Transitioning to Mindful Eating

Now, imagine yourself on a peaceful, quiet beach, laying in the warm sand. Feel the sand grains beneath your fingers, and getting stuck between your but cheeks.....or not.

This is my favourite guided meditation, it does feature explicit language, but is surprisingly effective. 

Mindfulness does have a bit of a reputation for being some new age bullsh*t that takes years of practise and green tea to achieve. I don't believe so, at least not how I practise it (or try to at least, it's not a perfect art, but a developing thing *perfect sucks anyway*)

When I first transitioned to a vegan diet, I was still calorie counting and restricting. At my worst, I would be eating around 1200 calories, running 5 miles. and trying to study for my finals. Yeah, not good.However, the more I looked into veganism, and exploring the vegan community on Youtube, I heard more and more about mindful, intuitive eating.

This involves;

• eating when you're hungry, 
• stopping when you are full, 
• listening to the food your body wants, 
• no calorie counting. 

I didn't consider myself to have an eating disorder at the time, I thought I was just stressed, (I understand now that this was a full blown relapse, and my weight dropped to it's lowest ever...so yeah...) but this way of eating seemed so liberating, and to make so much more sense.

There was no way I was giving up on my calorie counting, or my Fitbit tracking (I still always kept a negative calorie deficit), but I did start to listen to what my body needed, and upped my portions/calories to 1600-1800 a day. I began to feel better, and had a lot more energy.

Eating a wholefoods, plant based diet, in large portions, was a big change for me. My body wasn't used to this much food, and I missed a lot of hunger cues/food needs in the beginning because I had spent so long ignoring them anyway.

It has taken the 5 months I have been vegan to now to understand what it feels like to be hungry, to sit with that feeling, and listen to what my body needs/wants. I understand fullness cues, and know that feeling full/satisfied is not something to be ashamed about or disgusted by, but a natural way for my body to tell me it's happy and renourished! I am beginning to learn my body is a strong and powerful thing that deserves to be happy and well treated! Hell, I haven't been treating it right for a long time, and the resilient little bugger has stuck by me, and still works (kinda)!

I have gone cold turkey from my Fitbit, and I am slowly weaning myself off calorie counting. I have been counting since I was 13, so it will be a hard habit to break, but I am working on it.

Here are some of my favorite tips for mindful eating;

1. Sitting down and being real with yourself.  Sit down and really pay attention to your belly, feel, recognise, and accept the feeling of hunger. Understand that it is not a sign of weakness or success, or anything else other then what it is, a cue to eat! 
2. Ask, and listen to what you want. The dreaded, "Where do you want to go to dinner?" question....always followed by, "I dunno, wherever, I'm easy...". Well no, that isn't going to cut it anymore, you need to take responsibility to fueling the powerhouse that is your sassy being, and that means listening to what your body wants. When eating a wholefoods, plant based diet, your body craves the good foods and nutrients that it needs, and this becomes easier with practise (trust me, there will come a day when you crave that lentil curry with kale and quinoa.....because it is sooo good). Other days, you just want a big bag of chip shop chips, with no shame. Both are fine, in appropriate proportions, and you won't gain masses of weight, or get heart disease from a bag of chips every now and again! (just no meat, at least not for me....ethics and all that) 
3. Look at what your eating! Before, I would eat while reading my lecture notes, answering emails, or while gorging myself on mindless Youtube videos. I payed no attention to the food I was putting into my mouth, and would finish my (tiny) dinner without tasting a bite. This is no way to enjoy food or life. Really take mealtimes as an opportunity to be present with your body and refuel and reconnect with it. While eating, I now savour the food, appreciate the flavours and check in on whether this is the food my body wanted and needed. I am also more in tune to my fullness cues this way and know when I have had enough or I need to go back for seconds.

I hope these tips can help you to bust out of a food rut, or that my experience can help anyone else struggling with an eating disorder.

DISCLAIMER! I am not a medical professional (yet), I can only share my experience, and I have never even finished a full round of treatment, so yeah....if you need help, there are many trained professionals/helpline that can offer confidential when you need it.

B-eat  and their helpline is 03456341414, call if you ever feel like it is getting to much, or when you are ready to reach out for help. I reached out to my Mum, and she helped me through. It is a long process, but it is doable!
   

Being a Vegan in a Non-Veggie Family

I love my family. We are a huge sprawling lot, who are a little bit mad, but lovely. We have massive family parties, infight as much as we like, and are a force to be reckoned with. I couldn't ask for a more loving, (if a bit full) family. They are amazing people, and they eat meat. That is not a but, it's an and. There is a difference, and I don't judge my family's choice, as I hope they don't judge mine.

My Mum accepts me as a vegan, and as I do most of the cooking, she eats mainly vegetarian. My Nan and Grandad don't fully understand what being vegan means. I have tried to explain to them, but they are not interested in learning more about it, and I accept that. (my Nan still offers me cheese, ice cream, and milk, as well as fish, but I politely decline).

It can be frustrating, but the key is acceptance. I have made this choice, and I am happy, they choose not to be open to my lifestyle, and that is their choice.

I have found the podcasts by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau really helpful in coming to this point were I accept the situation. Her podcasts help me to still able to be with my family in a loving way, even though we differ on a lot of things. She also has many podcasts on effective communication with non-vegans and strategies to dealing with the common questions asked of vegans. (But, WHERE do you get your PROTEIN, *facepalm*)

Weekly Round Up (3/8 to the 8/8)

This week has been very chill. I haven't had nearly as many shifts this week, so I have had more free time then I am used to! Tuesday, I was up in London for mentoring, and more about that can be found here. 

