Diet Challenge

 The Diet Challenge - Gluten-Free Eating

What is a Gluten-Free challenge?

This challenge is when I push myself to trial alternative diets as part of my research into healthy eating and sound nutrition. Join me as I tackle some well known alternative diets. You may have followed my progress when I participated in the vegetarian or dairy-free challenge. If not have a read now. Third up: Gluten-Free!

 

Day 1: Sunday 21st October 2012

Hey there! So how exciting is this as it is the very first day of the gluten free challenge! I have to admit this is going to be a very different change to my normal diet choices. But what am I actually doing. Well I am obeying a diet that would be similar of someone who cannot eat gluten because their body if unable to digest a protein component of the grains wheat, rye, barley, triticale and oats. Even small amounts of gluten can cause harm. When the lining of the small intestine is damaged, nutrients are poorly absorbed. This disorder is called coeliac disease. If left untreated, this can result in a range of disorders including malnutrition, osteoporosis and infertility. So that means no more products for me that contain gluten!

This pretty much eliminates all cereals, breads and grains that I would normally eat. But I am not to fear because there are other products available. In fact I have become very good friends with the Freedom food brand as they have a fantastic range of gluten-free foods. Have a look if you would like http://www.freedomfoods.com.au/.

So what happened to me today, I hear you ask? Well I had an apple and some natural mixed nuts for breakfast (as I hadn't bought and gluten free products yet). Then I had a tuna and salad wrap with bread that was made from soy and buckwheat flour...very interesting! Then I nibbled on some gluten-free muesli in the arvo...haha I have a tendency to do this whilst trying to do maths homework. Then dinner was some scrambled eggs on gluten free toast and passionfruit yoghurt...yum!

I hope you have a fantastic day...thanks so much for reading! xx

Day 2: Monday 22nd October 2012
Hello there bloggers. Thanks for all your support in following and reading my blog. Don't forget to comment on my recipes and diet challenges page. I love to get all your feedback! It really does make me excited!

Ok soooo I am gluten-free hay! Yes it is going really well actually. I am enjoying it even though it can be very annoying when figuring out what I am allowed to eat.

Today I had some gluten-free muesli for breakfast with skim milk then an apple for morning tea and some rice and corn crackers with tuna and vegetable sticks for lunch. This is a great lunch box treat...perhaps I will make it a recipe; you will have to wait and see. Then in the afternoon I enjoyed a banana. Dinner was my newest recipe. I have to say it was really tasty. If you have no idea what I am talking about then check out the recipes drop down menu and look at the Chicken, Mushroom and Chickpea Summer Meal. I have not really felt that this gluten-free diet has affected me all that much, although I suppose it is only day 2...ahaha.

Wish me luck for the next few days....xx

Day 3: Tuesday 23rd October 2012

Wow so I have actually come to the end of the third day of the gluten-free challenge! So today I had some of my usual muesli for breakfast then an apple for morning tea and the lunch as yesterday as which consisted of tuna with a gluten-free wrap and some veggie sticks. I then had a banana and gluten-free muesli bar for arvo tea. Then dinner was very interesting as I had a mince curry type dish with quinoa. Now you may be asking what on earth is quinoa. Well guess what? I have the answer for you! haha. Quinoa is, according to a definition 'a species of goosefoot, is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudo cereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the true grass family' but to speak in English, it is basically a gluten-free grain much similar to couscous. It is awesome because it can be served as a sweet dish, something like porridge, or savoury like a carbohydrate alongside a protein. I will have the recipe of what I ate tonight up soon. Then after dinner to be very alternative I had passionfruit yoghurt (sarcasm). This is really fun being gluten-free really because I get to try so many new things that I wouldn't usually eat. That is probably the best thing about having a go at all these diets. Maybe you could to!

So how have I been feeling? Well for the past few days I have had really bad headaches. For some people this may not ring alarm bells, although I basically never get headaches...yet I am not fully convinced that it has anything to do with my change in diet...probably just polynomial division in maths class! oh well....

