Holistic Vegan

I'm really excited to share this news with you, but I felt it was important as it could help other people finding themselves with the painful symptoms of a swollen, achy tummy that I endured for a number of years until I realised that I had a problem with my diet. I went wheat free almost a year ago as I announced in my blog Is it time to Ditch Wheat? on May 19th 2019. I did however wonder and discuss in the article the possibility that our favourite grain was being made indigestible by a number of factors - the cooking method and more importantly the now common practice of using glyphosate as a desiccant on wheat crops to maximise yield. Since then, I do still have the occasional Gregg's sausage roll which I always regret two days later when the painful symptoms show up. Sometimes it's worth it because they're so darned delicious...but as a general rule, I've stayed wheat free as far as possible. A few weeks ago, I remembered the curious story told to me by

It's that time of year again, and although I'm a couple of days late for Shrove Tuesday (always been a rebel!) I wanted to share my pancake recipe with you ready for the weekend.  Not everyone has the time or energy to stand over a hot stove making pancakes on a school night, and let's be honest it does take some time to do. I like to heat up a dinner plate in the oven to put mine onto straight out of the pan, so they stay warm before serving. One of those little plate warmers they use in Indian restaurants with a tealight to keep dishes warm would work pretty well too. I used organic plain flour for this recipe as I've found my tummy is quite happy with that - it seems my suspicions that it was pesticides upsetting my tummy rather than the wheat itself were founded! To read more about this hop on over to my blog about wheat and why it may be causing havok with your stomach. I've used vegan margarine here because I prefer the flavour, but you can use v

Took a little trip into town to see if I could find an adequate deodorant as I've run out of my favourite one from Lush! I'm also looking to replace my plastic storage containers with glass & metal alternatives, so the charity shops are a great place to start. I really want a big cheese bell! Subway have just brought out their Vegan Meatball Marinara AND there's a gluten free bun option - check it out!

Now you won't often hear me bemoaning my diet, because to be honest I love being vegan and wouldn't change it for the world.  Something I have really missed since going vegan however is decent ice cream.  Even in today's veganuary-gripped world, the vegan options in the freezer cabinets are still woefully limited and horrifyingly expensive. Last summer I promised to buy myself an ice cream maker and have a go myself, but I never managed to muster the cash or the enthusiasm for it.  But now things have changed - I've discovered a way to make a whole array of frozen desserts without an ice cream maker and I'm hooked! Now spoiler alert - you do need some specialist equipment for this, but few vegan households are without one. Yes, you know what I'm about to say - this recipe uses a high powered blender. As a vegan who has always been on a budget, I balked at the prices of some of the branded blenders by Vitamix and others. Much as I'm sure they'

Anyone who knows me will know that I like cards - I mean I REALLY like them. I probably have about 30 packs of various tarot, oracle & angel cards by this point, and I have no plans on stopping! After all, being a professional psychic they are the tools of my trade and technically tax deductible... Anyhoo, as a card reader, I'm often asked which packs are best. Now that's as difficult to answer as which flavour of icecream is best, but there definitely are some pros and cons to different decks, and it's good to know what might suit you before you take the plunge and spend your money. I was lucky enough to be given the Angel Tarot Cards by Radleigh Valentine at the end of last year, so I've reviewed them for you in a new YouTube video below...

For new & budding vegans, it can be hard to get support if you find that people around you aren't interested in or worse actively oppose your new dietary & lifestyle choices.  I've found that YouTube can be a very useful place for inspiration, recipes and a bit of camaraderie, but it can also be a toxic mix of bad advice, attention seekers, hysteria and hypocrisy. I've spent a few good years sorting the wheat from the chaff, so as it's Veganuary and I know there are lots of new vegans out there looking for good resources, I'm going to share my favourite Vegan YouTube channels. Here we go, in no particular order... Happy Healthy Vegan Ryan & Anji are an adorable SoCal couple with two cats. Their videos are generally feel-good and positive, with great tips and sensible advice. Ryan also does response videos to some of the more controversial topics, and he's always well balanced and kind.  Definitely one of my faves. They're both m

It's 1st January and along with many other New Years Resolutions that seem hard or even impossible to achieve, I'm aware that lots of people - probably more than ever before are taking on the Veganuary Challenge. Now you'd think that as a vegan I'd be all for this, and one the one hand I am. But I can also see how this challenge can bit a bit too...er challenging? When I went 100% vegan in September 2012, I'd already switched to a vegetarian diet in the January before that and quit dairy shortly afterwards. Going vegan for me took some time, and I didn't have the money or desire to throw out everything that would be considered "non-vegan" as that would have been more than I could cope with or afford. So is it wise to ask people to go a full 30 days completely vegan? Well I'd say if you've had time to prepare for it, then quite possibly, yes. All the better if your significant other is already vegan, or you have vegan friends and co