More than the food on your plate (a personal tribute on World Vegan Day)

Today, November 1st, is World Vegan Day!

To mark the occasion I could share with you more vegan recipes or I could share with you ‘top tips for going vegan’, or even the logistics of making your first foray into a vegan lifestyle… but, to be honest there are already countless posts on these topics around the blogosphere…

So instead, I decided on something a bit different. Something a bit more personal.

I’ve been following a plant-based diet since mid 2012 (this blog started in Aug 2011 and I was already well on the way at that point) so I’m sharing a bit of a ‘behind the scenes’ of my ‘why’ behind making that switch and how my life has changed because of it. It’s a bit ranty and passionate in places, ha ha, but my hope is that it simply offers you a shift in perspective regardless of your own ‘vegan’ standpoint.

P.s you may also enjoy these posts on my gateway to veganism and the link between creativity and a plant-based diet

Over the last few years, I found myself naturally gravitating away from marketing myself as a health coach (which is what my training labeled me- although BTW I loved that course) and more towards my curiosity with life and mindset being the focus of my coaching.

This evolution came about in part, in both my work and personal life, from a sense of frustration in the conversation about food. I see and I hear in the language that people use the fact that we are still so blinkered when it comes to food and nutrition. We count calories, we study macros, we cut carbs, we focus on weight loss. We want more energy and vitality… but in looking for answers so often we're focusing purely on what's on our plates. We listen to our heads over our bodies, we prioritise numbers and statistics and dismiss curiosity and intuition.

This is not an issue specific to food of course. It a society-wide issue, driven by our ‘paint by numbers’ lives.

We live in a society where there is an immediacy of 'action equals reward'. We want a quick fix. We're constantly bombarded with things in the media that promise that quick fix, but we don't see this bigger picture.

We loose the holistic view of food being about so much more than what's on our plate.

I experienced this massive shift, this journey, that's influenced my entire life since 2011 when I first moved towards a plant-based diet. The change came from a nutritional point of view initially as I wanted to feel healthier and I was curious as to what my partner at the time was doing and the benefits he was seeing in his life following a vegan diet.

I made these changes simply led by curiosity, without really knowing what to expect and yet I gained so much more than I could ever have imagined.

It's interesting because when I talk to people about a plant-based vegan diet, they often fixate on what they'd be 'missing out on' all the things that they will no longer be able to consume. But to me, that's missing the point because there's so much more to gain beyond the food on your plate.

The changes you feel in your body, in your mind, in your spiritual connection to yourself, in the wider universe beyond yourself, if you're open to thinking that far, is just immeasurable. This idea of not being able to eat certain foods just becomes irrelevant in the bigger scheme of things.

I also want to draw attention to the idea of 'loss'. Often, when we initially cut something out, we crave it, we miss it, we are very aware of what we're no longer having. Yet within days and weeks those thoughts and feelings quickly subside. I don't wake up in the morning and think, “oh no, I can't have meat or cheese again today". It's just a non-issue now. I don't even consider it because my life is about so much more than that.

All the things that have been created through making these nutritional changes, are just immeasurable. I had always struggled to put this into words, these deep feelings inside I struggled to share, but now as I'm pulling together the content for my book, I'm finding I'm able to tap into this space much more deeply. And finally the words are coming through for me around the truth that food is just the tip of the iceberg.

What we choose to put in our mouth is literally the tip of the iceberg is it's one percent of the story if you like. I think it's the tangibility as well. Food is a very 'physical' thing on a basic level. We can 'see' what we're eating. We know that if we eat less calories we'll lose weight and it's so easy to fixate on this 'first base' if you like, this initial action and reward state.

But that misses the whole point in my mind. When we make these changes, we align ourselves with the opportunity to live our very best life because when we change what we eat, when we largely cut out refined foods, when we reduce animal products and focus on 'live' foods, and a wholefood plant-based diet, it shifts our entire relationship within ourselves.

We have more space in our minds. We have this clarity of thought, more energy in our bodies and our perception of life totally shifts. When you question the food on your plate, and by that I mean the way we've been taught to eat over the years and the generations passed down before us, the way that the media portray nutrition and all the messages that are thrown our way every second of every day, when we question those things and we step away from them, we allow ourselves to question the fundamentals of our lives, the things we'd unconsciously assumed were just 'the ways it is'.

When we question everything that we've been taught, that we've been conditioned to believe. Everything that society expects of us, we can make a different choice. We can question those things and ask ourselves:

"Okay, so what else is now possible"?
"What other options have I got that I couldn’t see before?"
"What do I really want from my life?"
"How do I want to show up?"
"What is MY truth?"

