Veganism is probably much healthier than cannibalism

OK so the title airs on the side of extremism and sarcasm. But I do mean that I am probably about to conclude that evidence for health benefits as a result of becoming vegan are far greater than the benefits you'd enjoy if you were to eat a diet highly balanced with meat and dairy products.

I'm not a doctor and I haven't done any first hand experiments (yet) :), but I have read a lot from all over the place; and not just from "hippy animal lovers" trying to get you to give up the food you love or sacrifice your health for the 'greater good'. Veganism for me, is NOT about any of these things. It is about sorting out a diet beneficial to my own health, responsibly and with the facts.

I have not yet changed anything about my diet. I still eat meat, dairy as well as a lot of vegetarian and vegan alternatives (such as Tofu and Soya milk). What I have been doing this week is looking up recipes and health benefits of foods that I will need to eat when and if I do decide to change. I found a book on amazon called "Vegan cooking for one", below is the list of all things I should stock up on if I want to prepare the dishes in the book.  I've written these down because I think it's good to keep in mind a list of staples and learn them so preparing food becomes easier and a new habit. All the things on the list strike me as healthy (except peanut butter, I always thought that was bad and it must have to be vegan as butter is dairy :\ ) and things I would happily eat as a meat eater anyway.  The only thing I didn't like about the book is that it contained the word 'mircowave' one I don't personally associate with real cooking.

Herbs
Sage, Thyme, Marjoram, Basil, Oregano, Bay leaves, Rosemary, Mint
Spices
Nutmeg Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger, Turmeric, Cumin, Coriander

Miscellaneous
Wholemeal (whole wheat) bread, Sea salt and black pepper, Garlic salt, Backing powder, Raw cane sugar, Wholemeal (whole wheat) flour, Yeast extract, Nutritional yeast flakes or powder, Soya milk, Soya cream, Soya Yogurt, cornflour/starch, Peanut butter, Bulgar wheat, vegan Parmesan, Mustard seeds, Chili powder or Cayenne pepper, Paprika, Garam masala (mixed spices), Vegan Margarine, Vegetable oil (e.g. soya or corn), Extra virgin olive oil, Soya sauce, Wholemeal (whole wheat) spaghetti and macaroni.

I have also found out which foods contain dairy, obviously there is milk, cream, butter, yogurt and my favourite (possibly the most hard to give up) Cheese! But there is also the ingredient's, which are derivatives of milk found in other products such as sauces, spreads, filled pastas, and cereals. These might be labelled as:

• Whey
• Casein / caseinate
• Lactose / lactate
• Lactalbumin

So this week I have been getting used to using Soya milk and found a new brand called "Pure" which also makes dairy free milk, cream, butter, yogurt and cheese. I'm going shopping in search of this stuff tomorrow :D.

tired of titles with "Shuffle" in

Today I wrote a long list of all the ingredients that I want to find the health benefits of, a recipe for or something else. Here it is:

kiwi
banana
dates
tomatoes
spinach
parsnip
cress
avocado
broccoli
haricot beans
green beans
broad beans
butter beans
black eye beans
kidney beans
root ginger beans
steam ginger beans
basil
oregano
turmeric
almonds
walnuts
pistachios
flax seeds
flax oil
chestnut mushrooms
button mushrooms
shiitake
portabella
oyster mushrooms
tofu
soya milk
soya beans
potato flour
rice flour
potatoes
wholemeal bread
seeds, which go with bread
couscous
whole rice/couscous/pasta
water chestnut
rice noodles
chili
nut roast recipe
garlic
mint
asparagus

Shuffled a shift for free

Sure shuffled forwards today

Today I experienced working a nice café with a sea view for a few voluntary hours.  I'm weighing up whether to take this job on. It would mean giving up almost all my weekends. It would mean tips as well as a wage. It would mean more work. It might mean I let people down because I can't get there on time. It might mean I don't have time to return to part time swimming teaching.

I iced that cake. Damn this wedding caking making is hard work. I seem to be making a habit of hard work. Well I kinda like that.

I ate an almost completely vegan meal for dinner. But then I stuck an egg in it. I don't know why I did that actually. Broccoli, carrot, cous cous, courgette, aubergine and an egg. Mashed avocado, wedged tomato and smashed up cashews for a starter... Mmm. I think my lunch was vegan too actually... tofu and rice noodles with veg?? Well there was some Korean style BBQ sauce on it so I expect it was just vegetarian too.  Haven't done the research yet though so I'm happy with this general moving in the right direction.

Tuesday's Shuffle

Tuesday's shuffle: research study/work options in Germany. Cities, courses, universities, jobs

So I have found out today; that it is possible to study and work as a nurse or 'Kinderkrankenschwester' in Germany.  I found a few places near to friends and in a nice part of Germany where I can see myself studying and living comfortably.  There is one problem, which I need to address before I even start to consider where I want to be if I am to start nursing in the future; and that is my Language. I can speak some basic German very well, but I am by no means fluent and this is a must if I am to get onto a nursing course and study in a foreign language. 

This little problem has changed my track a little. So now instead of thinking about where I want to do a course, what the cost would be and when it would start I am instead thinking about how I can become more fluent in German.  Living in England makes practising hard so I've set my self the target of watching the German news online or a German film or TV stream everyday.  I am also researching how I can start a German class or conversation class in England, so I can meet with Germans or people who are learning.

