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How not to go Vegan! |
But, as with any change in your diet, there are good ways to do it – and bad ones! Long before she became involved with FoodMatter or had even heard of milk or egg allergy, Hannah Lawrence decided to go vegan – and did it all the worst ways….
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There are many great reasons to go vegan: you might be worried about animal welfare, health issues and food sustainability. But I didn’t have any of these noble concerns; I was an accidental vegan. I’d never been much of a meat eater; I hated the texture of chicken and other poultry, wasn’t fond of lamb and had never eaten pork (thanks to my religious upbringing). When I hit my teenage years, I suddenly got squeamish about eating beef too. Rather than reeling off a list of things I wasn’t keen on eating, when visiting friends and family, it was easier just to declare that I was vegetarian. A year or so later, I got really sick. Nothing to do with my diet; I’d developed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. There still isn’t a huge amount known about CFS, and there still isn’t a cure, but 25 years ago even less was known about it. I bounced between specialists and therapies; one of the treatments involved changing my diet. I was told to give up all dairy (and I didn’t like eggs anyway) and suddenly, by default, I was vegan. There are many, many smart ways to eat and live vegan, and I did precisely none of these things. In fact, my diet was so poor that my health got considerably worse; I couldn’t keep it up and within a year I was back to eating meat and dairy again. November is Go Vegan month. I’d certainly still consider going vegan again, but this time I’d be much smarter about how I did it. Here’s what I—and other vegans—learned about How Not To Go Vegan: MISTAKE 1: Going cold turkey (sorry) Do it right! Matthew is a vegan chef from Northumberland; he became a pescitarian in March, and went entirely vegan three months later. Whereas Gavin—an education officer from Sheffield—had been a vegetarian for nearly 30 years when he finally switched to a vegan diet five years ago. You’ll find the balance that works for you, just don’t label yourself a failure if you can’t go 100% vegan immediately; you might just have to work up to it. MISTAKE 2: Getting stuck in a recipe rut Do it right! Get googling to find sites stuffed with delicious new ideas: Matthew swears by Pinterest. Plus, there’s a new generation of food writers like Anna Jones (whose fabulous vegetarian cooking has quietly revolutionised the way many of us eat); there are many vegan recipes on her beautiful website. Our own Foods Matters recipe section has loads of veggie dishes that can easily be vegan with a few tweaks. MISTAKE 3: Not getting any Vitamin B12 Do it right! MISTAKE 4: Expecting to do a straight swap for all your favourite foods Do it right! MISTAKE 5: Not eating a balanced diet Do it right! MISTAKE 6: Not exploring new ingredients Do it right! MISTAKE 7: Just because it’s vegan, doesn’t mean it’s healthy. Do it right! MISTAKE 8: Not shopping regularly for fresh ingredients I’d often fling open my food cupboards, ready to knock up something tasty for supper, only to be greeted by half a bag of lentils, a sprouting onion and not much else. It’s hard to magic delicious food out of nothing, and I grew to resent my vegan diet (when in reality I should have been resenting my bad planning). Do it right! Either way, you’ll probably want to buy more fresh fruit and vegetables, as Gavin explains: “It’s harder to buy as many processed foods and ready meals as a vegan, which means you become more creative in the kitchen and cook more from fresh ingredients. I’ve always been an enthusiastic cook, but I feel like I’m much better at taking a bunch of things and putting them together without the safety net of a recipe.” MISTAKE 9: Feeling deprived There are so many delicious ways to adapt your favourite dishes. Don’t assume you have to say goodbye to all your favourites. Do it right! MISTAKE 10: Not asking for help I went vegan without reading anything about it or talking to anyone. I was doomed to failure. Do it right! And take heart, as Gavin says: “It wasn’t actually as tricky as I thought it might be. For the first week or two, it does kind of subsume your thoughts—and then it becomes normal and you’re surprised when you see other people actually drinking cow’s milk or eating meat.” Good luck, good health and good eating! Matthew and his wife Jo run the Square Roots vegan food stall in Tynemouth Market. Their food is allergy friendly, as well as vegan. (Image courtesy of Happy Cow.) 
November 2017 |
While veganism has been with us for many, many years it has taken on a new lease of life with the huge growth in the numbers of people now either needing or wanting to exclude milk and all dairy products and (or) eggs from their diet. This has been of great benefit to both parties – in terms of raising awareness of the issues involved but also because it has given a great boost to the production of milk/dairy free and egg free products, resulting in a much better choice of both for everyone.
So to celebrate 
