Still chugging along merrily!

I’ve been doing this (mostly) vegan business for over a week now (or nearly two weeks – I’m losing track already) and I’m feeling good!

I found an interesting post the other day stating that 70% of our serotonin hormone (the key hormone to stabilise our mood, feelings of well-being and happiness – thanks Google) is produced in our gut.

So the logical conclusion is that if we eat well, we feel good! Makes a lot of sense to me as I’m very familiar with my shitty moods when I haven’t been eating well.

Let’s review. I’m eating more vegetables, more fruit, more legumes/beans, more whole grain products, minimal dairy (I had mayo last night eek) and no meat. Of course there’s lots of debate on what constitutes a healthy diet, however there are some facts that, in my opinion, cannot be argued with.

E.g. vegetarians, on average, live approx. 5-6 years longer than meat-eaters. A plant-based diet is the only diet that can reverse certain types of diseases. I mean, how powerful is that in itself?

Yet really, it all comes down to going back to basics. Eating whole foods and moving away from processed and refined foods. So moving away from foods that have minimal nutrients but are often high in fats, sodium and sugar.

I recently saw a picture of a car, having the wrong petrol pumped into it. The analogy, of course, is that if we put the wrong fuel into our bodies, our bodies break down! They don’t function well and can get sick more easily.

Since starting my vegan journey, I’ve started to really enjoy food on a level I haven’t before. I’ve never been much of a cook but I’m now learning to cook from scratch following a bunch of really interesting recipes! Adulting win, surely?

Just tonight my darling daughter & I whipped up a potato & black bean chili dish. Okay, we didn’t include chili (it’s now on my shopping list, don’t worry) and the potatoes were slightly under-cooked, but the taste was delicious. I’m also pretty sure I’ve never had black beans before. FYI, they’re a nutritional powerhouse! Full of calcium, protein & fiber. Cant’ argue with that!

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Not the best picture (I forgot to take a plated picture), these are the leftovers that I’ll very likely eat tomorrow or end up freezing.

Another interesting experience was my first Cafe visit eating vegan food. Luckily we arrived a bit early so I could ask what vegan options were available. Yes, I did try to check out their menu online prior however there was none!

I was pleased to see that they did have a few vegan options, however I spied some tasty-looking chick pea balls in the cabinet and inquired about those. Lo and behold, they were vegan (as long as they weren’t served with yoghurt dressing) – easy enough to avoid.

I must admit, I don’t do too well with too many choices so this vegan business might just work quite well for me. Choices are most definitely reduced! Looks good though right? It was a tad spicy but definitely enjoyable. :)

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Another topic I wanted to bring up was meal planning apps! I found one called Mealime app (this is where I got the potato & black bean chili dish recipe) which has got some really yummy and relatively easy-to-make recipes. Well, I’ve only tried the one but I’m very happy with that one.

You can plan your meals for the week, it produces a shopping list and you can cross out what you’ve already got on hand, very helpful. I haven’t yet used it for that purpose but I’ll be aiming to do so and shall report back on how that went. Also, you can add whatever diet you’re eating and it will customise the recipes!

Enough of this food talk (I’m now slowly but surely getting a tad peckish), my day is coming to an end and I need my beauty sleep. After all, my big 4-0 is just around the corner!!

Auf Wiedersehen,

Carly 

 

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