Vegan Health Hacks – Easy Ways To Remember How To Get All The Nutrients You Need

Cuban Black Beans and Rice 2 from Flickr via Wylio — © 2010 Brett Oblack, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

If you think there’s a ton of new food rules you’re gonna have to learn and memorise in order to stay properly nourished when you embark on a plant-based diet – relax. It is not so.

People and the internet may scare you into thinking that it’s very difficult and time-consuming to ensure you get all the vitamins and minerals you need; and you’ll read stuff warning you of possible vitamin B12 deficiencies, iron deficiencies, and Lord knows what else.

This is KUH-rap.

These are the voices of uninformedness (is that a word? It is now), and fear (of something different).

You only need a pair of decent peepers (or some good glasses!) to SEE there are plenty of badly nourished meat-eaters amongst us. Obesity and sickness abound.

Even though it IS simple to nourish yourself well on a vegan diet, there are still a few things to remember – but this is the case even if you are on a standard, meat and dairy-strong diet trying to stay healthy. It is not different for you just because you are now vegan. I’d even say it’s EASIER for you as a vegan, because you don’t have to continually be looking for fibre and alkaline foods to counterbalance and compensate for all that constipating and acidy animal food – pretty much ALL your food is going to contain fibre anyway.

On my coaching programmes we cover in detail just what you will need, and I give you a ton of ideas on combining foods to make up a full nutrient quota.

There is a handy hack however (HURRAH!) that will help ensure that you get a good mix of nutrients.

All you have to remember are the following three words – and two of them rhyme so it’s easy:

– GRAIN, BEAN, GREEN.

I’ll explain.

A nutritionally well-rounded meal contains the following:

A whole grain – brown rice, quinoa, wholewheat pasta, wholewheat bread, wholewheat couscous, buckwheat, brown rice, corn or buckwheat noodles (oats and barley also count – these can be a hearty stew ingredient)

A bean – (um, several beans of course, not just one, this is certainly NOT a starvation diet!) choose from black beans, chickpeas, red kidney beans, soy beans, flageolet, lima beans, pinto beans broad beans, black-eyed peas, any lentils (not technically a bean but has a similar effect in the body).

A green – try for as dark green as possible; kale, cabbage, pak choi, broccoli, collard/spring greens for example

Extras – Any other veg of your choice; any seeds or ground seaweed can be sprinkled on top

The grain, bean and green can be part of a stew, a chilli, or a soup – many vegan recipes will contain all three.

Here is one such recipe from the excellent PPK:

Miso soba stir-fry with greens and beans – you can use garbanzos (chick peas) instead of azuki beans

Or try these two recipes (selected on the basis of good reviews):

Tuscan kale and white bean soup – have some hearty wholewheat toast on the side.

Very simple Red beans and rice – obvs use veg stock instead of chicken stock, and steam some broccoli or kale as a side.

OR:

You can just eat your grain, bean and green plain, Buddha Bowl style, with a simple sauce on top (either soy sauce; or whip up a miso-tahini sauce, or a ginger peanut sauce for example).

This is an easy basis for a meal containing the full range of nutrients. Eat this a few times a week, just switch up the grain, the bean and the green each time, and you won’t go far wrong.

What about other veg? As long as you eat plenty of dark leafy greens, you can add as many other veg (and fruit as you like. For optimal nutrition, try and eat a rainbow. Have some carrot or sweet potatoes, some beets, some radish, tomato. Attempt to get a full complement of colours in a week. But you know what? Don’t sweat it. You’re not eating the foods that really do damage, so just do the best you can.

What about legumes, nuts and seeds? A roast squash can make a great basis for a meal too. Wilt some greens, heat some beans and Bob’s your uncle! Add a slice of wholewheat toast and a grilled portobello if you are really hungry! The gorgeous orange of the squash and deep green of the veg (and red of the kidney beans, or black of the black beans, means a great combo, nutrient – wise.)

And you can switch that orange butternut squash for orange sweet potatoes! Bake them or boil and make sweet potato mash, add a green and a bean, and you’re good.

The same goes for regular old white potatoes. These are nutrient powerhouses when baked. Add some beans and a green and there you have one of the easiest meals on the planet.

Try and eat a mixture of nuts and seeds a few times a week, as these contain healthy fats. If you keep, say, three types of nuts around – brazils, walnuts and almonds for example, and have two or three of each every two or three days. If you get bored, swap the brazils for macadamia one time, or pecans – surprise yourself!

What about fruit? Knock yourself out. But again, try to mix it up and eat fruits of different colours.

Aside from flax seeds – which I’d love you to take most days (if you’ve followed me for a while you’ll know I’m a stickler for these!), try sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds on oats or cereal, or sprinkled over salads or soup.

And don’t forget to hit yourself up with your new drug of choice – Vitamin B12. Take your tablet or your sub-lingual droplets as often as your brand says to take them.

This is a basic guide to vegan nutrition which should serve ANYONE very well – ALL IN ONE BLOG POST.

See? Did your brain break? I didn’t think so.

I’m Going Vegan. Do I need To Gadget Up?

blender blender blender blender from Flickr via Wylio — © 2008 Karen, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

You’ll be happy to know that minimum gadgetry is required for a healthy, vegan, whole food plant-based diet!

You can get along absolutely fine with just the basic equipment – pots, pans, sieve, knives, oven etc.

Yet…

spiralizer to make zucchini noodles from Flickr via Wylio — © 2014 Chuck Feder, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

…once you foray into the online world of healthy, plant-based eating, you’ll come across pictures of spirilisers, dehydrators, and…wait for it…. the God of gadgets – the Holy Vitamix.

Dehydrator (Excalibur) from Flickr via Wylio — © 2008 Larry Jacobsen, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

Look, if you’re a gadget freak, go get them. There are worse things to spend money on, and it might be fun experimenting. And if you have kids, I don’t doubt they’ll love spiralising tons of stuff, (though courgette/zucchini spaghetti just tastes like really damp spaghetti to me).

