Ways to Eat more Fruit

We all want to be healthy but sometimes you can neglect the foods which are good for you. Eating more fruit is one way to improve your health but many people struggle to hit the five a day target. So here are some tips to help you increase your fruit intake: 

• Make smoothies. You can have your five a day in one delicious drink. Simple. 
• Add chopped banana onto peanut butter on toast. This is the perfect healthy combination of protein and potassium, this is a great pre-workout meal. 
• Eat chopped up fruit alongside your lunch, it makes a meal more interesting and not to mention more colourful. 
• Start eating avocados, this fruit is mainly used in savoury dishes so you can increase your fruit intake whilst eating your evening meal. 
• At the start of the day make up a fruit salad and leave it in a big tub to eat throughout the day. If it is already prepared you are more likely to snack on fruit rather than anything else. 
• Make nice cream for dessert, turning frozen fruit into an ice cream alternative is one delicious way to eat healthier. Simply blend frozen fruit (bananas are commonly used for nice cream) with non dairy milk adding any flavouring you want such as cacao powder for a guilt free dessert. 
• Make jam. Turn your favourite fruit into a homemade jam. There are some simple recipes which can easily be made with blended fruit. This can then be added to toast. 

These are some easy ways to eat more fruit. It can be easy to eat your five a day or more by using more interesting ways of using fruit. 

The Vegan Challenge Tips

Trying the vegan lifestyle is something many people want to do whether it's for health reasons or to see if they can survive as veganism is seen as difficult. Many people think they could never change their diet and think going vegan is beyond them even if they would like to do it for ethical reasons. One way to see if veganism is for you is to try the vegan challenge. Going vegan for a month is one way to see if this lifestyle is for you (and I definitely think it is great for everyone) so here are some tips for anyone transitioning to veganism or trying the vegan challenge. 

1) Replace everything: Sometimes people going vegan focus on what they now can't eat and simply cut a large portion of their diet out. One simple way to go vegan is to simply REPLACE everything you eat now with the vegan version. I always say there is a vegan version for everything, milk, cheese and even bacon have a vegan alternative so if you have milk on cereal for breakfast buy some non-dairy milks and there are many options to choose from. If you love cheese try the vegan kind and there are even alternatives to eggs. Vegan egg from follow your heart is a new product which allows you to make scrambled eggs and you can even bake with them. Plus with so many fake meats there is a vegan alternative to everything. 

Here are a few alternatives: 



Check out http://followyourheart.com/veganegg/ for an egg alternative and see http://www.vbitesfoods.com/ for all your meat alternatives. 

2) Try new foods: Veganism is a plant based diet and there are over 20,000 species of edible plants in the world. Your favourite food might be something you have never tried. Use your new vegan diet as an excuse to try new, exotic and different foods, eve things you don't like the sound of as your taste buds do change when you cut out animal products so you might discover something delicious. 

3) Use the internet: With so many resources online it is easy to find help and support for your vegan lifestyle. If you use social media follow vegans and vegan blogs for inspiration and follow some vegan groups on facebook to find out where to get bargain vegan products. Also Veganuary is the official site which helps people try the vegan challenge in January but guess what you can use their site full of recipes, information and help any time of year. It's jam packed full of advice so make sure you check it out: http://www.veganuary.com/

4) Eat more: Vegan foods tend to be lower in fat and calories and digest really quickly, this is why the vegan lifestyle is so good for maintaining a healthy weight or losing weight for those who want to. However if you are already at your ideal weight you need to make sure you eat more food to get enough calories each day. Not eating enough will make you feel weak and ill and then you won't see the true benefits of a vegan diet. When trying the vegan challenge using an app like My Fitness Pal to track your calories is a good way to ensure you eat enough food, the amount you need will vary depending on how active you are but a basic guide is 2000 calories a day for women and 2500 calories a day for men. 

5) Ignore negative people: A lot of people will probably think you are crazy and won't understand why you are becoming a vegan. Veganism is becoming more popular but it is still a minority lifestyle. Don't let other people's judgements and negativity stop you from giving this lifestyle a go, the truth is most people just don't understand what you eat as a vegan or why you would want to do it. They see it as taking away a large part of your food intake and don't realise that everything can be replaced and this is a healthier way to live for maintaining a healthy weight and reducing your risk of diseases. Try to educate others and don't give in to anyone who thinks this lifestyle is extreme. As far as I'm concerned eating the dead flesh of animals who have been murdered, consuming animal products which cause illnesses and wearing animal byproducts as fashion is extreme, avoiding cruelty and being healthy is not. 

