When I ate plant-based foods for a week it was so fun to discover new healthy food alternatives to eat. You can read my blog here on what I actually ate that week. You’ll see that it contained a range of foods and I’ve never eaten so adventurously in my entire life. It really taught me that we can actually get a range of nutrients from plants and there are so many different types of foods available these days. There are a range of brands and products that I hadn’t even thought of before and I felt so energised for eating that way.
Whilst I wouldn’t go 100% plant-based I do think it is important to make better choices with food wherever possible. It’s always a good attitude to eat a balanced diet with a range of nutrients. I eat pretty healthily but I’m not perfect. I do allow myself treats and listen to my what my body needs or craves.
One of the days I recorded everything into a nutrition app. Whilst it doesn’t note down all nutrients such as omega 3 and zinc, the main food groups are listed. Surprisingly I ate too many saturated fats! This is something I might have to look at other days to see if this is a pattern I my normal eating too. For some reason though saturated fats from avocado and coconut oil are considered better for you than from animals but they don’t know why yet. That said, it’s still good to be mindful of this and reduce it wherever possible. I was almost at the levels for everything else but could have done with a little more protein. I’m not sure if I reached the target for other nutrients but if I wanted, this is something that could be looked into more on any diet! If anyone knows any good apps that detail out a more advanced list of nutrients, then let me know as I’d be interested to find out if I was getting enough in my diet! Another thing to note is that I went over my calories this specific day. I was quite full and other days we didn’t eat as much but I wanted to record everything for you for full disclosure. I probably wouldn’t have eaten this much normally but was just using things up and being more adventurous. Some days I do eat more and some days I don’t! It all depends like many of you I imagine! I’ll list below the meals we ate on that vegan day and the detailed analysis of the macros underneath that!
What I Ate
Breakfast – Bircher muesli with yogurt and apple
Cup of tea with semi-skimmed vegan milk
Vegan digestive biscuit
Lunch – one slice rye bread and spread of vegan butter, 1/2 avocado, tomatoes x portion
Carrot cake slice – Niomi Smart recipe
Cup of tea with full fat vegan milk
Dinner – ciabatta roll, vegan spread, reggae sauce, tofu burger, tomato, spinach small handful, homemade sweet potato fries, vegan mayonnaise
Dessert – chocolate chia pudding recipe per Niomi Smart book
Overall, I really enjoyed vegan week. I’ve come away with more enthusiasm to incorporate more plant-based recipes into my diet wherever possible. I would say the vitamins to watch out for include the following (whether vegan or not):
Vitamin B12
Protein
Omega 3 and Omega 6
Calcium
Vitamin D
Iodine
Selenium
Iron
Zinc
Vitamin K
Have you ever tried eating vegan food for a week before?
