Another Charity Headshave: What prompt me to do this again and more about my charity work

So glad to be back...

Hi everyone! I am so happy to be sharing another post with you all finally. It has been far too long and I appreciate everyone's patience. I have had a lot going on (all will be explained in blog posts to come) but now I am back and hoping to post at least once every two weeks, once a week if I can manage. I have so much I want to share with all my readers from mental health and vegan recipes to toddler life and mummy posts, all will come soon and I cannot wait to receive some feedback from all of you. Thank you again for the continued support despite my lack of posting and for all the post ideas I have been sent, they are all jotted down in my notebook I promise and hopefully I will get round to typing up every one of those ideas into a post. LauraJaneLife blog is back and I am so happy about it! So let's just jump straight into today's topic... my newly shaved head! 

Previous Charity work and why I think it is important to give back...

I have done some charity work in the past and want to do so much more in the future! Since a young age my aim in life has always been to help people and make the world a better place. Sounds cheesy I know, a cliche that you hear people say all the time but that is the honest truth. I found it difficult to choose in what way I wanted to help people/change the world, I have been through many job possibilities in my head; mental health nurse, midwife, prime minister, M.P., author, psychologist, working in the criminal justice system, army nurse, police officer.. the list goes on. All these jobs I still think would be amazing to do and who knows maybe in the future I will pursue one of them (fun fact- I did get into university for Mental Health nursing and also a course that would of helped me to become a certified counsellor but it did not feel right for me at the time so I did not accept, but who knows maybe I could go back to this in the future). I could never decide what exactly I wanted to do career wise, I did know I wanted to help others however and that has driven me throughout my life. This being the reason any job I have ever had has been caring based- a children's party host, a nursery support worker, a learning disabilities care worker, elderly carer- I just want to help out and make a difference. Being a Mother was also something I always wanted to do and I would say is one of the biggest ways to change the world and impact the future because you are literally raising the next generation. Through being pregnant I also then re-discovered my childhood passion of writing leading to the moderate success of my blog, being employed as a writer for two online parenting websites and the starts of a self-published book (still a LONG way to go with that one). In all these ways I have become more passionate about making the world a better place and impacting the world positively with my time here. I am so grateful to of touched so many people with my writing, making people feel not alone when it comes to things such as mental health or motherhood. Receiving messages saying that I have made people feel accepted with my open-minded attitude or that I have made them re-think their lifestyle habits through my animal rights and environmental posts. It may be a small impact but an impact none the less and I hope to continue this. So yes through my life so far I have tried my best to find ways to help others and other than career paths there is charity work, here are some of the things I have done previously. 

-Donated to Foodbank every month
-Bought food for the homeless

-Coffee mornings for macmillan cancer support 

-Headshave for macmillan cancer support 

-Volunteering for Childline

- Fundraising for Rosie's Cafe (Mental Health Charity) 

The first headshave...

The first time I shaved my head, as I said, was for Macmillan Cancer Support. It was around 3 years ago I did it and raised £300. Still to this day I get letters (telling me of what work they are doing/have done with the money I raised) and little rewards you could say from Macmillan (such as Christmas cards, tags for presents, postcards etc) which I think is really sweet. I originally wanted to shave my head because around this time my hair was SO damaged from the amount of dying I had put it through in a very short amount of time, but then I began to think that instead of just shaving it I could shave it for a cause which as I have explained is something I am very passionate about. So I went for it, here is a picture from that first head shave. (Side note: I did not donate my hair because of the damage and the length was too short). 

Second headshave and why...

