bag, take some householdpaper, fold it 2 times (to a little square) and place in the corner of the spinach bag… this will soak up the extra moisture and keep the spinach fresh!

Buying ingredients/food that doesn’t go bad – i.e limiting fresh produce if you don’t have time to eat them. Just buy the food you will eat… i.e if you know you won’t be eating the fruit or vegetables, don’t buy them… I know many who buy fresh produce just in the *hopes* of actually eating them because they have bought them, but week after week throw away the food anyway. Don’t be that person. Either eat the food, or don’t buy it.

Another tip to save food and limit waste is storing food correctly. If you store food in too high or too low temperatures it can make the food (fresh produce) go bad/rot quicker… so make sure to store the food correctly!

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Best before vs use by date?

Typically, you can still eat food after the best before date… it just means that the taste or texture *may* be a little off/different, not always… but it is still safe to eat. Just do the smell, look, taste test… your senses should be able to tell you whether it is still ok to eat or not 🙂 But you shouldn’t eat food after the use by date, as then it may not be safe to eat due to bacteria or other risks. Especially when it comes to meat.

Going out to eat? If you don’t finish your meal, ask for a goodie bag/take away. If you don’t want to finish the food at home anyway… ask for a takeaway bag and give to a homeless person (if possible).

Don’t waste aquafaba from canned chickpeas. I know it may seem silly, and i have to be honest, 50% of the time i just throw away this liquid as i know i won’t make anything with the aquafaba before it goes bad. But you can infact make quite alot with this liquid, RECIPES HERE. And i even have an upcoming recipe which is SUPER TASTY using aquafaba. So when you use chickpeas from a can, save that liquid and use the liquid in another dish… example works great in pancakes!

Got leftover bread? Freeze it. Otherwise… make your own bread crumbs or croutons or bread pudding or french toast casserole or if you have tortilla bread, make home made nachos.

Freeze in fresh herbs to use later in dishes. You can even grate the peel or orange, lemon, lime etc which you can later use in baked goods or other recipes.

Or if you have garlic/chilli/ginger which is going bad, chop them up/grate and freeze in… makes it alot easier when you need them when cooking!

And finally…. food compost. I know not all households have the possibilty for this, but if you can…. do it! Sure, it may mean having to go compost the food every other day (or preferably less because *you don’t have so much food waste 😉 * , but it is much better for the planet!

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I know that the people who may need this post and reminder are the ones who most likely won’t be searching or reading this post…. but maybe to those of you who already are aware of minimizing food waste can remind others to do the same thing! 🙂 Even if we are just “One person”, it all adds up, and we can all make a small difference.

If everyone thought, “i am just one person, what does it matter”, then there would be no change happening in the world… because “just one person” adds up! 🙂

If you have any other tips to reduce food waste, or your thoughts regarding food waste, comment down below!!

July 3, 2019July 3, 2019

Its a healthy lifestyle1 Comment

How to lose weight on a plantbased diet | Nutrition advice

How to lose weight on a plantbased diet

A while agoI wrote a requested post about gaining weight on a plantbased diet. And since then I have gotten messages asking me to write a post about how to lose weight on a plantbased diet.

I hadn’t actually thought about writing this post, because well there are already so many posts regarding weightloss while eating plantbased. But as it was requested, I thought why not…. Maybe I can add some valuable advice and give you examples of nutritious meals you can eat even when weightloss is the goal.

Note – this post contains talk about calories which may be triggering for some. It is important to remember that the advice given in this post is focused on those who need to loseweight. If you have a stable weight and don’t need to lose weight then these tips/advice may not be necessary for you.

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And just like i wrote in a previous post regarding weightloss, HERE, one of the most important things when it comes to weightloss is changing BEHAVIOUR and even MINDSET. You can’t just diet for 4 weeks on a low calorie diet and expect the weightloss to be sustainable… You need to change your habits and behaviour. Make changes in your diet and lifestyle that last. Also you don’t need to eat just salad and celery juice to loseweight, you still need to get all your macronutrients, you may just need to eat less than usual… but doesn’t mean you have to walk around constantly hungry.

