Derval O'Rourke: Mark your calendar for Veganuary

This time of year, people are often looking at new ways to approach their health and wellness. It’s the time when people are setting their goals and intentions for the 12 months ahead. Interestingly, 2020 had a record amount of people join in on the ‘Veganuary movement’ — nearly 400,000 people signed up for the challenge. 

This week I will share some information about veganism and a comforting vegan-friendly dinner recipe. If this is the first time you’re hearing about Veganuary and you’re wondering what it means, it is people adopting a vegan diet for the month of January. It can be for a range of reasons such as, environmental benefits, health benefits, ethical benefits or just curiosity. Some may continue on with the diet and some may return back to their previous diets, but either way, it’s a growing movement.

Kristina Illek, who works with me in my Cork office, has followed a vegan diet for a few years now. I’m a big lover of meat and fish so I knew I wasn’t best placed to talk about veganuary. When researching for this week’s column I thought who better than her to share her experience. A big thank you to her for the insights below.

What is a vegan diet?

A vegan diet is one without any animal products of by-products. This means people who follow a vegan diet do not eat meat, fish, seafood, eggs, dairy and honey.

There are certain by-products that a person on a vegan diet avoids, such as:

• Gelatine — A pork and cow by-product, found in sweets such as jellies and marshmallows and some dessert foods.
• Isinglass — A similar product to gelatine but sourced from fish and found in some wine and beer.
• Omega-3 fatty acids — Some food products are fortified with omega-3s and in most cases, this source is not vegan. There is a vegan alternative derived from algae.
• Vitamin D3 — This is most commonly derived from fish oil or sheep’s wool.

Like most new things you want to try, doing a bit of research is essential. It can be easy to copy what others are doing or eating but it is important to do your own research and really understand the benefits and potential pitfalls of following a vegan diet.

It’s not “just a trend” anymore and many people are switching to this diet and plan to stay on it long term. Because of that, far more scientific and medical research has been put into the vegan diet and we understand the effects it has, both environmentally and on your health.

Some resources if you’re interested in researching a vegan diet

The official Veganuary Website

This has some great tips and information on how to get started and they also have a great blog.

The Happy Pear

Brothers, Dave and Stephen, have years of personal experience and knowledge on plant-based diets.

The Vegan Website 

This website is also so great for anyone who is a complete newbie to a vegan lifestyle. It has you completely covered with tonnes of information, starter packs, recipes, lists of vegan alternatives. My personal, number-one tip for anyone who is interested in trying out a vegan diet is to just do your best. Make the mistakes, learn, and educate yourself. You will not get it right straight away and being open to what works best for you is key.

There is genuinely no such thing as a perfect vegan. There’s no need to go all-in, straight away. Start small, maybe switch up your coffee order and use a plant-based milk such as oat or almond milk. Challenge yourself to have one vegan meal a week. Make it fun! Try to ‘veganise’ some of your favorite meals but ease yourself into things.

And most importantly, listen to your body! Notice how you feel and how you are reacting to it. Just to note, that changes can and do happen in your body when you make any sort of changes to your diet and if you are concerned about anything, seek professional advice from your GP or a dietitian or nutritionist.

Wellness tip: For the new year, challenge yourself to get a bit more adventurous with your vegetables. Try adding in one new vegetable a week or cook a vegetable you regularly eat in a completely different way. Pick up new vegetables you haven’t heard of or tried before and then go home and google a recipe for it. It could be lots of fun and you might discover a new favorite.

Fitness tip: Try out a new activity or exercise. If you’re normally into weight training, why not try some yoga? Some other nice options are:

• Swimming (pool or ,if you’re brave enough, open water)
• Cycling
• Running
• Dancing/zumba 
• Pilates

Recipe: Vegan Shepards Pie

Serves 2

Ingredients: 

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped 
• salt and pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tins of lentils drained and rinsed
• 200g tinned chopped tomatoes
• 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered

Method:    

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. 

3. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, until softened. 

4. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. 

5. Add the lentils and cook for about 10 minutes on a low heat.

6.  Stir in the chopped tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, tomato purée, and bay leaves and bring to the boil. 

7. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

8. Meanwhile, make the mash. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 10–15 minutes, until tender. Drain, season and mash well. 

9. Place the cooked mince in a large ovenproof dish and top with the mash. Bake for 20 minutes. 

10. Divide the pie between warmed serving plates.