People- including family and friends- thought I was crazy to do this again! Why would you shave your head after growing it all back? Well the answer is simple.. because I can. It is just hair at the end of the day and if I can help a very worthy cause just by shaving my head then why wouldn't I? For me there was no answer to this question and thus I shaved my head. There were of course other reasons apart from 'just because I can'. I was always planning on doing this again, I just wasn't sure when or what charity to do it for and then I heard that the wonderful Willows Animal Sanctuary were really struggling with donations and were not sure if they could continue to look after their animals through the winter months and this gave me that final push to set up the just giving page. As you readers will know since I had my daughter I became vegan and through this I have found a whole new love and respect for animals so this cause was close to my heart. I also think Willows is so one of a kind to be a sanctuary that saves animals not only from abuse and neglect but from slaughter! In Aberdeen/Aberdeenshire anyways I don't think there is any other place like this that does not profit from the animals or exploit them but simply care for them, save them and try to spread the message that choosing a plant-based lifestyle is best for your health, environment and of course, the animals. I honestly adore this place and could not sit by and let such a wonderful place close. I want to take my daughter and any other children we may have to visit here a lot in the future to teach them all the values Willows upholds so they can use them through their life. So as I have said anything I could do to help I was most definitely going to do that! Aside from this I have noticed, as a woman, a lot of your beauty is defined by hair? If I was a man shaving my head it would be no big deal but as a woman, your crazy?! I have been called brave for shaving my head 'as a woman', I have been called of course 'crazy!' and one man said to me recently "why would you do that to yourself, your a woman?" and when I replied saying it was for charity it was then "That's okay then because it was for charity". I am not saying people who think this way are bad of course not, our society conditions us to think in these gender stereotypes but I would like to be an individual that challenges these and opens the minds of others who may think a woman's beauty is based upon her hair or looks alone. Not going to lie, last time I shaved my head I hid it all the time under wigs to make myself more 'feminine', this was 3 years ago when I was a lot more self-conscious although looking back I did not need to be, no one does. Where as this time around- I don't know if its the fact I am a Mother now and do not have the time to put a wig on every day, that I am a lot more chilled about looks as it is not important in my eyes or both but I am rocking this shaved head look and loving it. Embracing the funny looks I get in the street as compliments or at least I stand out? Mainly I want to be a role model to Ella-Grace in all aspects of life and show her that her beauty does not depend on her hair or her looks, it does not matter what anyone else thinks and that as long as you are confident yourself that is what matters. I cannot stress enough to anyone reading this that at the end of the day looks do not matter! Yes of course people like to look there best or get dolled up for special occasions but that does not make you beautiful or not. I put on make up not because I think I need it but because I enjoy it and I like the way it looks that does not mean I look worse without it or I am not beautiful, because I am and everyone is. Once you live in this mindset you feel so much happier and free and make others feel the same because you are not judging anyone on looks. So yes, sorry for the word vomit, I was very confident in my choice to shave my head for Willows and 'beauty' never crossed my mind nor did bravery for that matter. I did not and do not consider myself as brave for shaving my head although many have said I was, bravery is people saving lives, bravery is people fighting for their lives, I just don't see this as brave although I do appreciate the supportive messages and comments from people who do think that. I just saw this as me doing a good deed for a good cause and I have a new hair style at the end of it. That's all. In the end I raised £210 for Willows Animal Sanctuary. 

How I pick what charities I fundraise for...

I by no means am the fundraising or charity work champion, far from it in fact I wish I had the time and money to do more for good causes and organise more events. I have always said I would love to run a marathon or organise a charity ball, hopefully this will be in the future at some point. Any ways I may not be the fundraising champ but I do have specific charities that in the future I do plan to help and these are for many reasons. Someone messaged me and asked me to go through the charities/causes I think are important and I personally would want to raise money/awareness for. This list could be a blog post in itself so here I will put my top 3 at the moment. 

Mental Health Charities 

As many of you know I have struggled with mental illness through most of my life, still do now and always will. Anxiety, panic attacks and self harm are all subjects that I have personal experience in and really touch my heart. I do think these things are still very stigmatised which is very wrong. When I was going through my darkest times all I wanted was help and for someone to tell me that what I was feeling will pass and there is help. Unfortunately so many people of all ages do not get this support and often get met with negative responses when they try to open up, sometimes even bullying. On many occasions unfortunately people struggling mentally feel their is no way out and take their lives because of this. I have been in that dark place where you feel so alone and that no one can help you and now being in a totally different mindset yet having that empathy for others who have experienced mental illness/ are experiencing, I would love to help. Charities I have strongly considered volunteering/fundraising for have been Samaritains, Mind, SAMH and many more. I have previously contacted Samaritans but unfortunately the timing just was not right and I was not able to volunteer but it is still something I am very open to in the future. Mental health is just as important as Physical health, I am a firm believer of this FACT.

Rape and Sexual Assault Victims 

I don't really know where to start when talking about this topic. I have written in the past that I myself have experienced sexual assault and sadly many of my friends have been victim to sexual assault and/or rape. In fact pretty much every woman I know has an experience of some sort of injustice that has been done to them when it comes to sexual harassment, assault, attempted rape or rape, it is a very sad fact that to this day it is a very scary place for women and I feel very strongly that something needs to be done about this. From improvements in the criminal justice system to changes in society's attitude (for example victim blaming is such a big problem), there are many things in my opinion that can be done to support these victims and potentially stop other assaults occurring. No one asks to be raped. Of course this is not just a female problem, there are many men that are also a victim to sexual assault and rape, I am in full support of them also when I say I wish to help these victims and survivors. Although I do think that women are more at risk of this, men and women a like should not be treated any differently when it comes to support after a sexual assault or rape, all cases should be taken seriously. I hope that all made sense, I get a bit overwhelmed when talking about something I am passionate about. 

