Gatherer's over Hunter's

Recently I decided to pick up a common but for what some see difficult diet trend, for no other reason that my curious nature and trying to save a few dimes here and there. Not only did I notice a drastic improvement in my mood sleeping, schedule, energy and overall fitness I went from spending $80+ dollars a week to just over $30 (for just myself). So I thought that I would share some of the tips that I learnt of removing animal products from my diet and helping you succeed.

Tip No. 1 - do not jump straight into it!

Time and time again I see people throw themselves straight into the deep end with no period to adjust. Personally it took me 3 weeks to go from meat and three veg to completely vegan. I stared by continuing to use up all of the meat products that I had stored in my apartment ranging from jerky to lamb chops and as I replaced them I moved to a vegan option. For example I used to make a chicken wrap to have after a lecture (I'm currently studding), instead of using chicken I now use falafel or I make my own chick pea patties that are beyond easy. for my first week and a half I continued to use cheese, milk and eggs. Slowly I progressed to eliminating both dairy and eggs replacing the milk with soy milk and eggs with tofu. the progressive change over a period of time ensure that you will not slip off your goal.

Tip No. 2 - Keep it simple

This tip really speaks for itself, don't go crazy cooking extreme meals that take hours to prepare because you wont want to do it. My absolute saviour was Jamie Oliver, the British chef. On his website he has every recipe from every cook book he has done in his 44 years on this Earth. Subsequently, a large portion of the meals does are both cost effective and contain little to no animal products. You can check out his website on the link bellow.

https://www.jamieoliver.com/

Tip No. 3 - Food Prep Food Prep Food Prep Food Prep

you get home at the end of a long night shift your starving but can't be bothered to cook anything you tired, you might just get some uber eats, orrrrrr you could grab that healthy and delicious plant based meal you prepped on Sunday afternoon. Food prep does not have to be hard, for me I food prep every Sunday night. I make 3 of dinner option 1, 3 of dinner option 2, then for lunches 3 of lunch option 1 and three of lunch 2. This setup provides more variety and therefore makes it more likely you will stick to it. When considering breakfast keep it humble but nutritious, I have Oats made with soy milk and topped with berries (whatever is on special) plus a smoothie and a protein shake. breakfast takes me 30 min to make and consume which is the only thing I'm thinking about during my 6am workouts.

Tip No. 4 - Sit back and enjoy the perks of a plant based diet

Not only is this diet cost effective, its great for you. You will notice perks in you mood and work ethic within a month and be thanking yourself for it.