One Year Vegan Update #Veganuary

Friday, January 10, 2020
The start of the new year marks the start of Veganuary and, for me, the one year milestone of being vegan. As it is the month for Veganuary and all things vegan, I will be publishing more posts about my vegan favourites, recipes and vegan beauty products throughout the month so stay tuned. I thought I'd give you a little context before we begin with my thoughts on being vegan for a year. I have been vegetarian for around 15 years and I have been on/off vegan for the past three years but at the start of 2019 I decided to become fully vegan and I'm SO happy that I did!

No more eczema
There are many changes, both positive and negative, about a vegan diet and lifestyle but one of the main changes I've personally noticed is how much dairy affected my eczema. As I've mentioned, I have been on/off vegan for years but never for more than a month; however I wish I'd made the change so much sooner because since mid-febuary I haven't had any eczema at all on my face and only the smallest amount on one tiny section of my hand which is incredible.

If you personally have eczema, then you know how utterly upsetting and painful it can be especially if you have to keep going back to the doctors and having endless flare-ups. There's no 'cure' for eczema so I had resigned myself to a life of eczema management using steroid creams and anti-histamines (neither of which helped that much overall) so the lack of eczema for the entire year has been almost unbelievable.

For the first time in over ten years, I haven't had to use a single eczema product, I haven't had to go to the doctors regarding my eczema and I haven't had any eczema on my face...it's incredible and something I genuinely never thought would happen. I'm so grateful that I've found the trigger for my eczema and now I can avoid it so I don't have to have eczema at all anymore. It's such a relief, especially after having horrendous eczema on my face and eyes for so many years.

Vegan Food Favourites
2019 was the year of vegan food releases, from Marks and Spencer, Tesco, Sainsburys, Greggs and many more. Before 2019 I had trouble just finding vegetarian food, never mind vegan options but I'm so glad to have many more choice now. Whether you're vegan for health/moral reasons, if you are trying to reduce meat consumption or if you're just interested in trying new food, I think we can all appreciate the delicious new vegan options in major supermarkets, online and in restaurants.

Some of my favourites of the year have to include the Ben and Jerrys ice cream (chocolate fudge brownie), Pizza Hut vegan pizza, Greggs vegan sausage roll and the Marks and Spencers Plant Kitchen range and especially the Thai Green Curry and No Chic'n Nuggets. A more recent favourite from the range are their no duck spring roll which is incredibly delicious. Also I have to mention the incredible Beyond Meat burger which is the best burger I've ever had!

Tips
Lastly for today's post, I wanted to mention a few tips that might be helpful for those who are trying out veganuary for the first time. If you are vegan or vegetarian and you have any tips or advice then leave it in the comment below.

  • I have been eating a vegetarian diet since I was a child and I think the process of becoming vegan was much easier for that reason so my first tip is to switch gradually. Starting by reducing meat and dairy consumption, switching to vegan meals throughout the week or switch to a vegetarian diet first. 
  • Make small changes! Your switch doesn't have to be instantaneous or dramatic, just make small adjusts over time such as adding in meat and dairy free alternatives to your diet. Instead of using cows milk, use almond, for example. 
  • It doesn't have to be all or nothing, you can just cut out eggs and fish or dairy and pork. You don't have to be fully vegan, it isn't a competition. Making ethical and environmentally friendly choices consistently is something we should all think about and strive to achieve but it doesn't have to happen instantly or in its entirety.
For more vegan recipes that promote good eye health, check out the Essilor blog!

Do you have any tips? Are you vegetarian or vegan? If not, why not? Are you trying veganuary?

15 comments

  1. The M&S Thai Green Vegan Curry is delicious! My husband can't have cows milk so we've had to change our eating habits. All the 'treats' in our house are vegan now simply because he can't have most chocolate, biscuits, cake etc.
    Em x

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  2. I seriously going to take the jump into being vegan. I'm so close to it anyway since I don't drink milk or use butter, but have the occassional quiche from a family friend. Late to the game this month but better late than never!! Hopefully my eczema will sort itself out! Congrats on all of your achievements, hun! xx

    Daisy xoxo | TheDeeWhoLived

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  3. Doing the transition slowly is definitely the best way!

    Love, Amie ❤
    The Curvaceous Vegan

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  4. Love your point about it not being a competition. I think the all or nothing mentality really puts people off x

    Jenny
    http://www.jennyinneverland.com

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  5. Congratulations on a year of being vegan! I'm not sure I could make the change permanently but I've definitely been making small changes recently which all help xx

    Tiffany x www.foodandotherloves.co.uk

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  6. Congrats! I know it's not easy I tried it myself but totally gave in. I have mainly cut out meat but have been eating fish.


    Candice

    natalyaamour.com

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  7. I'm not a vegan but I always find it useful reading posts like this as I'm intrigued by how the diet change can affect the body x

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  8. I love your final point! I always smile when I read comments or see something on social media about people trying to reduce consumption or cut out one thing. It really doesn't have to be all or nothing and I think that pushy attitude puts a lot of people off. Glad to hear it helped your skin so much, I noticed really similar changes too x

    Sophie
    www.glowsteady.co.uk

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  9. The vegan sausage roll is so much better than the original one. We're not vegan and I'm not planning on changing this but we have introduced more meatfree meals at home xx

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  10. Would love to hear about some of your favourite recipes!

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  11. M&S Plant Kitchen has been a favourite of mine too!

    Jasmine xx



    Jasmine Talks Beauty

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  12. There are so many great alternatives available now.

    https://littlemissmelanie.com/

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  13. Well done for managing the whole year! I think I would be rubbish at it - I love dairy! :O

    Erin || MakeErinOver

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  14. Such an inspiration! Have you discovered the meatless "meat" balls at SUBWAY? They're really tasty x

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  15. I definitely want to start trying more vegan options! xx

    Maiya | maiyabellexo.co.uk

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