Veganism
What is veganism?
Veganism is when one does not consume any animal products including dairy and eggs, but plant based products.
Transitioning
As a young child i have never really consumed meat as much as others. I just did not like it, but i did love fish, so i was mainly a pescatarian. If i could remember correctly, i became a vegan at 15 years old. My friend Sophia, was already a vegan and she influenced me to change my diet. I started by watching documentaries ( i will link them below) and youtube videos. It was though at first because i loved my fish and yogurt but as time went by, i slowly started cutting them out. I will not lie, i did have a couple slip ups here and there.
In the beginning it was a bit of a secret because everyone around me ate whatever they wanted, and i was too shy to tell people. But if they asked, i would tell them my reason-being health and my love for animals.
It was hard eating out with family and friends for the first few months because i did not know what the restaurant would have, and i never wanted to make people go out of their way just to accommodate my diet, so i would search the restaurant menu in advance and i almost always find something for me. Sometimes i would just order veggies, most eateries will have that i'm sure, or request foods.
Until now i still do get questions about my diet but not as much as before. And now that most of my friends and family knows i'm vegan, i shouldn't have been "scared" from the start (they kinda just figured it out). Don't worry what people think, they will warm up about the idea. As of now i am the only vegan from both sides of my family.
My Current Diet
People say you have to eat more when you become a vegan but not always. Eat what you can. My diet usually depends on what i feel like, but i find that fresh foods make me feel better compared to cooked foods, so i try to incorporate as much fresh foods as possible. I try not to consume too much oily or fatty foods.
For breakfast i would either have a smoothie bowl, cereal with oat or soy milk or a fruit platter. Lunch and dinner depends on what my helper whips up. She always cooks veggies on the side with the main dish that would be marinara pasta, vegetarian bee-hoon (noodles), vegetable curry, soup with potatoes or different kinds of stir-fried veggies. My family would have the same thing but with chicken, beef or fish.
Sometimes i do prepare food myself like baked potatoes, beans, frozen veggie dumplings, baked tofu with soy sauce ect. But when i'm feeling super lazy, i would just have cereal, a smoothie bowl or a fruit platter - depending on what i feel like having. Acai bowls are my favourite, so when i'm out i tend to usually get one and have that as a meal.
Like everyone else, i do snack. I snack on fruits, nuts (not as much anymore), cornflakes or slightly salted natural popcorn - my favourite at the moment. When i first turned vegan, i found a couple snack ideas like banana bites and almond butter bites and made them. My friends sometimes make fun of me because my snacks aren't exactly "snacks" because they are "too healthy"haha.
Workout & Exercise
Vegans don't get protein. Wrong. We do get protein, from a variety of sources actually, like vegetables and tofu. Becoming a vegan can help you tone muscles and slim down, but it can also still get you those "GAINS". It just a matter of your protein intake and exercise routine. Believe it or not, there are vegan muscle builders out there (guys and girls).
Benefit
Animal products use to make me feel sluggish, but after turning vegan, i don't have that sluggish feeling anymore- well, only after i've eaten too much.
I have always had clear skin, but turning vegan helped me maintain that baby-like skin and glow.
Save animals
Documentary Videos
( Some of these documentaries contain uneasy images and may cause you to tear )
Earthings
Cowspiracy
A 100 ways to go Vegan (youtube)
Racing Extinction
The Cove
Blackfish
The Ivory Game
Huntwatch
A Couple Healthy Reasturants (vegan friendly)
Real foods
Project Acai
Haakon
Toss and Turn by Cedele ( Best salad )
Genesis Vegan Restaurant ( Best vegan lasagne!!)
Brownice
Veganburg
Loving hut - SG & Syd, Aus
Unframed Ice Cream - Cape Town, SA
Nourished - Cape Town, SA
Col'Cacchio - Cape Town, SA ( where i had my first and best vegan pizza)
For those who are considering veganism, do you research and take it slow. If you slip up its okay, try again XX