One Month Anniversary - 31 days as a vegetarian

So I've successfully done January as a vegetarian, and for a proportion of this time, vegan as well sort of by accident. So I suppose now is the time to take stock, evaluate the past month and see where this leaves me.

Was it as hard as I thought it would be?

Not, not really. It started off seeming quite limited, but as time went on, I found out which substitutes were best (Linda McCartney sausages a real winner, dehydrated soy chunks *vom*). I also got to try out some vege options at restaurants which were pleasantly surprising, as well as finding a couple of vegetarian restaurants in Birmingham. I was still able to have junk food (chips, chocolate, doughnuts) so didn't feel *too* deprived. I am very excited to go and check out 100%Vegan, a new shop thats just opened in Digbeth under the Warehouse Cafe (see earlier blogpost for a review) so hoping to try out some new items at some point.

Has it made a difference to my health?

I suppose to be able to give accurate results for this, it would have been useful to have had my cholestoral and blood pressure tested beforehand. Vegetarian diets are one of the best for reducing both of these things, but I don't have a comparison, so the jury's still out.

At times I have felt a little dizzy and lightheaded - however I have been pretty bad at taking vitamins regularly, so this is something I would have to do religiously if I choose to continue.

Weight loss? Well this was never about weight. I did start off calorie counting - mainly to check that I was getting enough calories if I wasn't eating meat. I have some of those wifi scales - so here's the graph for Jan-Feb - I started being vege on 1st Jan.

So, a small, yet definate downward line. I generally fluctuate around 55-57kg, but after some indulgence over Nov-Dec, this increased slightly so around 58kg on one day. So as a by product of this diet, it does seem that it has reduced slowly (this was with 5 meals out in 2 weeks as well). 

Do I feel any better/different?

I think I feel less bloated, but again that might just be me thinking that I should (placebo?). However I don't now feel uncomfortably full after meals. I still have to strike a balance between portion sizes though as I do find at times (generally about 6pm when I'm waiting for my second train) that I'm pretty damn hungry. 

My skin doesn't appear to have changed much - but again not sure I would see a difference in just 1 month. My boyfriend seems to have reduced his snoring, since we changed over completely to soy milk, so thats a definate bonus. I've heard other people feel very clear headed after they cut out meat/dairy but I haven't really experienced this (my head is usually a fuzzy muddle of thoughts anyway). 

Do I really miss meat?

Yes. I'd be lying if I said no. I was practically salivating at the sight of my friend's burger the other day. I can look at the meat in a supermarket and not feel an overwhelming sense of rage or disgust. However, it has become easier for sure. I think as I can become more experienced in cooking vegetables to make them tasty and experimenting with combinations I'll really start to appreciate them for their own flavours and taste, rather than seeing them as a poor substitute. There are some really great recipes I want to try out when I eventually move into my new house with oven that actually works. 

Am I going to keep this up?

Now, I can't promise anything. I don't know how sustainable this diet is long term for me, however I am definately convinced by a diet that contains significantly less meat and dairy. I'm sold on soya milk - it's awesome. I think if it did come to it in the future where I had no choice but to eat meat (say for example, on holiday or at someone's house), I might do it. I have read about the rise of the "flexitarian" - people who only eat meat about once a month, and that seems not too bad an option, if I really thought I was struggling. I think if I did move back to meat I'd stop buying supermarket meat and try to source local farm shops etc to avoid factory farming. It's hard to say. I'm going to try and continue as much as possible, but at this point I'm not going to make any promises.

However being a vegetarian so far, hasn't really been that bad. Tonight I am off to my friends house where they will cook me my own special vegetarian sausages toad in the hole (with egg free hole).

Chicken or the Egg?

Well, technically, in this case, neither.

Let me introduce you to one of my recent purchases - chicken free chicken. And egg free chicken too.

I was getting a bit sick of soy mince. It's definately a staple, but it lacks "bite". I've been craving something with the texture of meat, something a bit more substantial. So I stumbled across the Realeat Chicken Style pieces in Holland and Barrett - priced at a reasonable £2.59. 

They can just be added to normal recipes so I decided to make a stirfry. Now this is still soy protein based, but the texture is less "spongey" and more "meaty" so on that front I was quite pleased. They come frozen so I just added them to the pan. They took a while to defrost and I wasn't quite sure whether they were done or not, but as theres no risk of salmonella, its not the end of the world.

Now the thing for me that I think vege companies should bear in mind is that meat in general does not come in convenient, even sized, cubes. I felt like I was eating lego. It was far too even! I think it would have a higher degree of authenticity to it if it was cut in uneven pieces rather than cubes. However, it did "brown" in the pan quite well.

I then tested out zero calorie noodles. What is this madness I hear you say? Noodles with no calories? Yep. Well, technically they are 8cals per 100g, but since you expend that amount of energy eating the stuff, it works out at 0 net calories. Sounds too good to be true. Sounds too good to be tasty.

