My not so Vegan July challenge
I wrote this last year. I decided to re-upload it.
Every month, I try challenging either my body, mind and/or spirit. My June challenge was a body one. No sugar in my diet. That flopped within the first three days. It was hard. It was a huge leap. I will definitely retry this challenge in the future. But for now I was looking for something more doable.
Whilst procrastinating on Netflix, I stumbled on Gamechangers. A documentary about top class athletes on Vegan diets. James Wilks, a former UFC fighter illustrates that you don’t need meat in order to be a top performing athlete. Though there is a lot of false dichotomies and cherry picking in the documentary, I decided my next challenge was to go on a plant-based diet.
I immediately knew the hardest part for me was giving up the love that I have for chicken and cheese. Since knee height, I have been a chickenterian. A chickenterian is someone who loves and eats predominantly chicken. The wonderful Urban dictionary never lets me down. I don’t mind the odd beef burger. Any other meat however is a no for me. Cheese is self explanatory. I grew up in Holland. The first word I learned in Dutch was Hello. The second was cheese. Besides, I mean who doesn’t love Cheese?!
I had already swapped cows milk for almond milk months prior. One obstacle down, many to go. I gave all my meat to my parents. Animal based products like butter and cheese I kept. Should’ve given it away. Armed with a shopping basket and new recipes, I landed in Tesco. The first thing I noticed was that most products in the supermarket have some sort part of animal in it. It was hard. I spent a good five minutes looking at different types of beans. Who knew that there were over 400 different types of beans! Confused but surprised, I decided to play it safe and went for kidney and black beans. My shopping basket consisted of beans, rice, vegetables and lentils. I also spent a bit more than usual since all the vegetables were organic.
My first Vegan meal was the night before the 1st of July. I was making burritos. I found the recipe online and it looked straightforward. Rice and beans, how hard could it be? Chef Nasir was in full swing. Honestly speaking they were good. I would say a 8/10. The next morning came and I usually have eggs first, then make some porridge. I had to take a L and only have the porridge. I added banana, seeds, nuts and cinnamon. It was aight, nothing extraordinary. 6/10. For lunch I had the leftover Burrito and dinner was rice and kidney beans with some salad. This was standard too, nothing special 6/10.
Everything seemed to be fine for the first week. Suddenly, I was craving meat. I normally have Saturdays as my takeaway day. I soon realised my local burger joint do Vegan options! I was over the moon. I ordered a beyond meat burger with a charcoal bun and some sweet potato fries. Whilst waiting, a lot of questions went through my mind. Is it actually going to taste like beef? What is the texture going to be like? The food arrived and I rushed to the kitchen. I took the first bite. Two words. Fucking Amazing! I was blown away at how much it resembled a normal beef burger. I finished that burger quicker than it took me to walk to the kitchen. This is when I discovered companies like beyond meat.
I didn’t know plant-based products that resembled meat could taste so identical. Honestly, If you tried that burger, you would’ve sworn that there was meat in it. From the texture to the taste, it was almost the same thing. I found out Sainsbury’s stock beyond meat products. I got some Mushroom sausages, chicken slices etc. I felt like I found a substitute for meat at a reasonable price that I could live with.
By now you are wondering why the title. Well, to cut a long story short, remember the cheese in my fridge? Yes! I had cheese. Sad story. I couldn’t resist it. I also had some vegetarian food with a friend. I also had a Margherita pizza from Franco Manca. Another sad story. We move.
Finding a substitute for cheese is hard. I’ve tried a lot of products, but none come close. I am still looking In the last days of the challenge, I learned and cooked some amazing dishes. I have taught myself to make the most amazing red lentil curry. 10/10. Madting. Maybe one day you’ll taste it.
I don’t see this challenge as a failure. It showed me that I don’t need meat in my diet. I felt good, healthy and energised. I didn’t feel any different as how I am with consuming meat. Maybe I should prolong this challenge in the future. Whilst doing the challenge, I also realised that meat products have a massive CO2 impact on the environment due to methane. Agriculture is responsible for 18% for all the greenhouse gases on Earth. The major contributor being livestock. Unfortunately, most of this contribution can be attributed to meat. I am not saying to stop eating meat and completely become plant based. If that’s you, great. All I am saying is to consider reducing your meat intake and look for alternatives. Experiment. We need to be more sustainable as human beings with our food. Earth is in great jeopardy from greenhouse gases. You may be doing your bit by recycling or buying less clothes. I think we can make a massive positive impact by adjusting our diet. Try a beyond meat burger.
You don’t have to eat meat everyday. When was the last time you tried to be meat free for a day? When was the last time you tried a plant based day? Give it a go. Let’s make sure we leave the world in a good state for generations to come.