6) Watch You Tube videos: There are so many vegan youtubers and my favourite vlogs are the 'what I eat in a day' videos, these have given me so much inspiration on different meal ideas. This will make sure you know what to eat as a vegan and can help you meal plan. They are also brilliant ways to find new foods as when you are new to the vegan lifestyle the hardest part can be getting used to what to eat. 

7) Read the Science: There are so many scientific studies showing meat causes cancer, dairy causes acne and eggs are believed to increase the risk of cancer, diabetes and raise cholesterol. These studies don't always make it to the mainstream media because the meat, dairy and egg industries are big businesses and guess what businesses don't care about your health you need to care enough to research what you are eating and what your 'food' is doing to your body. Check out some articles here: 

http://www.pcrm.org/health/cancer-resources/ask/ask-the-expert-eggs

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/news/world-health-organization-says-processed-meat-causes-cancer

http://www.acnemilk.com/the_no_milk_acne_diet

8) Eat Out: One of the reasons many people give for not going vegan is because it's too hard to stick to and there are not enough options. While I agree the vegan menus in some places need improving there are still so many places which do great vegan options. Eating out and trying new vegan meals will make you see it is easier than you think. A lot of places will offer a vegan alternative and mainstream eateries like Las Iguanas, The Cosy Club, Zizzi, JD Weatherspoons, Loungers, Pizza Express, The Handmade Burger Company, Pret A Manger and Giraffe all have vegan options. Eating out in places which aren't traditional vegan cafes will show you how easy veganism can fit into your life. You won't have to avoid your friends or stop eating with your family it isn't as hard as you first think. 

9) Your taste will change: Another barrier people have when going vegan is the love they have for one product. Whether it's eggs, cheese or meat that you 'can't live without' the reality is you can live without these things you just don't want to. This is why doing the vegan challenge is a great idea as it forces you to give up those foods that you love, many of these products you will eat out of habit and over time your taste changes meaning you no longer crave these foods and will find new ones you love. This is great as meat, dairy and eggs are unhealthy for you and bad for the animals and the planet. You will learn that you can not only live without them but your life and health is better without them. 

10) Research the ethical side: You may try veganism for health reasons or as a challenge. It might be a bit of fun and something new to try. This is great and you may want to stick with it simply because you feel happier and healthier although looking into the ethical reasons to go vegan will make it a lifelong change. I was a lifelong vegetarian until I read an article on the cruelty within the dairy and egg industries. I couldn't continue to support the animal cruelty which is unnecessary as you don't need any animal products in your diet to survive. I am now very interested in animal rights and know a lot about the cruel processes within these industries. When you avoid certain foods for ethical reasons it is so much easier to do as you are not giving up your favourite food or meal, you are giving up animal cruelty and refusing to support inhumane practices. It is a choice and rather than being something difficult it is easy to do the right thing. I don't have to make excuses as to why I support killing and cruelty, this isn't part of my life and that is the best part of this lifestyle. 


Hopefully these tips will help anyone trying the vegan challenge. Who knows a one month challenge may become a new lifestyle. The main thing is to do it right, eat enough, research and try new foods as you will only get the benefits from being a vegan if you do it properly and there are so many benefits to being a vegan, if you want to be healthier, happier and live cruelty free this is the life for you! 

Budget Vegan- How to save money when shopping

 Food is essential and it can also be expensive especially if you don't shop around. Most people stick to the same supermarkets, buy the same products and perhaps don't realise how much they could save. Another bad habit people have is doing a big weekly shop, buying lots of ingredients with the good intention of using it only for it to go off and get thrown away. If this is something you do you are literally throwing money away. Nowadays most people do not have a lot of money to spend, I am on a budget myself but determined to find ways to be healthy. To do this you need to shop smart and find bargains. 

One tip for saving money is to only buy the ingredients you need. If you are making a meal for one or two people you will obviously need less ingredients so why buy family sized products? Also if you only want to use one ingredient in one meal there is no point buying in bulk. Buying loose vegetables allows you to only buy what you need, loose fruit and veg is also often cheaper than the ones in fancy packaging that you only throw away anyway and the bonus is it is better for the environment. There is far too much plastic on food that doesn't need it these days which only ends up in the land fill so save your money and save the environment by buying loose vegetables and smaller amounts. You'll be amazed by how much you save and how little you need to throw away. 

Eat the Rainbow

You may have heard the saying eat the rainbow but what does it mean? 

