Saturday 10 March 2012
Off on Holiday...
I'm so excited! I'm off on holiday to Germany tonight. I'll keep you updated on how the plant-based diet goes whilst I'm away.
Thursday 8 March 2012
Take a Step Together
What started as a blog about me trying to eat a more plant-based diet has developed in to me blabbing on about anything to do with health, fitness, food and the environment. I’m aware that a lot of my recent blogs have been about converting to a healthier lifestyle, and I’m also aware that even with the best will in the world this is difficult for a lot of people. Which is why I’m introducing my new mantra ‘take a step together’.
During my own personal lifestyle change, one of the things I constantly tell myself is ‘one step at a time’. The longest lasting change is gradual, and if I happen to slip up and take a couple of steps backwards I try not to beat myself up about it and work out how I can move forward again. Making those small steps can be incredibly difficult, though, and it is so easy to make an excuse as to why you have to wait until next week to start.
At the moment I work in an office, a very sedentary environment where it is very easy to become lazy and put on weight. Determined to break this trend, my team and I have been making changes together. All five of us are trying to live healthier lives (and I’m also encouraging them to live more environmentally friendly lives J ). We all have our own personal reasons for doing it, and we’re all going about it in different ways, but we encourage each other daily and share ideas and knowledge. I have no doubt that, without the support of the other four, no one of us would have succeeded as well as we have so far. Who needs a personal trainer or nutritionist when you have four coaches stopping you from buying that chocolate bar from the vending machine.
So, why not find a few more like-minded individuals and try taking a step together. It might give you the push you need to improve your life forever.
During my own personal lifestyle change, one of the things I constantly tell myself is ‘one step at a time’. The longest lasting change is gradual, and if I happen to slip up and take a couple of steps backwards I try not to beat myself up about it and work out how I can move forward again. Making those small steps can be incredibly difficult, though, and it is so easy to make an excuse as to why you have to wait until next week to start.
At the moment I work in an office, a very sedentary environment where it is very easy to become lazy and put on weight. Determined to break this trend, my team and I have been making changes together. All five of us are trying to live healthier lives (and I’m also encouraging them to live more environmentally friendly lives J ). We all have our own personal reasons for doing it, and we’re all going about it in different ways, but we encourage each other daily and share ideas and knowledge. I have no doubt that, without the support of the other four, no one of us would have succeeded as well as we have so far. Who needs a personal trainer or nutritionist when you have four coaches stopping you from buying that chocolate bar from the vending machine.
So, why not find a few more like-minded individuals and try taking a step together. It might give you the push you need to improve your life forever.
Tuesday 6 March 2012
Easy Veg
This one is for anyone who says that fresh food can't be as quick as convenience food. Yesterday I told you that kale is a great source of nutrients. As an added bonus, kale is also extremely easy to prepare and cook. You don't even need a knife. Just rip the leaves from the stalk, and cook in a covered frying pan in about 1 inch of water for 3 minutes. It's a great, easy green to put on the side of any dish.
Monday 5 March 2012
Do We Lack Nutrients?
A few weeks ago I talked about Rip Esselstyn and the Engine 2 Diet. On his website, Rip answers what I believe is one of the most frequently asked questions about plant-based diets.
Ever since I became a vegetarian, people have told me that I’m unhealthy. Usually while they’re munching on an incredibly unhealthy beef burger, I might add. The common misperception is that if you don’t eat meat or dairy products, you lack protein, iron and calcium. They literally look at you like they expect you to drop dead in front of them. People are quite often surprised when I say I’m a vegetarian, as I don’t look permanently ill. Believe it or not, I have survived without meat now for almost twenty years, and I intend to do it for a lot more years to come.
Spinach, mushrooms, beans, oatmeal, wholewheat pasta, corn and potatoes are all healthy sources of protein. Iron can be found in lentils, beans, leafy vegetables, pistachios and tofu. Green leafy vegetables such as collard greens, kale, bok choy and romaine lettuce are great for calcium, as well as nuts, oranges, kidney beans, lima beans, whole grains, lentils, raisins, broccoli and brussel sprouts.
As Rip explains, the only nutrient that you may develop a deficiency in on a plant-based diet is vitamin B12. If this is a concern, you can get your daily supply from two tablespoons of nutritional yeast, a glass of fortified soya milk, a bowl of fortified cereal or a 500 milligram B12 supplement. That’s not bad compared to the number of omnivores who can eat anything they want, but choose to eat only the bad stuff and therefore develop lots of deficiencies.
Deficiencies are sometimes unavoidable, no matter what you eat. Both my father and I have problems giving blood due to our iron count being ‘at the lower end of the normal scale’ (the story of my life!). I eat an iron-rich plant-based diet, and he eats meat.
