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).
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 …
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 …
‘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 …
Can dogs be vegan?
It looks like I may soon be sharing my new home with a beautiful big diva of the canine persuasion. Therefore, I figured it would be a good time to read up about dogs and a vegan diet – and share my learnings here. Companion animals globally have a massive environmental footprint. So if it’s possible to reduce their impact …
Diabetes, insulin resistance & diet
Following my first post about Carbs vs Fats, I’m looking into insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. I always thought of diabetes as an irreversible illness where you’d have to take injections every day for the rest of your life. But I’ve learnt a bit more and the great news is, that’s not true. First, some basics: What is insulin? Insulin …
Collagen on a vegan diet
A star of the beauty industry and the subject of recent bone both trends, collagen has become all the rage as a ‘must-have’ part of a supplementing regime to ensure strong nails, shiny hair, youthful skin. But is it necessary to supplement it? You might have realised that it’s not something that folks on a plant-based diet typically supplement, for the simple reason that …
The Daily Dozen Challenge
The most helpful guide for a healthy diet that I’ve ever come across, hands-down, is called the Daily Dozen Challenge. It’s created by Dr Michael Greger (founder of NutritionFacts.org), from having researched the special benefits of different plant-food groups. It’s all very well to say that it’s best to eat a whole food plant-based diet, but different foods have very different benefits that are often not shared …
13 ways to eat more beans
I’ve talked about how important it is to eat beans (or other legumes) every day: they’re a super important source of protein, fibre, iron and many other good things. But when we’re not used to the idea of eating beans regularly, our imagination might not stretch much further than emptying a can of beans into a bowl. We forget that there are hundreds of …
Carbs vs Fats
When it comes to dieters and health trendsters, carbs and fats have had avid fans and haters alike, thanks to a very polarised portrayal in the media. As such, we’ve seen both extremes, with low-fat diets minimising fat and oil intake, and low-carb diets minimising all carb-rich foods. Low-fat diets have been around for ages, based on the premise that …
Fun facts about nuts & seeds
You know how health blogs always harp on about the benefits of nuts and seeds? Well this one is no exception. Indeed, plenty of nutritional studies (including rigorous interventional trials) have found that regular consumption of nuts and seeds significantly reduces the risk of lifestyle diseases and premature death overall. And despite their high calorie-density, they are causally linked to …
Supplements on a plant-based diet
Over the years, I’ve come across folks who feel that taking a supplement is somehow unnatural, and that there should be a way to get 100 percent of your nutrition from natural sources like whole plant foods. It’s a nice idea, but the reality is that the world we live in doesn’t allow for this. Mechanised food systems that are built for production …
Tips for eating out (or ordering in)
Avoiding animal products when you’re cooking at home is relatively straightforward, once you’ve got the hang of reading ingredients while shopping, and you’ve got your vegan shopping list favourites. Eating out (or ordering in) is a different ball-game though. If there’s a 100% plant-based eatery you can order from, that’s definitely the easiest! Apps like HappyCow or abillionveg make finding these places a breeze. …
Protein intake on a plant-based diet
“Where do you get your protein?” is of course one of the most-asked questions about a plant-based diet—largely thanks to the meat industry that for decades has sold us the message that we must eat animals to get the protein we need. (Also thanks to the more recent hype around high-protein diets—which are poorly supported by scientific research.) While the term ‘complete protein’ …
7 tips to crowd out the meat & dairy
Heading towards a plant-based diet? Maybe the idea of cutting out familiar foods is overwhelming, especially if you’re used to eating meat, dairy or eggs daily and the thought of eating only plants (eep!) is a scary one. I get it: ‘cutting out’ foods can feel a bit like you’re depriving yourself—that your new diet is some kind of punishment, …