2

9

Banana, Cinnamon and Maple Syrup Smoothie 2 small ripe bananas (or 1 large) 1 tsp maple or agave syrup 1/3 - 1/2 cup soy milk 1 - 2 tsp cinnamon Blend! ‘Garnish’ with more cinnamon! Consume! Cinnamon: It is a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium. Just 2 tsp ground cinnamon contains 1.72 mg of iron. (Excuse the photo, I sipped before I clicked!)

5

15

Got my blood test results back yesterday! I stopped eating meat almost 5 years ago and have been vegan for 1 year and 1 month……. and I have no deficiencies, apart from Vitamin D - along with a huge number of people in Australia. This has very little to do with diet anyways, especially since factory farmed animals get to see the sun even less than I do! My cholesterol levels were of course excellent.

Vitamin D is of course insanely important, 10 mins of sun a day is all you need and it helps everything from mood (deficiencies can be linked to depression), to boosting energy levels and combating lethargy. I am going to attempt to boost my levels naturally and check back in 3 months.

23

Spiced 4 Bean Burrito with Sweet Potato 2 tsp olive or canola oil 4 bean mix (alternatively you could use black beans, chickpeas, etc) 2 cloves garlic 1 cup sliced shallots 1/2 tsp curry powder, paprika 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp chopped coriander roots/stalk (reserve leaves for garnishing) 1/2 medium sweet potato, boiled and mashed 1 cup cooked basmati rice 1 cup guacamole (avocado, lime juice, finely sliced shallots) Heat oil in small sauce pan, then saute all ingredients until fragrant and warmed through. Place 1 tbsp or so each of bean mix, rice, fresh coriander, sweet potato and guacamole in mountain bread or burrito wrap. You could also add fresh corn, chopped red onion, lettuce, chili, jalapenos, etc.

6

Easy Rice Cooker Risotto BASIC INGREDIENTS: + 2 tbsp olive oil + 2 tbsp nuttelex + 3 cloves garlic, crushed and diced + 1 red onion, diced + 1 tsp lemon rind, 1/4 cup lemon juice + 5 cups (1L) vege stock + 2 cups arborio rice + 2 tbsp nutritional yeast  FUN STUFF - what I normally put in, but you can choose others: + 2 leeks, halved lengthwise and sliced + 1 cup peas + 3 cups baby spinach, 1 cup rocket (arugula) + 2 zucchini, cubed (I normally dislike zucchini but it’s yummy in this) OPTIONAL ADDITIONS + 1/2 cup cashews + 1/2 cup basil + yellow squash + pumpkin + mushroom INSTRUCTIONS 1. Turn on the rice cooker and set it to ‘cook’ – you might have to hold the bowl down a bit to stop it flicking up to ‘warm’, until there are enough ingredients weighing it down. 2. Put olive oil and nuttelex in the rice cooker and leave until the butter melts. 3. Add the garlic and red onion, saute till soft. Add chopped leeks, saute till soft. Add zucchini, saute till soft. 4. Add lemon rind and juice, arborio rice and vege stock. Mix well then close the lid and let cook. 5. Once cooked (switched to warm) stir through frozen peas, baby spinach, rocket and nutritional yeast. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Serve warm! If you want to use pumpkin,  put pumpkin cubes in before the leek and saute until they are a bit soft - about 5 minutes. If you want to add mushrooms, add at the same time as I put in zucchini. For cashews and basil, simply stir through once risotto is cooked.

25

½ cup dried apricots contains 2.1mg of iron. This is more than the iron content of 100g chicken, pork, tuna or salmon, or 1 egg. It is equal to that of veal (*shudder*) and only .4mg behind red meat. 1 cup milk contains only 0.3mg. Here is a list of the iron content of a variety of foods: Iron Table. *Note that for women aged 19 and above, the RDI is 18mg. For men it is only 8mg. **2/3 cup baked beans, lentils or other pulses has a whopping 2.9mg, more than all animal sources.

6

Anonymous: Considering veganism. I worry about iron and calcium. I like to void soy products too because apparently they deplete those nutrients. I'm not really a fan of beans and a naturopath told me chickpeas have lots of toxins. What options are there? What about the negative comments from family/friends? What's best in making such a dramatic change

Unless you already have trouble absorbing iron and calcium you shouldn’t be too worried! Both nutrients are found readily in a plethora of plant sources, and for most people are actually better absorbed that way. One of the best sources of iron are dried apricots, as well as dark leafy greens and lentils and other beans. Calcium is found in kale, almonds, most alternative milks (fortified), broccoli, etc.

As for soy there is no need to consume it to eat a healthy plant based (vegan) diet. Plenty of vegans have soy intolerance or avoid it for environmental reasons (although it’s something like only 5% or less of all soy crops that are even fed to humans). Oatmilk is delicious and can be used instead, for instance. There is also no need to consume tofu, apart from its being delicious!

Obviously I’m not a naturopath, but I don’t know about chickpeas having lots of toxins. You can always buy them dried which cuts down on preservatives. If you are worried about toxins the first things you should cut out are animal products anyways! Eating a solely plant based diet also helps your body’s natural detoxifying processes.

As for not liking things, you can make yourself like them! I taught myself to like a lot of things I used not to, because I knew they were good for me and I wanted to be the healthiest vegan I could: muesli, mushrooms, avocado (which I now adore), etc.