To be perfectly honest, if I had the cash flow and the will to sit down and order a Vitamix (and the space in my kitchen to store it!), well, yeah, I’d probably get one.

The spiralizer in action! from Flickr via Wylio — © 2010 jessica mullen, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

BUT my point is, you don’t NEED any of this. So if you are thinking of moving in a plant-based direction, and feel a bit intimidated by beautiful pics of spiralised this, dehydrated that, and think that you’re gonna have to throw the entire contents of your fruit bowl and vegetable drawer in the Vitamix every day – relax.

It’s often the raw crowd that use this stuff (see my post on why it’s not necessary to be raw to achieve optimal health). Be careful not to get vegan/plant-based mixed up with raw. Cooked grains and beans need to be a big part of a health-oriented diet for most of us, and all you need for these is pots and pans and a stove-top.

A whole food plant-based diet is eating about as close to nature as it gets. I don’t think any ancient civilisation, or any community known for longevity and health was in the habit of spiralising zucchini. And if they needed anything dehydrated, it was probably left out in the sun.

We really only ever need containers that hold the food while it’s being prepared, and stuff to poke it with while it’s cooking. The rest could actually be improvised if needed! Though let’s face it, it’s helpful to have knives, measuring cups and spoons, a sieve, a colendar etc.

However…

There is ONE, itty-bitty gadget that I DO endorse (not for dosh, unfortch!!), and that is the Magic Bullet, or it’s cheaper, yet identical cousin, the Hinari Genie.

This is mainly because of the benefits of including flax seeds in your daily diet (as detailed here).

IMG_20150628_191708429 — My Hinari Genie – right little grafter!

Some seeds are so small it’s difficult to break them down sufficiently enough between our teeth to get the maximum benefit from the goodness they have inside, and many will just get digested whole. Blitzing them with ‘the bullet’ makes them a lot easier to eat and ingest.

Many years ago, pre-Magic Bullet, I used to crush two tablespoons of flax seeds every morning with a pestle and mortar.

This took frickin’ ages. Ages I didn’t have. And my hand was permanently sore from the job – flax seeds are tough little muthas to crush.

Some people recommend coffee-grinders, but these are more expensive, and you would need a dedicated one for seeds – if you used it for coffee too it would leave a taste.

I can’t even remember how I got the notion to try a Magic Bullet but it ranks as one of the best notions I’ve ever had. It blitzes flax in an instant.

As I’m doing the flax anyway, I’ll sometimes throw in a couple of teaspoons of sesame, pumpkin or sunflower seeds. And not that I often use them but I bet it would blitz hemp and chia seeds amazingly as well.

I don’t throw nuts in there because they don’t blitz very well. They contain oil and won’t completely break down in a Magic Bullet – but nuts are big enough to bite and chew, so it’s better to eat them from their normal state, or roughly chopped.

If you think I’m missing a crucial gadget, let me know in the comments. And buy me one. Or maybe don’t! If I’ve lived this long without it, I don’t need it!

6 Easy Ways To Incorporate Plant-Based Habits Into Your Life

With meat and dairy-strong diets being a prime contributor to climate change; pretty much all chronic diseases; and of course to the unhappy, short, brutal lives of animals; it’s no wonder many of us are considering how we might either go plant-based ourselves, or at the very least make a shift in that direction.

For some, it’s not too difficult. I, personally, was not particularly red meat-oriented; I always preferred chicken or fish options; and I never liked milk, so when I went vegan it was not too drastic a change for me.

However, this is a world in which most of us have been encouraged to eat meat and drink milk from a very young age in the belief that it was good for us, so it’s understandable that for lots of us, it’s not so easy making a change.

How can we all, even the most bacon-loving of us, incorporate some changes into our diet, to help us tread lighter, feel better, and maybe even reap a few of the health benefits a plant-based diet offers?

Here are 6 very manageable ways. You can try one of them; several; or all if you’re feeling it:

1. Make sandwich filling an animal product-free zone.

Use a vegan spread in place of butter, then top or fill your bread with mashed avocado, a sprinkle of soy sauce and chopped spring onions; or hummous, sliced tomatoes and arugula; or sliced veggie sausage and sauerkraut, or good old peanut butter and jelly.

Continue reading “6 Easy Ways To Incorporate Plant-Based Habits Into Your Life”

As A Vegan, What DO You Eat At A Barbecue?

Veggie BBQ Rules! from Flickr via Wylio — © 2007 lostintheredwoods, Flickr | CC-BY-ND | via Wylio

Oh dear.

I have to confess, I’m a total Debbie Downer when it comes to barbecues.

I think they’re stupid.

Yes, I’m completely aware I’m alone in this.

My feelings may have something to do with the fact that, like a lot of Londoners I live in a small flat with, oooh, approximately two square feet of garden. Pretty much every sunny summer weekend, neighbours (whose gardens are no bigger than mine) seem to think it’s a great idea to squeeze lots of friends into their garden and fire up the barbie.

My problem with this is as follows:

I don’t like my laundry on the washing line to end up stinking of smoke from burning pig.

If I’m sitting in my garden, trying to enjoy the delicate scent of the orange blossom tree, I’m not keen on instead choking on smoke from burning cow/pig/lamb.

Even if I’m indoors with the windows open (cuz you WANT them open on a sunny day) I still get smoked out – because wouldn’t you know, the wind always seems to be blowing in the direction of my house on these days. Do these people check which way the wind is blowing before starting? Would they even have the barbecue if they got blowback into their house?

At a previous address (on a street that had similarly small gardens), I once approached neighbours and asked them nicely if they would mind extinguishing their barbecue as my house was getting full of smoke. They suggested I close the windows.

I won’t tell you what I did then, but it may have involved a garden hose 🙂

I also hate the whole ‘women cook in the kitchen but men cook on the barbecue’ BS too. Wtf is THAT about?

And why does a sunny day equate cooking outside?

I get that it’s absolutely lovely eating outside; I try and do this as often as possible, but why not cook in the kitchen and bring the food outside? Or go on a freaking picnic?

F%^&K BARBECUUUUUUUES!

