Last year I decided to do a month of eating 1 vegan meal per day and I actually enjoyed it be honest but as things started to reopen after the first lockdown I slipped back into old habits and didn't stick with it but I thought I would give it another try at the start of this year and I am so glad I did. 

The main reason I decided to do 1 vegan meal per day and not go fully vegan is because I just don't think I would be able to do that due to being such a fussy plus I am only really doing this to try ease off health issues that I have been suffering with in recent years. What I have noticed during the month is that by just taking meat and dairy out of one meal per day my issues with my stomach/ side have eased off quite a bit, granted the pain is still there but it is nowhere near as bad as previous. Not only that but I feel less bloated by doing this and my weight is actually going down which I believe is also in relation to this small change as this also happened when I did the same thing last year. 

Another thing this has done is help me try new foods and have different meals instead of repeating the same meals over and over like I used to. When I was buying my lunches it was always the same meal deal or chicken & chips but now it could be Quorn nuggets, Green Cuisine burgers or even a Gregg's vegan sausage roll thanks to Iceland, I have found I actually don't mind cooking my lunch on the day or the night before where as previously I would just not bother and go to the local sandwich shop or Tesco so not only is it helping me with health issues but it is also helping me save a lot more money that I usually would although I have noticed our food shop has gone up in price due to the changes but with most of the items living in the freezer and lasting a while it isn't a dramatic change and it is much better in the long run.  

By doing this I have found some alternatives to meat I love but some I aren't too sure on, it has definitely been a case of trial and error but it has been a great process. For example I am loving the Quorn meat free meatballs and nuggets but I don't like the chicken style pieces as they just didn't taste very nice which I found a bit strange as it is the only 'chicken' product from them I didn't like. I definitely do prefer anything that is meant to be like chicken but honestly I mainly eat chicken anyway so that is probably a big factor in that. I would like to find a bacon alternative I like though as this would be really useful as I do love a bacon sandwich. 

Throughout the month I think maybe I missed 2 days of eating a vegan meal but that is as I skipped that meal due to having a big breakfast so technically I didn't eat meat at those times but it still wasn't a vegan meal as there was no meal at all. I did notice though that after having a vegan lunch I could go longer in the day before eating again as I found the meals more filling than what I used to have. 

My skin also seems to have cleared up a little bit thanks to me making these changes along with me drinking a lot more water. I am so glad that I have managed to clear this up as it was starting to get really bad and was starting to bother me but it is definitely getting a lot better so lets hope that sorts its self out a lot more over the coming months. 

With us being in lockdown again in the UK mixed with it also being Veganuary it has been hard to find some of the vegan items I wanted as some of our local stores just didn't have the stock and I didn't fancy going to too many places to try find them but to be honest there was still a pretty good selection in my local Asda and Tesco so I had plenty to be trying. I am going to do my best to carry on this for a year to see what progress and change it actually makes for me so there will be plenty of time for me to get different foods to try but are there any you think I should try? 

As the lockdown measures start to ease this might have me struggling a bit to stick to this especially if I am out and about but I am determined to stick to it and do my very best, even if I miss a couple of days I will still try get back on track as I think this could really be beneficial for me health wise over the course of a year instead of just a month. Any places you would recommend me trying when restaurants open?