My Vegan Story: How I switched to a vegan plant-based diet overnight. On 17th March, 2016, I made the (what felt at the time) radical decision to completely change my diet overnight. I hadn’t even known the terms ‘vegan’ or ‘plant-based’ until probably about a …
A quick and simple rainbow vegan stir-fry recipe, using only 6 cupboard/freezer ingredients and taking less than 15 minutes. Such a tasty and easy way to eat the rainbow! Stir-fry bowls are one of my favourite go-to meals. They’re perfect for using up whatever …
Some of my top sick day remedies: wellness tips for getting through the cold or flu.
Do you remember the last time you were sick? The congestion, coughing, sneezing, fever, nausea, headaches, etc. Getting sick is no fun. I recently got over a case of pneumonia, and can definitely vouch for that! But there are some things that can definitely help shorten an illness, or at least make being sick a little bit more comfortable.
It’s not always possible to prepare for being sick. These things often come on before you even realise it. But, sometimes there are beginning indications that a cold or flu is on its way – a scratchy throat, a little bit of a cough, fatigue, etc. Both of my parents got sick before I did, and I knew the odds of catching what they had were quite high. So I went out shopping and tried to stock up on supplies. Some staples I bought and try to have on hand when sick are:
When I’m sick I can find it hard to drink a lot of water. But hydration is key to getting better! I like to go for lots of hot teas that can help soothe the throat. I’ll also stock up the fridge with coconut water and juice for when I want a drink that’s cool and refreshing. I try to aim to drink a cup or a bottle every couple of hours. Avoiding caffeine is also often a good idea, as it can be dehydrating.
My Go-To Drinks:
I often tend to lose my appetite when I’m feeling unwell. But if I am craving food, it will usually be something sweet and refreshing like fruit, or warm and comforting like porridge and soup.
These are some of my go-to foods and recipes for when I’m feeling under the weather – they’re all quick and simple, requiring little effort and providing lots of nutrients and goodness:
My relationship with antibiotics is a bit complicated. I don’t love taking them because they can destroy not only the bacteria responsible for the infection you’re fighting, but also friendly gut bacteria. But antibiotics are also life-saving and sometimes absolutely necessary to get better! When my doctor prescribes antibiotics to clear up a bacterial infection, most recently for my case of pneumonia, then I listen to my doctor’s advice and take them.
To counteract the effects of taking antibiotics, I also try to load up on probiotic rich foods before, during, and after an illness, to help build back up healthy gut flora. Foods like yoghurt (I’ve been eating Silk’s Almond Milk Yoghurt), miso, sauerkraut, tempeh, kombucha, kimchi, etc., are all beneficial to supplement your diet and help support the gut.
So many of us are constantly on the go, working our way through a never-ending to-do list. But when you’re sick, the best thing to help your recovery is sleep and rest. Try to get as much sleep as you can. Sometimes napping during the day can also be helpful, though personally when I’m sick I try not to nap too late at night, or else I won’t fall sleep at night. I’m always amazed at how much I sleep when I am sick though. Some things I do to help me sleep while sick are to:
Using a humidifier has made such a difference for me. Humidifiers help add moisture to the air, making it easier to breath. I’ve so appreciated my little humidifier, especially in the winter months when the air can get very dry. Make sure you keep the humidifier clean, to avoid bacteria or fungi growing in the water tank and releasing into the room. A humidifier should come with instructions on how to clean it.
Showering is one of the last things I feel like doing when I’m sick. But if you have the energy for even a quick shower, it can feel so good. A hot shower, with lots of steam, can help greatly with clearing up congestion. Getting clean can also just help you feel better and less gross too!
When I’m feeling particularly unwell all I want to do is lie in bed, or on the sofa, all day long. For about a week, I did quite a lot of that. But lying down all the time can cause its own aches and pains – who knew lying down and doing nothing could also make you sore! This yoga video from Adriene Louise was perfect, providing a gentle stretching routine easily customised for your energy and sickness levels: Yoga for When You Are Sick
Once I’m starting to feel better there are a few things I like to do to help the recovery process.