So, having some horrid experiences myself and knowing many people who have, not to mention seeing first hand victim blaming (for example I know someone who got raped walking home, by two men and many around her said 'Well she shouldn't of been walking home alone?' NO the men should not have raped her!). All of this makes me very passionate about helping rape and sexual assault survivors and even more so since I have had my little girl. I am already teaching her about consent when it comes to giving hugs, she does not have to hug anyone if she does not want to nor can she make someone hug her. These little steps I think are very important. I would love to volunteer for rape and sexual assault support groups, help fundraise for charities that support such survivors and maybe, if the opportunity came up, I would love to speak to schools about consent because that I think is a very blurred subject and it is time those lines were made clear especially for young adults. This is truly one of the most horrific things that could happen to you and more often than not unfortunately, people get away with their actions or incidents go unreported out of fear or shame, this NEEDS to change and I want to be a part of that change. I could go on and on about this but just as an end note I would like to say if anyone needs to talk about a situation they are going through regarding sexual assault or rape I would be more than happy to speak to anyone, also if anyone knows of any volunteering, fundraising, awareness raising or school speaking opportunities in this area I would love to know about them. 

Animal Rights Charities 

Going to keep this one short just because I have spoke about it already in this post and A LOT in other posts. Obviously I am very passionate about animals and helping them in any way I can. Humans are so destructive and animals are the opposite, what is sad is that they really don't have a voice. If they did maybe as human beings we would not do the evil things that we do to them. This lack of voice that the animals of this world have makes me feel that I need to be that voice. I need to speak up about the cruelty of farming, how we are ruining their homes, vile hunting, animal testing, exploitation of animals for entertainment, the list really does go on and on and the sad thing is that many people don't even know these things are cruel and willingly take part. That makes me so sad but also grateful that my eyes have been opened to what is really happening behind the scenes to the beautiful creatures of this planet. For some reason what I have just said will be deemed 'controversial' to some but it is the honest truth and with out change animals will continue to suffer, go extinct and our environment as well as theirs will deteriorate, fast! Again, I could go on and on! I hope to do more fundraising for Willows animal sanctuary and other charities that benefit the animals. I plan to purchase some Go Vegan Scotland merchandise  for myself and Ella-Grace this Christmas and I am very excited about that and the cause my money will go towards. 

Summary and Thank you for reading...

In conclusion (haven't wrote that since I was writing English or Philosophy essays in school haha), I am very passionate about charity work and living my life to change the lives of others and the world around us in positive ways. There are specific areas that I gravitate towards helping but really there are endless lists of worthy causes and amazing charities I am sure people could fundraise for, donate to, volunteer etc. I am proud of what I have done this year and in the future hope to do much more as I have said. I want Ella-Grace to grow up seeing her Mummy helping others and hopefully she will be proud or even better want to get involved with me. 
That is the end of this weeks post, thank you so much for reading! Sorry if the post is a bit all over the place it has been a while and I have had to type this out quite fast in the short space of time I have while Reece baths Ella-Grace (that's the life of a work from home mum). As always however I wrote from the heart, I wrote this post honestly and although it may  be all over the place and I am sure full of spelling and grammar errors, it is me and I like to think of my blog as an online diary and you are all here reading my inner thoughts. Quite a scary thing to share with the world but I feel it has a place here and may influence others positively. Rambling on again, seriously need someone to stop me haha. Thanks again for reading. Till the next post- I have many more unfiltered posts to come from motherhood to mental health, I have a lot to talk about! And as I always end my posts...

Stay Happy Everyone! :)

Lets Talk About Veganism

(Choosing to be vegan means choosing not to consume or use any animal products) 

Finally it is here...

Hi everyone, I hope you are all doing well. I cannot believe we are in June already.. that is half way through 2018 and I get married this month! My life is crazy right now with all the wedding planning, working from home and being a stay at home mum as well as a bunch of other stuff I have had going on but that's all for another post. Today I am finally posting the HIGHLY requested post about being vegan. 

There was a small amount of interest in this topic for a while but it was when I started posting my 1 year post-partum weight loss pictures that I had so many people messaging me. How do I cut down on meat? How can I be vegan? What is a plant-based diet? What meal plan do you follow? I had so many messages I have felt compelled to write this post as this is clearly what you all would like to hear. I haven't really done much on veganism on the blog because I know it a lot of the time can spark some pretty heavy debates and I did not want any arguing on my blog. However, I do have some strong opinions on what I think is right and as most of you will know I am raising my own daughter on these views as well. I have been called crazy and even 'a bad parent' for raising a mini vegan but its all about being confident in what you know is best and if people really looked at the facts they would see it for themselves. But I am getting ahead of myself, lets just start with the basic question that I get asked everyday: Why did you go vegan? 

Why I went Vegan...