The ones I bought were the Zero Noodles which at £1.99 weren't cheap (I began reminiscing about making 8p chicken noodles in my university dorm room). Basically the bottom line on these is:

"Zero Noodles are made from Konjac Glucomannan which is a natural soluble fibre produced by the Konjac Plant which is then mixed with water to produce the noodles."

I'd heard of other noodles made from yams, but these seem something different. I'd also heard them referred to as "glass noodles" which I suppose is quite accurate as they are semi-translucent and shiny. They smelt a bit "fishy" when I first took them out the packet, but that dissapated once they'd been cooked. I fried them in the pan, as this is supposed to be the better way to cook them, if you boil them they can be too slimey.

Have to say I was quite surprised - they weren't bad. Once they were mixed in with the vegetables, sauce and chicken-free-chicken, it almost passed for a normal stir fry. They are more akin to thin spaghetti rather than noodles which I feel are slightly softer, but they were definately not inedible.

The finished stir fry looked like this:

And half of that came to 410 calories. Not bad for all that protein. I actually felt uncomfortably full afterwards (but not too full not to stuff my face with yoghurt coated cashew nuts for dessert). 

So this meal was chicken free, egg free, dairy free, and partly calorie free. This my friends, is the future of food. 

shopping!

I have just had a small spending spree in Holland and Barratt. Its ace fun, I'm always amazed at the variety of special food items and replacements you can get. I feel like I'm buying special astronaut food!

I've bought some frozen chicken style pieces which I'm really pleased with as I've not seen them before and quorn chicken thingies contain egg so are a no go for me. I'm going to buy some veg and sauce and make a stir fry.

Also bought a bag of the not-so-deliciously named "Textured Vegetable Protein" aka TVP. Hoping to have a go at these babies http://www.tryveg.com/lunch#sloppymoes

I also stocked up on some more smoked tofu whilst the "buy one get one for a penny" sale was on, and some vege burgers that were a steal at 99p for 4 (have yet to be taste tested)

I also pushed the boat out in a quasi-scientific experiment with some zero calorie noodles. At £1.99 for a small packet they are pricey but my boyfriend is noodle-curious so will give them a go with a load of veg as part of a stir fry. Will review them at a later date!

Was tempted by the meat free pepperami sticks and the "mock duck" in a can, but those little gems will have to be for another day!

Topped it all off with some yoghurt coated cashews for a treat :)

Warehouse Cafe, Digbeth

Above: Birthday Meal at The Warehouse Cafe

I feel I am getting pretty good at this eating out vegetarian malarky. In fact, since I feel I needed the practice, I think I have been out for resturant meals about 5 times in the past 2 weeks of being vegetarian.

It was recently my boyfriend's birthday - so I suggested we go to a vegetarian restaurant in roder to avoid temptation and perhaps get our friends to understand that not all vege food is tofu and salad.


I booked a table at The Warehouse Cafe in Digbeth, Birmingham. I had previously visited when I was about 18 with the vegan boyfriend at the time I have previously mentioned. In the past decade, it has undergone a revamp and changed owners, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

It's located on Allison Street, in part of a small corner complex that it shares with Friends of the Earth. Inside, it was simply decorated, but the nice wooden furniture, tealights and fairylights gave it a nice touch of ambiance that still retained its friendliness. There were a few other tables around us inhabited by couples who had clearly been before (one couple even made a repeat booking upon leaving) so it seems it has a loyal following in Birmingham.

Our servers were some of the friendliest I have ever met and attentive and polite without it seeming too annoying or overdone. They were very helpful and knowledgeable about the ingredients in the dishes.

My main gripe was that they aren't licensed to don't serve alcohol, but you are permitted to take your own, but this isn't made clear on their website so we missed out on a celebratory drink or two. Instead we ordered a huge amount of Fentiman's natural sodas between us. The Pink lemonade was a favourite.

I've included the menus below - I had the houmous and local bread with olive tepenade (lovely but far too much for a starter, I was full before the main came out!), the halloumi fish and chips (felt quite unhealthy eating this, it is battered cheese afterall!) but it was nice to have something "substantial". I topped it off with a vegan brownie, which frankly was overkill by this point, but I just couldn't leave without sampling a vegan dessert (I often miss out due to my egg allergy).

My party differed in their tastes - those a little sceptical stuck to vege burgers with various toppings, which seemed to be received quite well. However - I don't feel we have converted the masses just yet!

Amy's Kitchen

Just wanted to let you know about a good piece of customer service I received. One of the good things about eating a "special" diet, which includes allergies/intolerances/vegetarian/vegan etc is that many of the companies that produce these items are much smaller (Quorn excluded) and can often be local, family run or both.

