Polynesian Vegan challenge/lifestyle update 17 days in ....

Hey there,

So last time I was just starting out and I honestly thought I would have updated on this sooner , but I have actually been busy just getting on with it ! 

Now I'm past half way and GUESS WHAT?  I ACTUALLY LOVE IT!! Honestly I don't think I will go back to the way I used to eat. I am totally addicted to this lifestyle and mostly it's because I have all this new found ENERGY!! I am 27 years old and for the last 7 years I have been feeling so drained..like all the time. I honestly didn't get it, I was always craving sleep ..to be honest I just thought I was lazy. But the last 17 days have been absolute magic!! Immediately I saw a difference in my energy levels and mood and even a mental difference! Not to mention all the clothes I had that were too tight are now either fitting me or getting loose!!! Whoop Whoop! 

All this was possible just by cutting out DAIRY and MEAT (of any kind) and anything that contains animal products!! It's crazy! What's more I don't even miss any of it!! This is coming from a person who didn't think a meal was complete without meat.. or the person that would eat seafood till she got sick....or the person that ate cheese with almost every single meal!! This is REAL and I still can't believe it! I read this quote the other day and it hit the nail on the head for me, it stated: 

"Vegans are like adults, you first hate them.. then you become one yourself and realise they were right all along" haha

Now....I have to be honest it's not easy at first! It takes a lot of planning and you do spend a lot  more time in the kitchen. You have to prep the food in your house before you give this a go, otherwise you are just setting yourself up to fail. You also have to do your homework and make sure you are purchasing food that is providing you with all the nutrients your body needs to function!! A good tip would be to visit  WWW.PETA.ORG where they provide you with a start kit on how to become a Vegan and I would also recommend to look up a good Vegan Nutrition Chart, print it out and pop it on your fridge!! Research recipes (there are endless vegan recipes out there ) stock up on spices, sauces and approved baking ingredients. Get prepped because being prepared is half the battle.

On the 5th day into this challenge, I did the unthinkable and gave all my meat away, it was easy but very emotional (maybe because it was $100 dollars worth of meat lol) it felt like I was closing a chapter in my life, something that I have never thought twice about and now I was starting a new one.

Day by day it just got easier and easier, and planning dinners became more exciting and the possibilities and choices felt endless..to top it off not once did meat come into mind. Pretty soon it went from a challenge to just us saying "this is the way we eat now". I say "us" because my brave hubby and two son's have being embarking on this new lifestyle with me! Goodness bless their souls.. I am super proud of them, and even more proud of the food that I am putting on the table! Proud because I know it's healthy, nutritious, filling and ETHICAL! And to top it off  my boys love it and believe me they are tough critics! Well they loved 90 percent of it, there was a meal or two I made that left us all saying YUCK!! LOL But hey that is part of the journey, we laughed it off ate it anyway and crossed it off our recipe collection.

Now I know being a Vegan is not just about the food I put in my mouth, but also what items I choose to buy like leather, fur, wool etc. To be honest, this is the only real struggle. Before this challenge I was pretty ignorant of it all, and therefore my closet is guilty of things that are not so vegan approved. However, I have made a rule that, I won't get rid of the items that I currently own, but going forward I have made a conscious effort to not buy anything that comes from a animal or is animal tested.

"I alone cannot change the world but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples" Mother Teresa

  

Apart from the personal and physical change I have noticed in myself..... I now really do feel a sense of responsibility for the life of others and all creatures in this world. Not that I didn't before but I feel like this has enhanced this feeling to a new level. This lifestyle has truly shown me that we can truly exist in this world without harming a soul! I have never felt more connected to this Earth!! Cheesy I know but it's how I truly feel!

Now a small disclosure, I am not declaring that I will never, ever consume meat or dairy products ever again! But I have made a huge leap in my life, where I am more conscious of the affect I have on the world I live in and to those I share it with. I can honestly say that I have never ever felt better in my life physically and mentally( and really why would I want to give that up!!) I do consider myself to now be PLANT STRONG!! What I can claim that this is a lifestyle choice and I intend to keep it up !!

I am excited to keep going and learn more !! 

If you want to give it a go ..I say GO FOR IT !! IT IS TOTALLY WORTH IT!!

Any who that is me for now, thanks so much for reading !

Take care

Cat xx

The Polynesian Vegan (That sounds scary) 30 day trial - 3 days in ...

Hi there,

Thanks for stopping by, ok, so this blog is all about me taking on "Veganism" for a whole month. Please note I am learning as I go, and in no way do I claim to be a readymade vegan master haha .I also live with three boys who love dairy, so if you pop over to my house you will still see food that is in no way vegan. But I am doing this challenge as best I can!!

If you are a poly yourself or know a Polynesian, you would know that food is a core part of our culture! In particular meat! It plays a core part in some of our customs. I, as a Tongan, can remember from before I could walk, the essential part a whole pig played in celebrating special occasions. Everything from births and marriages to deaths and visits of special relatives, a pig was always there to represent status or even to bring importance to the occasion. (There is a rich history here, unfortunately not on this blog lol) 

So the dreaded word "VEGAN" the word could make my grandmother label me MENTAL! Why? is the big question every time I mutter the word to someone. Before I give this answer I want to first explain how this whole lifestyle came in to mine. The first time I heard the word Vegan, was from my Aunt and Uncle in law who just decided to stop eating meat and take up Veganism. It totally freaked me out, I was like... is this a cult? The first thing that came into my mind was leaves, leaves and more leaves....not something I would ever be interested in. They spoke about how much it has changed their life in every aspect. And these are no hippies, in fact my Aunt's parents were actually Meat farmers! THE IRONY!!


Veganism is the doctrine that "man should live without exploiting animals" Pretty soon after studying it, it's pretty clear that it's not just about FOOD! Giving up meat and dairy was only half the deal! It also meant no more wooly clothing or anything that came from an animal( annnnd I JUST BOUGHT A DOPE WOOLY JACKET FACE PALM! ) This was going to be harder than I thought!

So the reason why I am taking this up is truly a mixture of things. One being that, I have a long list of close family members that have suffered from preventable diseases, such as heart disease, liver disease, colon cancer and diabetes and not to mention obesity !! I truly believe that diet could have played a big part in preventing these illnesses. Also after reading the devastation animal farms has on our environment is enough to blow your mind !! (LOOK IT UP) Also the damage animal fat does to our bodies and the disgusting extent that the industry put these poor animals through is heartbreaking.
I as a mother of two really want to give anything a go that makes a real difference to the world. And even if this is for only thirty days, I hope to educate myself and my family about what we put into our bodies! Basically, I just want to  be responsible for the food I cook and use to nourish my family and be proud of it!

I am really interested to see if there are any fellow vegans out there and anyone interested in giving it a go !! LET ME KNOW!! I will blog here and there about it and post some of our meal plans with pictures !! I have to say with only three days into it, I do see a huge difference in my energy levels and my anger levels have gone down lol I would have thought I would be more angry without any meat haha!! Any who the only thing I really miss is the 10 cups of tea with milk I use to have everyday....maybe this is a good thing! Wish me luck and thanks again for stopping by !!

Cat xx

P.s "Beyonce is a vegan" is what I keep telling myself when it gets hard haha