Why I Went Vegan.

"Who ? Me ? Go vegan ? Cut out meat out of my diet? That is so dumb !  "

Yeah , I used to say that everytime when I saw those vegetarian / vegan options at the supermarket. However , these days I'm the one going to that aisle and reading the ingredients list. My mom always cracks up and proceeds to the meat aisle whilst I look for that delicious soy milk .

I detested anyone who was advocating a vegan diet untill one day in 2017  , in my gap year , I decided to go vegan for a whole week.

IT WAS LIFE CHANGING !

Initially I thought that it was messed up and I didn't think I'd last for a whole week. I questioned myself for 2 days and I was eating salads because according to popular belief ; vegans eat salads , so that's what I ate , but on the third day  I googled some vegan recipes and I was blown away.

It's slightly challenging living in Africa and being vegan ,  I get a lot of side eyes and a couple of people in my circle think that I am "acting up" .

And of course I was asked the occasional questions :

"Oh , so are you Rastafarian now? "

"OMG do you have like a health condition that requires you not to eat meat? "

"No meat ? That's torture. Why would you do that to yourself ? "

"That's dumb , why would you completely scratch out meat out of your diet , where are you going to get your protein ? "

I get asked these questions pretty much. So I want to dispel "facts" and be a support system for anyone facing difficulty in their  "vegan journey " or trying to fully embrace the vegan lifestyle and I  will also include recipes , places where you can find some really affordable veggies and fruits , a couple of my unpopular opinions and my trials and errors.

The only thing that was stopping me from transitioning to veganism is seafood and yoghurt but when I found out that one can make their own vegan yoghurt then I was sold and a vegan diet  is super affordable , I'm in university and my budget is close to nothing so I figured why not save the animals and save money at the same time? Issa win - win .

I didn't just transition to a vegan diet because of the affordability and saving the animals , I saw some changes in my body and skin as well. My body felt lighter , my skin was radiant and pimple - free , my hair and nails were growing like a weed and  I slept like a baby. When it came down to it , meat wasn't doing anything for my body so when I cut it out I noticed some results so it just didn't make any sense to continue eating meat and eggs used to make me feel bloated ,  some dairy products made my tummy runny and when I finally cut out the BS my body was happy.

I don't want to raise anyones' expectations' , so first things first :

• I can't cook , cooking is not my fortè . I want to learn though , so yeah please don't expect me to be a Jamie Olivier or Neil Anthony kind of chef , I'm just a super lazy gyal.

• Garlic is bae . Add garlic in anything and it will smell and taste much better. 

• I'm a frugal minimalist so whatever recipe I'm going to post then you probably can do it too because I'm the laziest person in my clan and if you are another lazy wonderful being then this place will be heaven for ya. 

I cannot believe that I am finally fully vegan and I hope I never turn back. I can't wait to try out new fruits that I have never heard/seen before , this whole transition is exciting because I'm starting my 2018 cruelty free !

Karabo xx