Have a great day and thanks for reading!

xx

Day 4: Wednesday 24th October 2012

Hey there everyone....so this is going to be brief. Just wanted to say what a great day I had...but I am still suffering from headaches! ahhh....oh well. So today I had some gluten-free muesli as per usual for breakfast, then an apple in the morning and some gluten-free flat bread with tuna and vegies for lunch. I was also out at the beach today so I enjoyed a lemon callipo. It was great! I was very hungry when I go home so I had a banana and a gluten-free muesli bar which is very similar to the muesli I have in the morning only it is all clumped together...you know what I mean....then dinner was a really tasty chicken stir-fry with brown rice!

Thanks heaps for reading!

Kate xx

Oh dear I just realised something....My dad added soy sauce to the stir-fry tonight...and guess what soy sauce contains wheat which contain gluten!!!!!!!!!!!! ahhhhhhh oh no!!!!!

Well at least I didn't eat a weet-bix or something like that!

oooppss

Day 5: Thursday 25th October 2012

Hello! Thanks heaps for reading along with my blog! Today I had some muesli in the morning then and apple for morning tea! haha! I am sure that you have begun to realise how I love apples. In fact I have a sticker collection on the brim of one of my hats....all my friends think it is really lame...oh well. Anyway...then lunch was exactly the same as yesterday! I also had a banana again for arvo tea. Dinner was great but sort of random, as it was basically a mixture of all things that I could find mixed in to make a salad. It consisted of some salad items such as lettuce, tomato, cucumber and avocado, some cheese and egg and a bit of left-over quinoa from last night. I then mixed it up with my own dressing creation:

1tsp dijon mustard

2tsp extra virgin oil

2tsp white wine vinegar

1Tbs mustard seed salad dressing

So yeah it was really tasty. Then of course I had a passionfruit yogurt...yummmie!!

Ok guys I really need to go, but thanks heaps for reading. Don't forget to comment!

xx

Day 6: Friday 26th October 2012

Hey there everyone! I hope you are having a fantastic day. I am writing this later than Friday so I am sorry that it is rather brief. I had the same muesli breakfast again today. It is actually really nice. For lunch I had some quinoa in a salad that I quickly threw together. Then of course there was my daily apple and banana. Dinner was some more quinoa (I do enjoy it!), a piece of salmon and some steamed vegies! I am actually really enjoying being gluten-free. I think that I feel somewhat healthier....

Sorry again that this is short! Thanks so much for reading!

xx

Day 7: Saturday 27th October 2012

Hi again....so today I decided to end the gluten-free challenge a bit earlier than I had planned for as I was going to a party that night and I could not avoid gluten. It is often very hard when these sorts of events occur for people that must strictly follow such diets. It is ok to tell the host of your event that you are gluten free as many people would be more than happy to cater for your needs, although I did not feel that this was appropriate considering that it was not a matter of life and death! haha. This meant that I finished the challenge at about 7:30 on Saturday night.

But don't get me wrong the rest of the day I ate gluten-free foods. This consisted of some muesli in the morning, and apple, some sushi and crackers with cheese. Then for the first time I ate gluten in the form of pasta and flour in some cake. I didn't really notice a difference...but maybe I would if I had done the challenge for a long time.

Ok then...I will an evaluation up tomorrow after a full day of gluten....

Don't forget to comment, ask questions, try my recipes, read my articles and even trial these diets like I have!

Thanks sooooo much for reading and supporting me!

xx

Sunday 28th October 2012

Hi blogger friends! Thanks a lot for continuing to read this! So here is my evaluation of being gluten-free. Overall I have to say that I did indeed enjoy myself a lot. It has really opened my eyes to different ways of eating and also how different you can feel when eating gluten free. I have decided that I will adopt some gluten-free eating plans. For example I have really enjoyed having a light breakfast that not only sustains me but also doesn’t leave me feeling heavy in the morning. I really noticed this when I had a bowl of muesli that was based around rolled oats this morning. I felt that I was more weighed down than when eating my usual gluten-free breakfast. I also really enjoyed trying out quinoa. I really love it now and will definitely be eating some more!

So here are a few things that I have learnt: 

1. There are many gluten-free products in supermarkets these days. They are all easily available.

2. Gluten-free products are not ‘boring’ and do not taste like ‘cardboard’. My experience was a very positive and tasty one.