It is a favourite quote of health gurus and fitness coaches. It basically means eat more colourful food such as fruits and vegetables because each colour contains valuable nutrients and vitamins that are essential for good health. 

By choosing food based on colour you gain all the different benefits listed above. Each one has great properties such as red foods helping heart health and white foods reducing the risk of cancer. However you shouldn't stick to just one colour of food. To gain the best overall benefits it is important to eat a variety of foods- remember to 'eat the rainbow' and you will get all the nutrients your body needs to improve your immune system, fight infections and diseases and act as the best form of anti-ageing. Food is the best medicine and eating healthily can help you avoid needing actual medicines. 

An easy way to add more colourful food to your diet is to prepare all your ingredients first when cooking. Add all your different ingredients to your plate first so you can see how colourful it is, if your plate doesn't look like a rainbow add some more vegetables. 

If your plate has a variety of colours you know that you are gaining many different nutrients, even if you are unsure what they are you will know that it is healthy and full of essential vitamins. If your plate looks too beige or all the same colour it's a sign you are not eating the right foods. Think about junk food or a take away, it is very rarely bright in colour because it lacks nutrients. Add more variety to each meal and you will feel the difference. 

The Magazine for Vegan's- Vegan Life

"Bringing Vegan into Vogue" Vegan life magazine is the perfect read for finding new vegan products, recipes and information. 

This is a great read for hearing stories of other people's reasons for becoming vegan, articles about the environment, nutrition and health. Being vegan can be a bit alienating in mainstream culture- other magazines will feature recipes that are not suitable for you or give health tips that don't suit your lifestyle. This is one reason this magazine is perfect, it is about all areas of life and shows people that there is a vegan community. Vegan Life is also amazing for finding out about new products, the adverts featured are all vegan businesses that you might never have heard of. 

The fact that there is a vegan magazine on the shelves shows that veganism is increasing in popularity. The only downside is trying to find places that stock the magazine- it is worth contacting your local independent shop or supermarket and asking them to stock the magazine. 

Vegan Starter Kit from Peta

Handy tip for all new vegans needing advice and inspiration, you can get a FREE starter kit from PETA. 



You can have a digital copy e-mailed to you or receive one in the post. It's full of information on what foods to buy, which foods contain protein and calcium and has an invaluable meal planner. 

This is perfect for new vegans or anyone struggling with what to eat on a vegan diet. It also contains information on why going vegan is good for the environment and your health making it perfect for anyone considering going vegan, it will give you all the facts to make your decision. 

It is a really informative and handy guide- recommended for all. 

Get your copy here: http://action.peta.org.uk/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=5&ea.campaign.id=23376

Happy World Vegan Day

Happy World Vegan Day! 

In honour of the day, whether you are vegan, going vegan or interested in the lifestyle I wanted to share a great organisation which I have recently joined- The Vegan Lifestyle association. 

They are a non-profit organisation for anyone interested in Veganism and provide tips, support for vegans and promote an ethical lifestyle. They provide invaluable information and a helpful community, why not join today and be part of this friendly and growing group. 

It is FREE to join and run by volunteers. The website is easy to use and full of helpful information. 

Check it out at https://veganlifestyleassoc.com and sign up today 

Vegan Vampires- Not so scary Halloween Treats

The witching hour is upon us and Vegans want to share in the fun and rot our teeth too! So here's a break down of some vegan treats you can share with friends, give out to trick or treaters or just eat by yourself as you hide in the dark and ignore the knocks on the door. 

1) Tesco Free From Chocolate buttons: 


Kids will love them because who doesn't love chocolate buttons and the best thing is they are milk and dairy free. Find them in the free from section in Tesco. 

2) Starburst:

This is one of the amazingly accidentally vegan products that is perfect for a Halloween party, fill up a bowl and enjoy a guilt free vegan treat. 

3) Goody Good Stuff Cola bottles:



Found in Holland and Barrett and many health food shops these vegan cola bottles are perfect for Halloween treats. It just shows you that anything can be made vegan, check out the range for more vegan sweets to add to your many treats. 

4) Love Hearts: 



Go back to your childhood and see if you get the message you want with Love Hearts. They are almost too nice for Halloween but since they are vegan you can add them to the collection and show all the ghouls at your party how much you love them. 

5) Kettle Chips: 



 If you can't take any more sweets, try something savoury instead with Kettle Chips. Some of their range is labelled vegan and perfect for parties. 

Who says Halloween has to be scary for Vegans- you can carve pumpkins, dress in ridiculous outfits and eat your body weight in sweets like everyone else! Happy Halloween everyone.