And through making these changes, initiated by the choice of foods we put into our mouths, we are stepping up and saying:

I choose to do things differently.

I choose to do things my way.

I choose to connect with my body and with the world and step away from the norms and expectations.

This is so incredibly empowering. This is massive statement of intent.

So many people I've spoken to who've made these kinds of shifts, talk about how empowering that was for their own sense of self-confidence. That sense of self-connection, their self-expression, that sense of permission to doing things differently. That way of being ripples out into every other aspect of your life. So this is what I mean when I say ''food is the gateway to your optimal self’, because it's the gateway to living life on your own terms and that is what I'm so deeply passionate about.

The physical, the mental, the spiritual, the emotional, all those changes that take place when you shift your diet (and in my research and experience it is dramatically enhanced when you shift towards a more fully plant-based vegan diet) are incredible. It goes way beyond anything you could likely imagine because until you start experiencing those changes for yourself, it's very difficult to conceptualise and put into words, which the struggle I've had over these last few years.

So often have I sat with, ‘How do I share this experience, one that I am so passionate about sharing and supporting people through, using mere words?’

For now, I simply want you to understand that it's about so much more than the food on your plate, and I also encourage your curiosity and intrigue, because when you question one thing, the flood gates open and you question everything else you thought you knew.

Then the game changes.

What becomes possible in your life when you make that shift?

---

Why I DON'T ask for help... #worldmentalhealthday

Today is world mental health day.

I shared two vulnerable posts on my personal Facebook page in the last couple of days and felt they were worth sharing here as a combined blog post since the space they created for comments to open up off the back of them were beautiful.

We so often read posts about reaching out and asking for help, so this morning I took a moment to reflect on how this shows up for me... why I reach out and why I don't.

I have so many wonderful people around me who I know I can call on for support and often I do. I have no trouble with the principle of asking for help, I'm willing to be vulnerable and don't see it as a sign of weakness BUT often I DON'T ask for help and here's why...

1. I can't articulate what it is I need. A feeling is often hard to put into words and when I can't do this, sharing jumbled thoughts has often led to jumbled feedback/advice reflected back at me. Or I ask for help for something and later realise that isn't what I needed. It ends up feeling more confusing and messy than if I didn't ask at all.

2. I don't realise I needed the help until i'm out the other side. Often when in the grip of loneliness, overwhelm or feeling low, I don't recognise it until I am on the upswing to feeling good again, by that point the moment when I needed help the most has passed. It isn't that I wouldn't have reached out, but simply that I didn't recognise I needed to.

3. I need to work through it on my own. Sometimes I simply have a sense this is something I need to sit with. Not judge, question, work out, fix or analyse or share... just sit with and allow to pass through and catch the lessons learned along the way.

As I reflect further, I notice that in my mind 'helping' is associated with an act of 'doing' something. Yet so often asking for 'help' could simply be asking for space to 'share' or space to 'be' in the company of another.

There is often no 'doing' on the part of the helper. I think this is the part I most need to remember, both as the helper and the one asking for it.

How about you, what stops you from asking for help when you might need it?

This is the post that preceded the one above. This one is super vulnerable and sharing here is throwing up all sorts of fear of judgment that as a coach I should ‘have it all sorted’ (which I do know is ridiculous and totally not true!) I think it also touches a little on why many times I haven’t asked for help… fear of feeling even more confused than I started maybe?

Ok I’m gonna get super honest.

I’ve been in a weird space for much of this year.

Whilst on a technical level my abilities in my work and the passion and clarity behind my message have grown significantly, my self-confidence has taken a major dip seemingly out of nowhere.

It makes no sense, a total contradiction and putting it bluntly it’s screwed with my head! As someone already prone to overthinking, it’s really not helped the situation, ha ha.

I’ve found myself holding back, creating ‘more things’ as a distraction from myself, spending more time on my own and feeling the grip of loneliness on more than a handful of occasions.

I say this not for any kind of sympathy vote, but simply to share openly so that you can see this can affect anyone in any season of life.

From the outside I know I might like I’ve got it ‘all sorted’. On paper my life looks incredible, and I know it totally is... I do work I love, I have great health and I have the total freedom to live and travel whenever and wherever I want...

So why the low confidence? To be honest I have no idea.

So many times I’ve beaten myself up with “how dare I feel this way when I have so much going for me”. But I’m no longer judging it, I’ve stopped questioning it, I’m allowing the feelings and I’m trusting this is all part of the bigger picture of my journey. Acknowledging that out loud feels good.