Also important to note… why you want to loseweight, and your mindset to food, exercise and the upcoming changes are important.

And lastly… if you do suffer from binge eating or bulimia, or any other form of eating disorder it is best to seek proffessional help and not try to lose weight when the problem is inside of your head and a mental illness.

Eating at a calorie deficit:

So just like I wrote in the post regarding weight gain, when it comes to losing weight you need to eat at a calorie deficit, meaning you eat less calories than you need each day.

You can calculate how many calories you need to eat to lose weight on THIS site. HOWEVER I don’t typically promote counting calories mostly because it can become obsessive in the long term and you begin to just see food as numbers and not as something enjoyable, nutritious and tasty. Not to mention that you can never know just how much you need or actually eat. It is better to focus more on habits, what you eat, how much you eat rather than whether your meal was X or Y calories. Even if calories still matter… there are other parts that matter as well.

Even if you need to lose weight doesn’t mean that you need to count calories. If you feel like you want a very strict meal plan which is calculate for YOUR needs I would recommend going to a qualified dietitian or nutritionist – or me in the future when I begin working with clients – who can make you a mealplan based on your preferences and requirements.

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So in this post I am not going to write so much about calories, as I don’t promote counting them. But knowing about calories and how weightloss works can help you to understand how you can lose weight.

How to lose weight:

So… losing weight and creating a calorie deficit can be done in different ways. One, eating less than you need. Two, eating at a calorie maintenance but working out more to burn more energy and in that way create a calorie deficiet. Three, eating less and also working out more. This means that you can eat a little more than if you were to just eat at a calorie minus without exercising. Not to mention, if you are strength training you can build muscle/work your muscles and that in turn burns more calories. Also, you can’t forget the health benefits of exercising!

Just working out for weightloss is very time consuming and you would need to spend 2-3 hours working out to burn enough calories to lose weight.

If I eat 2000 kcal do I need to burn 2000kcal?

So many think that all the calories they eat they need to burn off. But that is not the case. Your body is always using energy. Your brain and organs require energy constantly and we all have a base energy requirement, which is basically what your body burns just keeping you alive. So if you were to just lie in bed all day, or example were in a coma, your body would still burn those calories. It is typically around 1200-1500, depending on body composition. I.e the more muscles you have, the more energy you burn just being alive.

Second, all the movement you do each day burns calories. Walking to the fridge. Brushing your teeth. Cleaning. Going shopping. Walking up the stairs. Walking at your job or school. Walking to the bus station etc… all of those things add up and burn calories throughout the day. Typically, around 500-600kcal, depending on how active you are. Some people are more active without thinking about it, while others are more still and don’t do so much movement each day. So in a day peoples energy requirements can vary from 1600-2200kcal. And then if you workout on top of this, that is another 300-600kcal.

So…. When you need to loseweight you should aim to eat about minus 500 kcal of your daily calorie maintenance. I.e if you have a maintenance of around 2000kcal, you should aim to eat about 1500-1800kcal a day.

Do you need to count calories… NO YOU DON’T! This was just sharing the information of calories and energy requirement.

How and what do I eat?

Well, the first thing I would suggest is that you write a food diary over everything you eat and drink for a week. BE HONEST. This is just for yourself. Look over… when you eat, and it can even be helpful to write out why you ate/how you felt. I.e do you eat due to emotions? Stress? Cravings? Just because the food is there?

And don’t forget those small handfuls of chips while preparing dinner, the oil you fry in, the milk in your coffee, that piece of chocolate after dinner, that on the go latte. If you are someone who maintains your weight, then these are jst part of life and nothing to think so much about it… thinking too much about these small choices can just become problematic.

But when you want to make a change in your diet, it can be good to first become mindful of when and why you eat… sometimes losing weight is just as simple as cutting out all those mindful snacks you don’t even think about doing.

Regular meals:

I would recommend regular meals during the day. Try to eat 4-6 meals a day and not let it go too long between your meals so that you end up feeling hangry and just eat whatever you see or fall for a bunch of cravings due to hunger.

