It all started with Netflix. There’s this mind-blowing and riveting documentary called “The Game Changers.”
Watching that made me want to become vegan. Not so much for the animals (feel a bit bad saying that but hey, this is my truth), but first and foremost for my health.
Plant-based diets do pop up every now and then in my social media feed. I’ve learnt that the healthiest groups of people with the longest longevity (does that even make sense?) are those eating a plant-based diet.
But no, that wasn’t enough to hook me in. It took Arnie, Jackie Chan and James Cameron to throw an amazing documentary together to really get me hooked.
Watch it and see what you think!
So; as you do, I’ve been busy researching everything vegan – from general vegan food to vegan websites, to the “is (insert random product here) vegan?”
Rather surprising what you find. I’ve tried to stick with more reputable websites. Facts. I’m all about that. So I’ve looked into the NZ Vegan Society, Vegan Australia & Simplify Vegan Australia to name just a few.
NZ Vegan Society has a 21 day Go-Vegan challenge which I’m hoping to give a go! Still figuring out what it entails – watch this space.
Simplify Vegan Australia has a very helpful overview of additives in products that are vegan (or not). Came in handy when I was trying to figure out if my Pam’s Raspberry Jam gelling agent came from an animal – good news, it didn’t!
I also joined a few Vegan Facebook groups – Vegan NZ & the NZ Vegan Society. This has already been super helpful as I just search for the product/topic I’m interested in and it finds the threads.
Today, I also started going through my pantry – it was an interesting experience. I mostly got rid of Maggi sachets with milk products (I would have given them away, however I’m slightly embarrassed to say they were all out of date – oops.). I will be donating some tuna cans, chicken broth, and my Whey Protein Food Supplement to my work colleagues.
I haven’t braved the fridge yet apart from tipping out some dregs of cow milk.
Luckily, I hope that this journey will be made easier for me due to a few reasons. I’ve already been cutting down on meat drastically for about 2 months (I maybe had 4-5 meat meals in that time). As well, I drink mostly soy milk already and I use vegan friendly margarine/spread.
I’m not quite prepared to brave the cheese situation yet – I LOVE cheese. One day at a time, right? I also have tons of eggs in my fridge so I’m not quite sure what I’m doing with those yet. But hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day!
Quick update on what I’ve eaten today: Muesli & rolled oats with soy milk for breakfast and a handful of mixed nuts as a snack/morning tea. Thinking salad for lunch, probably with beans or chick peas. I’m very relieved that (most) bread is still okay for me to eat. I also love peanut butter so that will most definitely be a go-to for me!
Anyway, that’s me for now. I’m on self-imposed house arrest due to a tummy bug that’s been doing the rounds and popped in for a not-so-friendly visit! Ugh. Plenty of time to do research though, so there’s my silver lining.
Have you ever thought about going Vegan? Or Vegetarian? Cutting down on certain types of food? Would love to hear your thoughts or comments (once I figure how to turn comments on that is)….
Auf Wiedersehen,
Carly