3. It is often really hard when wanting to eat processed foods as they very often contain gluten.

4. Being gluten-free does not disadvantage you when fulfilling all your daily dietary needs.

5. It is fun!!

Thanks so much, whoever you are, for reading this as supporting me....

Keeping reading, listening, questioning and commenting! xx

The Diet Challenge - Dairy-Free Eating

 

What is a Dairy-Free challenge?

This challenge is when I push myself to trial alternative diets as part of my research into healthy eating and sound nutrition. Join me as I tackle some well known alternative diets. You may have followed my progress when I participated in the vegetarian challenge, if not have a read now. Second up: Dairy-Free!

 

Day 1: Wednesday 10th October 2012

Hey everyone! Welcome to my post for the first day of the dairy-free challenge! So what does eating a dairy-free diet actually mean? Well a internet definition defines it as 'The meal contains no milk or any dairy (milk-derived) sources such as butter, yogurt, sour cream, heavy cream, and all types of cheese..'. This basically means that people eating a dairy free diet do not eat any dairy products...it is fairly straight forward. Unfortunately this includes chocolate, ice-cream, cakes, some biscuits and infact yogurt.....my one healthy pleasure!! Many people live by a dairy free diet as they have an allergy or intolerance to lactose that is found in milk products. This intolerance inables a persons ability to digest milk and milk products as they contain a sugary product known as Lactose. Discomfort is caused through the bodies response to any form of milk. Nausea, bloating, gas and abdominal cramps. Find out more about this disorder in my next article...coming soon!

Any way back to my day. What did I eat today?
Today I enjoyed some muesli and a banana for breakfast. Usually I would accompany this with light cow's milk yet today, as per the challenge I did not use it on my cereal. Apart from being a little dry my breakfast was very tasty, and is most likely what I will have most morning although I will accompany it with another form of non dairy milk, such as soy, oat or almond. For morning tea I had an apple then for lunch I really did enjoy three tuna and vegie rice paper roles. Get ready for the recipe for these great tummy fillers soon....here is a sneak peak!



Yummooo!!

One thing that I know is going to be difficult is maintaining a healthy level of calcium for bone and teeth strength. As I love milk on my cereal, cheese!! and also yoghurt a lot, I know that this may prove to be more difficult than it sounds.
In the afternoon I had some raw mixed nuts. Dinner consisted of a chicken stir-fry much like the Tofu Stir-Fry in my recipes...but with chicken (obviously) as well as a garden salad and an orange!



I am really excited for what tomorrow will bring, and hopefully I won't stuff it up like the vegetarian challange...haha!

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for new articles, recipes and daily posts all about eating dairy free!

Kate
xx

Day 2: Thursday 11th October 2012

Hey friends! So there isn't really all that much that I have to report today other than what I ate to today that ran parallel with a dairy-free diet. So for breakfast I had the same as yesterday, which was a banana and some muesli. I was still eating it dry...but now I have some soy milk! yay! It has actually made a large difference to my hunger levels. I have found that not having the milk does indeed have a large effect on how full I stay after breakfast. Today I had my famous rice paper rolls for lunch (promise recipe is coming soon!) and an apple. In the afternoon I realy enjoyed a handful of trail mix, yet had to throw out the choc chips (lame!), as of course they contain dairy! Then for dinner I had two lamb chops, with some mashed potato that used soy milk and also heaps of steamed vegies. I then had a few strawberries to finish it all off!....You know what I am really missing??? My favourite yoghurt!!!.....oh well.

I am discovering how frustrating and time consuming it would be to have a Lactose Intolerance, as you need to be constantly checking the contents of all the foods that you eat. Some are obvious, like a banana I am certain doesn't contain dairy, yet many muesli bars do...not that you would always expect them to. Hmmm....interesting!