I went for a walk with my mum along the beach earlier this week. There was a beautifully smooth area of sand calling at me to write on it. This was the word that came to my mind.

I think each and every one of us could do with a little extra courage in some aspect of our lives, to live that bit bigger and bolder, and we all know it only comes from digging deeper within.

I often talk about finding ‘the magic in the messy’ and this year has been a test for sure!

So I’m calling on my courage over these next few weeks as we rapidly head towards the end of the year, to live that little bit bigger and that little bit brighter.

How about you, where could you do with a little extra courage in your own life?

---

There are less than three months before the end of the year, we are now rolling well into the last quarter of the year, and of the decade- whaaaat!

Take a moment not to reflect on all the things you haven’t done but to ground yourself in the reality that there is still time to take those tiny steps on the way to becoming who you want to be. It takes commitment and courage, and you have both of those things right now. Trust me.

I hadn’t planned to add a link here, but it feels right. If it calls to you, I am hosting a co-working retreat for women working on a personal passion project or business venture and could benefit from the support, technical expertise and safe space of an intimate co-working environment in beautiful sunny Andalusia. Two spaces remain to join me. Full details HERE.

---

How you do one thing is how you do everything...

A week or two ago a created a unique new package... something I didn't initially talk about on here directly because it relates heavily to my design work, but actually now as I reflect upon it more I realise how much it has to do with my coaching work - it's all about connection!

The new package I have just launched is 'The Visibility Package' 

(as showcased on my design website)

In my work as a health and mindset coach, I meet so many inspiring 'wellness-focused' people who have an incredible passion and a powerful mission that I know could help so many... yet their voice and online presence is struggling to be seen and heard above the noise.  Finding ways of powerfully sharing their message, the feels in alignment with who they are, is crucial! (I know from experience!)

I was talking to a friend about the package yesterday, getting quite animated and excited as I talked, when from out of nowhere these words came out of my mouth...

"you have to connect with yourself to be able to connect with your client" *

...and there lies the truth, the fundamental principle that I am so passionate about as a coach.

In the wellness industry (or really just as regular people on our own personal journey) there is so much competition. But what really, truly, deeply sets you apart on your journey is your ability to rise above the noise and above the superficial to reach out and really connect with your people, your community, your tribe, your clients (*insert most relevant word for you there) BUT in order to do this, you first need to connect with yourself!

A massive part of The Visibility Package AND as I have begun to realise, my coaching work as a whole, is about digger deeper into your own story - you passion and drive but also the messiness and the struggles too. Really owning that.

Yes I know that might sound deep, and you might be thinking...   "but I just have a regular life, nothing special" ...well, actually no you don't.

I have often heard it said that...

"how you do one thing is how you do everything"

...and there's is your second truthbomb. Having an awareness of your actions, walking your talk and really owning and believing your message to the world speaks volumes. Your people will hear it and feel it. I promise.

So at it's core this is what my work as a coach is about, connecting to your deepest sense of self. I am reading a great book at the moment called 'The Highest Goal' by Michael Ray, and it's very similar to what he talks about.

I was going to leave this post here... with two 'truthbombs' for you to sit with and process, but then I figured i'd add the final section that was part of the note I sent out to my mailing list last night...

So now in the spirit of playfulness and curiosity, I have a game for you. Pick ONE of these three options below:

1) You're NOT interested in The Visibility Package but would love to have a conversation about what a deeper connection with yourself would mean for your life... hit reply and let me know where you are at!

2) You ARE interested in learning more about the package (there are two spots already confirmed, and more conversations booked for next week)... hit reply and let me know asap why you are interested and we'll arrange a time to call/Skype. 

3) You're kind of skimming this post, not really interested in any of it, but these bullet points caught your eye ;-) Then do me (and you) a favour and take a few moments this weekend to have a think about how you are showing up in your world right now, are there some tweaks you could make to bring yourself more into alignment?

So which will it be for you? ;-)

---

That time I learnt to drop kick a football…

Years ago… and I’m talking about 15 years ago! I asked my then boyfriend teach me to drop kick a football. I was never a ‘girly’ girl, always running around with the guys and so I would get frustrated when out for a walk and a wayward ball from a group of kids rolled across my path. 

I wanted to get over that awkward moment of lamely trying to kick it back or picking it up and throwing it, only for it to land a few metres in front of me (even worse!) So I figured if I learnt to properly drop kick a ball I would be challenging norms (a girl knowing how to kick a ball really well!) feel a little bit smug, and avoid all awkwardness in the process… a total win-win-win.

So then it began. 

