The word antioxidants is peddled around all over wellness sites and on food products touting near-magical health benefits. But what are antioxidants, really, and why are they important? Explain to me like I’m 34 and never really made the effort to understand… (that’s me, by the way).
Food additives and E numbers
You know when you check food ingredients and you find a list of incomprehensible food additives? Yeah, it can be disconcerting. I’m hoping to share a bit about what why they’re there and what ‘E numbers’ are. That way, you can empower yourself to make more informed food choices – since the food industry doesn’t always play along.
Why we should eat breakfast
Friends, I’ve changed my mind about breakfast. For the last couple of years, I’ve been calling myself “not a breakfast person” – simply because I’m not hungry until 12 pm or so. I have my coffee (sometimes black, sometimes with soy milk), and my stomach doesn’t talk to me until later. But like I said, I’ve changed my mind, and I’m making a point to eat breakfast before 11 am.
Seaspiracy rocks the boat
I watched the newly-released Seaspiracy last week, along with many thousands of others: it’s been in the Top 10 in several countries around the world in the first few days of its release on Netflix. It’s from the makers of Cowspiracy and What the Health, with a distinctly similar style of exposing an industry and the environmental organisations that are covertly supporting it.
Healthy vegan snacks
The snack situation on a vegan diet typically needs a little more planning than otherwise, since a lot of stores don’t have vegan convenience foods besides expensive nut mixes. Homemade snacks are your best bet, and the healthiest too, since even vegan store-bought snacks often have funky ingredients and E-numbers like flavourants, preservatives and emulsifiers – not all bad, but whole …
Water: the number one nutrient in our diet
I have to say that I haven’t been able to create or maintain an adequate hydration habit. One glance at my habit tracker says as much. I’m writing this after a second cup of coffee; I’m already feeling a little sluggish and I catch myself thinking about yet another one. Even when I know, after all the reading I’ve done for this blog post, …
10 tips for my 10th ‘veganniversary’
10 years vegan. It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long, somehow… Time flies? I could share the process I went through that brought me to the decision to try vegan, and I could share what I’ve learnt in the 10 years since then. But that’s a lot of waffle (and most of it’s on my About page anyway). Instead, …
No, the ‘blood type diet’ is not a thing
Every now and again, the blood type diet pops up as a thing that someone’s trying, or wondering about trying. It’s a fad diet that was super popular in the ’90s, but there’s no scientific evidence to support its claims, and it’s not a thing. What are the claims? Popularised by a naturopath by the name of Peter J. D’Adamo, the …
Thinking beyond a ‘white’ veganism
We’re nearing the end of Black History Month. As I’ve been taking a more nuanced view on things, I figured I’d share a few thoughts on ‘white veganism’. I’m learning how important it is to open my eyes (and my heart) to the myriad forms of oppression in our world. We want a better world for everyone, and awareness is the first step towards …
Coffee Naps
Spoiler alert: I’m about to share a brilliant secret to napping. The key? Coffee. Better than either coffee or naps, are coffee naps! Napping fails For a long time, particularly in my first year of undergrad, I got trapped in a really unhealthy sleep cycle. I’d get home after a long day of lectures and tutorials, too done in to …
Smoothies, Salads, Soups & Stews
I’m an avid habit-tracking (and bullet journaling) enthusiast, and one of the things that I try to check off daily is “Smoothie, Salad, Soup or Smoothie”. Even if my other meals are monotonous and dull, just having that one “S-meal” (as I call it) per day helps ensure that I ingest a wider variety of foods. A diversity of whole, plant-based …
Coffee lovers, this one’s for you
I’ve gotta say, I love my strong morning coffee. It’s a daily ritual that gets me buzzing, and I’m quite ok to be labelled a coffeeholic. Although if I’m honest, I probably don’t need it. On the odd occasion when I’ve run out of coffee, I’ve managed without a problem. But I figured it’s probably a good idea to learn …
Ending the mass culling of male chicks
I read in the news this week that Germany is drafting a new law that will ban the culling of male chicks in the poultry industry. The article reminded me of a little “investigation” I undertook a few years ago, to find out about what actually goes on in our local egg industry. I first learnt about this practice of …
How to get enough omega-3 fatty acids on a vegan diet
Hold on tight! We’re uncovering some of the mysteries of essential fatty acids, why they’re important, where we can find them in foods, and whether we should supplement them. I’m rarely satisfied with a cursory overview and find myself digging into the details to understand as much as possible. This is a fascinating topic with still-evolving research, and I hope …
Mushroom super-powers
I love mushrooms, and I get a bunch pretty much every time I do a grocery haul. Their texture can be astonishingly meaty (have you tried my Meaty Marinated Mushrooms?) and they bring wonderful umami to a dish. I have, however, come across fringe questions about whether they’re even vegan – it never occurred to me to asked myself that question! I knew that …
5 ways that we can do better in 2021
I’m not one to set New Year’s Resolutions, but this year is different. The shit-storm that was 2020 has taught me a lot, especially this: we need to do better. Yes, do Veganuary. Yes, call your family more. But these things alone are not enough, while the world is reeling from the impacts of COVID-19 and the ongoing climate crisis. As …
‘Plant-based’ vs ‘Vegan’, explained
With the start of Veganuary next month, hundreds of thousands of people around the world will be trying out a vegan diet. Thanks to initiatives like this and others, there’s been a huge shift in the global food industry with more and more innovative plant-based alternatives to meat, dairy and eggs.But what’s the difference between a vegan diet and a plant-based …
Festive gathering survival guide for vegans
It’s the holiday season, and some of us are fortunate enough to safely share a meal with our nearest and dearest, despite corona-times. However, family gatherings around the dinner table can be stressful if you’ve recently changed your diet away from the dominant food culture. My first Christmas gathering after I shifted to a vegan diet was pretty tough: watching …