Aleks鈥 veganism may have started as a post-COVID experiment she set herself as part of her 鈥榶ear of challenges鈥 in 2021. But it has become an important and enjoyable lifestyle choice that she sees as a fundamental part of her identity.
鈥淚 love to challenge myself.鈥 Aleks says.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not about judging my success, but having a goal helps to motivate me to make positive changes. I enjoy the journey and that was particularly true when it came to learning how to follow a healthy, vegan diet.
鈥淏ack in 2021, many of my friends were vegetarian or vegan and I wanted to see if I could follow a vegan diet myself. I had several motivations to cut out animal products from my diet; I was concerned about the dairy industry and wider animal welfare issues surrounding the production of meat and dairy, in addition, for me veganism is an important environmental choice. Once I made the switch to veganism I never lapsed, but I did learn some important lessons that made it much easier and more enjoyable!鈥
Aleks says that she found the transition to veganism gave her the chance to see food in a completely new way. It was exciting to experiment with food and find new ways to make familiar ingredients the star of her meals.
She says: 鈥淚 tried a few meat substitutes but quickly realised that they weren鈥檛 for me. I didn鈥檛 use recipes, I just focused on the ingredients I loved and experimented with how to prepare the dishes I enjoy using just vegan-friendly ingredients.
鈥淭here鈥檚 lots of life in my food. My cooking skills have improved, and I love to cook for friends and surprise them with the flavour and excitement you can have in vegan dishes.鈥
If you鈥檙e considering adopting a vegan diet for Veganuary, or as a long-term choice, Aleks has some tips:
And one final piece of advice from Aleks鈥ave fun with your food.
Aleks says: 鈥淚 think my challenge has been easier to stick to because I didn鈥檛 get too hung up on making perfect meals. Sometimes my creativity led to brilliant discoveries, other times I made things I will never repeat!鈥
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