And don’t even get me started on barbecues’ even more evil cousin – the hog roast!

No really, DON’T.

AAAARRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

OK. I feel better now.

Of course, when I think about it rationally, I realise the problem is inconsiderate arseholes, not barbecues.

I’m sure you have a MUCH healthier relationship to barbecues than I do, so what can you eat at these traditionally meat-based fests if you are vegan? Do you have to avoid them altogether?

The good news is that no, you don’t. Barbecues are as much for you as they are for the most rabid meat-eater.

Assuming you or your barbecue host have an APPROPRIATE.SIZED.GARDEN, what goodies can you enjoy grilled outside?

Firstly, you should know that barbecues are potentially MORE fun for you, as in my barbecue experience, meat-eaters tend to only grill about three types of meat, and maybe have potato salad or coleslaw as a side (yes, the nineties probably WAS the last time I went to a barbecue!) Whereas, pretty much the entire plant world and a gazillion permutations of it are open to you.

Easy, practical, no brainers are as follows:

Barbecue from Flickr via Wylio — © 2012 Lablascovegmenu, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

Corn – Delicious grilled as it is, or slather on a marinade of your choice (chilli lime for example) before wrapping it in foil and putting it on the grill

Portobello or field mushrooms – Just brush with olive oil and season before grilling.

Veg skewers – (See header pic) Use chunks of red, green, yellow pepper, baby plum tomatoes, whole chestnut mushrooms, squares of red onions, thick slices of yellow and green courgettes (zucchini). Intersperse veg with chunks of firm tofu or seitan if you desire a meaty element.

Dip your veg and tofu chunks in a mixture of olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, 1/2 tspn basil, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Thread the skewer with the veg and grill.

world's best-tasting grilled eggplant from Flickr via Wylio — © 2008 woodleywonderworks, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

Aubergine (eggplant) – Marinade sliced aubergine in a simple Teriyaki sauce (soy sauce, rice vinegar, olive oil and some crushed garlic and ginger) for an hour or so, then throw on the grill.

Grilled sweet potato spears with maple syrup and mustard glaze #food from Flickr via Wylio — © 2013 Steven Depolo, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

Sweet potatoes – Either chop them into thick wedges, or wrap them in foil and throw them on the barbecue. How ever you’re eating them; my favourite flavours for sweet potatoes are salt, paprika and garlic powder (mix equal measures of the paprika and garlic in a bowl). Spray wedges with oil, salt generously and sprinkle the paprika/garlic mix on top.

For foil wrapped potatoes; when they’re cooked add some vegan margarine, salt generously and fork in some paprika/garlic mix.

Otherwise: I’ve picked out what I consider to be the best of the best plant-based BBQ recipes (both mains AND great BBQ sides) on the internet for you.

Enjoy…

50 mouth-watering ideas are right here.

23 more are here.

21 more right here.

17 slightly simpler, but no less delicious ideas are here.

You can even grill avocados! This was news to me; I just learned that right now. And fruit!! Did you know that? I didn’t. Did you see the caramelised grilled peaches?

Wow. I’m literally just learning what I’ve been missing out on!

You know, looking at all these recipes as I’m compiling this post, I am (very unexpectedly I might add!) starting to feel a nascent desire to have a barbecue! Not in my garden of course, I’m not a douche, but maybe in a park somewhere with lots of space. I’m grinning broadly as I’m writing this, because I thought I’d be a ‘cue hater for life. It’s amazing what food pictures can do. I love learning while I’m writing!

Seriously, How DO You Give Up Cheese?

Cheese stall, Borough Market, London SE1 from Flickr via Wylio — © 2012 Paul Wilkinson, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

I’ve touched on this subject before, but it’s such a common stumbling block for newbie vegans, it’s always worth coming back to.

I honestly do get the cheese thing. And in a moment you’ll see I’m not just saying that to sound relatable.

I lived in France in my teens and early twenties and probably ate some of the world’s best cheeses. Can I say that? I think I can. Approximately 65 – 75% of the world doesn’t eat dairy, it’s mostly a European thing (or seems to have its origins in Europe), so I think it’s fair to say France probably has what is generally considered to be the best cheese.

I wasn’t a huge blue cheese fan, but I never met a soft cheese I didn’t like, Camembert and Brie were definite favourites, Emmental on fish soup tasted like heaven (OK, that’s Swiss), gouda and apple was a well-loved snack (OK that’s Dutch), and fromage blanc with sugar was a yummy simple dessert (that’s pretty damn French).

And I ate SO MUCH of it. I always found it hard to stop eating cheese in terms of the amount I ate at one sitting. I will never understand those diets that say you can eat what you ate before, just smaller amounts. How DO you do that? If I ate some of the cheese, I wanted ALL of the cheese. Being an animal product, cheese has ZERO fibre, so it doesn’t fill you up. This is why it’s more difficult to stop eating cheese than it is to stop eating rice, say, or beans.

And you wanna know why cheese is just so damn hard to give up?

Because it’s smack, that’s why.

Well, almost.

Dairy contains casomorphins. These are opiate-like peptides designed to keep the calf interested in suckling its mother’s milk.

All dairy contains a protein called casein. Because cheese is the most concentated form of casein, it contains an abundance of casomorphin and is thus more addictive than other dairy products.

When you know this, it helps with the intellectual motivation to give cheese the old heave-ho; isn’t it weird that natural opiates that were meant for a baby cow are having their wicked way with YOU, an entirely different species?

OK, you get this. But now let’s get practical. How do you actually get cheese out of your life without feeling deprived or having cravings?

Now I’m not sure we can eliminate cravings entirely – casomorphin is a drug after all; but we can reduce them, and distract ourselves from them by eating a ton of delicious, flavourful, texture-rich food.

They say it takes approximately twenty-one days to make or break a habit, so absolute worst case scenario; in three weeks, any cravings you’ve had should be gone.

Now the billion-dollar question:

How do we stay sane for three whole weeks without cheese?

Here are some ideas:

1. While transitioning away from cheese, if you have hellacious cravings, try cheese substitutes.

Don’t worry; there are some great ones now.