Would you believe that once upon a time I was not a vegan. I was a meat eating, dairy consuming, egg loving human being. I could not of been farther from being vegan and even found myself disagreeing with the views of people who were vegan. Spouting things I thought were facts but really were just things I had drummed into me by society because lets face it being vegan is not exactly the 'norm' (yet). 

So yes I was not raised vegan and for most of my life I was not vegan. My sister was actually the first person to introduce me to the world of veganism. She went vegetarian years ago and has been trying to transition into being vegan for a while. She would tell me all these horror stories and show me videos on farming and tell me facts about how we are affecting the environment by eating meat but I wouldn't listen and I would avoid watching those videos. I was blinded by what I thought was right and I am not afraid to say that I was indeed uneducated and ignorant about these facts. I have always viewed myself as a nice person, I would never intentionally cause harm to other people or be judge mental. I thought eating meat and animal products was something we had to do to survive which is why it was okay to harm the animals. But like I said I was wrong and when I cottoned onto this fact my views,my opinions and my life changed forever. 

It was through my pregnancy that I started to go off of meat due to my morning sickness, it just happened to be what food aversion I had. So through the pregnancy I did consume less meat but was not yet vegetarian or vegan although I was looking more and more into it. Soon through reading facts and seeing the harm a non plant based diet is doing to other living things as well as our environment I would feel guilt whenever I put a product in my mouth that was derived from animals. But it tasted good so I continued to do it.. then Ella-Grace was born and I looked at my actions through her eyes which is when it hit me. How can I teach my daughter to be a good person? How can I teach her to do the right thing when I am making choices in my life of which are wrong? How can I justify the cruelty that is eating meat and animal products? I can't because it is not justifiable. And finally I thought I wish when I was younger some one had told me exactly what I was eating, exactly how we as humans obtained meat and animal products, exactly how cruel and harmful that way of life is. I wish someone opened my eyes to a plant-based, cruelty free diet much sooner than I found it because it is much harder to give up all the things you are used to than to be vegan right from birth. So I stopped eating meat first, I decided I would cut down gradually because  it is of course a big lifestyle change when you are brought up on the total opposite. Then we found out Ella-Grace was dairy intolerant and that was it, no more dairy. I almost felt as if it was a sign that this was the right thing to do. Go vegan. Eggs was definitely the hardest thing for me to give up because I loved having boiled, poached, fried, scrambled, any kind of egg you could have for breakfast I loved and I even let Ella-Grace try a small bit of scrambled egg but I felt it was wrong and when I seen her come up in a rash following her consumption of egg, once again it re-affirmed my beliefs and that this was the right thing to do so that was it I was vegan. At least at home I was going out for food was a bit trickier but now over a year now since Ella-Grace was born and I am a full vegan- no animal products. Now and again I have had some slip ups, but for a while now I have had a strict vegan lifestyle for my health, for Ella-Grace, for the animals and for the planet. I am proud that I have managed to do it. So yeah that is why I went vegan. 

Vegan Myths Busted...

You cant eat out

True, it took me longer to be full vegan when eating out than eating vegan at home but that does not mean you cannot eat out. There is more temptation out and some places don't have vegan options and I think this was my first problem. When I wasn't vegan of course I went to the places that were not vegan friendly, this is what I needed to change. I needed to find places with vegan options and be opening to trying new meals or asking for things without the cheese or without butter etc. So as a vegan of course you can eat out and it is not difficult you just need to know the places that have vegan options and commit to going to those places. By saying know the places that have vegan options, that does not mean there are limited places either. In fact the bigger place you live in the more options there probably are. Luckily the world is catching up with the need for more plant-based food options and veganism is becoming more popular. Through this popular restaurants have added vegan options. For example Pizza hut now has the option of vegan pizza. There are more cafes and restaurants with vegan options than without nowadays and when I go out to eat there are less than a handful of places that I would avoid. Even KFC is bringing out vegan options now... so I think the 'you can't eat out' argument is out the window. And if you have family or friends that are not supportive of your lifestyle change and refuse to eat somewhere that you can have a decent meal then they are not very nice people. You aren't forcing them to eat vegan why should they try and force you to consume animal products?

Limited snack food 

"But what do you snack on?" and "What's your cheat food" are two questions that I have been asked often. I have asked how I can live without chocolate, ice cream, cake, pizza and all those unhealthy treat foods that we all love and the truth is.. I don't have to live without it. My 'cheat food' and snacks are exactly the same as yours just not made from animal products. A lot of dark chocolate is dairy free, milk and white chocolate can be made with plant milks, pizza does not have to have cheese or it can have dairy free cheese on it. The same goes for cake and ice cream and pretty much all the other treats that people enjoy, I can snack on that too it is just made with plant-based ingredients. Of course I am not saying they taste exactly the same and sometimes yes the animal product alternative may of tasted better but morally it is wrong and I get pleasure not only from the taste of my food but knowing that no living thing had to suffer or die for what I am eating. 