Honestly, for the rest of the week, I have just been getting things together for my move back to London; selling books, clearing out wardrobes, and finding furniture for the flat! 

Of course, I have had time to round up some of the most interesting of the internet, and make some yummy food, so here's my round up of the week! 

This was my lunch on Thursday, the Tricolour Salad from Patisserie Valerie (without the mozzarella!). Mum ordered this for me (because I was distracted shopping and the like), and I really think she is beginning to understand that this is important to me, and she respects that. LOOK AT ALL THAT AVOCADO THOUGH! This salad gave me life yesterday. 

This is a salad I made for lunch on Wednesday, post run. I used the Sainsbury Bulgar Wheat Chickpea sachet, and loads of lovely spinach, beetroot, and the ever omnipresent AVOCADO (I like it, can you tell?) . This superfood nummy salad really helped to refuel after my run, chocked full of essential protein, fat, and carbs! 

This is my dinner from Nando's the other night, still loving the chips.....mmmmm I need more chips in my life....

So, the week in the web, some of these articles are thing I have looked up specifically, so aren't new for this week, but I thought they might be interesting/I enjoyed reading them;

• One of my favorite sites at the moment, HerCampus (it's American, but we all have our flaws), had 2 really fun articles this week. The first on Fall Beauty Trends, which according to this article, I am ready for autumn! (lol, no, I just love heavy black eye makeup and dark lippy). The other article is a light hearted piece on PDA's, but I think it has some deeper points that need addressing. I do have a partner (he lives in the US, so PDA's aren't a problem for us....) so this isn't coming from a bitter place (even if I was single, I would still feel the same though). PDA's and the affection/love you share for another person is a personal thing, and others don't need to see it. I feel it can be a little disrespectful to be jumping on your bae's face every 5 minutes, but hey, call me a prude. (just don't make me watch you guys do tongue twisters together..)
• I have just recently found Everyday Feminism (where has this been all my life?!). While skimming through some of the articles, I found this piece, from April, on the difference between empowerment and objectification. It explains it so clearly, and really opened my eyes to the difference. A definite must read to help clear up some of the confusion surrounding these matters. 
• If you're feeling in a running slump (we all get them), or just looking to boost your energy levels, this article from Women's Running has some great tips on naturally kickstarting your energy levels! 
• The HPV vaccine has been available for 7 years, and offers protection against the human papillomavirus, one of the causes of cervical cancer(in 2008, I was one of the first girls to receive the vaccine in schools).  With the benefits offered by the vaccine, it was shocking to read this article in Refinery 29, stating that 40% of teen girls are not receiving the vaccine! (I fully accept that as a medical student, who is pro vaccination, I have bias, so I will leave it to you to evaluate the information). The reasons stated in the article regarding why the vaccine is not being given is worring, and I would suggest needs changing/investigating. All I'm going to say is, PEOPLE HAVE SEX... That is all (here is the link to Sexspression though if you have any more questions about sex, health, and sexuality) 
• I have been open in the past about my eating disorder, and have taken steps towards my recovery. Recently, I have stopped counting calories, cold turkey, and have removed my Fitbit in an attempt to stop the constant stat checking. My periods stopped when I was 14, and haven't returned. My goal for the next 12 months is to get my periods back as I feel that it will be a sign that my body has healed itself, and I am finally respecting my body in the way it deserves. Here is one woman's story on regaining her period that has been a real inspiration.    
• Finally, an article from the superstar that is Zusterchamp. In this article, she debunks a lot of the myths and general bull that gets thrown around when talking about women with tattoos. PREACH! 

What I Eat in a Day (Trip to London 4/8/2015)

Yesterday saw me back up in London for the final formal mentoring session with IntoMedicine. This gave the students an opportunity to present what they got up to on their placements, and to reflect on their experience. There was 3 other mentors there as well, and we all took turns giving the students mock interviews, to help them prepare for the hell hole trauma that is interview session! 

I thought as I was back in London, I would do a "What I Eat in a Day" post, as it may be a little bit more interesting then the day to day stuff I eat at home (and because the options for "fancy" vegan food is greater in London, if you say your vegan in Bognor, people generally assume you have 3 heads)

Breakfast 

Breakfast is pretty much the same for me everyday, I am a creature of habit, and I know this will keep me full until lunch time. I had; 

• 100g of oats with cinnamon and a spoon full of milled flax seeds
• cup of coffee with almond milk
• cup of green tea

Nothing groundbreaking, but I like it! 

Lunch
The session over ran until 2:30 pm, and by this point the hanger was real. Luckily, there is a Planet Organic close by to UCL, so I made a quick dash in there. I had the Raw Imagination, Raw Falafel and Brazil Nut Hummus, with a can of Cawston Press Ginger Beer. Both were rather yummy, and I love the Raw Imagination sandwiches, they're my little guilty pleasure when I can't be bothered to pack a lunch!

Dinner

No trip to London would be complete without meeting up with my besties! We went for a cheeky Nandos, and I tried their new Quinoa Salad (without the feta cheese), and had a side of chips, because I am human, and love chips. It was a lovely dinner, with brill company, and I was very sad when it was time to get back on the train to Bognor 

I love London, it's where my friends are, and the majority of my life! I am planning on heading back to London before uni starts again to get a weekend job, and to get settled into my new flat. Fingers crossed, there will be more London adventures to come!