I posted about my favourite vegan instagram accounts recently and I made the caveat that although I love these vegan influencers, I myself am not vegan. I don’t know if it’s the pull of certain meals and the memory they hold for me or simple convenience. I’ve eaten a certain way my whole life and because I don’t have a strong enough ethical pull to stop, I haven’t. Either way, as much as I’ve been eating a lot more meat free meals, I’ve not ever switched over to a full vegetarian or vegan existence.
It’s not even close to January so this isn’t a Veganuary, though I guess it is in sorts. I’ve decided to challenge myself to be much more intentional in what I eat and that’s propelled me to also cut out meat and dairy products. I’m not going to say forever, but at least for the next 30 days. I’ll keep a diary of what I eat and share it here, though not of every single meal as I feel I’ll be doing quite a lot of repetition with what I eat as batch cooking and I have become good friends.
What's in this post
What do I plan to eat during my meat free month?
I’ve been eating more plant-based meals this year. So I already have some staples that will make appearances. What’s funny is if I wasn’t aware of such amazing resources and influencers such as London Afro Vegan or Original Flavour, I’d have been forgiven for thinking there wasn’t already a wealth of flavoursome afro-caribbean foods for me to eat.
On the contrary, by nature, many meals from Africa and the West-Indies are plant based. So whether it’s a plate of hard food with some ackee and peppers for dinner or a banana fritter at lunch time, the options are bountiful.
Some of my favourite plant-based meals so far have been:
- akara
- spinach and egusi stew
- moi-moi
- crunchy salad and guac
- daal
- sweet potato and lentil curry
- split pea soup
- west-indian ‘saturday soup’
- banana fritters
- baked sweet potatoes with quorn mince
I want to keep things affordable as I’m trying to save some money and stop living like someone with no responsibilities. So I’m expecting to eat lots of pulses, beans and grains as they’re super cheap and whatever vegetables are in season and preferably also on offer. Lentils, carrots, mushrooms, pasta etc are going to become my best friends. I don’t think the kids are as happy about the added pulses as I am, but I love how it reminds me of the meals from my childhood.
What do I hope to achieve by eating a more plant-based diet
Honestly, I’m not sure. I’ve read about many benefits of eating a vegan diet, including but not limited to clearer skin, catching less common colds, feeling healthier, a reduction in cholesterol and blood sugar, all of which I’d be over the moon about. I don’t have any expectations, I’m going in with an open mind and anything positive will be a blessing.
In addition to cutting out meat and dairy products, I’m also going to up my water intake and cut out coffee. I’m way too reliant on caffeine and since I’ve started working from home full time, my water intake has suffered as much as my level of activity. So I’ve also joined the gym and on days where I’m not active enough, walking the dog, doing home workouts etc, will end the day / start the next one with a workout at the gym. Expect some gym selfies. I’m not even sorry.
Have you gone meat free? Are you vegan? If you have any tips or favourite recipes, I’d love to see them!