Pretty much every weekend for weeks (or maybe even months) I spent hours out on the playing field on a Sunday afternoon learning how to drop kick a football. My poor boyfriend patiently helping me. As you can imagine there was a lot of running after balls. Now, anyone who knows me well, also knows how stubborn I can be. This was particularly pronounced in my younger years when I was less able to deal well with this personality trait and it would result in a lot of tantrums ;-)

However, I did get pretty good at kicking that ball!

But when I look back now I wonder how well that actually served me. Sure, being ambitious and driven to achieve a goal (pun unintended!) can be a very good thing, but the focus on enjoying the journey towards it is something that is now so much more important to me and one I had never even considered at the time. I didn’t particularly enjoy the journey of learning to kick that ball, and once i’d nailed it I didn’t maintain the practice, so the skill quickly slipped away again.

We can be so caught up in a ‘future focused’ mindset of reaching the end goal, that we totally forget to consider at the outset how we might feel throughout the process it takes to get there- a process which may take months or even years. Then, as we all too often see, when we do reach that goal it might not even be what we quite wanted or expected anyway.

Over very recent months and years my relationship to goal-setting has changed significantly. I tend to use the word ‘intentions’ rather than ’goals’, which for me has more freedom, feels more heart-centred and less head dominated. Something to work towards with a deeper appreciation and awareness for each present moment, opening myself to opportunities that may cross my path that I may have otherwise been blind to.

So where are you at with your goals or ambitions? 
Do they also serve you and along the way? 

Dream bold, dream big… but simply remember to check back in with your heart in the process.

---

Why not sign up for my newsletter in my sidebar where I feature roundups and special offers plus my FREE ebook. If you are new round here you might like to check out my 'About' tab up top. To buy healthy nibbles you can also find me over at my sister site Wholeplus. 

Day to day you can always find me hanging out in these places:

• Instagram

• Facebook

• Twitter

• Pinterest

A Mantra for Monday no. 3

"It's All About The Hyphen...Life! Of course. Reverend Ruth proclaimed it so this very morning on't radio show. Birth date, deceased date. And the piddly little hyphen in the middle, so understated. That IS life".

(extract taken from Chris Evans blog-Radio Two 11.01.12)

I heard this comment as I was in the car, on one frosty winter morning last week trundling along my usual route to work.  The radio was on low volume, I was only half listening as I drove along on autopilot.

These words caught my attention. They brought me back to reality. They made me laugh out loud with the irony.

I just really love the irony in the fact that the enormity of life can simply be summed up in the smallest and most insignificant ‘mark’. Don’t let the brackets surrounding your life, the brackets that mark your time here on earth, define you. Make your mark count!

---

A Mantra for Monday no.2

I love to dream, to slip off into my fantasy world where everything is possible and I can be whoever I want to be.  But, I forget that I can actually be whoever I want to be. It all within my own control...and your own control. This is easier said than done, I know, and believe me I suffer the same crises of confidence as everyone else!

The difference between dreaming and doing is often courage. Courage to face our fears, courage to go against expectation, courage to take the risk….. This links back to my previous post on being in charge of your own experiences. I believe the bridge between impossible, improbable and inevitable is thinking it through and takingthe steps to make it happen.

Something like this:

‘Impossible’: lots of thoughts and dreams swimming around your mind in their own little happy existence safe with no contextual reality.

‘Improbable’:  you refine your dreams and ideals through giving them a context in real life. It is still all in your head and there is still no commitment, but a greater sense of the logistics and meaning within your own life. You begin to ask yourself the deeper questions.

So far so good….all nice and simple….safe and comfortable.

The jump to the inevitable?  Commitment.

‘Inevitable’:  for me, this involves making the change from mind to reality. Putting it out there for others to see and proclaiming your 'commitment'. This is not necessairly as scary as it sounds. Break it down and take small steps.

• Talk through your ideas with a friend. Talking about an idea immediately makes it more real and also enables you to gain extra support through others.

• Sign up- join the club/society/dating website or whatever it might be. You don’t need to launch yourself into the scene right away but simply signing up gives you that initial boost and gives yourself physical proof that you are committed- plus once you’ve had a 'look around' is it really that scary?

• Write it down- sounds odd? I write all my thoughts down, in particular things I find overwhelming or confusing. I often find that simply through writing something down a greater sense of clarity is achieved naturally. You find the ability to answer your questions and justify your own reasoning in a logical way. Write when you are in a positive mindset and refer back to your notes when your confidence in yourself wavers.

