I thought that during this challenge I mark some things down about how I am doing. Today is the 8th of January and I am feeling pretty good. At the same time I have focused on eating more, because in my menu, there isn't stuff like cottage cheese, normal cheese, eggs etc. Instead I have had a lot of tofu, lentils and all that kind of stuff. There have been moments where I have thought that oh, I want cottage cheese salad, but instead I have fried up some potatoes and onions and it is carbs, yes, but it does the trick.
I am obsessed with potatoes at the moment. For some time I had it in every possible way and wondered if I should stop, but why? Potatoes are good! I haven't had sweet potato in a while, should make something with it. Sweet potato boat with beans on tomato sauce is a really good combo for example.
There are so many new recipes I want to try. I have a habit of looking up stuff, then I write it down on sticky notes and stick them to my bullet journal. And when I go to the store, I can easily buy everything I need.
Breakfasts have been a lot of porridge or yoghurt. I have tried almost every Alpro yoghurt there is and I really love them. I am surprised that I am not missing cheese or eggs. Or normal curd cream. Vegan alternatives are good enough. I also take extra B12 in the mornings as well as omega 3 and D vitamin. I have always done so, even when I ate eggs, milk and fish.
There are a lot of snacks that I have and that are not vegan and I am planning to try them out in February. This is a bit meh, because I would love to continue with vegan life, but I don't want to waste food.
Lunches are a bit more difficult, but I have managed. I am obsessed with vegan wraps from my local store - they are so nice. Also I have tried a lot of vegan ice creams and there is no end to be seen to my fruit and vegetable consumption.
I think I should focus more on protein, but it is coming along nicely. At the moment I am pleased to know that my body and mind are in a good place and I don't crave animal products.
It is only 8th of January when I am writing this, but I have done well so far and I don't see why I couldn't go until the end of the month. At the same time at work there have been moments where people have offered me something and I have had to say no, because a) I don't know if it is vegan or b) it is not vegan.
But yeah, it is fun. I have been more active in Facebook Estonian vegan group as well and people there are super nice. This is so cool. People there are really approachable and helpful, so cute!
Now it is the end of the month and I haven't really added anything. :D But oh well, I did have a post halfway though. Today it is 28th of January and I have been vegan 100%. It was a bit weird situation at work where my boss offered me chocolate and I said no. She got a bit upset. But I was sure of myself. And I feel good! On some moments I have thought that ah, it doesn't matter (especially when I have been out) if I eat vegan all January, but I have still stuck to it. I haven't had cravings and the reason of thinking of quitting has been in my mind when there haven't been much options in the menu for vegans or something.
I feel good, I have gained weight. I did a pasta challenge and tried all kinds of new stuff. I think the best about veganuary has been trying out new recipes. And remaking old ones. Like I made chilli, kimchi soup, stew etc. And in general I feel like there is much more variety in my menu now. That is always nice. I should maybe try and mark down all the different kind of foods again to see how much of what I have. :D
The biggest change has been my breakfasts. On some days I even ate something savoury, which is unheard of!
What is also good is that my energy level is muuuch better. I don't have this afternoon crash at all anymore. I am alert and ready to work all the time. Also, in January I have only had this one day where I ate everything in sight. For the rest of the time I have managed well and I haven't experiences this extreme hunger anymore. But I think it is for sure thanks to having more protein in my diet. I still have carbs for the most part, but it is fine. Anyway, I feel good and energetic and well. :D
Now the food places are open again and I have been out with a friend a few times. In completely vegan places. But it is nice to see vegan menus expanding elsewhere too. Like the cat cafe now also has something for vegans. I should go there, I want to pet cats. Even though I have one at home. But well, I want to share some more love. :D
All in all I wouldn't say that one diet is better than the other. You have to think about what is right for you, both physically and mentally. At first when I cut out meat, I did it because of my health, but nowdays the wellbeing of animals is much more imporant to me!
I thought that the work event would be difficult, because we were offered lunch and cake. To my surprise, there was vegan chickpea salad with avocado in the menu, in addition to dips, hummus and guacamole as well as chips, bread etc. I had a lot of food. It was nice not to worry about food and talk to others. I did get some guilt, but this is not the main focus of today. I just wanted to mention that vegan things were the first ones that were eaten, people especially liked the salad and almost fought over it. :D
And now it is the first of February. I can look back at January and swear that I enjoyed it. And I won't be running having animal products, but if there are occasions when I have them, I won't make myself feel bad over it. I think it is not imporant for everyone to be vegan, I think it is important for people doing it at least a little. The world doesn't need everyone to do it 100% of the time. It is enough if people put at least some effort into it and cut at least some animal products. Honestly I don't have anything against vegans, but some extreme people sometimes do scare me.
I talked about this with my friend and we discussed how some people are really radical. For example there are ones who live completely waste free, use only reusable stuff etc. And they often criticize others, who maybe do 50/50, sometimes reusable, sometimes not. I think accusing others is not a way to go and it is definitely not helpful.
To sum up January I am surprised I got over my cheese addiction! It was a huge thing as I could have half a block of cheese easily. :D But now I learned that vegan versions are also good (and sometimes better). :D I am really glad I got to try them. Everything has been really positive. Yeah, I can't really bring out negative things at all. Maybe the fact I couldn't have cake at work? But instead I had a double amount of guac and chips and it was good. :D
Anyway, veganuary went well and I will keep up and not but animal products. Yay!
Even thought January is over I wanted to share another discovery. Vegan waffles! I got a waffle maker for like 9 euros and thought I would give it a try. I looked at so many recipes but they all were really elaborate. And then there is this one vegan youtuber that I like (Waffles with Leila) and she always has waffles. And they are so simple. Flour, protein powder, baking powder, milk and chia seeds. As I don't use protein powder, I just added more flour. It was about 120 ml of flour, teaspoon of chia seeds, half a teaspoon of bakin powder, some sugar and some oatmilk (the dough should be a little thicker than the one for crepes). And it came out like this:
And they tasted amazing! And it was so quick to make them. I think the next time I have them, I will make a bit more and store some in the freezer. I wanted to do it this time was well, but I wanted to try them out first.
My friend also shared a good tip - when they are not completely ready, but them in the toaster. Then they come out super crispy. And it should also help to add cornstarch. But anyway, I was pleased with mine. I can't wait to try making falafel waffles. :D There are so many options - with potatoes, porridge etc. :D It seems like they all will be good. I shall try them when all of my challenges are over.
At the moment I am doing potato challenge and it is going really well. Will post about it on Friday. And then I think I will have a little break and try different kind of things. Before doing another grain challenge. :D I just don't want rice or pasta to become fear foods again.
Anyway, if not completely vegan, I will make more of this kind of challenges in the future. And I will be definitely doing another veganuary next year. I recommend this challenge!
