Today is National Vegan Day and it kickstarts off November which is National Vegan Month. So putting it out there early doors, I am NOT vegan, but I do believe that although for many going the whole ‘hog’ (quorn based of course) isn’t achievable, taking on elements of veganism and increasing our intake of plant based foods can have a massive impact on not only the planet but also our health.
The reduction of meat consumption has been identified as the main factor to reduce diet-related greenhouse gases which have been found to attribute to up to 21% of total emissions. This means that we have the opportunity with every meal to help to reduce our damage of the environment.
Now I’m not saying we all NEED to be Vegan (although that is a great choice for some) as there is amazing goodness in meat (like vitamin b12 and more absorbable form of iron) but we need to move away from such a heavily reliance on meat as an everyday part of our diet. Also, with only 29% of the UK population reaching their ‘5-a-day’ target, increasing our veg intake at the same time isn’t going to do us any harm either!
So today I have put together some of my top tips to help you move towards a more plant based way of living 🙂
- Get involved in the ‘Meat Free Monday’ craze! It sounds super simple but even just getting into the routine of having one meat free meal per week is getting you going in the right direction. Use Mondays as a day to trial new recipes and to sit down as a family to try new foods that maybe you haven’t tried before.
- Replace your meat with plant based protein like beans, lentils or chickpeas! You’ll find these alternatives much cheaper and because they are also full of fibre, they will keep you feeling full for AGES! I love making bean chillis, lentil dhals and adding chickpeas to curries. Simples.
- Get inspiration from pinterest, library cook books or even just good old google to find meat free alternatives to your favourite dish. Chances are someone before you has done all the hard work to create your favourite meat free masterpiece!
- If you really just fancy a ‘meaty flavour’ why not try some of the meat alternatives like quorn or soya based products. I kid you not, I tried some vegan Cumberland sausages from ‘cauldron’ the other day in a pumpkin stew and wow they were amazing!! I literally wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference.
- Get creative with veg! The MAIN nutritional benefit (in my eyes) about eating more plant based is that you are going to basing a majority of your plate on beautifully colourful, nutrient dense, fibre filled, gut friendly vegetables! Mix up the types of veg you’re eating and see how the different ways of cooking them changes the flavour (e.g give me roasted butternut squash over boiled any day!)
- Plan ahead! You may need to be slightly more organised if you’re not relying on meat as the ‘main event’ in your meal, as the ‘meat, potato and two veg’ way of eating without the meat can be dull. Like I said before find some recipes and plan out the meals that you’re going to have.
I hope you found these tips helpful and remember if you do want some more personalised nutrition advice which will help you create sustainable changes to your diet and lifestyle, check out the 1:1 programmes available now.
Maybe you could try the 6 week re-set to get you feeling super awesome before the Christmas celebrations (yes I said the ‘C-word’, eek!)
| On the 8th December Mind Nourishing and Anavrin Yoga are running a Winter Wellbeing Day Retreat. The day will be filled with yoga, mindfulness, vegan food, nutrition tips and much more. Follow the link for more information and to book your space It would be awesome to spend the day with you! |
Laura xx
