Question: Are you both vegan?
Answer:
Taz: Yes, I have been vegan since September 2018! I decided to make the change after finishing a Tony Robbins Seminar and learning about the benefits of diet and the positive impact it can have on your energy when you eat well! What keeps me motivated to stay vegan is the fact that no animals have to suffer in order for me to enjoy my meal!
Alessia: No, I am not currently vegan, however I love eating vegan meals with Taz! I did go vegan for about 7 months back in 2021 after watching a TikTok about someone fighting cancer using a plant-based diet. I was really enjoying eating vegan, however, over time I started to think I could eat non-vegan 1 day a week but that just opened the flood gates! 😭 I still would view my animal product intake as quite minimal compared to what I use to eat.
So many of my favourite dishes have meat or dairy in it so I’m just not ready to give them up just yet!
Question: Is it hard being vegan? What is the best and worst thing about it?
Answer:
Taz: I don't think it's hard being vegan. I have always liked veggies and I enjoy eating healthy and taking care of my body! So I actually find it fun!
I think it's really exciting to be able to try new and different food and alternatives all the time!
The worst thing about being vegan is that I miss eating cheese and cheese cake. They don't have the best alternatives for them yet! It's also hard when we're trying to find a restaurant, as not all of them cater for vegans.
The best thing about being vegan is that I am putting good food into my body on a daily basis. I am feeling energetic and healthy on most days!
Question: What are some of your favourite vegan alternatives?
Answer:
Mushroom based Lamb - I Should Be Souvlaki
Coles Vegan Aoli
Sheese Cheese
Question: What are some of your favourite Vegan places to eat at? (Everything with a * is FULLY VEGAN):
Must try takeaway options:
Vegan Garden Goodness (with chips of course!) - Grill’d
Hunky Bowl with Fried Cauliflower - Hunky Dory
Vegorama (replace cheese & feta with Vegan cheese) - Domino’s Pizza
The Great Pretender Protein in a burger or pita pocket (with Peri Peri chips of course!) - Nandos
Question: Do you ever purchase ready made meals? If so, are there any that have good vegan options?
*Disclaimer - I have never tried most of these, but they all look great!
Dinnerly - Have tried this before & loved it!
Super Nature - Always get these from Coles!
Natures Kitchen - Have heaps of yummy meals
Plantry - Occasionally get the spag!
Question: How has your body changed since going vegan? How do you feel?
Answer:
Taz: I haven't noticed much change in my body and how it functions. The only thing I've really come to notice is that I nap less.
Alessia: When I was vegan, I noticed a massive change in my body. I had the worst eating habits before going vegan, which is why I think I noticed a lot of change.
I had a lot more energy
I had less stomach pain & problems
I had less bloating
Question: Taz, what are your top tips for anyone thinking of going vegan?
Answer: Tip #1: Find alternatives for your favourite meals
No matter what your cravings are, there is a vegan alternative for it, you just need to find it! When I first went vegan, it was most important to me to find an alternative to full cream milk, tasty cheese & Nutella. The milk took me the longest to work out, but I finally found Cashew milk, which I liked the taste of hot or cold! I highly recommend finding great alternatives before you go fully vegan. There will be a lot of trial and error, sometimes you will buy something and it tastes gross… but it’s all a part of the experimentation process!
Tip #2: Check the ingredients
When you are looking to try new food, while you are at the shop check on the box for the ingredient list. Some brands may not label themselves as vegan because milk “may be present” in their production lines. They are just playing it safe. As long as the animal or dairy product isn't listed in the main ingredients you are all good to eat it!
It’s important to note that if you are allergic to the ingredients that “may be present” then it is not a good idea to eat it since there is a chance the product could trigger allergic reactions for you.
When reading the ingredients, be careful though, as some companies write animal products in cryptic ways (it might trip you up):
Gelatine - derived from collagen taken from animal body parts
Colour 120 - From Beetles
Whey, casein and lactose - derived from dairy
Isinglass - derived from fish bladders. It’s often used in the making of beer or wine.
+ Many more 🫤
ALSO: If something says “plant-based” it doesn't necessarily mean it’s vegan. This has stuffed me up a few times, so just double check before buying!
Tip #3: Follow Vegan pages & bloggers that recommend great local vegan businesses
Nothing gives me more joy than scrolling on social media and seeing a delicious vegan meal from a local restaurant that I can save and drag some friends to at a later date. There are a tone of vegan bloggers but I recommend staying in the loop with these pages/groups:
Tip #4: Eat healthy!
A lot of people assume all vegans eat healthy, but that is simply not true. There are a lot of vegans that just eat junk and do not consume a balanced diet with nutritious food.
Since you will not be getting iron, protein and other vital nutrients from “traditional” sources, you will need to do some research into how you can still get the right intake of these nutrients.
Spinach, beans and green leafy vegetables are going to be your best friend! Try and incorporate them into as many meals as possible!
Tip #5: Pat yourself on the back!
People decide to go vegan for a variety of reasons - animals, the planet, health benefits, and more! Whatever motivated you to make the change, you should pat yourself on the back for taking action and doing your part in making the world a better place! Lastly, don’t put pressure on yourself to be perfect! A lot of vegan haters will try and question you on a bunch of unrelated stuff (e.g. water consumption, clothing overconsumption, fuel use, etc), because they can be threatened about your choice to go vegan. Food is ingrained in a lot of people's culture and identities, so veganism triggers A LOT of people at the dinner table 😅. Whenever conversations start to get heated, I usually remind people that it’s their choice to eat the food that they do, I’m just personally trying to live longer, healthier and harm less animals when I choose to feed myself! 🤪
Comentários