That is all from me for now...

xx

Day 3: Friday 12th October 2012

Hey bloggers! Thanks so much for continuing to read about my strange efforts in the diary-free challenge. Today I had a great day! Yay for great days! Today I have found how hard, frustrating and really irritating it is when you have to follow a dairy free diet! Today I had some cereal with soy milk. I have come to not really mind soy milk, although I am missing the richness of cow's milk for breakfast. I also had a kiwi fruit, one of my favourites! Well I do really like all fruits! Then for morning tea I had an apple, a tuna and salad sandwich for lunch and some dried fruit for arvo tea! For dinner I enjoyed a vegetable stirfry with basmati rice and a piece of fruit. SOmething interesting is what I was planning on having for dinner....this was a piece of frozen fish that had a Thai sauce flavouring. The interesting fact is that this fish had milk solids in the sauce!!! Crazy, I know!
Now I know that I am being very strict with this dairy-free diet, and most likely something like this would not actually be upsetting for someone that was Lactose Intolerant, but it is worthy to note how common milk or dairy is in foods that many people would not suspect!!!

I am having a challenging time doing this challenge but it is funnn...I think....
xx



Day 4: Saturday 13th October 2012

Hey today I don't really remember the things that I did eat....although I had a party and knew that I didn't get to eat the birthday cake and icecream that was for dessert.
Anyway sorry this is brief, I have many other things to get down.....
See you soon!
xx


Day 5: Sunday 14th October 2012

Hey everyone....so today I had some honey toast and a banana for breakfast, then a nut and cranberry museli bar for morning tea. This was really yummmm. Then for lunch I had a fresh and light chiken salad with some bread and crackers. Dinner was some spag bowl....hmmmm tasty. Today I also conducted an interview with a friend of mine that follows a Dairy-Free diet. Have a read below:

1. What diet to you specifically follow and why is this so?

‘Hey I’m Jamie everyone and I follow a dairy free or lactose free diet! This is so as I am Lactose Intolerant, meaning that my body does not cope well when digesting lactose solids in milk products. My stomach becomes easily ‘upset’, and I suffer feelings such as nausea and uncomfortableness.’

2. How did you come to know about this diet and when did you start?

‘I came across this dilemma when I was always feeling sick after consuming any dairy product. Many people suggested that I cut dairy out of my diet and substitute it with dairy alternatives. I began to follow a diary-free diet in the last 4 weeks, yet I have always (as of one year ago) have realised that dairy does affect me. In the near future I am hoping to consult a medical professional in this area of my body’s nutritional health.’ (Kate: ‘This would definitely be advised!’)

3. What is the hardest part about following a diary-free diet?

‘Oh my gosh! All the food you can’t eat! Also I find it hard when other people are eating all the dairy products that I enjoy around me. I can become really annoying! In particular special events such as birthdays, Easter....arghhh no chocolate! I can also be really hard when you constantly have to check the ingredients of food that you are eating...sometimes I don’t always know what diary is in food!’

4. How have you overcome your new diet?

‘Well I have to say it has been really hard and frustrating. I like to substitute dairy foods for the foods that I can eat. For example when others are eating chocolate around me I might eat some natural confectionary lollies or something similar.’

5. What would a typical daily menu look like for you?

‘In the morning I would have a banana and two pieces of toast with honey...and obviously no butter. Then during the day I would have a piece of fruit and then a salad sandwich for lunch, using multi grain bread and then some natural almonds. In the afternoon it can really vary from another piece of fruit to some avocado toast. Dinner can vary from spag bowl to stir-fry.’

6. Do you have any other comments on this topic?

‘If you think that you can get away with just one time eating ice-cream or a milk shake...think again! Being lactose free or dairy free needs to take your whole commitment, not just every now and again. If you are following a dairy-free diet, keep going at it!’

I am really missing my yoghurt but am feeling quite healthy as Jamie said, when you are dairy-free you have to cut out a lot of unhealthy things such as chocolate, icecream, cakes, slice, biscuits, muffins, pastries, custard and others....

Stay tuned for some more great recipes....

Kate

xx

Day 6: Monday 15th October 2012

Hey there! How are my lovely readers??? Comment please if you enjoy reading my blog or you simply want to ask questions or like my recipes and articles...this would all mean so much to me and be really encouraging. So today.....hmmm...so I had honey toast and a banana for breakfast then an apple for lunch, and some tuna and vegetable sticks on vitaweats for lunch. Then afternoon consisted of some nibbles of muesli and dried fruit...we have no nuts in the house and it is making me sad! Anyway...tangent, so I had a really cool rice dish and chicken for dinner as well as a manderine for dessert...I miss yoghurt sooooo much...who want to be dairy free?? All the best foods contain dairy!!!
Be looking forward to this cool rice dish that I speak of coming up on the recipe's page in the next day or so....and stay tuned for a Dairy-Free/Lactose Intolerant article coming soon....