The food is tasteless 

Anyone that believes this myth or thinks all vegan's eat is grass and ice- yes people have actually said that to me- needs to come and taste my cooking because I promise you it is anything but tasteless. Vegetables have an abundance of flavor and work amazing with so many spices. There are so many beautiful tasting vegetables you just need to cook them right. People think of vegetables as a side dish instead of the star of the show but when you make them the star and focus your effort of making a meal out of them instead of just boiling some carrots on the side of a piece of meat. That is why people think they are tasteless because they don't explore their potential. You can stir fry them, make soup, make sauces, have pasta dishes or curry dishes. You can have tremendous salads and more. Later in the post I will put some meal ideas that I personally love so for now I will leave this here. 

It's unhealthy

This really does not make any sense to me. The amount of times people have said to me that I wont be getting enough protein, calcium, vitamins and more. I have been asked whether I regularly check my iron level and if I worry that I will become very ill and the answer is no. Of course there is an unhealthy way to be vegan, you can eat the wrong things but that is exactly same as not being vegan, you can eat the wrong things and be unhealthy. People are quick to jump on the bandwagon when someone says a plant-based diet is unhealthy but no one bats an eye when someone is stuffing there face with McDonalds and fizzy drinks everyday because that is acceptable in the eyes of society but yeah please worry that I am unhealthy from eating too many vegetables and no horrible animal products. 

The two pictures above are 1 year apart. The first picture is when I had just decided to go vegan and the second one was taken a year later when I had transitioned to full vegan. Size 14 to a size 8/6! I have never in my entire life felt and looked this healthy. When I first got pregnant with Ella-Grace before gaining any of the baby weight I was unhealthy and my medical tests at the start shown that, my BMI was so close to being a risk factor to my pregnancy. I consumed so much crap and even when I would be trying to eat healthy I would be having so much dairy and meat compared to the small amount of fruit and vegetables that I would not be losing weight. VEGETABLES AND FRUIT ARE KEY TO A HEALTHY DIET! They are not a side dish, they are the main attraction. Vegetables hold so much protein, calcium, vitamins, iron and more. Once I realised this and made my diet plant-based I had so much more energy, I lost almost 2 stone (which I needed to lose for my health) and I was so much happier and healthier. Even when I wanted to snack on some plant-based treats that weren't the healthiest because the rest of my diet is a healthy plant-based, vegetable fest those treats didn't matter- all in moderation still of course. I am no nutritionist but I know my own body and I would recommend everyone to live on a plant-based diet. More on this coming up. 

It's unsafe for children 

This one can really wind me up because I have actually had people refer to me as a bad mother because I have chosen to raise my daughter vegan. Even people who support my vegan lifestyle will tell me that they don't think it is healthy for children and that I could be harming her by raising her on no animal products. This once again is untrue. 

I have been sent links to articles titled like "Vegan diet kills baby" which is all uneducated crap and the title is only for click bait. The children who sadly lost their lives or became ill in these articles were because of neglect NOT because of a healthy plant-based diet and my wonderful Ella-Grace is an amazing example of how healthy a child can be on a plant-based diet. Ella-Grace has never digested any meat, she has only ever had dairy through my breast-milk when I was consuming it which we soon found out she was allergic to and eggs I let her try once when I was still eating them which made her come up in a rash. So ever since we started weaning her it has all been vegan and she has never been malnourished, underweight or unhealthy. She is actually slightly above average weight- which is not a bad thing. She is healthily chubby, strong and developing as she should despite all the comments I get about how I should be worrying that I am harming her. My choice to raise Ella-Grace vegan is no different to your choice to raise your child as a meat eater except of course our lifestyle is cruelty-free and environmentally friendly. No I am not worried about Ella-Grace's protein, calcium, iron or vitamin intake just as I am not worried about my own. if anything since becoming vegan I am more aware of what foods contain what nutrients and therefore I am feeding Ella-Grace healthier food than I ever would of as a meat eater. Like I have said vegetables are an amazing source of nutrients as are beans, pulses etc. and there are so many different plant-based milks to choose from which are not being taken away from any baby animals which you know is obviously a plus. Still worried about if my daughter is healthy? Please come over to my house and see her thriving, she is living proof that a vegan diet is perfectly safe and healthy for children and Ella-Grace is not the only one. 

Vegans push their views on others 

Yet again another annoying myth, I think you have probably gathered by now that I find all of these rather annoying. "Vegans push their views on other people" is the opinion that many people have meaning whenever someone even mentions veganism, even if the topic was brought up by someone else, they get blamed for being pushy. But let me ask you something, when was the last time you watched the TV and didn't see an advert containing an animal product? When was the last time you walked outside and didn't see posters for meat specials in restaurants? On menus are animal products in the majority of meal options? In school do you learn that you should have animal products? Society pressures you to eat animal products and put money towards the horrendous industry but yeah its the vegan that opened their mouth for 5 seconds that is pushy. 

