I’ve had a couple documentaries on my to-watch list on a while under the subject ‘vegan lifestyle’, so the other day I decided to watch one of them. I watched the documentary Food Choices. As the title refers to it will probably change the way you look at your eating habits, maybe even for the rest of your life. Most of you know that I’ve been following vegetarian principles for a long time (with huge succes), but at the same time I’ve also been sort of afraid to put a label on it. To say ‘I’m vegetarian’ or ‘I’m vegan’ can seem like an overwhelming step.Ā What if you’re doing something wrong? What if people will think of you as difficult to be around or even worse hysterical? What if you do eat some meat one day anyway? Bottomline is, that we care too much about ourselves. We are more interested in what we WANT to eat, than to worry about all the other species and future generations we share this world with.Ā
Jeg har lƦnge haft et par dokumentarer under emnet vegansk livsstil pĆ„ min liste pĆ„ Netflix, og den anden dag besluttede jeg mig for, at nu skulle jeg altsĆ„ se Ć©n af dem. Jeg sĆ„ derfor dokumentaren Food Choices. Og som undertitlen rigtig nok hentyder til, sĆ„ vil den hĆøjst sandsynligt Ʀndre dit syn pĆ„ de ting du spiser, mĆ„ske endda for altid. De fleste af jer ved, at jeg i lang tid har forsĆøgt at leve sĆ„ vegetarisk som muligt (og med stor succes), men har samtidig vƦret enormt bange for, at sƦtte et label pĆ„. At sige “jeg er vegetar” eller “jeg er veganer” virker pĆ„ Ć©n eller anden mĆ„de lidt skrƦmmende. Det binder ligesom, og hvad nu hvis man gĆør Ć©t eller andet forkert? Hvad nu hvis folk bare synes man er besvƦrlig eller hysterisk? Hvad nu hvis man kommer til at spise kĆød en dag alligevel? Bottomline er, at vi i dag tƦnker for meget pĆ„ os selv. Vi er mere interesserede i hvad vi gerne VIL spise, end at tƦnke pĆ„ de arter og fremtidige generationer vi deler den her verden med.
That’s where I think the documentary Food Choices is brilliant, because I didn’t hink of it as a slap in the face to all meat eaters from a bunch of chest beating vegans, I saw it a video filled with interesting and not least inspiring facts from a lot of experts on the subject. You get a lot of facts and then it’s up to you to make the final decision based upon that. And I have to say, there’s not one doubt in my mind right now in regards to taking my vegetarian journey one step further and dig into veganism. I wont go into a lot of details on the facts of the video because there are so many, and some of them are rather complex – so I’d rather encourage you all to watch it instead, even if you’re not into living a meat-free life. It will without a doubt inspire you to eat healthier in general anyway. One thing I’d like to highlight from the documentary though is, that you may be sceptic to begin with; maybe you’ll think the food doesn’t taste of much, but in time your tastebuds will change and you’ll start to enjoy the plant-based food more and crave meat and dairy less. I’ve experienced the latter on my own body, after cutting out meat almost completely. I also feel like I’ve become more creative in the kitchen. It’s about not focusing on all the things you “can’t” have, but instead focus your energy on what you CAN eat and what new dishes you can make on a plant-based diet. Oh, and that thing about being worried about protein? Forget it. It’s (according to the documentary) an outdated prejudice to this lifestyle. If you want some inspiration on delicious vegan food I can highly recommend THIS instagram profile. Nom nom nom!
Der synes jeg dokumentaren food choices er rigtig god, for jeg opfattede den ikke som en lussing fra veganere, men nƦrmer en video fuld af nogle rigtig interessante og ikke mindst inspirerende facts og eksperter pĆ„ omrĆ„det. Man fĆ„r en masse fact pĆ„ bordet, og valget er sĆ„ op til Ć©n selv efterfĆølgende. Og jeg mĆ„ sige, at jeg lige nu slet ikke er i tvivl om, at jeg vil forsĆøge at gĆ„ i en mere vegansk retning end jeg hidtil har gjort. Jeg vil ikke gĆ„ vildt meget i detaljer om indholdet af dokumentaren, for der er sĆ„ mange facts at huske og forholde sig til – sĆ„ i stedet vil jeg opfordre dig derude til, at se den. Uanset om du er Ć„ben overfor den veganske livsstil eller ej, sĆ„ vil den helt sikkert bidrage til, at du for fremtiden trƦffer sundere og mere bƦredygtige valg nĆ„r det kommer til din kost. Ćn ting jeg gerne vil fremhƦve fra dokumentaren er dog det her med, at man mĆ„ske vil vƦre skeptisk i starten; synes at maden ikke smager af noget, men med tiden vil dine smagslĆøg Ʀndre sig og du vil helt naturligt crave kĆød og mejeriprodukter mindre og mindre og synes, at den grĆønne kost smager meget bedre. DĆ©t har jeg jo allerede oplevet pĆ„ egen krop, efter jeg er holdt op med bare at spise kĆød. Jeg synes desuden ogsĆ„, at jeg er blevet meget mere kreativ i kĆøkkenet. Det handler om ikke at fokusere pĆ„ alle de ting du ikke “mĆ„” spise, men i stedet se pĆ„ alle de muligheder du fĆ„r for at lave nye, lƦkre retter. Ć h, og dĆ©t der med at du som veganer ikke fĆ„r nok protein? Glem det. Det er (ihvertfald ifĆølge dokumentaren) en forƦldet fordom til denne livsstil. Til inspiration kan jeg isƦr anbefale DENNE instagram profil. Nam nam nam!