Thanks so much for reading...sorry this has been brief.

xx


Day 7: Tuesday 16th October 2012

So finally the last day of the dairy-free challenge has arrived! Ahhh I am soooo over being dairy-free!!! Like really over it!! So today I had honey toast and a banana for breakfast, then an apple for morning tea and some left overs of the cool rice salad from last nights dinner for lunch. Afternoon tea was a blueberry soy yoghurt...which I didn't particually like and some muesli with strawberries. For dinner I had salad, rice and a small piece of pan fried pork....yummmm!.....

I can't wait for tomorrow. I am going away for a few days so my evaluation will hopefully be up soon!

Kate
xx


Wednesday 17th October 2012

Yay for finally being able to eat dairy products! For breakfast I crammed in as much dairy as I possibly could, it was great! I had muesli with milk and yoghurt! Yayyy!

Here is what I have learnt over this past week that has been a very interesting experience:

1. Dairy is found in so many food products, even many you would not suspect.
2. It was very difficult to cut dairy from my diet. Many huge changes had to be made!
3. Cutting out dairy from one's diet forces you to eat healthy in many situations. No chocolate etc...
4. A lack of calcium is very probable after removing dairy from your diet. For this reason I took calcium supplements a few days out off the week.
5. It is very important not to just remove the dairy products but also to substitute them with some other product such as a soy product.
6. I love my dairy!

Thanks for following my blog everyone!

xx

The Diet Challenge - Vegetarian Eating

What is a vegetarian challenge?
This challenge is when I push myself to trial alternative diets as part of my research into healthy eating and sound nutrition. Join me as I tackle some well known alternative diets. First up: Vegetarian!



I suppose this is what my head is going to look like!

Day 1: Sunday 26th August 2012

Wow...the very first day of the vegetarian challenge! Time to give you a recap of my day. Firstly in the morning I enjoyed a bowl of multigrain porridge with a teaspoon of honey...yum! Lunch consisted of a hommus and salad wholemeal wrap and an apple. For afternoon tea I enjoyed a handful of raw mixed nuts. Pasta with a chilli, tomato and a vegetable sauce toppped off my dinner including a small bowl of low fat yogurt!
So...I am a vegetarian of the next week! I am not entirely sure how I feel about this. I do not suspect that it will find the challenge very difficult although I was informed that my mother is cooking a roast lamb for dinner tomorrow night. Guess I won't be having that one. I aim not to just eliminate protein sources from my diet but rather fill in the gaps with other protein rich alternatives. For example I enjoyed hommus on my wrap that contains chick peas, which are rich in fibre and protein. I would also like to eat eggs, legumes, tofu and more vegies to ensure all my protein needs are met! Today I felt ok about missing out on any meat or animals...yet I will keep you inforned as to whether or not I feel a change in my body due to this elimination.
I will post an article soon all about eating as a vegetarian. But first I must complete some research...off to the library for me!
Look forward to some new recipes that should be coming soon!
Hmmm....I miss meat, well chicken really...and roast lamb...pork....fish (yes there is tuna sitting in the cupboard looking at me) oh well!

Kate
xx

Day 2: Monday 27th August 2012

Hello there readers!...The 2nd day of the diet challenge has come to an end. I hope you enjoyed reading through my lastest recipe - also known as my dinner tonight. What was on the menu for Kate today I hear you ask? Well my day began with weetbix and muesli topped with strawberries and low fat milk. I enjoyed a salad wrap for lunch with a handful of mixed natural nuts. Afternoon tea consisted of a banana and obviously I ate a vego frittata for dinner. A light yoghurt satisfied my sweet, and potentially dangerous sweet tooth.

I have been feeling extremely tired lately and have suffered a really bad headache today, yet I am almost certain that this has nothing to do with eliminating meat from my diet, most likely just Maths. We will have to wait and see how I am feeling over the next few days to really see the effects of this new diet. Tomorrow I am going on a trip and being served a vegetarian buffet...great timing! (I may or may not have planned this week in co-ordination with this lunch ;)).

