Eat Vegan - The Interview aka The Inside Scoop ("Scoop"! Get it? Scoop? Food? Ice cream SCOOP? Food? Vegan? Food? Scoop?? Oh, forget it. Don't worry...)

A big thank you to Tilly, Megan, Abbie, Jess and Andrew for the questions.

What was the hardest thing about going vegan?
I found social occasions the hardest thing to deal with. By nature, I don't like to feel others are going out of their way on my account. If you look back to my post here, you'll see that I struggled with this in the second week of the month.

What was the best thing about going vegan?
Trying new foods! I've really enjoyed this month. It's made me look at foods I used to make and then try and re-invent them in vegan form. I realise that by looking on the internet I'd have been able to find how others have done these but, I just enjoy cooking and the challenges this posed me.

What was your favourite vegan food/meal to cook?
This is a tough one! My favourite thing to make was my Impulse Burgers. They are "impulsive" because I just had this bowl of rice and sprouted lentil stuff in the fridge from the night before. I didn't have a clue what to do with it. Suddenly I thought "BURGERS!" I didn't have a clue how to make veggie burgers or if it would work. My only real thought was how do I bind it together. I remembered reading somewhere that oats can be used to bind ingredients. So I just chucked the rice stuff in the food processor, tossed in a handful of oats and let them whizz for a little bit. I squished them into little burgerish shaped things and fried them. Delish!

What food did you miss the most while eating vegan?
Cheese. I didn't realise how many things I used to add cheese to. Luckily I was recommended a Edam-style vegan cheese which melts. This was brilliant on a pizza I made with a home made quick-dough base.

How do you feel the challenge will affect the overpopulation of the rabbit?
I think it will have a detrimental effect on the rabbit population. Because I've been eating a greater amount of vegetation, there is less food for the rabbits. This means that there may be a slight decline in the rabbit population due to there being insufficient food to feed the glutinous rabbits.

Favourite new food stuff you tried?
Aldi Spicy Bean Burgers. Nom nom!

What were your 'go to' snacks?
Whole almonds, mixed seeds, Marmite wraps.

Have you noticed any differences in how you feel/ skin/ energy??
It might sound weird but, my gums no longer bleed then I brush them. For as long as I can remember, ever time I brushed my teeth, my gums bled. Last week, for the first time in living memory, my gums didn't bleed when I brushed my teeth!

I've had a little more energy and I'm not getting any energy slumps in the afternoon. I'm finding tiredness a bit easier to deal with during the day when I haven't slept well the night previous.

Psychologically, the challenges have helped me I think. I've been going slowly downhill again since just before Christmas. Whereas before this would happen over the course of a week or two, it is a lot slower and more gradual this time. I think this is to do with me having something positive to focus on, and by me being proactive in trying to change my thoughts, habits and behaviours for the better.

Did you loose any weight?
Yes, I've lost just over 3 kg (7 lbs). I haven't been doing this challenge to lose weight specifically. I've been doing it to become healthier in my eating habits.

Are you going to carry on eating vegan or revert back to 'normal' food with hints of vegan in the meals?
I'm going to stay vegan. I don't mind if others around me want to eat meat and other animal food stuffs, that's their decision. But I won't be eating them.

Is vegan the furthest you'd go with regards to diet, or would you go further, e.g. raw vegan, fruitarian, breatharian, etc.?
Raw vegan: Definitely. But, I'm going to settle in to vegan diet for a couple of months first

Fruitarian: There seem to be too many conflicting definitions of this type of diet for me to give a definitive answer.

Breatharian: Funnily enough, I was reading up on this for a while a couple of months back. I think some serious mental and physical training would be required first but, yes, I would do it. I'd also carefully monitor myself too to make sure I was being safe.

Have you learnt anything since first starting this 'challenge'?
1. Failure is a brilliant teacher. Look at what happened, why it happened and what you can do to stop it happening again. And the get back on with it.

2. If you're going to do something new, look for people who have failed at doing it. Look at where or how they went wrong so you can be prepared.

3. Habits can be changed with relative ease once you have firmly decided on something.

4. Do your research to make sure you're going to be do it right.


01 - February Challenge - Eat Vegan
02 - Eat Vegan - Like A Mouse With Cheese
03 - Eat Vegan - Omnivorous Slips
04 - Eat Vegan - Moving On Up
05 - Eat Vegan - The Interview aka The Inside Scoop