So with all this being said I’ve decided to kick of 2018 joining the #veganuary trend that’s a huge deal all over social media right now (another proof that social media is AWESOME. Period). The vegan lifestyle is everywhere like never before, and more and more people are turning towards the plant-based diet. And I really understand why because it’s good for both body and mind in so many ways. In Food Choices for example, we meet a woman who was once on the urge of suicide while she had a depression, and she ended up healing and loosing weight too by joining the vegan movement. That just made a huge impression on me, because I think it proves how much good energy eating healthy and clean brings to your soul. This is one of the most important reasons for me to join this lifestyle but of course the sustainable factor is important to me too. So January is gonna be the month where I’m trying out the vegan lifestyle for real and I’ll be experimenting with a lot of new delicious dishes, and then in February I’ll have a look back at how it went and share the journey with you guys. I’m so excited!
SĆ„ jeg har besluttet mig for, at kickstarte min nye livsstil med #veganuary, som er en kƦmpe ting pĆ„ de sociale medier lige nu (et andet bevis pĆ„ at sociale medier ER fantastiske. Punktum). Den veganske livsstil er jo oppe i medierne som aldrig fĆør – flere og flere fĆ„r lyst til, at prĆøve livsstilen af. Jeg kan virkelig ogsĆ„ godt se fidusen med den pĆ„ sĆ„ mange mĆ„der, bĆ„der fysisk men bestemt ogsĆ„ psykisk. Hende der i Food Choices var ude i en hĆ„rd depression (pĆ„ randen af selvmord) og samtidig ogsĆ„ var overvƦgtig endte med, at helbrede sig og tabte sig helt vildt bl.a. ved hjƦlp af den veganske livsstil, hun gjorde et kƦmpe indtryk pĆ„ mig. Det siger lidt om hvilken mƦngde energi sund og ren kost tilfĆører din krop, hvilket er den primƦre Ć„rsag til, at jeg har valgt at droppe kĆødet, men selvfĆølgelig spiller den bƦredygtige vinkel ogsĆ„ en kƦmpe rolle for mig. SĆ„ januar bliver mĆ„neden hvor jeg skal prĆøve og lave en masse lƦkkert vegansk mad, og planen er at jeg sĆ„ i februar vil give jer et indblik i hvordan det gik. Jeg glƦder mig!
I have been vegan for 5 and a half years and trust me, it is an amazing decision! I feel much healthier, have better skin and more energy, but none of that means anything compared to the fact that I feel so much better about my life and the impact I am having on the planet. Animals suffer terribly for meat and dairy, and it’s simply not moral to kill someone who wanted to live just because we like the taste. There are so many amazing things to eat on a vegan diet – and I don’t just mean the substitutes, although those certainly are great. Just vegetables and beans and lentils – there are countless delicious dishes you can make with those! If you get a bit creative, there is nothing that you can’t eat vegan š good luck with Veganuary!
Hi!
I am so happy for you that you made this decision! I went vegan in 2014 and have not regretted it once since. And don’t worry about people judging you, because they will anyway, and if not for the way you eat, then for something else. Also, no need to be hard on yourself. I did eat meat once or twice after going vegan, we are not a cult with laws. I regretted doing it and won’t do it again, but that is because it made me feel guilty for the animals and also my body really didn’t like it, not because some moron said “ah! see! you vegans can’t go without meat!” (which they did but who cares about morons? not me).
My mental and body health are both so much better since I became vegan, and it is just so relaxing, at least to me, to know that I am not harming anyone or anything by eating, be it the animals, the planet or myself.
Of course you can be vegan and unhealthy but I have a feeling that will not be your case š
If you need some recipes ideas, I strongly recommend Minimalist Baker or The Vegan Stoner, they both have really easy recipes to start with. And later on, I recommend the book “The Vegan Bible” from Marie LaforĆŖt.
Congratulations on your decision and happy new year to you!
A frenchie reader
I have completed a vegan challenge too and found it very interesting. Afterwards my food preferences changed for the better and I still like cooking vegan dishes but not every day. So my advice is to please listen to your body. Everyone is different and so are our food choices.
Hey Signe š
Way to go! I also eat mostly plant-based and it is really amazing! If you stick to veggies and non-processed good in general you will also save a lot of money which is a pretty cool side effect in my opinion. I noticed the gluten free pasta in your pictures. Are you celiac/gluten intolerant? If not you do not need to spend your money on these (usually overpriced) products as gluten doesn’t do any harm to those NOT suffering from a medical condition like celiacs disease.
Also, would you like to share your favorite recipes at the end of veganuary as an inspiration? I’m always on the lookout. š
I applaud your consideration to opt to go vegan. I would definitely suggest caution at the term vegan itself. I have been a vegetarian my entire life, 50 years. Using the term Vegan is much more than just diet, it also means not using wool or leather, even if they are pre-owned, which may also change your wardrobe capsules. I would absolutely encourage sticking to whole foods and not meat substitutes. Legumes, grains and greens are wonderful dietary options to assure a balanced plate. Wishing you much success.