Want melted cheese, on toast, on pizza, on pasta or on a baked potato?

In the US, try Daiya or Follow Your Heart.

Daiya comes shredded too – excellent for pizza topping or on toast.

I’ve tried both of these many times and in my opinion, they are the best.

Brits, you can order Daiya here.

In the UK, the rest of Europe, South Africa, Israel and Jordan, try Violife. I’ve had the slices and they were excellent, but they do cheese that melts too (I’ve not tried this, but if the slices were anything to go by, it’s probably great. If you’ve tried it – let me know in the comments!)

There are other vegan cheeses in the UK that have been around for a while (naming no names!) but they are pretty gross, and even grosser melted. I believe Violife is the best vegan cheese to date.

Want a soft cheese?

In the US, try Kite Hill or Treeline Treenut Cheese.

I tried the plain version of Kite Hill and it absolutely blew me away with how much like Camembert it tasted. They’ve basically put the same plant-based cultures that are in dairy soft cheeses – into almond milk. The effect is uncanny. I don’t think you could tell it wasn’t a dairy cheese if you didn’t know.

In the UK, Tyne Chease is about to launch, which is the same thing but with cultured cashew milk instead of almond milk. This promises to be fabulous too.

Spreadable cheese anyone?

Daiya to the rescue AGAIN!

I ‘ve not yet tried this, and there are lots of other options, so find what’s best for you.

Violife do a spreadable cheese too, so I’d try here first in the UK and Europe.

None of these cheeses are too unhealthy either. In the past vegan cheeses have been made with yucky trans-fats, but no more. The soft cheeses, being made from cultured nut-milk and nothing else, are definitely healthy. In any case, NO vegan cheese contains saturated fat, cholesterol, casein (the most relevant food-based carcinogen in existence) and hormones, like animal cheeses do; so health wise they’ll always be a better bet.

2. Replicate that cheesy taste and texture with other foods.

For many years, Nutritional Yeast has been best friend to many vegans, particularly in the US.

IMG_20150529_201316230 — Affectionately known as ‘nooch’

Thanks to the internet, it’s now available everywhere.

It’s ace at bestowing a cheesy flavour upon your favourite foods. Use it on pasta dishes, popcorn, in vegan ‘cheese’ sauces, on mashed potato etc. Anywhere you want essence of cheese, really.

Don’t worry if you’re yeast-sensitive, it’s actually de-activated yeast so shouldn’t trigger any issues.

It’s also a good source of vitamin B12!

Tahini sauce can do a good job of tasting like a cheesy dressing. Mix light tahini with water to make a thin sauce; add lemon juice, soy sauce (or salt), and garlic powder. Pour it on salads, over jacket potato, or just dip into it with whole wheat bread or rice crackers etc.

My recipe for it is here. The internet can surely provide others. The more you make it the more you’ll make it to your taste and you’ll find you develop your own version.

3. Explore, explore, explore. Try food from all around the world. Try eating food from cultures that just don’t eat cheese.

Because we have cheese in our culture (or culture in our cheese 🙂 ), some dishes were created AROUND it, so to just take the cheese out of these dishes will often mean you’ll feel like you’re missing something.

If you eat Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Indian, Ethiopian, in fact food from most African, Asian and Middle Eastern countries where cheese is just not a part of the daily diet, you’ll find the flavours and textures so rich, full and satiating, you won’t miss cheese at all.

Final note:

If you’re trying your hardest to go fully plant-based but just can’t let cheese go, then DON’T.

Vegan police: WTF?

Me: Shutup

Here’s why I say this:

If cheese is your only weakness, then give up every other animal product apart from cheese – for now. As myself and many other vegan teachers say, don’t do nothing because you can’t do everything.

I’m confident that as you progress and learn more about the ethical, environmental and wellness benefits of a plant-based diet, and as you start to feel better health-wise and clearer of mind, your body and intuition will gradually see that you turn away from it.

What The Hell Is In My Vegan Kitchen?

OK, some practical blog posts are needed around here I reckon!

One of the blocks to people going vegan is that they can’t possibly imagine what vegans eat. They can’t imagine how you’d shop for ‘vegan food,’ or what their kitchen cupboards and fridges would be full of if they were vegan.

Well, we ALL know by now that vegans eat a vast array of delicious and indulgent meals, but what does that look like in its raw material form? As individual ingredients in the kitchen?

I figured it might be helpful if I shared the food that is in my kitchen in an average week.

You could also add to (or edit from) this post and use it as a sort of weird shopping list with pictures.

Now I’ve written many times on how eating plant-based is inexpensive, and it is.

My budget is such that I buy a few specialist items (like Biona Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour, a Coyo or two), and I always try and buy organic grains and organic fruit and veg that are in the ‘dirty dozen,’ but these slightly dearer prices are easily offset by bulk bags of dried black-eyed peas, beans and lentils, and cans of chick peas and sweet corn etc. You’ll see from my pics that I get a ton of stuff from budget supermarkets, and lots of it from the world food aisle.

I buy enough fresh greens and fruit to last a few days, and shop again when these run out. I have hardly any freezer space, so I can’t buy frozen fruit and veggies, so it’s fresh (preferably), dried or canned.

Please note: This is what I have in my kitchen RIGHT NOW, and it’s pretty much stuff I always have. I haven’t gone out to buy anything especially for this post to make it look like I have lots of fab stuff. I actually did a weekly shop earlier tonight and ATE some of the foods I was meaning to photograph. So you see, it really couldn’t be any more honest. I like to keep it real. And my tummy full.

Here goes:

Grains

Porridge oats

Brown rice

Quinoa

Brown rice noodles

Wholewheat couscous

Whole wheat pasta

Dried beans and lentils

(None of these are organic! I actually get pretty much ALL of these from the world food aisle. The lentils and black eyed peas come in HUGE 2kg bags)

Dried red kidney beans

Dried black-eyed peas

Split peas

Red lentils

Green lentils

Puy lentils

Flours

Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free flour

Whole spelt flour

Wholemeal flour

Cornflour

Baking items

Bicarbonate of soda

Baking powder

Xanthan gum (works perfectly in place of eggs)

Madagascan vanilla flavouring

Non-dairy milk

Several cartons of organic soy milk

Cans

Several cans organic chopped tomatoes

Organic red kidney beans

Several cans sweet corn

Several cans chick peas – these particular cans are REALLY economical!