There are many other ways that commitment can be manifested, but I just wanted to highlight that commitment isn’t a scary word and it isn’t the deal breaker it often seems to be. It is not finite and it doesn’t mean that there is ‘no going back’. It is simply a confirmation to yourself along the pathway towards your dream…so that it can soon become the inevitable.

---

Introducing: ‘Silent Sunday’ and ‘A Mantra for Monday’

Did I mention I was gonna shake things up a little?

Well, I am!

“I live for a challenge, I never sit still and I never stop thinking”

These words are taken from my ‘about page’. I think a lot…maybe too much, often ending up going round in circles! However, I know that in order to really find out who I have the capacity to become I must never stop thinking…doing…trying…challenging…being...living!

Writing things down helps crystallise your thoughts.  It helps make sense of any confusion and put things into perspective. I also love words.  I love the way that a combination of a few words has both the capacity to make you laugh out loud or sob uncontrollably. Incredible.

I also love photography. It is a skill which I really want to progress, and I don’t simply mean in relation to food (although that is a great outlet for practice). I love the fundamental emotional connection brought about through imagery without the use of words- a total contrast. Two extremes…not like me at all! (hmm…or maybe just a little!!)

So, I had an idea….

Every Sunday I will post a photo. That is all, just a photo. No words. These will be photos that I have taken at any time and place and that for whatever reason resonate with me and connect with my emotions. Without words the imagination has free reign open to all interpretation.

Hence, this will become Silent Sunday.

Inspiration for this concept and the subsequent title of my post was found here. The blog had been hosting a linked ‘Silent Sunday’ for a number of months before the linked element was removed. My own thoughts had already been heading in a similar direction when I happened to chance upon her blog and the eloquence of the title Silence Sunday appealed such that I found I couldn’t better it.

Following Silent Sunday’s pure and simple round up to the week, I wanted to offer something of a contrast to kick start Monday morning. Start as you mean to go on…so they say! If that’s the case, the opportunity to fill my mind with a positive thought to carry me through the week seemed particularly fitting.

Hence, this will become A Mantra for Monday.

It is difficult to know how these ideas will pan out over the course of time. It's unknown territory...spontaneous...crazy. I have no visions or expectations but I am simply open to the paths my mind may take me. I cannot promise this will work, and if it falls by the wayside then…well at least I can say I gave it a go!  In the meantime I hope you will also join me in this new chapter… your thoughts and comments will help turn this into something special.

….Oh, and don’t worry, there will still be plenty of food! I do love cake, after all, …and that definitely hasn’t changed!

I simply want to focus on a more holistic sense of wellbeing, and in doing so do more of the things that make me most happy and that give a sense of fulfilment and perspective. 

I hope I can share that with you too.

---

Struggling With Life

Ok, I’ll be honest… these last few days have been hard.  Everything is ‘up in the air’ and change is all around me right now.

Why?

The ‘Boy’ who has played a major guiding role in opening my eyes and redirecting my life over this past year, is no longer my boy. It was a mutual decision to call it a day. 

Food was always such a big part of our life together and I gained so much happiness in creating recipes for us to try and then seeing the joy on his face when I’d succeeded. For these last few days food has been the last thing on my mind. In actual fact, even if I’d wanted to get stuck into something I haven’t been able to since all my baking ingredients have only just moved out with me and are yet to be unpacked. The previous post on ‘peanut soup’ was a recently written back-up post that I kept in reserve for an emergency situation (this counts as an emergency-right?) 

It all just feels a little surreal at the moment, I guess my ‘reason’ for doing what I do suddenly seems somewhat meaningless when you’re not ‘in it together’. In the beginning the Boy gave me a reason for it all, the meals we shared together the naughty but healthy snacks I could make him, to nurture and look after him. He was a willing participant and allowed my happiness and skills to grow. That meaning is now gone.  My curiosity is still there, but I feel resentment and discord… why try and make the effort when there is no one else to really appreciate the outcomes? It just feels empty.

Oh poor me…sob sob sob!  NO!  

On a more serious note I know it will all be fine, this is far from a ‘sob story’ and I am not one to to dwell and mope for long. I am only writing about this to give you a greater understanding as to why there might be a few changes around here as I find my way on my own… or should I say on my own terms… it’s all down to me now!

So I guess I just need to suck it up and get a grip!!

I know it will settle in time and that I’ll have my ups and down just like the everyone else, I also know that I’ll find a new way to re-create this meaning in my life and for the people around me, and hopefully find more people like me and maybe enlighten a few of those closer to home. Most importantly I know full well that in order to have healthy treats I’ll have to make them myself… a life without treats… no thank you!!

 So, you see I can’t just stop even if I wanted to!!  Just watch this space…..