I have also looked into teaching English as a foreign language in Germany, as I am pretty sure that this is a job I could do already without being expert in German.  At the moment I need to save to pay for the teaching certificate, so I have sent an email to my nearest college and am currently eagerly awaiting their reply.  When this comes I am ready for my next decision. I'm also playing the waiting game with another company, waiting to hear if I have been invited to an interview for a second job and tomorrow I will also phone a lady who is looking for an Au-Pair 3 days a week here in England. I'm hoping she pays well and that her kids are super cute then I would be happy to get this new job after Christmas too :).
Keeping track with little steps...

Everyday I'm shufferlin': Goals

Nothing like a beautiful week in sunny Scotland to clear ones mind and put into perspective ones goals. 

There comes a time in every girls life when she needs to decide.  Decide who she is and how she wants to live.  Until now I have pretty much sailed my way through school, failed my way through college and faked my way through university.  Not having ever really given a thought as to why I'm making any of my choices other than because someone said I Oort to. 

It was a bright cold Scottish afternoon, high up in Cairngorms National Park on Wednesday the 19th of September 2012. I don't know quite how I had gotten myself into the predicament of telling a complete stranger secrets which I'd kept so buried before now that even I didn't recognise their impact. But I had. And there they were. Suddenly. Right in front of my face. I finally realised it is MY life.  It's not that I hadn't heard the saying before or talked the talk. I knew the rhetoric; like a well rehearsed politician I fitted in and was elected as friend and lover. I acted out the speeches in social situations and passed each 'moment' with flying colours. I was loved and praised, and cheered and admired. And that's the tragedy. If you can be so great while your being so fake dealing with the surface then why learn? Why scrape off the polish, why dig through the dirt and find your inner diamond? Well I'm not actually sure what the answer is yet... or if there is one, but I'm digging anyway, because something happened on that mountain. Something that had nothing to do with anyone else but me, and it set my mind a racing.... So NOW, now I've seen, I'm making a plan (not just one), I'm making a plan with purpose and I know WHY. 

This Blog is about making small steps (or Shufferlin') towards my big goals in four main areas of my life so that progress is slow and steady like the tortoise, and falling backwards is not very far and more like landing on a white fluffy cloud. Don't you just love flying above the clouds? My four areas of interest are Career, German, Vegan and Style and I'm giving myself a week to decide how I'd like to approach each area of interest.

Week one: Career

The biggest problem right now in my life is that at 28 I'm living at home paying a pittance to my parent's to cook, clean and part-dictate my life plan. The first step out of this somewhat charitable and somewhat tragic arrangement is to find myself a Career. A Career is not just a job that earns money; it's a vocation, a calling, something you can't stay away from. It's a love that drives you wake up everyday and the money comes easily, because you'd gladly show up on your day off.  A Career is defiantly NOT selling chocolate bars, it is certainly NOT doing what someone else tells you and it really isn't boring.

Monday's shuffle: hand in application for Swimming Teacher job to remember the joy of teaching again.

Tuesday's shuffle: research study/work options in Germany. Cities, courses, universities, jobs

Wednesday's shuffle: Research house share options Germany. Cost, facilities.

Thursday's shuffle: Research study/work options in London

Friday's shuffle: Research house share options London. Cost, facilities.

This weeks small step: to decide by Sunday what I want to do.  Work or Study. London or Germany. Nurse or Teach.

Week two: German *Introduction coming soon*

Monday's Shuffle: Research learning German in England

Tuesday's Shuffle: Research jobs I can do now in Germany

Wednesday's Shuffle: Research courses to take in England and the cost and location

Thursday's Shuffle: Research courses to start in Germany, cost and location

Friday's Shuffle:

Week three: Vegan

I am and have been an omnivore all my life. My parent's were omnivores and my Grandparents too. Or am I just behaving like one?  I have always eaten what ever was prepared or given to me without much thought about where it has come from and with more thought placed on upon how it tasted.  I have often met people (and even have a few friends) who are vegetarian or vegan and always been interested in their views and why they choose to think about what they eat and stick to certain rules, which of course sometimes can put you out of the social loop when it comes to ordering in restaurants or eating with friends who have given food no second thought. I have always enjoyed trying new things when it came to food, again more for taste than for health or kindness to animals, and when with vegan or vegetarian friends I would prefer to follow suit rather than eat meat in front of them. Over time I have (albeit by accident) discovered that enjoy a wide range of vegetarian and vegan alternatives. I like soya milk, I enjoy cooking with tofu (when i don't mess it up), I couldn't live without salad and vegetables.  Working in a book shop has it's advantages and thinking more about broadening my diet I found some books on healthy eating as a vegan and eating raw foods. I now plan to research these food options and find out for real if I'm an omnivore, vegetarian, vegan or all three depending on the time of day ;).  There is of course some consideration about the welfare of animals is this decision.  I also aim to find out how I really feel about animals being farmed and used for human consumption and dairy products. As this may have an impact on what I deem to be acceptable. My health is important and I don't want to become anaemic or at risk of contracting osteoporosis as I get older so if there are changes to be made in the future they will be slow and with a nutritional alternative.

Tuesdays shuffle: Find out where the shops I shop at get their milk and eggs and how these animals are kept.

Wednesday's shuffle: Find out if there any cases of women being vegan for a prolonged period of time without health compromises. Find alternative sources of iron.

Thursday's shuffle: If women of my age really must eat meat occasionally for optimum health find out where I can buy organically and humanly raised and butchered meat. And how often/scarcely I have to eat it.

Friday's shuffle: Make a week long meal plan including vegetarian, vegan and raw food options (meat too if applicable) and then go shopping!! :D

Week four: Style *Introduction coming soon*