Baked beans (spot the Brit!)

Breads

Cranks Wholemeal Loaf

Wholemeal Pitta

Herbs (dried)

Basil

Oregano

Rosemary

Thyme

Sage

Parsley

Bay leaves

Kaffir lime leaves

Tarragon (I’ll be honest, I think I’ve only used this once)

Spices

Behold the ~~utter chaos~~ rustic poetry that is my ‘spice rack.’ Again, most of these spices I get from the world food aisle in the supermarket.

It contains:

Cumin

Coriander

Cardamom (MY FAVOURITE! I know this is irrelevant, but just sayin’)

Paprika

Turmeric

Fenugreek

Garlic powder

Mild chilli powder

Sumac

Cloves

Allspice

Cinnamon

Cayenne pepper

Nutmeg

Black peppercorns

Nuts

Brazils

Walnuts

Almonds

Seeds

Flax seeds (a must)

Sesame seeds

Pumpkin seeds

Sunflower seeds

Fresh Veg

Kale

Broccoli

Celery

Tomatoes

Rocket

Onions & garlic

Spring onions

Sweet red pepper

Turnips (bit random I know – they’re for a couscous dish tomorrow 🙂 )

Fresh Fruit

I’ll let my fruit bowl speak for itself!

I’ll be buying as many berries as I can get my hands on tomorrow though –

Strawberries

Blueberries

Raspberries

And there really should be some apples in there as well.

Sweet things

Agave nectar

Maple syrup

Raspberry jam

Brown rice syrup

Condiments & Miscellaneous

Sea salt

Tahini

Rice Cakes

Pure (non-dairy spread)

Humous

Dijon mustard

Organic passata

Balsamic vinegar

Brown rice vinegar

Apple cider vinegar

‘Regular’ vinegar (mine is Sarsons)

Nori seaweed sheets

Wakame flakes

Dried Shiitake mushrooms

Wasabi powder

Soy sauce

Tabasco

Fresh ginger

Fresh lemons

Homemade kimchi. Here’s how to make it.

Some Berber spice mix

Umeboshi plums (to ward off sniffles!)

Some banana bread I made yesterday

Alright I’ll admit it –

Some salted crinkle crisps. Shutup.

WHEW! That’s IT. That’s the entirety of the edible content of my kitch!

Is there something you think I should always have on hand that I haven’t mentioned?

Let me know!

Why (Outside Of Household Bills) Food HAS To Be Our Number One Spend

Vegetables in Whole Foods Market from Flickr via Wylio — © 2008 Masahiro Ihara, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

Along with the weather and last night’s TV, the thing we all chat about to friends, family and colleagues is our health.

We probably don’t even realise just how much on a daily basis we express how we’re feeling physically. From complaining about niggles and pains, to colds, rashes, allergies and oftentimes more serious diseases; we spend a LOT of time discussing our wellness, or the lack thereof.

It’s always surprising to me then, that though we are obsessed with our health on one level, we often do not prioritise it in terms of SPENDING MONEY on good nutritious food.

The simple truth is:

Good food (i.e. whole, plant food) = good health.

Part of the problem here is that although it’s scientifically proven that diet has the most impact on health – even more than genes, this information has not really filtered down to the mainstream yet.

Unidentified vegetable matter. from Flickr via Wylio — © 2012 Alexandra E Rust, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

We kind of know it a little, I mean; we all know we should eat things like greens and fruit for example, but more information than this has not really been offered to us by doctors (because they don’t really know it either!) This information isn’t widely available. It’s not in the interests of industries like big pharma and animal agriculture for us to learn that we can keep well and heal ourselves with plant food, and they are the ones with influence. So we are, to some degree, deliberately kept unaware of the extent to which how we feel depends on what we eat.

Another reason is that if you haven’t tried going plant-based, you probably aren’t aware how great you can feel. So many people have permanent low-level discomfort or even pain, and have learned to live with it!

My number one non-negotiable expense, outside of the roof over my head and household bills, is food.

It has been for a long time, and unless I become a squillionaire and decide to buy a fuel-guzzling private jet into which to pour my money (which I actually totally would NOT do!) it likely will always be.

Cranberry Chick Pea Salad from Flickr via Wylio — © 2010 Vegan Feast Catering, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying a healthy plant-based diet has to be expensive – rest assured, it doesn’t.

But the most important thing to me is my health and that of my partner. Our health is the foundation on which we accomplish everything.

It’s simple. If you’re ill, you feel like crap and are not as effective in whatever you’re endeavouring to do. Whether it’s CEO-ing a huge, terribly important company; running a 10k for charity; looking after kids, or running a restaurant, you can’t give yourself fully and authentically to ANY situation because part of you is dwelling on how crap you feel.

Even worse, you may need to take sick days or even weeks. This is just a waste of yours and everyone else’s time.

I think I’m lucky in that I had a heads-up on this message here.

In the past I suffered from chronic health issues (first asthma and eczema, then chronic systemic candida if you must know) that stole one hell of a lot of time from me. Even if I wasn’t taking sick days off from school, college or work, these were still wasted days because I wasn’t fully present in them. Instead I was completely in my head, feeling utterly uncomfortable and my only thoughts were about myself and how much I was dreading getting through the rest of the day – or sometimes hour, even.

This was not living. It was definitely not a situation in which I could be creative, kind, compassionate and of service to others.

Also, I was definitely NOT fun to be around. If you’re in discomfort – you’re cranky. I owed it to myself and everyone around me to get well.

If I wanted to be pain and discomfort free so I could focus on contributing to something outside of myself (not to mention actually ENJOYING life!), I knew my health had to be my first priority.