I purposely do not bring up the fact that I am vegan to avoid confrontation unless it is appropriate for the conversation for example if someone offers me something with an animal product in it or Ella-Grace then I may explain that we are vegan. This then leads to them asking me why I am vegan to which I never respond in graphic details, I say the most basic reasons that I am vegan. To then be met with judging looks and snappy comments. I am not going to say there aren't more pushy vegans and yes some people will scream and shout if you eat a ham sandwich in front of them but in no way is it all us. In the grand scheme of things veganism is what is right in my opinion and it is always good to stick up for what is right. We teach our young ones to speak up for what they believe in and do the right thing and that is what a vegan is doing if and when they speak up about why they are living a plant-based diet. Instead of rolling your eyes and blaming them for pushing this idea on you, maybe listen to what they have to say and you might learn something new. 

It is expensive 

I have never tried to act like someone I am not on my blog. I tell the truth and that includes documenting some of the money struggles we as a family have had. Through some of these times where we have been tight on money however not once did it come to my head that damn better go back to eating animal products because being vegan is so expensive. Meat is expensive, cheese is expensive... vegetables, rice, bread, beans and pulses are not expensive. Yes, you can go for the more expensive vegan options, some of the meat substitutes can be  pricey but this is not a must in a vegan diet, those are a choice. Once again, just like a non vegan you just need to know where to shop, how to budget and how to plan your meals. I actually think I spend less money on my food shopping now than I ever did when I was not a vegan. Don't believe me? Look at the statistics above. 

Veganism doesn't really help the environment 

Farming is the biggest reason for climate change. Need I say more? Anyone that does not believe that eating animal products affects our environment could not be more wrong. When I say to someone that being vegan is environmentally friendly they look at me as if I am mad thinking eating meat has nothing to do with climate change but it 100% does, just look at the picture above and you will see the facts. It is astonishing to me that this is not taught in schools, its all well and good having Math and English but without our planet, we are non-existentent... literally, Once I explain to someone why eating animal products is bad for the environment I am almost always met with arguments such as but plastic is bad too and so if palm oil and oh well we cut down trees for other things not just to farm animals. People say these things to justify their actions, keeping themselves in the state of ignorance is bliss. But no matter what way you put it, you can recycle all the plastic you want but the best way to help our environment and save our planet is to live a vegan lifestyle. 

We need animal products to survive

I really don't need to say much for this one do I. I mean look at the picture above.. that is my daughter and I clearly surviving and living a healthy life on a plant-based diet with no animal products. Ella-Grace never even having meat or dairy pass her lips. I honestly do not know what can say it better than the clear proof that we are living breathing humans who do not eat animal products and we are fine. You do not need to have meat. People try to argue that because lions eat meat so should we... no, there is more proof that we are herbivores than omnivores and lions kill, rip and swallow there meat raw, not have it factory farmed and cooked to avoid food poisoning. If you are going down the line that we are the same as Lions then why are we all wearing clothes and walking round with phones in our hands. That argument is simply invalid and protein can be obtained from many plant-based sources. As for cows milk, which I find is what everyone freaks out about most, tell them your vegetarian fine but vegan.. OMG HOW CAN YOU SURVIVE WITHOUT COWS MILK! Calm down, cows milk is more baby cows not for humans but for some reason the world thinks that we need it? Honestly that makes no sense to me. There are so many plant-based milks for calcium and an abundance of vegetables that hold the same amount of calcium, you do not need cows milk. Society just likes to drum that into us so the dairy industry can still make money well sorry to disappoint but I am not putting any of my money to an industry that rapes cows, steals their children and works them to death. As for eggs, yeah they again are not needed in our diet and I do not fancy eating chicken period. 

It is simple really... if I can live a life not harming another creature why wouldn't I. 

What I like to eat/meal plan ideas...

Vegan lasagne

I am not going to do full on recipes here because this blog post is already long enough but if there is something you really want me to post then just let me know and I will be sure to type up the recipe. Here I am going to put an example of a meal plan for me and one for Ella-Grace. Might give you guys who are hopefully now thinking of going vegan an idea of what yours and/or your child's meal plan could be like. 

Ella-Grace

Breakfast- Cup of water or plant-based milk (we like soy milk or have recently tried hemp). Toast with dairy free butter. Weetabix made with plant-based milk. 

Morning snack- Apricots, cherry tomatoes and rice cakes. Cup of water. 