Second, I recommend you try to eat balanced breakfast, lunches and dinners. Don’t cut out carbs or healthy fats, you still need those in your diet. However you may want to limit your intake of fats or carbs where possible. Example, can you steam your veggies instead of stir frying them? Or maybe make them in an airfryer where you use less oil than when roasting in the oven. Can you choose the wholegrain or bean pasta instead of white pasta? Can you make tomato-based soups and pasta dishes instead of cream based ones? Can you skip the butter/margarine on your potatoes? Can you skip the storebought sauce and maybe make your own version using low fat crème fraiche or soya quark?

If you are eating vegan you aren’t eating any animal products which have a lot of fat in them, but if you do eat red meat/a lot of fatty meat, maybe you could switch those to plantbased protein sources or lean meat.

Increase your fruit and vegetable intake. Try to fill half your plate with vegetables. Snack on veggies with hummus or fruit and berries. Of course, you can still snack on other foods as well such as rice cakes, bread, oatmeal, chia seed pudding, yoghurt…. But grabbing a fruit or some veggies and dip can help you feel fuller.

Even if you need to lose weight, you don’t need to always walk around hungry. Of course, you may have days you feel extra hungry… that is because naturally the body doesn’t want to lose weight and you will feel hungry. But it shouldn’t be unbearable. And if you eat a lot of foods that leave you feeling full and satisfied you are less likely to feel super hungry.

Fruit and vegetables are low calorie but filling, not to mention very nutritious.

Increasing your protein intake can also help with your satiety level. So, beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, soya products, seitan. Snacking on tofu scramble, tofu fries, roasted chickpeas or edamame beans.

Find and make healthier options of some of your favourite cravings/treats. I do recommend that you allow yourself 1-2 days a week where you can eat some of your favourite junk foods. This to create a balance and to not have too many restrictions. It can cause anxiety around certain foods and even lead to binging if you never allow yourself to eat some of your favourite junk foods. They can be eaten and enjoyed in a moderate and balanced way. However for weeknights when cravings for sweet or salty means kicks in, it can be good to have some backup meals you can make instead.

Example for sweet meals…. Unsweetened soya yoghurt with cacao, stevia and warm berries. Banana with peanut butter and some dark chocolate. Apples fried in coconut oil, cinnamon and stevia, add on top of oatmeal or some unsweetened soya yoghurt. Rice cakes with some melted vegan chocolate on top. Chocolate oatmeal with stevia. Chocolate smoothie. Banana ice cream.

Salty meals: kale chips. Steamed edamame beans with sea salt. Roasted chickpeas. Parsnip fries.

Try to stick to regular meals, increasing your vegetable intake. Look over what size plate/bowl you are eating from…. Is it a huge bowl/plate which maybe holds a little more than necessary? Can you size down if necessary? OF COURSE… big portions don’t have to be unhealthy. You may choose to instead eat 3 big meals a day and then you will have bigger portions than if you decide to eat 6 smaller meals a day.. whatever fits your lifestyle.

Also, having a bunch of fruit and vegetables at home (which you like) as well as planning your meals for the week can help you eat the right amount for you and eat good quality food! If you have a bunch of junk food at home, there is a much higher chance that you will eat those just because you have them at home.

Get into a regular habit of drinking water throughout the day.

Lifestyle changes

With weightloss, it is not just your food intake you want to look over…. But also things like how much are you stressing? How much are you sleeping? Why you eat… i.e stress, anxiety, emotions? How are your thoughts and mindset regarding food, exercise, your body image…. Are those things you need to work on?

Remember that weightloss does take time and it won’t happen overnight. The important thing is to make sustainable lifestyle changes. You shouldn’t hate the food you eat, and you shouldn’t feel like a zombie living on just salad.

