Update

I haven't vanished off the face of the Earth and I am still Vegan.  I haven't had as much time with my little one (who is, incredibly, one this month!) needing me so I haven't had time to update.

In August I will be celebrating my two year vegan anniversary - not bad for someone who 'gave it a go' for a month.  In that time I have rediscovered my love for baking and I can tell you all about the new vegan shops/eateries I have visited.  Being vegan has only had benefits for me and I truly do find the idea of eating dairy again repulsive.

With Vegan diets being more mainstream now there are more food choices which can only be a good thing - but as a side effect Vegans can now load on the weight alongside everyone else.  I lost all my (modest) 'baby weight' naturally within two weeks of Eden's birth but it has been a struggle to shift the pounds that I was carrying extra beforehand.  I've managed to get a few off, but I find calorie counting so depressing I keep quitting.  Then I stumbled across 5:2 by accident and the more I read the more interested I was - mainly about the associated health benefits.  I read everything I could on it and rewatched the Horizon program that started it all.  I thought it was worth a go - I'll let you know how I get along.  Google 5:2 and you will be pointed towards a plethora of information if you want to have a look into it for yourself.  This however maybe useful as it's published by Viva and written by their founder - a qualified nutritional therapist (whatever that is).

In the meantime I have also started collecting Vegan baby led weaning recipes on Pinterest - you can follow my finds here.

Vegan baby

Well, she's here!  Eden Rose was born three weeks ago now and is doing well.  She is, obviously, taking up much of my time so I can't write at length.  I just want to allay a few fears people may have about a vegan pregnancy.

Iron levels: several non vegan people I chat to on line had to have iron supplements or even blood transfusions after giving birth.  I lost a litre of blood and my iron levels were fine.

Birth weight: some people thought I was going to have a titchy, underweight baby.  She was nine three (ouch) and has put on a pound since then.

Colic: I'm interested to read that when babies get colic one of the first options given to mothers is to cut out dairy as it can irritate a lot of children who have trouble digesting it.  Perhaps we are not designed to eat it then?

Breast feeding: this is hard and it hurts. Being on demand 24/7 is also a challenge.  I can't tell you how much sympathy this has given me for dairy cows.  At least I know there will be an end for me and I am nurturing my child.  A dairy cow has her child stolen from her and lactates her whole life.  A while life spent engorged and in agony?  No thanks.

Health: we are both doing well.  Breast feeding means she gets everything she needs via my healthy diet and supplements and it has meant I lost my tummy and pregnancy weight within two weeks.

As she gets older she will make the choices about her lifestyle and diet, for now I can only do what I believe best for both of us.

Oh, by the way - it is my one year anniversary of being vegan.  I haven't looked back.  In that year I have:

Lost weight

Improved my skin

Fallen pregnant and had a healthy baby

Discovered vegan cake shops

Eaten at some fantastic vegan eateries (favourite so far is Manna in Primrose Hill)

And not regretted one minute!

Vegan Pregnancy

You may notice I've been quiet for a while.  That is because it's been hard to write without disclosing to the world I am pregnant. Now, I don't mind you knowing - but I am not one of those people who document everything on Facebook and so have been running below the radar on my Internet presence.

I have only got four weeks or so to go now so I feel safe enough to 'come out' and talk to you about how I have found it being a pregnant vegan and comparing my experiences to others (non vegans) that I know.

This is my first child, so I have no meat eating or vegetarian eating pregnancy experiences of my own for reference, so I will reference what seem to be 'common factors' in pregnancy.

• Morning sickness.  I didn't get any. Whether this is because I am a vegan or it's genetic luck I can't be sure (my mum never got MS either).
• Having to avoid certain foods.  Have you looked at the list of 'banned' foods? There is nothing on there a vegan would eat anyway. Fantastic.
• Constipation. A very common pregnancy symptom. I've had none. Regular and trouble free.
• Heartburn. Another very common symptom, especially over here in the third trimester.  None.
• Weight gain. I've gained a stone over my 35 and a bit weeks.  The baby weighs about five pounds by now, add about three for the placenta, a couple for the fluid and the rest is extra blood volume and technically I haven't gained weight - baby has!
• Exercise and energy. Okay I have been tired. I was working out at the gym with a trainer until 28 weeks but what actually stopped me was lack of money - baby things are expensive! I am still working full time and people tell me I look good.  For the past two weeks though I have felt as if I've been carrying a bag of potatoes about with me!

I have supplemented my diet with vitamins as every expectant mother does. To be honest I could have found many of these vitamins naturally in food, but it has given me peace of mind to add the vitamins in tablet form as well.  I've been taking the standard Boots pregancy vitamins (vegan friendly) and also B12, Iron & Vitamin C and also a Vegan omega 3 from Sainsburys because there is only so much flaxseed oil I can take on my salad!