I recently purchased a frozen ready meal (vegetable lasagne) from "Amy's Kitchen" from Holland and Barrett, whilst at work and realising as I'm trawling through Coventry city centre that I now only have about 7 minutes left for lunch and need something quick and easy. "Amy's Kitchen" is a USA brand, but they sell in the UK. They were originally a husband and wife team who wanted to make natural food for their daughter (called Amy, obviously) and now make a large range of vege, vegan and gluten free foods.

However when I cooked it, I felt sadly disappointed that it didn't resemble the picture on the front of the box. Not usually surprising for microwave meals, but these aren't your Tesco Smart Price 99p chicken curries. Saying this though, it was pretty delicious, and the fact the cheese used in it was vegan was even more surprising.

However, being a stickler for getting what you paid for, I posted a pic to their Facebook page. I was quickly contacted and offered a refund - and a few days later I received a coupon for a replacement meal, an apology letter, a pen and a brochure of all their products. Now that's what I call customer service!

I'll be keeping a look out for more of the Amy's Kitchen range.

Two Weeks So Far & Another meal out

So I'm just about to hit the 2 week mark officially. It's weird because although it becomes easier in that you grow more accustomed to what you can eat and what to buy when shopping, it also gets harder at the same time as temptations seems stronger. Apparently you need to do something new for 30 days in order to make it something you're likely to stick at. I suggest watching this Ted Talk video which is about setting goals and achieving change - all through doing something new for 30 days. I think I need to assess things at the end of the month and see how I am doing.

I've also been logging my food, and averaging around 1300 calories per day - all vegetarian. I haven't lost any weight and I don't feel that different, although I have noticed I don't feel as uncomfortable after eating a big meal. I'm hoping that in time it will have a positive effect on my skin as well, as I've been cutting back on sugar and treats (my new treat is an apple with cashew butter) although I know I'm not drinking near enough as much water as I should be - it's usually just tea. I read somewhere that dairy can have an adverse effect on your skin so perhaps I will see a change. I know that when my boyfriend drinks milk before bed, he ends up really congested and snores much worse than usual, here's hoping that soy milk will stop the snoring!

I'm getting bit sick of soy at the moment, so I need to look into more substantial meat substitutes. I want to find better ways to cook with tofu, as this has a better consistency. I read on a vege website that by freezing tofu and then defrosting it changes its texture - from "bouncy" to "chewy" which gives it a bit more "bite. So this is what I have done and tonight I will be attempting Stir Fried Veg with sesame crusted tofu. Hopefully it will come out good!

I requested a load of free leaflets from the vegetarian society - which included recipe cards, food planning and information on benefits of going vege on the environment, health and animals. 

I think when I've moved into my new house with its new kitchen, it will be easier as I'll have a working oven and a big fridge so will hopefully be able to bulk cook and freeze/chill things, as well as attempt things like pies, bakes and pastry based dishes. Things are definately getting a bit dull at the moment!

Last night I went to a restaurant/bar in Birminghams JQ with some friends. There were 2 vege options on the menu - one of which I was likely to be allergic to. I really had to make conscious effort not to fixate on the steak dishes and the other burgers - but I managed to avoid temptation and I had a vege burger which was "grilled portobello mushroom with peppers and boursin, served with salad and fries". It. Was. Amazing. I will definately go back and order this again! My boyfriend ordered a "spinach and nutmeg croquette with pasta and grilled artichoke". That also looked amazing, and even he was pleasantly surprised with it. 

Milk

I like soy milk. It's really tasty - creamy and smooth, and of course doesn't have any of the ethical ramifications that come with dairy milk (You can read about how it's bad for cows here)
I really love a soy latte. I really love coffee shops. I really like soy lattes from coffee shops. 


The high streets are full of various chain and independent coffee shops. Most will stock various kinds of milk depending on your tastes. However, one think I have found is a big difference between Starbucks and Costa with regards to soy milk.

Starbucks say this:

Is Soy Milk available in your stores?

Yes, we stock Soy Milk in all our stores.

Do you charge for Soy Milk?

Customers can enjoy a splash of soy milk at no extra charge, for example in a Tea or a Café Americano. However, due to its fairly low consumption, extra wastage occurs when preparing steamed soy milk for certain drinks, such as a Caffe Latte or Hot Chocolate. Because of this, coupled with the extra cost of purchasing soy milk, we add a 35p charge for soy milk in these beverages

So if, as an ethical consumer, I want to have a soy drink in starbucks, it will cost me an extra 35p on top of my £2.70 ish priced drink.

However, Costa Coffee, will provide Alpro Soy Milk as an alternative at no extra cost.

So with consideration of this, I will now spend my money in Costa wherever possible when I want more than "a splash" of milk. If any of you have not tried soy milk, I highly recommend it. It's quite cheap (Tesco's own brand is about 60p a carton) and widely available. Our milkman even delivers our two cartons a week so we don't even have to think about it.