Even if you need to lose weight you can still enjoy some alcohol, chocolate or burgers if youwant to include those in your diet. Those don’t need to be off limits, just choose when you eat them so that it doesn’t become a daily thing. And it is also up to you to ask yourself… what is worth it? Maybe you want to keep your two lattes a day because they are something you really enjoy in the morning… then that is ok, but then maybe you can’t eat an afternoon snack or just a small one. Or maybe you want to keep your huge dinner and night snack, well then maybe you need to eat a little less for lunch or breakfast instead.

It is also important for me to remind you all again that if you DON’T need to lose weight, then some of this advice isn’t relevant for you. I.e if you don’t have a problem with your weight or eating, then continue as you are doing. Then you don’t need to overthink what, why and how much you are eating. But if you actively need to lose weight for health reasons, then these things can be helpful as you need to become more mindful and make active changes.

What about exercise…. Daily movement or exercise?

First and foremost, I recommend and promote daily movement. It is better than you are active in your daily life via walking, taking the stairs, being active during the day than forcing yourself to the gym 2-3 times a week but hating it and then not doing any other movement or activity.

However, taking time for an actual workout, whether is going to the gym, running, walking, crossfit, tennis, swimming etc is also important for health. Because during just daily movement you aren’t really getting stronger or working your conditioning. Not to mention, if you have a specific workout goal or maybe you want to build more muscle or get stronger, or maybe the goal to run 5km… then you need to specifically work on those goals to get better. Then it isn’t enough to just be active during the day.

A balance of both is the best. However if you really don’t have time to workout or just haven’t found a certain workout form you want to commit to and enjoy doing, then just focus on being active… maybe get a bicycle or walk when possible!

Supplementing as a vegan during weightloss?

Finally, I do want to mention that if you are trying to lose weight it does mean you will be eating less food and could potentially be consuming less nutrients, which could over time lead to deficiencies. However as a weightloss diet shouldn’t be followed forever, just a short period of time it isn’t really a problem. But you should take b12 supplements and could potentially be helpful with iron supplements if you are a female and have low iron levels. Not to mention D vitamin and Omega 3 if you aren’t consuming fortified plantbased milks (but then you most likely aren’t consuming enough to get the right amount of D vitamin). And if you aren’t using canola oil or eating a lot of chia seeds/walnuts/flaxseeds, you may be low on omega 3… so could be good to supplement but it isn’t a must. It depends if you are eating plantbased omega 3 sources.

Chia, Seeds, Super Food, Eat, Healthy, Of Course

Hopefully this post has been helpful to those of you who need to lose weight. I can share more advice in the future and some meal ideas/inspiration!

And as I mentioned, I don’t think counting calories is necessary… but just looking over what and how much you eat. Limiting certain foods to just certain occasions or days. Also seeing which foods, you can swap out for other options to maybe make them more nutritious or healthier.

Making small changes over time add up…. So if you are someone who drinks a lot of cola and eats a lot of candy, you don’t need to cut everything out at once and go from eating junk food 24/7 to eating steamed vegetables and tofu and working out. You can just cut down and limit to start off with. Structure up your eating to cut out mindless eating. Limit liquid calories. Focus on nutrient dense food.

Just like all nutrition posts, it feels like I could write forever but I will leave it there and instead make part 2 or 3 if necessary!

June 28, 2019

Its a healthy lifestyleLeave a comment

How to cope as a vegan during the holiday season – (Wanting to eat non vegan food? | Dealing with people eating animal products?)

I got the question of how to deal with people eating non vegan around you, when it comes to social events.

Or infact, i got asked the same question but from two different perspectives:

How to not get angry at people who eat animal products around you during example Christmas. Being vegan and knowing what animal products are i.e they are not just products or food, but were once living animals can be incredibly tough. It can be hard to not feel sad or frustrated when you see so many animal products being eaten and people not really thinking about what they are eating.

How t o deal with people eating animal products around you and trying to not eat the food themselves (this came from a new vegan). – And i can understand this, when you are new to veganism and you haven’t fully gotten used to all the different foods or tastes that a plant based diet has, or maybe you still miss certain animal products it can be tough to be around that food and not eat it.