Lunch- Falafel salad with vegan cheese. (Falafel, tomatoes, sweetcorn, lettuce, onion, mushroom, spincach, vegan cheese). Cup or water or plant-based milk.

Afternoon snack- free-from yoghurt and carrot sicks with hummus. Cup of water.

Supper- Tofu bolognase (minced tofu, chopped mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and spinach) with spaghetti, boiled veg and dairy-free garlic bread. Cup of plant-based milk. 

Me

Breakfast- Cup of tea (made with plant-based milk) and a two slices of fruit toast with dairy-free butter. 

Lunch- Vegetable stir fry with wholewheat noodles. Glass of water or juice. 

Supper- Vegan sausage (Lind McCartney brand is amazing) and sweet potato mash with boiled veg. Glass of water or juice. 

Snacks- cherry tomatoes, toast, veg crisps, tortilla chips and salsa etc. 

(Ella-Grace and I have the same meals now so these meal plans could work for either adult or child just have to be prepared slightly differently) 

Top tips...

Many of you who messaged me, especially after I posted my weight loss pic, wanted some tips on how to cut down on animal products and wanted some meal ideas. So the meal ideas are above and as for tips here they are, my top 10. 

1. Cut down one thing at a time

When animal products are the majority of your diet cutting them all out at once may not work for you and make your more likely to go backwards and indulge in them. By all means if you are confident in cutting it all out at once and already have a vegan meal plan in place you can do that. But for those who think they may find it difficult you can cut one thing out at a time and aim towards that goal of being free from animal products. So for me meat was the first thing I cut out which I found quite easy because I wasn't a massive meat eater anyways and from being pregnant it made me feel quite sick. The one thing I did crave was salmon and I think I dipped once and had some but I felt so sick after it put me off even more and I never ate meat again. Now I would never, ever touch meat, being vegetarian was the easy part for me. The next thing I cut out was dairy which would of been difficult if I was just doing it for myself but because Ella-Grace was breastfed and very allergic to dairy if I consumed it I would of made her ill and she is my main priority so I cut dairy out quite quickly although once she wasn't breast-fed I have had a few dips, I would go weeks and weeks with no dairy then I would be at my parents and have some cheese or something which I would then regret, feel sick 'and once again not have dairy for weeks. It has been a while now with no dips and after watching a video the other day on the dairy industry.. I don't think I will ever dip again. Eggs and honey was the final two things I cut out. Eggs were hard because I had them every single day but the more i thought of them as chicken period and how the chickens have to suffer for them, I soon cut that out too. As for honey that wasn't difficult to cut out, I never bought it anyways it was more not buying products that had honey in them such as cereals. So yes, tip number 1 cut down one thing at a time and you will soon get there. 

2. Be open to trying new things

If you are set in your ways and do not want to try any new things then it is going to be difficult for you to change your entire lifestyle. Using fake meats is fine and can help you transition easier but ultimately the best meals to have are ones that are made fully of vegetables. Before I was vegan I had never tried butternut squash, kidney beans, hummus, chickpeas, sesame seeds, chia seeds, tofu, plant-based milk.. there are so many new foods I have come across since becoming vegan and they are so tasty and healthy. When I first bought a block of tofu I looked at it and thought there was no way I was going to like it but keeping an open mind and I cooked and ate it and now it is probably one of my favourite things to eat and it is a great source of calcium, Keep an open mind and don't be afraid to try something new. 

3. Don't view vegetables as the enemy

Sort of similar to tip 2, don't be afraid of vegetables they are not the enemy. From when we are little we are told to eat our vegetables that are boringly boiled and left on the side of our plate. We see vegetables as this yucky thing that we have to eat but that is not the case. They have so much flavor and can be cooked in so many different ways so utilise that. Buy a cook book or google a recipe. Make your vegetables the part of your meal that you cannot wait to eat and show your kids this too. Ella-Grace will pretty much inhale a good vegetable stir fry because that is the main thing on her plate and that is what she finds yummy. No more 'you have to eat your vegetables', you need to want to eat and enjoy them. 

4. Find an alternative

Craving something that contains animal products? Think you might cave? Find an alternative. If you want chocolate, get dark or dairy free. If you want meat, find a substitute. If you want cheese, there an abundance of dairy-free cheeses for you to try. If you want a fry up, why not try scrambled tofu. I am forever craving garlic bred and nachos, they are my two favourite snack foods and I have found vegan alternatives to both of these so now when I crave them I am craving the plant-based version. Yes sometimes it will be a miss and you will still have that craving but stay strong, remember why you are doing it and try another alternative. 

5. Be confident in your beliefs

As soon as you go vegan, everyone is a nutritionist. Eat fast food in front of people no one bats an eye as soon as you have a vegan meal then you are crazy and unhealthy. Be prepared for the judgmental comments, closed minded arguments and the peer pressure to 'just eat normal'. You have to be strong and confident, know what you believe in and stick to it. They can disagree with you and even think you are completely wrong but you know what you believe and that is what matters. 