Vegan California Roll in Rice Paper from Flickr via Wylio — © 2009 Vegan Feast Catering, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

As I realised over the years that good nutrition is the basis of good health, and eventually learned that the optimal diet for heath is a whole food, plant-based diet, I understood implicitly that food HAD to take centre stage in terms of what I spent money on.

It’s true, there are SO MANY other things out there permanently begging us to spend money on them; our phone contracts, taking kids to Disneyland, our TV cable packages, tech, clothes, spas, car and bike gizmos etc.

But NONE of these are as vital as a foundation of health.

There’s no point having a ‘spa glow’ if you’re feeling rotten inside. How can you stay ‘in the moment’ and enjoy Disneyland with your kid if your irritable bowel syndrome/fibromyalgia/acid reflux is kicking off? You can’t ride your bike; enjoy your car or any outdoors activity if you’re not feeling good. And would you honestly prefer a top of the range phone with all the extra doodads and a TV cable package with a gazillion (more than a squillion) channels you’ll never watch; to feeling great in body, mind and spirit pretty much every single damn day?

(If you can afford all this AND the food then good for you. Lots of us however, have to make choices).

I realise I was lucky that the shift in thinking around prioritising food happened quite early on for me. I certainly don’t wish it upon others that they have this realisation in the same way I did. It’s just hugely frustrating as someone who wishes to see everyone enjoying the same vibrant health that I do, prioritising spending on ipads, gadgets, nail bars etc, when it’s plain to see that they and their families would be better served if some of that money went on food that supports health.

When we know that good diet has the most significant impact not just on physical health (and don’t just think about the most talked about diseases here, think about fertility issues, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis – the list goes on and on) but mental health, moods, hormone levels, emotional and spiritual health too – why wouldn’t food be the first thing we prioritise when allocating money?

Fruit with Swedish Pancake from Flickr via Wylio — © 2009 Vegan Feast Catering, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

Whether your budget is huge, average, or not as robust as it could be (check!), spending money on good, nutritious food is an investment in your health, and by association, your relationships, your passions – your entire life.

It’s even more important than paying into tons of different types of insurance. Good diet IS insurance! I’m not AT ALL suggesting you ditch your medical or health insurance. I’m just asking you to make sure you do not see these as a ‘get out of jail free’ card or a safety net. These can give us a false sense of security. It is more important and effective to spend more money on whole plant foods every day, than it is to throw money at health insurance in the hopes that this will look after us when we need it. Good diet will maximise our chances of NOT needing it.

7 Things Stopping You From Going Vegan

1. The word ‘vegan.’

So you don’t like the word ‘vegan’ because you feel it has lots of negative connotations?

Fine. If it helps, don’t call yourself vegan.

You can call yourself ‘plant-based’ or ‘plant-strong’ if you prefer.

Yes, I know there is a difference, ethically, between ‘vegan’ and ‘plant-based’ and that some vegans get het up about these terms being used interchangeably. I honestly DO get why, but I find this excluding and not helpful in encouraging people to eat this way.

You should say ‘plant-based’ if it feels better to you.

Or you don’t need to call yourself anything! You’re just someone that loves good and nourishing food, end of story!

2. It’ll be too difficult.

No, it won’t.

It could be more of a change for you if you are a self-confessed picky, junk food, unadventurous eater, sure, but it is still so do-able, there really is an entry point to suit EVERYONE!

If I have just described you, why not start slowly by switching your favourite junk food to vegan versions (just google ‘vegan burgers’ or whatever your poison – you’ll be surprised at the amount of entries there are with alternatives – we are nothing if not a creative lot!). Or try getting rid of a couple of animal products at a time (say, for a few weeks, till you feel comfortable enough to eliminate a couple more), and introduce two new plant foods (sweet potato and avocado for example) to your weekly diet.

It doesn’t matter what your starting point is, there is a way to do it slowly and easily, so it sticks!

And rather than framing it in your mind as something that’s going to be ‘difficult’ what about seeing it as an opportunity to expand your repertoire and discover delicious new foods!

3. My friends/relations will think I’m batshit cray.

I doubt it. Not in my experience, and I was vegan long before Beyonce made it kool.

There may be some that think it’s a bit ‘out there’, but it’s highly unlikely it will get in the way of your relationship. You don’t talk about food all the time do you? Just focus on what you always had in common. If the thing you always had in common was your love of burgers – well then introduce them to the delight that is a portobello burger!

4. It’s expensive.

No, it really doesn’t have to be.

You SHOULD prioritise and spend what you can on good food. Food is medicine, both preventative and even sometimes curative, and you KNOW you wouldn’t skimp on medicine!

I love saying ‘health is wealth,’ I really believe that if you spend what you can on nourishing food, you’ll be happy and healthy and everything else in your life can grow from there.

But that said, if you’re truly cash-strapped, it’s still easy to eat a tasty, healthy vegan diet. I’ve got you completely covered – just check out this previous post for some tips on how to stretch that vegan $ or £, or rouble or yuan!

5. I’ll have to spend aaaaages in the kitchen and I’m not a ‘kitchen’y’ person.

Guess what? It’s the same as if you’re a meat-eater. Granted, it’s advisable to spend time playing with recipes while first transitioning to vegan, especially if you don’t consider yourself very food savvy. You can get to know a wide range of tastes and textures so you always have great and satisfying ideas for what to eat for your next meal.

But even if you refuse to do ‘kitchen;’ and even if you’re the ‘ready meal’ king or queen, there are plenty of vegan ready meal options these days, most of them very healthy!

In the UK, try Innocent Pots (available in Sainsbury’s), or any of Dee’s Wholefood pots.

Ready meal types in the US try any of these products. I’ve had the black bean and lime soup from this range and it was surprisingly tasty. You just add water – what could be easier? And there are always several vegan options available at the hot and cold bars in Whole Foods, and some vegan choices are already pre-made and packaged in the refrigerated aisles, if you’re really short on time.

Please do try and spend some time at least one day a week in the kitchen though – if you make a big pot of soup or stew, it’ll last you for the next few days and THAT will mean you don’t have to cook for a while!