I always try to bring this bag with me when i go food shopping. (Or i wil put the items into my school bag!) And when i do need to buy a bag i’ll buy paper instead! *I always think it is comical when i show my “happy vegan bag” in the store and look angry/tired, haha

So the first angle, how to not get angry – well i try to think that getting angry at people or accusing people of being “murderers” isn’t going to make anything better. If anything, it will make them defensive and less likely to want to listen or change.

What i try to focus on is inspiring others, and i do that by 1) making tasty vegan food and 2) getting others to try the vegan food or get tempted to try the food. Also, i focus and encourage discussion and conversation about a vegan lifestyle and plantbased diet.

I read up on facts so that i can answer with real facts and not just with propaganda, fear or anger.

Of course, i am lucky that my family are pescetarian and so they don’t eat any red meat or poultry, but they do eat fish, egg and a little dairy. Also, usually when i am at home they eat 99% vegan so i never really have to deal with them eating alot of animal products around me. Not to mention that they already know alot of information and we have had plenty of convesations about veganism and a plant based diet. And they do try to eat as vegan as possible even when i am not at home.

I understand though if you are the only vegan and the rest of your family eat ALOT of meat and animal products around you. It can be tough to feel “Ok” when those around you are eating alot of dead animals, and that is all you can see. If you find it too tough then you can either 1) speak to your family about it, however if they are the type that don’t want to listen or don’t want to change their ways maybe you can choose to skip the eating together part and instead eat your meal on your own and join for the rest of the celebrations? Or if possible, if you can find other vegans in your area to celebrate with. I have seen in some FB groups which i am part of that each year there is sometime a vegan get together for those who don’t want to celebrate with their family or can’t celebrate with their family. Otherwise,you could always be the one to arrange it (next year anyway, as it may be a little late now!).

Also another thing is to focus on how many people ARE turning vegan each year. Focus on how much progress there is in vegan products (all types of products). Companies have stopped testing on animals, banned fur, stopped the hunting and killing of certain animals and the deamnd for meat and animal products is declining while the amount of vegan options on the shelves is rapidly increasing.

It can be tough, but focus on all those positives and know that even if your family aren’t supportive of your choices – there are many out there who ARE vegan and do care. Try to focus on inspiration and not anger – though that is just my opinion.

And onto the second question…

How to deal with not eating all the animal products when you are new to a plantbased diet.

And my answer to that is 1) Make sure you have plenty of vegan options to eat. 2) Veganize your favourite recipes. 3) And better to make too much than to have too little.

Most foods can be veganized or you can buy a vegan option. If you know your family or friends will be eating chocolate, make sure to bring your own or make your own vegan chocolate. If your family will be eating cake or buns etc have your own vegan option. You won’t feel left out then!
Of course, you can always suggest that everyone eats a vegan version – if that is possible.

Also, think about WHY you went vegan. If you went vegan for the animals, then it isn’t so hard to not want to eat the animal products when you think about what the food actually is.

You could always watch some vegan documentaries (POST here) to help you feel more confident and secure as to why you choose to be vegan.

Those are the things that helped me in the beginning – now i am not tempted at all to eat any of the animal products that will be on the Christmas table this year. Infact, i am jjust excited to eat all the delicious vegan options i have made.

Related image

A post to read is from itdoesnttastelikechicken

The longer you are vegan, the easier it is to not want animal products (or that is my opinon anyway) 1) because you like the vegan options and alternatives, 2) you know why you are vegan, 3) you just don’t crave any animal products and if anything can get a little grossed out about them the longer you are vegan.

Whatever situation you are in this Christmas (or any other celebration/season), you can get through it.

Hopefully one day the majority of people will be vegan and it will be more uncommon to actually eat meat or animal products. Where 99% of people eat all vegan and there will be that 1 person who sits at the table and eats meat isntead of the other way around as it is in many households now a days.

Let me know your thoughts on this or if you have any advice for others in these situations!

Also, i have a post with tips on going vegan: Guide to going vegan – Masterpost. Useful resources & Thinking about going vegan? Masterpost with vegan information!

