Dry Jan / Vegan Jan/ Veggie Jan / No Smoking Jan (any other Jan intentations) Thread

robroy said:

**** DRY JANUARY IS CANCELLED***

I've already started. Prosecco and vodka martinis are on the menu today! 

Dry January for me, and stopping chocolate and crisps (the latter my go to snack). Attempted to give up one thing each month in 2019 (including using the lift at work - am on 6th floor), but only managed until July; hope to make it further this year.

AFKABartram said:

Good luck @Wilma believe me, you can do it (and then wonder after what all the fuss was about)

Thanks, doing okay so far. Been using a vape for when the cravings are too much but I'm trying to avoid the trap of exchanging smoking for vaping and to give up completely. 

Dazzler21 said:

Anyone have a good vegan shopping list and website for recipes?

@Dazzler21  I primarily use four YouTube channels for inspiration - Bosh, the Happy Pear, Avant Garde Vegan and Rachel Ama (it helps that she is so cute). You’ll find enough suggestions on those to keep you going.

As for a shopping list I always make sure I have some nutritional yeast ( for its oomami cheesiness) in the cupboard but apart from that I don’t really make any special purchases. Staples in my pantry include tinned beans of all varieties (I can never be arsed to soak dried beans), rice (again, for convenience I just use microwaveable packets), coconut milk, tofu (something I have grown to love, you just have to learn how to prepare it right), dried pasta, maple syrup (it seems to be used in a lot of vegan recipes), tinned jack fruit, almond/oat milk and a variety of vegetables and fruits as standard. One tip is to keep your spice rack stocked up, you’ll employ a lot of them if you cook from scratch.

Processed foods for convenience are becoming more and more available (Sainsbury’s stock a wide range) so you’ll be able to satisfy your burger and sausage pangs. If you can find any Naked Glory sausages then snap them up, they are incredible but otherwise Linda McCartneys range is good (although not all items are vegan), Meatless Farm Co make nice burgers and mince. Birds Eye do a nice vegan meatball (their sausages are ok too). Violife cheese is ok but I’m not a massive fan of it melted. Applewoods smoked vegan cheese though is awesome, I just wish they could master a mature cheddar one. Greggs new vegan steak bake is supposed to be pretty good but I haven’t sampled one yet and if all else fails you can always opt for a beef and tomato Pot Noodle! 

Can only speak for myself but when I finally went all plant based it reinvigorated my love for cooking, helped me appreciate food all over again.

One thing I will say is even if you think you have your nutritional bases covered it’s always worth taking a B12 supplement. 

Feel free to get in touch if you want any advice, I’m no expert but I like to think I know a bit about the plant based lifestyle by now.

Had my first tea with oat milk, delighted to say it was fine! Only have a little bit of milk in my tea but I was worried by this one. 

@AddickUpNorth - You're so right about tofu, I absolutely hated it in England, boring, bland and basically rubbish, however since moving to China I have come to absolutely love the stuff, in almost all varieties, the stinkier the better! If you can find a vegan version of Mapa doufu, I'd highly recommend it.

Dazzler21 said:

AddickUpNorth said:

Here’s some plant based inspiration for @Dazzler21 and anyone else wanting to move away from meat and dairy.

https://youtu.be/z7yBerP7WlE

I feel the hardest thing will be the removal of Dairy. Soured cream and cheese are the only ones I regularly have in Fajita's, pasta sauces etc... 

I think I can probably survive beyond January on a mostly vegetarian diet, probably one meat meal a week for enjoyment... 

I think it depends on your motivation. Mine started as health but the more I learned about the ethics of dairy, the more determined I was to cut it out. Taste vs life, and all that....

Good luck anyway!

Dry January for me. Did it last year, and it wasn't too difficult. Though my neighbour has just given me a load of beers for feeding their cats. Shall have to wait. 

Sorted out breakfasts, used to eat total junk from the train station/walk to work. We are talking parties, bacon sandwiches, maccys etc... Now I've changed jobs and there's nothing edible on my route to work, I can eat my lovely porridge, banana and oat milk. Mmm. 

Just need to sort out lunches, and not blow money eating like a hog. Chicken wrap and Jamaican patty perhaps not the best start!

Point of order for dry January... Do low alcohol (<0.5%) count as alcoholic drinks?

McBobbin said:

Point of order for dry January... Do low alcohol (<0.5%) count as alcoholic drinks?

I read that they don't. It was in an article about drinking sufficient water, and it said that such beers can count towards correct hydration levels. The Dry January website seems to support that view too, although they are leaving it up to individuals rather than issuing a judgement.

Bit wary myself. I have always felt that it's important for me not to go to a pub at all this month, especially out here where the beers look so beautiful. I remember being on an ad shoot in Germany during a dry Jan and we were in bars there and I kept saying wistfully "look at those foaming pints". The creative guys thought it was hilarious. 

McBobbin said:

Point of order for dry January... Do low alcohol (<0.5%) count as alcoholic drinks?

Would a Muslim drink it?!

Wheresmeticket? said:

I had such a bad hangover yesterday that the only way I could cope was to have a couple of beers...so that didn't get off to a good start.

Finally made it to two days without alcohol for the first time in about 3 months or more...obsessively going on the scales twice a day "oh no!  I'm 3 pounds heavier, what the fuck is going on?"

Wheresmeticket? said:

Anna_Kissed said:

https://twitter.com/AnimalAid/status/1214137779824799746

Order a copy of Plant-based Cooking on a Budget  (UK only) here:
https://animalaid.e-activist.com/page/22634/data/1

I was going to get this but it's £500

Actually free.  Just ordered it thanks AK