Let me know what you do when you’re feeling sick, and I hope you all take very good care this flu season!
A simple recipe for an energising and vibrant pink bowl of beetroot porridge, perfect for post-run and for Valentine’s Day! Have you ever had a pink bowl of porridge? Well if you’re looking for a sweet and pretty breakfast for your Valentine’s Day morning, I’ve …
My top 10 (with a bonus 11) tips on how to eat plant-based on a budget – something I have been perfecting over the years as a student living in one of the most expensive cities in the world! I have spent the past …
My experience at Vegfest London 2018, including all the things to do (and eat), my top tips for attending food festivals, and a food haul of what I took home with me! You can check out my Instagram’s pinned story highlight to see all the behind-the-scenes action of my weekend at VegfestUK London.
I have attended two VegfestUK London events, and both rank as some of the best vegan festivals/events I’ve ever been to! My first experience at a vegan festival was at Vegfest London 2017, when Rebecca (@thezestylime) and Becca (@veritevegan) and I ate loads of food and even got to meet Evanna Lynch. I KNOW. It was a dream.
In November 2018, I actually got press tickets to attend VegfestUK London on Saturday and Sunday (I cannot even describe how excited I was about this), so I spent a whole weekend at Olympia London with all the vegan goodness!
Let’s be real, the main reason one goes to Vegfest is for the food, right?! And there is so much food to be had! Lots of it is free as well, which is always a win.
I like to go around sampling anything and everything. From bars to bites, lattes to superfood drinks, sweets to savouries, and loads of vegan cheese, it’s all so good. Basically, I spent two days eating my way through the stands.
If I could offer one piece of advice on sampling: get to know the people behind the stands. One of my favourite parts of these kinds of events is seeing the faces behind the brands – the entrepreneurs and creatives, those who spend all of their time getting their products out there. It’s fascinating to hear how their products came about, inspiring to hear their journeys, and lovely to get to meet people passionate about vegan and plant-based food.
This can honestly be a very difficult choice, because there is just so much choice!
This year I was fortunate enough to go in knowing exactly where I wanted to eat, so that helped a lot. I had a friend working at Eat Chay’s stand, and their food looked absolutely incredible. So I very happily ate my way through their entire menu over the weekend. You can read my whole review of all of their delicious dishes right here!
If you don’t have any idea of where to start, my advice is to walk around and see what hits your fancy. If you’re with a friend, get multiple dishes and split them, so you can try more. And make plans to come back the following year to try something different because sadly it’s impossible to eat everything.
My first year at VegfestUK Awards the only ‘talk’ I attended was the Vegan Awards (because they were hosted by Evanna Lynch!). I just spent my whole day going around and sampling. Honestly, that made for an amazing day. But this year I had tickets for both days, so I had more time to explore what Vegfest offers.
In addition to the stands of food, there are also a number of talks throughout the entire weekend. Look through the Vegfest Programme (which is always published online in advance), and see if there are any talks or speakers that peak your interest. As a fan of Maddie Lymburner, I went to go see her and two other Vivo Life athletes – Bianca and Izzi – speak about health, fitness, training, and their own personal journeys. It was an inspiring and practically helpful panel, plus was a nice chance to sit down after so much walking around.
This year I also attended two cooking demonstrations on each day of Vegfest – because they were hosted by my friend Romy (from Romy London UK)! I had never watched a full cooking demo live at an event like this before, and it was a lot of fun. Romy did a fab job (I may be biased, but she really did)! She was comfortable, engaging, funny, and peppered the cooking demo with helpful tips for vegan cooking.
The highlight of my Vegfest London 2018 was definitely meeting some of my favourite Vegan YouTubers! Maddie and Kyle, Derek, and Jon are all amazing people. If you haven’t already checked out their YouTube channels then you really must.
Maddie Lymburner: I’ve been following Maddie and Kyle for years now, and their channel exudes positivity and fun. Their travel adventures are always exciting to follow, and Maddie is constantly sharing new plant-based recipes and fitness routines. I got to chat to them both throughout the weekend at Vegfest and they are such grounded, kind, and generous people.