December 23, 2018

Its a healthy lifestyleLeave a comment

Is it really healthier with sugar free and high protein options? (Desserts)

Ok this post could get some negative feedback because there are many different opinions on this. But also the opinion you have will also be very based on your own view of what is healthy and your past and current relationship with food.

Something I have noticed a lot of this year (or well, every Christmas in general) is how many people who have recovered from an eating disorder decide to make low sugar, low fat, high carb Christmas “candy”.

There doesn’t have to be anything wrong with this. I have done this in the past as well, and I have to say I have made some delicious raw food desserts and some sugar free alternatives. Personally, I like a balance of both “regular” candy but also having the alternative of raw food bars/balls or making sugar free options. Everything in balance.

Many make the “healthier” versions because they are scared to eat the “regular” versions…. And that in some sense makes the “healthier” versions not healthy at all. Because they are eating them to avoid fear and anxiety of having to eat the “real/regular” version.

Personally… I don’t want to use the word “healthier” or “regular” here, because both can be healthy and normal and there isn’t anything wrong with either options. But it is the mentality behind the choice.

You don’t have to be disordered or sick to want to choose a sugar free option from time to time, and if you plan to eat the candy everyday for the whole month of December, then you might like having the alternative to eat candy made with sugar free chocolate. Or making buns out of almond flour or coconut flour and stevia instead of flour and sugar. But when you make the choice to eat those and not the other option because you are scared of the “regular option”, then the “healthy” option isn’t actually healthy at all. And it is even worse if you don’t even like the taste of the “Healthy” option.

Though most people can change their tastebuds to like the bland, unsweetened options. I.e when I was sick I thought some sugar free options were SO GOOD, because that was what I was used to. But when I stopped eating them, and then ate them again I realized how they weren’t good at all and left a weird aftertaste. A bit like people who always drink regular soda and then drink diet soda and thinks it tastes strange and vice versa.

Basically…. Make whatever candy/desserts/buns you think taste the best and the ones you like. And eat them in moderation and enjoy them. Just make sure you are eating the food because you like it and want to eat it and not because you are scared of eating the other option.

Everything in moderation is fine, so remember that this Christmas!!! Eat the food enjoy and eat until satisfied!

I would love to know your opinion, and of course i understand people have different opinons on this topic.

And like mentioned, everything in moderation/balance. Choose the option you enjoy and like the most, and make sure you aren’t making food choices out of fear and/or anxiety!

December 23, 2018December 21, 2018

Its a healthy lifestyle3 Comments

Simple meals or lots of ingredients in a meal?

A question I recently got asked was, “is it better to keep meals simple with just a few foods or to add lots of different foods i.e like my different mixes/lunches”.

And the answer is, one isn’t necessarily better than the other… it is about what works best for you.

Sure, the more variety and types of foods you eat the more different vitamins and minerals you get in each meal and in total. However, you can still eat a variety of foods in a single day even if your meals are very simple.

I wouldn’t recommend monomeals i.e just eating one type of food, because generally eating carbs, fat and protein in one meal will leave you more satisfied and full, as well as the different components together work together for absorption.

However, if you are suffering with a lot of intolerances or digestive issues, it could be a way to give your stomach a break while still getting lots of energy. I.e you could try just eating bananas for breakfast, just avocados for lunch and maybe just beans or just tofu or just oats for dinner. However, it would get boring and tasteless and not the best nutritionally for a long period of time. But it could help calm down your stomach if you are suffering with a lot of digestive issues.

I know a lot of people don’t like a lot of different foods and textures and tastes in the same meal. They prefer to keep it simple with 3-4 ingredients in their meal, and that works as well.

Example you could choose to just eat potatoes, tofu and broccoli (maybe a little bit of oil) as well and that is a nutritious and complete meal.

Many peoples stomachs can’t handle lots of fiber or a lot of food at once, so making a huge salad with 101 different ingredients and 4 different types of beans as well as quinoa and nuts and seeds could be too much too handle. Also if you are suffering with different food intolerances it can be hard to know what is causing the problem (If it is due to food and not other things like hormones, stress, mental health etc) if you are eating lots of different foods for each meal.