Before I stopped eating dairy I was told by a dentist that I had a calcium deficiency. One of the solutions was to drink more cows milk. No matter how much milk I drank, it didn’t seem to make any difference. Since converting to a plant-based diet, my calcium levels are fine.
So, next time you meet a vegetarian, please don’t look so surprised that they’re still able to stand.
An extra note about the blood donation and my apparently low iron count – a quick jog around the car park before I take the iron test seems to get my blood moving faster and I pass with flying colours, so I’m not so sure it’s my actual iron that’s the problem. I think my blood is just a bit slow.
Ever since I became a vegetarian, people have told me that I’m unhealthy. Usually while they’re munching on an incredibly unhealthy beef burger, I might add. The common misperception is that if you don’t eat meat or dairy products, you lack protein, iron and calcium. They literally look at you like they expect you to drop dead in front of them. People are quite often surprised when I say I’m a vegetarian, as I don’t look permanently ill. Believe it or not, I have survived without meat now for almost twenty years, and I intend to do it for a lot more years to come.
Spinach, mushrooms, beans, oatmeal, wholewheat pasta, corn and potatoes are all healthy sources of protein. Iron can be found in lentils, beans, leafy vegetables, pistachios and tofu. Green leafy vegetables such as collard greens, kale, bok choy and romaine lettuce are great for calcium, as well as nuts, oranges, kidney beans, lima beans, whole grains, lentils, raisins, broccoli and brussel sprouts.
As Rip explains, the only nutrient that you may develop a deficiency in on a plant-based diet is vitamin B12. If this is a concern, you can get your daily supply from two tablespoons of nutritional yeast, a glass of fortified soya milk, a bowl of fortified cereal or a 500 milligram B12 supplement. That’s not bad compared to the number of omnivores who can eat anything they want, but choose to eat only the bad stuff and therefore develop lots of deficiencies.
Deficiencies are sometimes unavoidable, no matter what you eat. Both my father and I have problems giving blood due to our iron count being ‘at the lower end of the normal scale’ (the story of my life!). I eat an iron-rich plant-based diet, and he eats meat.
Before I stopped eating dairy I was told by a dentist that I had a calcium deficiency. One of the solutions was to drink more cows milk. No matter how much milk I drank, it didn’t seem to make any difference. Since converting to a plant-based diet, my calcium levels are fine.
So, next time you meet a vegetarian, please don’t look so surprised that they’re still able to stand.
An extra note about the blood donation and my apparently low iron count – a quick jog around the car park before I take the iron test seems to get my blood moving faster and I pass with flying colours, so I’m not so sure it’s my actual iron that’s the problem. I think my blood is just a bit slow.
Sunday 4 March 2012
Come on Spring!
Although I've found it a lot easier than I thought to eat local, seasonal food, I must admit that at times it gets a bit boring. Around this time of year, there's a bit of a gap in foods that can be farmed in the UK, so the range of food is limited. As much as I like carrots, butternut squash and potatoes, I can't wait for spring to arrive so I can experiement with some different ingredients.
Saturday 3 March 2012
Handmade in the Hills
Since starting this blog, one of the things I've loved most is coming across great, local, independent businesses. This week I tried out a new one, Handmade In The Hills (www.handmadeinthehills.co.uk). All the products on their website are hand made by artists and makers in Ceredigion. They make and sell a wide selection of products, including children's toys, homewares, jewellery and food goods.
As it's my neice's birthday next month, I thought I'd see if there was anything suitable for her. Although I was spoilt for choice, I decided on a pink magical wand.
I used to work in retail, and when working for good retailers (there were a lot of bad ones too) I was always taught that problems can be an opportunity to demonstrate excellent customer service. When I encountered a problem with Pay Pal (for some reason they don't believe I live at my address), the team at Handmade In The Hills not only sorted it out straight away for me, they kept in contact via email to make sure everything was to my satisfaction. Rarely do you encounter a company in today's modern world that is so keen to look after it's customers. I'm sure my neice will love her magical wand, and I will definitely be returning to the Handmade In The Hills website in the future.
As it's my neice's birthday next month, I thought I'd see if there was anything suitable for her. Although I was spoilt for choice, I decided on a pink magical wand.
I used to work in retail, and when working for good retailers (there were a lot of bad ones too) I was always taught that problems can be an opportunity to demonstrate excellent customer service. When I encountered a problem with Pay Pal (for some reason they don't believe I live at my address), the team at Handmade In The Hills not only sorted it out straight away for me, they kept in contact via email to make sure everything was to my satisfaction. Rarely do you encounter a company in today's modern world that is so keen to look after it's customers. I'm sure my neice will love her magical wand, and I will definitely be returning to the Handmade In The Hills website in the future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)