Drowning in chickpeas

Oh, friends, I’m in danger of turning into a giant chick pea! I’m eating so many of them, in one form or another. Plus, post-Christmas I'm looking somewhat spherical...

Vegan food isn’t gruesome - it’s not that different to what I eat normally; it’s just that you have to be a little more creative with your cooking and vigilant with your food labels. What I am missing most is being able to have cow’s milk in my tea (and the odd coffee). The old man feels the same. Now that I’ve found vegan ‘milk-style’ chocolate, I’m relatively happy with the food (although I had a truly evil tasting ‘chocolate’ Santa earlier - half price from the health food shop...).

However, I was rather alarmed to learn that it’s impossible to get vitamin B12 from plant sources. I've just read in the Observer that: A University of Winsconsin study found 92% of vegans were deficient in vitamin B12.
You are meant to eat fortified cereal and/or fortified plant milks or take a supplement.

When we first embarked on the Veganuary thing, the old man said: ‘I don’t want to eat a load of Franken-foods’. I agree with him - I’d rather eat natural, whole food where possible.

This is the nut roast I made the other day:

And I didn't really want to reply on nutritional supplements. I shied away from taking vitamins a few years ago after reading ‘Bad Science’ by Ben Goldacre. HarperCollins, 2008, and they also make me think of Sheldon, saying to Penny, in The Big Bang Theory, when he goes shopping with her and sees her stocking up on a load of vitamin supplements, that she’s basically just purchasing some really expensive urine, as there’s only so much the body can absorb.

I’m starting to feel somewhat uneasy with the health implications of becoming vegan and here are my Top personal concerns:

1. Vitamin B12 deficiency - this vitamin is only found in animal products - meat, fish, dairy and eggs. Only veggie source (apart from algae!) seems to be Marmite - but how much do you need? A jar a day??
2. Weight gain - nuts, avocado, even the humble hummus, chilli heatwave Doritos, vegan chocolate...all pack a large energy punch. (The thing about trusty old, non-vegan quorn is that it’s low fat and low cal) I can almost hear you shouting at me - telling me to eat less and stop shovelling in the vegan chocolate, but let's get back to the real world, shall we? It's freezing, I'm worried about the future and my children woke me up at 5:20 this morning, let me have my 'chocolate'!
3. Unsociable - couldn’t have any of daughter’s birthday cake (do not want to impose Veganism on kids) - not a health concern, more a societal one.
4. Don’t feel strongly enough about this to maintain the sacrifice - see previous post. http://msmuddles.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/no-animals-were-harmed-in-making-of.html Although I started out welcoming the challenge, I’m not really sure why I’m doing this. If it’s for health reasons then I shouldn’t have to worry about vitamin deficiency, should I?
5. Terrible, ferocious wind!

So….why am I doing this again…?

Oh yeah, so I'd have something to write about, wasn't it. ;)

Veganuary

I’m a walking cliche - it’s not even January yet and I’m already suffused with self-loathing. I won’t mention the ‘F’ word, as that would make me a bad feminist, but I’ll just say that I feel like a sack of something squidgy and unpalatable.

Anyways, I’ve decided to try out that Veganuary thingummy people keep going on about, because:

1. Because it seems slightly less painful than giving up booze for a month.
2. Because I’m hoping that my significant other; who feted the idea of the veganuary thing in the first place (albeit half-jokingly), will revert back to being a vegetarian and I won’t have to have stinky meat sausages in my fridge any more.
3. I find vegans a bit annoying and want to challenge my prejudice...
4. Because, OK, I’ll admit it, but not in front of my kids, I’m hoping that I might lose a wee bit of weight.
5. I feel really unhealthy at the moment - our household is currently upholding the fine, family tradition of having hacking coughs & stinking colds at Christmas and I think that turning vegan will force me to shovel in more fruit and veg.
6. Because it will give me something to write about

I’ve been thinking about the things I will miss by trying to go vegan:

1. Butter
2. Chocolate!! Yes - there is dark chocolate, which has no milk, but doesn’t it taste the teensiest bit like munching on a vinyl record? (or is that just me?)
3. Cheese - there is such a thing as vegan cheese, presumably made from orange pith and candle wax but I don't hold out much hope...
4. Honey - honey is lush and it feels like a health food, whereas sugar is like the devil’s dandruff or something, isn’t it? Public enemy no. 1. Will have to check out some syrups.
5. Ice-cream - sorbet just doesn’t cut it. I mean, I don’t eat a lot of the stuff; it’s just nice to know it’s there.
6. Tuna - cos, as I’ve said before I’m not a ‘proper’ vegetarian http://msmuddles.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/national-vegetarian-week.html but I can’t really justify eating fish in my month as a vegan.

So, am trying to think of things which are naturally vegan and not masquerading as anything else - pith in cheese’s clothing or anything like that. This is what I imagine I’ll be eating a lot of:

1. Hummus
2. Guacamole
3. Salsa
4. Put the the three together with some tortilla chips and you’ve got yourself a party!
5. Vegetable curry
6. Vegetable chilli - lots of fresh veg and mixed beans, no fake meat.
7. Peanut butter - too much can be somewhat cloying but it’s an option.
8. Tofu - you have to do an awful lot to this stuff to make it taste of anything.
9. Alcohol! (sans finings and all that shizzle)

I'll let you know how I get on - even if it's just a comparison test for vegan cheeses or the best vegetarian wine and if I decide to implement a permanent change I can buy myself one of those 'Vegan Killjoy' sweatshirts! ;)