So my answer is… do whatever works for you. As long as you eat varied throughout the day and throughout the week you will most likely get all the vitamins and minerals you need.

However, if you are a vegan and don’t eat a lot of calories, or you are really focusing on building muscle then you may need to think a little more about protein combining or about getting all the nutrients you need in the food you eat.

I like eating meals with lots of different foods, but time to time I like just eating potatoes and avocado or keeping it simple with potatoes, tofu and avocado. But in general, the more tastes and textures the better!

What is your preferred way of eating? Simple or with lots of different foods in your meal?

December 22, 2018December 21, 2018

Its a healthy lifestyle1 Comment

Does it bother me working with animal products/seeing people buying animal products? | Vegan post | My thoughts

I think i may have written a post similar to this a while ago but i recieved a question which i wanted to share my answer to.

So for those of you who don’t know, i have been working in food stores the past 3 summers (as a summer job!). I am both in the cashier and on the floor where at times i have to work with filling and stocking up the fish and meat.

Does it bother me to work with animal products? Both yes and no.

Part of me feels like i am enabling others and helping them to consume more meat and dairy as i have to keep filling the shelves with the products that are gone/almost gone. And also when i am sitting in the cashier and scanning the items/accepting the money for the food it can sometimes feel “wrong”. But then again i think it is the exact same thing with alcohol and tobacco, when people over the age of 18 buy those i can’t say no (unless someone of course is drunk and trying to buy alcohol then i have the right to say no.)

However another part of me just shuts off…. i don’t really think about what i am doing or what product is infront of me. I think when you work in a food store as a vegan you sort of need to shut off. If i were to go around feeling sad and anxious and guilty over all the animal products i wouldn’t get any work done at all. And if you are very sensitive then maybe working in a food store as a vegan isn’t a good idea. However there are many other jobs where you may have to handle and work with animal products and some cases cook animal products for others. I don’t know if i could do that…. so everyone has their limits of where they cross the line/don’t feel ok.

This leads me to answer another question i have gotten, whether i think about what other people buy/judge them?

And no i don’t. Like mentioned above… i just sort of shut off and don’t really think about what product is infront of me. I just scan it and make sure i press in the right codes and press the right buttons. The only time i really think about what someone is buying is if they buy a huge amount of something, example i have someone buy chocolate for c.a 70 euro. Usually i don’t really think about/notice what people are buying…. at times the health coach inside of me can get a little upset when i realise just how much junk food is sold and there are certain groups of people – example young boys who buy alot of soda and sweets which makes me sad. Because it is a group of people who i think need to be targeteed and helped with nutrition so that they can make the best educated choices when it comes to food. (I.e if they don’t know better, you can’t really chastise them for drinking soda and eating sweets.)

And at times i can get upset when there is a campaign on meat (i.e always) and i realise just how much meat people buy….. it sickens me sometimes to realise just how cheap some meat is. Also grilled chicken is the worst…. i remember i used to eat that weekly when i wasn’t vegan. But now just the smell can make me feel a little nauseous. Most of all i try to just shut off my mind so that i don’t feel bad or want to cry over how much meat and dairy is sold each minute, hour, day.

Instead what i try to focus on is 1) making sure the vegan aisles/shelves look good and are stocked up. And 2) being happy when i see people buying vegan food. Even if they may also buy non vegan stuff i can atleast be happy that they choose to buy oatmilk or oat cream or buy some vegan taco mince etc Also i try to be happy over the growth in vegan products and how many new vegan items there are. More people are interested in trying vegan options and alternatives and i choose to focus on that.

I can’t stop people from buying meat or dairy – i have a job to do and i know what the job entails. Instead i choose to focus on using my social media to help others find vegan food inspiration, and maybe i can’t reach out to everyone. But i try to think that for each person i reach out to and inspire, they can continue to inspire others so it becomes an even larger effect (like the butterfly effect!).

This is my thoughts and opinion on this anyway, not all vegans think or feel the same way.

August 12, 2018

Its a healthy lifestyle5 Comments