Anyway, tangent...back to food. I have discovered that meat does make up a very large part of our diets. It is difficult to find substitutes when you are not aware of all that is avaliable. I keep finding myself going to base a meal around a meat, then realising that I am being a vegetarian for some ridiculous nutrition blog that I am passionate about, and trying to find a replacement. How often have you done this? (that is based a meal all around the meat) For example the roast that the rest of my family enjoyed or a chicken curry..the list goes on.


Eggs...obviously!

Oh and yes I did miss out on the roast lamb tonight! The house smelt amazing! Don't worry I didn't cheat, but I know that if I ever decided to be a vegetarian it would be very hard. Today I ate two eggs in place of this meat protein.

On another note, I am planning on posting heaps of articles soon, just let me get through a whole lot of exams first! Not really sure what vegetarian meals are coming up for the rest of the week, all I know is that I don't have to worry about not getting all my daily vitamins and minerals, so many vegies!

Ok I should be signing off.
Keeping reading...commenting, questioning, learning and most important of all...eating (only the best of course)!

Kate
xx

Day 3: Tuesday 28th August 2012

Hey again...so the 3rd day of the vegetarian challenge has come to an end...wow the days are going past so quickly. Today I had the same breakfast as yesterday which was weetbix with muesli topped with strawberries and light milk. Strawberries are so tasty at the moment! Summer is coming...comment if you love summer!!!

Anyway, so as I mentioned yesterday, today I went on a trip where a vegetarian lunch was served. This consisted of fried rice, an asian style tofu stirfry and tempura vegetables (pumpkin and eggplant). It was very tasty although I did find the tempura batter a bit heavy and oily. Nevermind it was still very yum and of course vegetarian. I finished the meal with an apple. For afternoon tea I enjoyed some mixed natural nuts (this seems to be becoming a habit of mine) and also a museli bar. A long day out sure does make you hungry!



A small handful of natural mixed nuts...yummy!

Dinner was a new recipe that is coming soon that you may have noticed on the home page. I made myself Chilli Con Carne - Vegetarian Style. It was jam packed with vegetables, chilli and red kidney beans. I finished my meal, as usual with a small bowl of low fat yoghurt. As per usual I have no idea what I will be having for dinner tomorrow night...
Being a vegetarian is actually really fun. People notice that I am not eating meat - 'You're a vegetarian' they cry 'Well not really...(explaination of the situation)' I reply. It's kind of fun telling people all about my adventures. At least the rest of family is happy. My brother loves it as he just thinks there is more food for him now that I'm not eating meat.

I feel very much uneffected by this new diet. I believe I could quite easily have this as my full time diet. I would just need to get over my love of all things meat...slight problem.
Hmmm...don't you just love food...well I do...ok now I am just rambling..haha! Once the holidays come be prepared for Know What You're Eating to be bombarded with articles, recipes and much more...I might even throw in some surprises!

Ok this is me signing off...

xx


Day 4: Wednesday 29th August 2012

Hi there bloggie friends. I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog!

I really don't miss meat all that much. I have become so used to not having it in my diet, even though it has been only a couple of days. My 4th day is over...ahh. So what was on the menu today. Well I enjoyed my usual breakfast except I had a banana as we were all out of strawberries. Shame..but I do love bananas! So then for morning tea I had and apple, followed by a salad wrap for lunch. I had a handful of natural mixed nuts for arvo tea and a stirfry with rice noodles for dinner. As usual I had a small bowl of low fat yoghurt for dessert. Hmm I am a creature of habit.

You should be able to read the recipe for my stirfry plus see a photo of my dinner soon! By the way all the photos that have been used on the website (recipe photos only) I have taken myself.

I don't really have all that much to report on today apart from the fact that I don't feel like I am missing out, yet. I believe that if you were to trial a vegetarian diet over Christmas you really would feel it! I can't even begin to imagine! But at the moment the food that I am eating is just as tasty as others around me.

Anyway I hope you are well, whoever you are that is reading this...thanks so much for reading it. It truly does mean a lot to me!

This is me signing out...
Kate
xx

Day 5: Thursday 30th August 2012

Hey there everyone! Ahh the fifth day of the vegetarian challenge is over!!! Thank you so much for reading along with my blog for a whole five days! Just letting you know that the photo and recipe that I promised will not be happening as I actually accidently deleted it from the camera. Anyway...maybe I will make it again some time!

