Veganuary: Three months on

Today is the 12th April 2017 - over three months since the beginning of January when I decided to try out a plant-based diet as part of Veganuary so I thought it was about time for a (very overdue) update...  

Stir fry aka vegan food of the gods

If I cast my mind back to before Veganuary, I was a committed cheese eater, a pizza fanatic, a milk chocolate scoffer - basically an all-round dairy lover. When I decided to give Veganuary a go, it was more of a move to challenge myself, whilst also kick-starting the new year with a bit of healthy eating after a whole lot of over-indulgence over the festive period. I didn't even expect myself to last a month - I was certain that after a few days the cheese withdrawals would get too much and I'd cave and scoff my face with pizza and chocolate but here I am, three months down the line and I'm still following a plant-based diet. 

Vegan Huevos Rancheros with Burmese chickpea tofu at Forge Bakehouse, Sheffield

Before I embarked on my Veganuary challenge, I had imagined a plant-based diet would feel very restrictive and that I'd find it difficult to know what to eat; however, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was very little ruled out, and the majority of things that I was restricted from were heavily-processed junk food anyway. A little bit of planning and an open-mind goes a long way as there are tonnes of equally delicious vegan alternatives to animal-based products and over the last few months I've discovered some absolute gems (blog post on these coming soon). 

Mixed bean and pepper fajita with homemade guacamole

Fast forward three months to April and I'm still eating a plant-based diet and I'm feeling great for it! There's been a couple of meals over the past three months where I've reverted to vegetarianism (hungover Domino's, I'm looking at you) but I'm ok with that because for me, a plant-based diet isn't about following a strict vegan diet or being perfect 100% of the time so if I have the occasional vegetarian meal then I'm not going to beat myself up about it. Something I've noticed on the rare occasion I have eaten dairy is the effects it has on my body, particularly in terms of bloating and abdominal discomfort so I'm certain I won't revert back to being a full-time dairy addict.

Kale and cannellini bean stew 

Another wonderful thing that's come from Veganuary is my food Instagram page which I created initially to document my Veganuary journey through sharing my meals, recipes and discoveries; however, I enjoyed updating this account so much that I've continued to post on it ever since. I think the overwhelming loveliness and support from the vegan community really helped me to stay on track throughout Veganuary whilst also providing a constant source of inspiration for meal ideas and places to eat out. My account is @kathrynsveganuary and I share pictures of my meals including vegan cooking and eating out so feel free to go check it out and follow too if you'd like to see what's on my plate.

Vegan sausage sandwich at The Holt, Sheffield featuring their homemade tofu sausage

Thanks for reading!