Blogs are like busses... you wait a few months and then two come at once!

I'm in the mood for creating something, and since my plan to make dairy and gluten free pancakes came crashing down when my local health food shop had sold out of chia seeds, perhaps writing you a little blog post will satisfy my itch.

This is a little flow of what I've learnt from my experiences and where I'm at so far with Diet.
Having last posted in May 2013, it's almost been a year since I started posting about my experiences eating as a vegan. And a lot has changed since those days.  I'd say I've found a way of eating, which although IS vegan, I don't like to label as 'vegan', because in my experience simply being vegan is not enough to be healthy and I feel like it is often a sad misconception.  There are many vegan alternatives to high sugar animal product snacks that are still highly processed and void of nutrition. Of course I'd rather take the 'ethical' option if I'm going let my discipline slip for a moment , but the first reason I became vegan was for my health so I'm in constant search of foods that nourish and satisfy leaving me craving free.

If you've read my May post you'll see I started off trying to replicate all the things I ate as an omnivore but without the meat and find substitutes and found it hard work.  I did this because I believed that my meals needed to still follow the popular 'food groups' pattern. I don't think it is necessary to eat like that anymore... in fact I'm living proof it's not.  I moved to London in September and that sparked the first change that the shop I used to rely on in Brighton for everything like vegan mayo and tofu and was no longer so accessible. I'm now following a much simpler diet, it is simpler in terms of shopping and thinking because all I buy is fresh stuff (mainly veggies) plus dried beans which I soak when I want to use them the next day and the occasional potato, quinoa, pasta (even less often - although I swear by it if you've had flu and haven't eaten for 3 days ;)), cous cous or something that's sorta carby. It is my aim to eventually not have to eat much grains at all, but sometimes with all the other things I have to do (like work and study e.g.) I'm not that organised yet and it's often when I don't have time that I resort to grains to bulk out meals quickly. It's simpler because I've learned I don't need to substitute meat with tofu (which I now never buy) and I'm finding since I've started eating just a lot more fresh veggies I don't need any sauces because things like tomatoes add the juice and herbs and spices the flavours! The only way it's not simple is in the planning; if you've had a lazy day or been knocked out by illness it takes some effort to get back into the flow and lifestyle pattern of buying, cooking and re-stocking. I do find myself having to make a few meals in advance and storing them in the fridge for those days when I'm working a few12 hour shifts in a row. Hopefully I'll write a post in the not too distant future about how I'm no longer working 12 hour shifts  then my life will be mine to cook to my hearts content on a daily basis. Another thing is that sometimes it's a bind having to think about food so much; and this comes down to 'the majority of the world doesn't eat the way I choose to', which means nothing is readily available and easy for me out their in the mainstream 'eating out' world. Sometimes I just wish I didn't haven't to think I could walk into a shop without having to read the label and see if it fits my dietary requirements or ask the barista if she serves non-dairy milk. Still I'm sure I'll find a way to solve this little hiccup over time... I probably just need more practice #newbe ;)

The last thing I want to say about diet is my attitude and update on being vegan... In may when I started this I felt very strongly about not eating animals because I'd learned about the health benefits of being vegetarian it was through trying to find alternatives that I then learned about the horrendous ways in which cows and their babies are treated in order to provide us with so many dairy products.  This industry has somehow seemed to have escaped the public scathing that is so often cast upon meat producers and eaters, so I felt compelled to give up dairy too as it seemed like double standards not to. However I was only 100% strict for 4 months after which time I began to slip back to thinking about what I could justify eating and I started to occasionally eat fish again.  I'm not sure exactly how it came about but probably a combination of not having ever seen cruelty to fishes, my dad being a fisherman and always bringing home very tasty fish when we were growing up, the healthy myth about fish being good for you and us needing B12 or omega 3 from it. So after having a few months lapse and actually packing in my morals altogether at Christmas (none of my family are remotely vegetarian and it was too easy to give in to what was around and not be 'bullied' for being a pain in choosing not to conform).  I'm currently thinking about what to do next year, because I really don't want to let that happen again; I've made this choice for a reason and while I'm not asking my family to become vegan for me I don't want to turn my back on my own beliefs just because they don't do the same. I expect I shall get more involved with the cooking and make plenty of tasty vegan options. After all, all we really want is to have a good time together and they don't really care what they eat as long as they don't have to put too much effort into making it. For them it's effort because they haven't learnt what I've learnt about vegan cooking so it's like they'd have to do a years experimenting before they get to where I am with this.

The next blog post will not be about food... I can't take the intensity #emilyneedstogetsomevarietyinherlife

20th December 2013

I've come a long long way... Through the hard times and the good. I'm gonna celebrate me, I'm gonna celebrate me with a post.

Career - I'm now a few months into the first year of studying a Post Grad Diploma in Children's nursing. It's continually hard work, sometimes enjoyable and sometimes challenging. I think I've found my niche, which has helped.

German - I've totally given up on attempting to improve my German right now. My course is taking all of my energy and there are not enough German's in my life to practice with, so this one has been put firmly on hold.

Veganism - I'm eating a well balanced and varied vegan diet at home. I strictly followed this for 4 months and enjoyed every bit of it. Inventing new dishes, learning about new ways to prepare and cook food. I have since learned more about raw foods. When I go out to eat I sometimes have the vegetarian or fish option. I prefer to take the fish option, as I really have a dislike for dairy products since learning what they do to our health. Personally I don't believe anyone should be eating dairy and I think about it long enough I'm quite angry about it being considered a food group. Second to the health  issues surrounding regularly consuming dairy products, I believe that if we hold any moral obligation to protect the lives of animals by refusing to eat meat, then the moral obligation we hold in protecting dairy cows from suffering the loss of their young, their young suffering the separation from their mothers and the dairy cows being pumped full of hormones and antibiotics in order to produce more milk than is natural, should be at least equally if not more sort after.

So that's my date as of December 2013