6. I knew a vegan once and they were obnoxious.

Sweet Lord! Have you never known an obnoxious meat-eater? Did they influence your opinion of all meat-eaters? Yes? Then you have issues too big for me to help with.

Look, an a-hole is an a-hole, vegan or no.

And some vegans ARE going to be obnoxious. To an extent this is understandable. I’m not remotely excusing this, but this can happen to new vegans especially.

They’ve just had their mind-blown by life changing information, and everything around them is geared towards meat-eaters. New vegans are acutely aware of the cruelty carried out on non-human animals every second, and are often well-informed about animal products being the number one environment destroyer. It’s difficult to watch people act blindly and unthinkingly, and to watch destructive behaviours legitimised and reinforced by greedy corporate interests, and I definitely feel angry about that myself sometimes – we’re HUMAN!

BUT, as a vegan lifestyle is defined by compassion, in general we try and extend that to everyone. I appreciate there will always be the bad apple, but I can honestly say, the vegans I know are kind, funny, friendly – JUST LIKE LOTS OF NON-VEGANS.

7. But baaaaaaaaycun…

Really?

You really want the flesh off this little guys back?

If you ate bacon so much previously that you genuinely miss it, there’s always vegan bacon while you’re transitioning (in UK here, in US here). True, it ain’t exactly healthy – but neither’s bacon!

Unsalted and unprocessed back flesh from a pig would kinda taste like nothing. It’s actually the salty, smoky, fatty flavour and texture that you crave, so you can recreate this taste and the whole ‘mouth feel’ of bacon yourself, very simply, like this.

So You’re The Only Vegan At The Holiday Table This Year? Don’t Sweat It!

Is this year the first time you’re going to be the only plant-based type at family or friends festive* gatherings?

Don’t worry about a single goshdarned thing, I’ve got your back.

Follow this vegan protocol (I mean, it’s not official, I just made it up, but it is based on my experience and those of the gazillion vegan podcasters I’ve listened to over the years!) and you won’t go wrong. Or hungry.

Pick out whatever you think is appropriate from these ideas.

What can you do before the event?

Prevention is better than cure – in ANY context. So plan ahead.

Now you may be lucky and be going to eat with family and friends who have you covered and will be making vegan food options for you. If so; great. And what great people to have in your life.

If there is a chance you may not be catered for, then you need to sort this. It’s your Christmas too, and you don’t want to be hungry while others are filling their bellies with alacrity. And turkey.

It’s a great idea to call the host a few days before the meal, to give them time to organise something. Tell them you weren’t sure if they were aware that you’re vegan, and that you don’t want anyone to go to any particular trouble, and that you will happily bring a dish or two to share.

One of two things will happen then:

Your host may well insist that you don’t need to do this and assure you that they will furnish you with enough food and will enjoy rising to the challenge of creating some plant-based dishes. This is obviously the preferred outcome! And happily, it’s most likely the one you’ll get. Lots of people, while not vegan, are interested in health issues and have some kind of sensibility towards cooking with plant-based ingredients, and will have the will and ingenuity to create something tasty for you. I’d even bet this covers most people. I’m thinking of the times I’ve been to dinner with even my least vegan friends; they’ve ALWAYS stepped up and made a delicious meal for me. I’ve never gone hungry. I would say the chances are 90% that your host will respond thus. If they do, I know you’ll be gracious, and don’t forget to remind them that lots of Christmas sides (sprouts, roast potatoes and parsnips) are vegan anyway if they are not made with butter.
Your host may be confused as to what vegan means and ask lots of questions and not seem confident on the subject. Explain as sweetly as you can what vegan entails. Again, remind them that lots of side dishes are vegan or easily veganised, and say you’ll bring a couple of dishes to share so they needn’t worry. Yes, I agree, it can be a pain having to make the dishes – and why the hell should you when nobody else has to? They can just go along and snarf whatever is put in front of them. It’s not fair, is it? However, being vegan, you are the lucky one. You are the one who possesses the ability to be a discerning, independent thinker. You are the one that was enlightened on the health and environmental benefits of this lifestyle, and it’s you that gets to live in alignment with your core values of compassion every day – it’s your duty to spread the light! So, suck it up, get online, find a couple of dishes, and get cracking. I know you can do it! If you’re not too confident a cook, just keep it simple. Don’t try and be showy if it’s not your thing just because it’s Christmas. Good, simple food is often the best. I know that even in pre-vegan days, I actually never liked the rich and heavy nature of Christmas food; I’d have loved a bean salad or a tabbouleh. I’m sure lots of people are the same way. Here are a ton of ideas to inspire you.

You may well find that your dishes go down a storm and there’s not much left for you. Here comes another important tip:

Whether your host has said they’ll totally cater to your vegan needs, or if you’re bringing food yourself – ALWAYS have a couple of nut bars (or other pocket-size snacks) to hand.

Because..

Some folks seem to initially understand what vegan means, but don’t really, so you may get to your gathering and the host who seemed to get what you were talking about previously has, in fact, laced everything with butter, thinking you were just vegetarian.

And sometimes, the dishes you bring might be so popular you might not get much of a look in. This is great, you want to show that vegan food is just food – that everyone can enjoy it, but some omni’s (thankfully very few, most people are considerate) don’t get that these are the only dishes you’ll eat, while they are helping themselves to a whole heap of animal foods too.

So, keep something in your pocket or bag for emergencies. It’s really VERY unlikely you’ll need it, truly, but just in case.

What do you do if someone starts asking you questions at the table about why you’re vegan?

You will have to gauge this yourself by the dynamic at the table. It’s always great if there’s an opportunity to advocate and share the reasons why a person would want to choose compassion and health, and the Christmas table is no exception. Cruelty doesn’t doesn’t stop for Christmas, in fact it’s ramped up to overdrive with all the turkey, pigs and game that are killed specifically for the festivities. But you don’t want to talk about cruelty to turkeys while people are eating turkey. The idea is never to make people feel like instant total crap. You want to just plant a seed and get them to think for themselves.