Bubba has (touch wood) been doing well in every test and scan.  My iron levels have been good and I 'passed' the GTT for gestational diabetes.

No medical professional has asked me about my diet, although I have listed it on my notes and birth plan.  No one seems worried.

I honestly feel I have done better than a lot of people do - again some of this may be luck.  I still have four weeks + to go so let's hope I haven't jinxed anything!

Christmas Party

Gosh.  Where does the time go?  School really has taken over for the past few months and has been all consuming.  However you will be glad to know I am still vegan and have only had one tiny slip up (who'd check a bag of nuts for milk powder? I threw them away as soon as I saw they contained cow).

Being a busy teacher and accomodating a new diet has been hard at times.  Meals do need extra effort and lunches can get repetitive.  However, if I can do it in the busy autumn term - I can do it anytime! 

I also have been slowly losing a few pounds because my eating habits are so much healthier now.  I don't crave chocolate - but I am desperately craving cheese, especially at this time of year.  Mmm, Wensleydale and cranberries... Wensleydale and pear...  cheese and crackers...

It has been about four months now and I cannot see another way of life.  Armed with my Animal Free Shopper and the tip from new Vegan friend Sally to check allergy advice as a quick way of gleening if something veggie is vegan I have been doing well.  I have a few fall back ranges of food and am a frequent visitor to VX in Kings Cross.  It is a tiny little shop stocked full of vegan foods, drinks, pet food, clothes and shoes.  It's my new Mecca.  They even sell Ms Cupcake cakes!

Last night was our staff Christmas party at the Elstree Village Hotel.  It was in the Italian restaurant, Bucca di Beppo or whatever it's called.  It was my first vegan Christmas party.  Add into the mix I am allergic to garlic and a fussy eater then things get even trickier.

There were four courses.  The first was the best, as I love avocado.  In the end though there was too much tomato (a bit hard as well) and not enough avocado.


The pasta course followed.  I had rigatoni with olive oil, a crap load of minging artichoke, a few tomatos and the tiniest slivers of black olives.  I seem to have forgotten to have taken a photo of the main course - it was the most uninspiring of the lot; a small dish of roasted peppers, artichokes and aubergines.  I ate a couple of pieces of pepper.  However, the vegetarian of the party had the same 'dish' so I hadn't particulary missed out on anything by being vegan.  I was grateful I had hoovered up most of the pasta during the previous course.  And the best thing was - it was all garlic free so I didn't get ill!

I told my companions during the meal I already knew what the dessert would be.  Fruit salad.  Guess what...

Almost two months now

This will be a brief one as I am swamped with work.  It has been almost two months now and I don't regret my decision for one second.  I feel healthy, my skin is good, as is my hair and my nails seem to be whiter and stronger than they have been for a long time.

The only frustration is when I am not prepared.  If I get hungry and don't have a vegan snack to hand it can get pretty annoying.  Thankfully London is stuffed full of vegan eateries just waiting for me to try them and I have also looked ahead and planned where I am going to eat on a trip to York.  I even have options (plural)!

London vegan fair

I wrote this on 25 August, I just didn't have broadband to upload it before.

Today was the vegan fair in London. I rocked up first at half ten and bought cupcakes and ordered my ice cream to collect later. My friend and I weren't hungry then, so we decided to go to the Shakespeare exhibition at the BM and come back later for lunch. When we did return, at one, the hall was thronging with people. We bought rainforest boxes full of amazing salads and sat in the square and ate them. We then split a Ms Cupcake Ferrero Roche cupcake and it was amazing. Later on I got to meet new vegan friend Sally who I'd been speaking to online for three weeks since being virtually introduced by a mutual friend.

What was very noticeable at the fair was that there is no typical vegan. As much as my friend and I joked we could play a drinking game based on tie dye and dreds, there were people from all different backgrounds. Sally pointed out the middle aged 'National Trust' contingent and there were lots of healthy children running around. Who'd have thought there were so many vegans in London?

Pretty Pink

So, I am over my withdrawal symptoms and my skin is still as soft as a baby's - well, you know. Has anything else changed now you have been dairy free eighteen days or so? I hear you ask. Funny you should ask that. I have the pinkest and healthiest tongue I can ever remember seeing. You have to understand I have always had a bit of an obsession with trying to maintain a pink tongue, but I always failed and always ended up with something rather closer to white than pink. It must have been something in milk clinging to my tongue (yes, I know - yuck) because now that white layer is all gone and all I had to do was give up dairy! Bargain!