The best way to combat negative reactions from people you know is to have a solid, researched reason as to why you have chosen to eat this way. Whether it’s health, environment or animal cruelty related, have a few facts ready: most opposition comes from ignorance. Doing some of your own research will help your own assuredness that this is the thing for you, and in time the negative opinions of other people might annoy you, but they won’t affect your own convictions. Remember opinions are just opinions, if someone gives you an argument against it, do your own research to see if their claim is substantiated!

Rest assured that all medical institutions now agree that a plant based diet is at least as healthy and safe as one which includes animal products, and most say that it is indeed healthier and safer.

2

Anonymous: How do you make sure you're getting enough B12? I'd love to stop taking supplements.

Most soy milks are supplemented with B12 and I use nutritional yeast at least once a week which also contains naturally occurring B12. Mushrooms also contain small amounts of B12 and since it is found in dirt, I never wash the dirt off my mushrooms! That being said, I am not sure whether I do get enough, I have just had a blood test to check up on everything so when I get my results, if I have any low levels I will be doing extra research to find out what I should eat to help replenish them naturally.

B12 is a tricky nutrient to get because it comes from bacteria that lives in fertile soil and a) most veggies are so well cleaned before they get to us these days and b) unless you are buying organic the soil they are grown in is probably very degraded anyway.

Some people do just have more trouble absorbing B12 regardless of what they eat, and since I am not medically trained or know your specific case I can’t really comment otherwise, I’m sorry!

10

Pumpkin, Potato and Sweet Potato salad with Chili, Garlic and Cashews. (Serves Two) 1/2 cup roughly cubed potato 1/2 cup roughly cubed pumpkin 1/2 cup roughly cubed sweet potato 3 cloves diced garlic 1/2 large red chili diced 1 cup cubed tofu 2 tbsp macadamia or olive oil 1 pinch sea salt 3 cups rocket 1/2 avocado cubed 1 handful dried cranberries 1 handful raw cashews 1 handful fresh coriander leaves Directions Heat oil in large fry pan and saute pumpkin, potatoes and salt until almost cooked. (Should take just under than 10 mins or so). Add garlic, chili and tofu and saute until everything is soft and slightly browned. Add cashews and saute until warm (30 seconds or so). Remove pan from heat and stir through rocket, coriander, cranberries and avocado. Squeeze a little fresh lime juice over everything. Serve and enjoy! Add whatever else might take your fancy!

19

Butternut Pumpkin and Broccoli in a Peanut & Coconut Sauce. (Sauce) 1/2 small brown onion, finely diced 1 clove garlic, crushed and diced 1 cup crunchy peanut butter 1 tin coconut milk 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp (fresh) lemon juice 1 tsp curry powder 1 tsp cumin powder Directions Place all ingredients in a sauce pan and stir on a medium low heat till peanut butter is melted.  Proceed to simmer until the sauce froths and thickens slightly.  (Vegetables) 1 half small butternut pumpkin, cubed 1 small head broccoli (3 cups or so) 1 half brown onion, sliced 1 clove garlic, diced 1 cup yellow capsicum, sliced thinly 1/2 carrot, in thin strips Directions Steam cubes of pumpkin for 10 mins or until soft. Stir fry onion, garlic and broccoli for 3 mins. Stir through cooked pumpkin. Add capsicum, carrot and peanut sauce. Garnish with/stir through fresh coriander leaves. Serve over a small portion of brown rice. Enjoy! This is ridiculously scrumptious, satisfying and wintery.

7

Fruit, Vegetable, Spice and Legume Curry. + Ingredients 1 diced brown onion 3 cloves diced garlic 1-2 cups roughly cubed eggplant 1-2 cups roughly cubed potato 1 cup cubed red apple 1-2 tbsp dried cranberries 1 tin chickpeas 1/2 cup split red lentils 3 cardamom pods 1 tsp cinnamon 2 tsp cumin 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp curry powder 1/2 tsp tumeric 2 cups vegetable stock 1 cup water + Directions Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in large pot. Saute onion and garlic until clear. Add potato and eggplant. Saute for at least 5 minutes. Add spices (not cardamom) and stir until fragrant (1 minute). Stir through stock, water, cardamom and lentils. Cook for 10 minutes. Taste liquid and adjust spices as required. Add chickpeas, apple and cranberries. Cook until potato, eggplant and lentils are soft. The eggplant will be falling apart slightly and the lentils will have formed an almost gravy like sauce base. Serve over brown rice, with naan or on its own!

7

Porridge with berries, brown sugar and cinnamon. Ingredients (serves 2 small): 1 cup oats 3 cups water Soy or other non dairy milk Fresh or frozen berries (I like raspberries the best) Brown sugar Cinnamon (optional: mix with sugar) Directions: Cook oats in water in a small saucepan on medium heat until water is completely absorbed. Stir through half the berries. Spoon porridge into bowl, add ‘milk’, cinnamon sugar and remaining berries, to taste. You could also try cooking the oats in oat milk! Or add sliced banana on top. Or any other fruits! A deliciously warm and sweet meal, perfect for the approaching cold weather, porridge is also a highly simple and nutritious way to be nourished: oats are high in protein and also selenium, a mineral believed to promote the production of serotonin (a mood, appetite and sleep stablising chemical)! ♥

41

Very close to promoting an exclusively plant based diet without specifically stating so.

32

I personally eat somewhere between the Vegan Food Pyramid and this Raw one, because as far as I can tell it is much better for you to eat less grains and more vegetables. Don’t go crazy on fruit either, because they are still high in sugar. Veggies veggies veggies.