Simnett Nutrition: I actually found Derek’s YouTube channel just a few months before I met him at Vegfest, but I immediately was hooked. His ‘Ask Me Mondays’ series is one of my favourites, covering a diverse range of topics and filled with loads of useful information. I love getting inspiration from his ‘What I eat in a day’ videos, and Derek is a master at adding in golden nuggets of knowledge on health and nutrition – I learn something new almost every video!
Jon Venus: Jon Venus and his wife Kathrine Moen are some of the first Vegan YouTubers I started following. I love how down to earth they both are, and their YouTube channel showcases vegan food and fitness with a healthy balance of treats and real life. It’s been wonderful to see them embark on the adventure of starting a new family as well.
I picked up so many vegan goods at Vegfest London 2018, so I thought I’d list them all out for you as an example of (what I think is) a pretty epic haul:
A review of the natural vegan beauty products I regularly use for my hair, mouth, and body. Part 2 of my Natural Vegan Beauty Series for Veganuary. Check out Part 1 to read about my facial skincare. HAIR My hair has always been pretty …
A round-up of my current favourite natural and vegan facial skincare products, including my current skincare routine and my tips for easy and budget-friendly facial skincare. Part 1 of my Natural Vegan Beauty Series for Veganuary. I used to always buy the cheapest beauty …
An overview of the Vegan Christmas meal I organised for my non-vegan family, and my top five lessons learned along the way; with recipes and tips for putting together your own vegan holiday spread!
I am very happy to report that my Christmas 2018 was a successful feast of vegan food! My family graciously tasted all of the vegan dishes served, from appetisers in the afternoon, to the main dinner spread, and dessert afterwards. They even gave some glowing reviews of it all! Keep reading to see the full menu of recipes, and my top five lessons learned from the whole experience.
Here is a compilation of all the vegan food we prepared on Christmas Day. The final spread ended up a little bit differently from the original plan I set out in my Vegan Christmas Recipe Round-Up 2018. If you’re looking for inspiration to cater a special meal for non-vegan family and/or friends, I can highly recommend all of these recipes!
I made a big batch of @deliciouslyella’s Baked Banana, Blueberry and Raisin Oatmeal, perfect for a special Christmas morning breakfast.
This was the first Christmas meal I have ever been in charge of organising, and I was not quite sure how it would turn out. Thanks to my family’s help with chopping, peeling, and baking, everything came together for a delicious spread that went down a treat. Now that the event is said and done, I have some reflections on how the whole process could run a little more smoothly next time. Hopefully these tips can help you out next time you’re hosting a holiday or special meal too. These are my top 5 lessons learned:
We did everything on Christmas Day – and when I say everything I mean it! It was quite a lot of work. But there were a number of steps we could have done in advance to lighten the load and make Christmas day run a bit smoother, including:
My original plan for our Christmas spread included way too much food. I learned that:
The recipes for the roast veggies and potatoes stated about an hour cooking time. Ours took much longer than an hour. We ended up having to wait for them to crisp up before we could serve dinner. It was worth the wait, but we could have stuck them in the oven earlier. That way, even if they had finished early, it would be easier to keep them warm until time to serve up the meal.
Most of the recipes we used for dinner were quite straightforward. But the @bosh.tv roast potato recipe ended up being a bit more complicated to make than we had originally anticipated. The dish was absolutely worth the extra effort (shout-out to my sis for nailing the recipe). But alongside everything else we made, this one very involved recipe was about all we could have handled. For the future, I’ll make a point to use mainly simple recipes, and/or tried and tested recipes.
I knew I wanted something green on the Christmas dinner table (I’m all about eating that rainbow). So I threw on some frozen green beans to boil, and seasoned them with a bit of salt just five minutes before dinner was ready to serve. This was the perfect easy way to add some healthy green veggies to our dinner spread, with very little added effort.
Hogwarts in the Snow Last December I spent an enchanting evening at the Warner Bros. Harry Potter Studio Tour in London. Here are the highlights from the magical ‘Hogwarts in the Snow’, with photos, my top tips, and more. Check out my Instagram highlights for …