6. Join vegan groups

Always a good idea I think. Joining a group of other vegans on facebook really helped me transition into going vegan and even more a vegan baby led weaning group made me confident that I was doing the right thing by Ella-Grace. I had support and seen so many other Mothers and babies who were thriving on a vegan diet and if anyone in my personal life tried to say that no one could survive on a vegan diet I would have the 100's of people in my Facebook groups as proof that wasn't true. You can get helpful advice, recipes and support, really worth joining a group. 

7. Go to an animal sanctuary

Go and see the animals you are saving. Unfortunately there are many farms around where we live that we could visit but not many animal sanctuaries. I do not want to take Ella-Grace to a farm nor do I want to go to a farm for obvious reasons but animal sanctuaries where the animals are saved from death, neglect and abuse are amazing, They are not used for anything just looked after. Willows animal sanctuary I think is an amazing example of this. They even have pigs and chickens that have been saved from the slaughterhouse. I will continue to take Ella-Grace there, I want to show her the animals she is saving and show her that they are living breathing creatures just like us. So if you find yourself craving bacon, go and see a pig and I would hope seeing that creature who so clearly wants to live would put that thought right out of your head. 

8. Do your research and make a list

Being vegan is not difficult, it is now second nature to me but when that is not your way of life and you do not know how to get what you need via a plant-based diet, it is good to do your research and make a list of what foods have what nutrients. Once you have done this you will know what to put into your diet to keep you healthy and I bet you will be way healthier than before you were vegan because you are actually paying attention to what you are putting in your body rather than going with the norm and just eating what society says is right. 

9. Have supportive people around you

If you have friends who won't go somewhere to eat that there are vegan options and try judge your decision, these are not the people you want in your life. Since going vegan I have had mostly support and even when I have had debates on it they have been friendly and respectful. I have made many of my friends re-think their diet through telling them about being vegan because they are open minded and are interested in what I have to say. Anyone that tries to act like your wrong or unhealthy and are too ignorant to listen to what you have to say or at least leave you be, they do not need to be in your life. Only surround yourself with good vibes. 

10. Health not weight loss

As for the weight loss side of things, yes I lost a lot of weight since becoming vegan which has made me so much fitter and healthier but I was not focusing on the weight-loss, I was focusing on my health and Ella-Grace's. I felt unhealthy before going vegan and once I had transitioned and all those amazing vegetables were in my body I had so much more energy and felt so much happier and the weight just dropped off. If I had focused on just the weight loss I probably would of gave up a long time ago. Do it for your health, for the environment and for the animals, do it to set a good example to your child and keep them healthy. It took me over a year after having Ella-Grace to get to the dress size I am now and I didn't even notice because I was happy with how healthy my body was rather than the way it looked and what the scales said. Self-love is important. 

True Facts and Images (caution the truth hurts)...

This is the truth. I could of gone through and added a lot more images, some so gruesome you may of been sick but I could hardly look at them and it makes me so upset seeing the suffering. I have put in a few and hopefully these are all you need to make you open your eyes. As well as these images here are some things you may want to watch/read to know more about why going vegan is a good idea:

https://www.youtube.com/DAIRYISSCARY

https://www.petakids.com/food/kids-vegan-nutrition-guide/

http://www.firststepsnutrition.org/pdfs/Eating_well_for_veg_infants_for_web.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMklOB77myw

https://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/08/opinions/go-vegan-save-the-planet-wang/index.html

https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming/

(I do not own these images)

Vegan inspirations

Still not convinced and think I don't know what I am talking about? Or just want to see some more people living on a vegan diet/living a vegan a lifestyle, here are some people that inspire me. 

Instagram accounts: 

@whatpoppyeats @plantbasedrunningguy 
@sophie.bullimore
@raiseveganmagazine 
@thatnorthernvegan

Facebook Groups: 
Vegan Baby Led Weaning 

Thank you for reading...

That was a long one! I hope this lived up to everyone's expectations and I am sorry if it seemed like a rant but I feel very strongly about this and when you get judged everyday for a decision that is helping others and you get the chance to let it all out, you just do haha. I hope this has encouraged someone who is not vegan to at least re-think some of their diet. I hope this has open your eyes to some important information that you may not know. 

Go vegan for the environment, for the animals, for our children and for your health. Do what is right. Please no arguments in the comments. You may disagree but there is no need to be rude to each other. Comment below if you are vegan and you have something to add or if you have any more questions message me. I would really like some feedback from this blog post as so many of you asked for me to write it. I hope you enjoyed reading this. Love all my readers so much. Till next time. 

Stay Happy Everyone :)