Answer genuine questions truthfully but briefly. For example: you can just say that you’re vegan for all the ethical, health and environmental reasons and leave it at that. If a particular person is pressing you for more info, tell them you’d be more than willing to chat to them about it after dinner. Make sure you follow up on it. If they were genuinely interested at dinner, they’ll still be interested later. You never know what might come of this. You may inspire this person to consider the impact of their food choices, and next year there could be two vegans at the table!

What do you do when old uncle F***wit says ‘...but if God didn’t mean us to eat animals, why did he make them out of meat? Hahahahaha ‘ and everyone else laughs at how funny old uncle F***wit is?

Yes, this is annoying. But you know, if old uncle F***wit wasn’t having a dig at you, he’d be having a dig at someone else. It’s you this time because you’re the one at the table that’s different. And his name is old uncle F***wit for goodness sake, don’t even worry about him. And people laugh just to be polite when other people are trying to be funny.

So what do you do? Eyeroll by all means. You can even do an Oscar-worthy eyeroll. But do it with a smile and then move on. Console yourself with this fact – he’ll be the one with the rip-roaring indigestion later, not you 🙂

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Enjoy your holidays, whatever you’re doing, and always show how much you are enjoying the food (whether your hosts creations or your own). You never know whose curious mind might be working overtime and be interested in following your compassionate, healthy, planet-loving, plant-based lead!

* I realised I was a little late for Hanukkah so I wrote this post with Christmas in mind, but the advice is universal and absolutely applies to any holiday feast.

Superfood & Green Smoothies Are Not Superman, It Is Not Them Alone That Will Save Your Life

Chia gel dark 341 from Flickr via Wylio — © 2010 Larry Jacobsen, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

I’ve noticed a trend of late.

There are a gazillion gorgeous pics of kale maca blueberry hemp chia cacao smoothies, or acai berry spirulina matcha wheatgrass blah blah blah all over the internet.

On health and wellness websites, there is recipe after recipe for industrial strength raw/green superfood smoothies.

Please know – I have nothing against superfoods, or even their being in a smoothie. A smoothie can be a delicious treat.

And it’s not the raw crowd I’m getting at here (though my feelings on raw vegan are explored in this post).

My problem with all of this is as follows:

Some ‘holistic health coaches’ post these amazing pics of their latest superfood smoothie creations, but at the same time they’ll post recipes containing eggs, fish, yoghurt – or even meat (though of course this will be ‘grass-fed’, which we know is no better health or environment-wise than intensively farmed meat).

It seems strange to me to embrace superfoods so enthusiastically on the one hand, but on the other, keep scientifically proven harmful foods in your diet (and not only that, but to recommend them to others) as if the cocktail of superfoods cancels out the bad stuff.

It doesn’t seem a balanced way to live on a day-to-day basis.

Also – why drink your nutrients? Why not obtain them from chewing your food as nature intended? Dr Caldwell Esselstyn, former heart surgeon, author of ‘Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease,’ and all-round plant-based health expert has this to say:

Avoid smoothies. The fiber is so finely pureed and rapidly swallowed without the benefits of mixing with helpful bacteria in the mouth. The sugar is separated from the fiber of the fruit, bypasses salivary digestion and results in a surge of glucose. The fructose enhances inflammation, hypertension and endothelial injury. Chew your food.

And take a kale pineapple maca smoothie. Really? Is this from the maca plantation down the road? Maca comes all the way from the Peruvian Andes. Another popular smoothie ingredient, chia seeds, come from Mexico and Guatemala. How natural is it to take these superfoods that come from these far-flung corners of the globe and blitz them in a machine, and drink it with a straw?

Yes, I’m aware there are no rice paddies in London or New York, but in order to have varied grains in our diet, we NEED to eat whole grain rice. If you don’t live somewhere where the climate is conducive to producing a comprehensive array of nutrients in plant-food, then you have to buy what is available, and rice is a reliable staple.

I’m just saying, why go out of your way to buy an exotic (not to mention expensive!) superfood, when you don’t need it if you just eat well consistently?

Though kale is a common smoothie ingredient and in its own way is a superfood, I’m not lumping it in with the chia/maca collective. Kale is fabulous, I eat it almost daily. We all need frequent servings of dark leafy greens, and kale grows most everywhere. If I lived in China, I’d no doubt eat more pak choi. If I lived in the southern US states I’d surely be eating a lot more collard greens. Whatever your local dark leafy green, to get the most benefit from it, better that the majority of the time it is chewed rather than supped.

And of course I’m not saying never eat maca, chia or other South American super foods, they ARE super after all and have their own specific benefits – I’m just saying they shouldn’t be relied upon as a daily ingredient to nourish you – unless maybe you live in Central or South America.

Any move away from our meat and dairy heavy habits is good. And if someone gets into eating more veg and fruit initially because of smoothies – well, great. A green/superfood smoothie is scads better for you then a cheese roll, so I’m aware battles have to be carefully picked here. It’s way better to be crowding out the bacon sandwiches with supergreen concoctions than eating meat three times a day.

I think my takeaway points here are thus:

There is no point eating animal products and hoping raw green super-duper-food smoothies will cancel them out. And it’s not a good idea to rely on them for your daily nutrients.

I’m not as strict as Dr Esselstyn (but I am NOT an eminent experienced doctor either!) and don’t totally diss the smoothie as an entity ‘per se’, but you have to make up your own mind on this. I believe the odd high power smoothie is fine if you find yourself in a fantastic vegan smoothie bar, or you’re in a cool plant-based restaurant and fancy trying something from the lush-looking smoothie menu. But as a frequent player in your daily diet?

No.

It’s better to mainly chew your food from a whole state, gleaning your nutrients from a varied whole food, plant-based diet, full of everyday veg, fruit, beans, legumes, grains, nuts and seeds.

Beans, potatoes and rice may not be glam or exotic; and oats, onions and apples don’t sound as sexy as chia or spirulina, but they’ll get you the consistent and solid health foundation that I know you (and we all) desire.