Today I had my usual breakfast of weetkix, muesli and low fat milk, but with a kiwi fruit instead. It was really tasty! Then morning tea was and apple followed by a chickpea salad for lunch...perhaps this is something that I will post on the webby. Then I had a handful of..you guessed it...natural mixed nuts. Dinner was two rolls of sushi that my mum kindly bought for me, as I get home late from work on a thursday. I had one filled with chilli tofu and the other was just full of vegies. They were both really yum, if I do say so myself!



Yummm!

As I have said before I haven't really noticed a lack of meat in my diet. It has actually been rather fun. What will be hard, I tell you, is on Saturday night as I am going out to dinner at an Italian restaurant. Hmmm...oh well hopefully there will be some really yummy vegetarian dishes that I can have.

Again I don't feel as though I have all that much more to say about the challenge...although...today I was around some people that were having a sausage sizzle. I have never eaten sausages anyway being the healthy foody that I am, but it just reaffirmed to me how great it really is being vegetarian.

Anyway...more where that came from in tomorrows post...

Happy reading...and eating!

xx


Day 6: Friday 31st August 2012

Hello there readers...thanks so much for reading all the way up until this point. Today I had my ususal breakfast with a banana and skim milk! I had an apple for morning tea...only royal galas. Have I had this rant with you before? I love royal gala apples much unlike the rest of the world. All my friends have much to say about how I eat the 'wrong' type of apple. Anyway...so I had a chickpea and avocado salad with a piece of bread for lunch. Then...hmmm...this is when it got interesting. I had a Girls Night In night with heaps of friends and....ate some party food and......oh my goodness....are you ready for this....I ATE MEAT! Seriously not intentionally!!!!

Oh man I was sooooo annoyed at myself! I ate a 'money bag' not realising that it had a tiny bit of pork mince in the center. Oh dear...well as my friends said 'at least you didn't eat a steak on purpose!'. I believe that this just shows how hard I can be for some people that are vegetarian, just to make sure what exactly is in your food. A friend, whose mum is a vegetarian told me about how hard it really can be at times. She gets very sick from eating meat and once ate a meat samosa after she was told that it was vegetarian. Now I think that it would be hard if I was a full time vegetarian...
So I am really sorry if you think that I have failed you all!! I honestly didn't mean to!

Oh well...yeah going with out meat is truly great....hehe. As soon as I found out I was really worried about everything else that I had eaten. But don't worry it was just the money bag.

So...tomorrow night I am going out to dinner! Wish me luck.

Keep reading, commenting and eating...

xx


Day 7: Satuday 1st September 2012

Hey there...so today I had my muesli, weetbix and fruit with skim milk, and a cheese and tomato sandwich for lunch. I also cheekily had a mocha from my local coffee shop with my lunch. It was actually a massive let down as I was waiting through my morning of study just for this drink. Oh well. Then it was out to dinner at the Italian restaurant. It took a lot of explaining about what on earth I was doing to all my friends...haha. I enjoyed a lovely vegetarian pizza and some pasta, unfortunately missing out on the pesto tortillini. Oh well....

Today was a good day...not much else to report on right now...I guess we will chat tomorrow

xx

Sunday 2nd September 2012

Oh MEAT! Wow I made it through the whole week, almost without eating any meat. I personally think that I did al really good job, just saying.

As today was fathers day I had lunch with my relatives and ate my very first piece of meat in a whole week. It was really nice. A marinated piece of rump steak!!!!

This has been a very interesting experience. Here are a few things that I learnt along the way:

1. That meat makes up a very large part of our diets.


Just what a vegetarian wants to see!

2. It can often be hard to make meals with meat substitutes/think of meals.
3. I really didn't miss meat that much at all.
4. It can be very hard not knowing if meat in is particular foods.
5. I felt as though I was full of vegies and not hungry because of a lack of meat.
6. Steak tastes really good after you haven't eaten it in such a long time!

Stayed tuned for more articles, recipes and information about vegetarian eating as well as more exotic and interesting diet challenges to come!

Kate
xx