Just a quick update about the cleanse I did last week. I spent Friday afternoon feeling a little nutty about food (mostly imagining what I would eat on Saturday!) but great overall. On Saturday I woke up feeling full of energy and generally just awesome.

I ate nothing but fruit, veggies and nuts all weekend, and it was fabulous. After drinking juice for a week I really appreciated all the excellent flavours, not to mention chewing. I ate organic stone fruit and berry salads, giant salads with Japanese dressing, baked sweet potato with tahini and green veggies, massaged kale salad… yum. I had a super productive weekend, cleaned the whole house, and got a lot of writing done. Coincidence? I think not!

During the cleanse it was interesting to take a step back and think about how and what I eat. A few things I noticed:

• Every morning that when I woke up I felt like a big glass of water. Usually when I wake up I start planning how to get coffee into me, and I feel like I might have broken that dependency/habit.
• I can’t stomach breakfast first thing when I wake up, but green juice goes down well.
• I tend to want to eat more in the evening, and forget to eat during the day when I’m busy. I was drinking three juices by 4pm then have a further three to drink before I went to bed (!!), but in the last few days I forced myself to stick to a schedule and drink more evenly across the day. And I felt more energetic for it!
• Sometimes I think I mistake thirst for hunger. Once I started drinking the requisite two litres of water a day I never felt hungry again.

Of course, what happens after the detox is the most important thing. I said last week that my eating habits had gotten pretty bad/lazy, and I want this to be the turning point where I start eating well and looking after myself again.

If you’re interested in doing a cleanse, I do recommend Schkinny Maninny (still). They deliver juices to your door every day, it’s not a starvation thing (you get 1700 calories), and it’s all-natural, ie. you don’t have to take any weird supplements or powders. Importantly, it’s pretty yum – I didn’t like the evening soups (but I do like the lentil lunch one), and the green morning juice feels a bit intense the first day, but the rest is tasty. The downside is, of course, that it’s kind of expensive.

(If you’re interested, the 15% off discount code that Schkinny Maninny gave me to pass on still seems valid – Olivia Gao used it recently – so hit me up if you want to try it!)

I’d be interested to hear your experiences of doing detoxes or cleanses!

I’ve been reading on my laptop (ok) and iPhone (bit annoying) for a while now, but still read more print books than anything else. Even as someone who borrows often from the library, I spend a lot of money on books, and they take up a lot of space in my home. In an effort to streamline both my finances and my living space this year, I spent my Christmas money on a Kindle.

In 2012 I’ll be making a concerted effort to read as much digitally as I can, for the reasons mentioned above. I’m also interested in learning to navigate in the space better, and to see what’s out there in terms of content. With regard to availability of works, I think we’ve definitely reached tipping point for consumers; surely everything these days has a digital release? (Pricing remains a concern though…)

There are plenty of books available on Amazon and Book Depository, not to mention iTunes, and plenty of indie and self-published work on sites like Smashwords. And Bookish are doing a good job ensuring that Aussie content is available, even though I’m not sure how I feel about their browser-based format yet. (Psst, there is even an ebooks for cooks Bookish store!) And then there are the classics from Project Gutenberg (Aus version).

Speaking of reading, there is currently a National Year of Reading campaign happening in Australia. You might have heard about it. Each state nominated a list of six books that represent their state, and interested punters were asked to vote for their favourite (there were voting forms at libraries, bookshops and online). In a few weeks a national list featuring a book from each state will be released and the campaign will kick off proper.

It’s a nice idea and I voted (in each state!). The shortlists had a mix of fiction and non-fiction, classic and newer titles. The one thing they didn’t have was a good ratio of male and female writers; in the case of South Australia only one female author was represented out of five. (Most of the states didn’t have very good cultural diversity, either; FFS.) So to address the situation, a rogue group have set up their own reading challenge which is getting traction in the blog world: Australian Women Writers Reading Challenge.

I will probably end up reading whatever book are thrown up in the National Year of Reading list that I haven’t already read, and have committed to the Australian Women Writers reading challenge as well (at the Franklin-fantastic level: read ten books and review four; watch this space). I read a lot of women anyway, but it’s good to be mindful.

I’m also seeking out more books from non-Western backgrounds; I had many great discussions about the importance and benefits of reading broadly in terms of culture while in Sharjah last year, and I’m looking forward to expanding my reading in this area. As starting guides I’ll be looking to Anita Heiss’ Black Book Challenge and the shortlists of the Man Asian and Arabic Booker prizes.

And whatever I read I will be doing it on-screen where possible.  I’m already wondering how reading digitally might shape or change how I read now…

What (and how) will you be reading in 2012?

When I decided to do 12 rides over Christmas, I had it in mind that it would turn out like a stay-at-home bike tour. I wanted to do long, interesting rides (i.e. new-for-me routes) and really push myself. I even hoped I might break a pb and crack 300kms in a day. At the very least, I thought I would have no trouble racking up the kind of miles I did on the Nullarbor (overall avg 140km/day).

But it didn’t really turn out like that. In the end, I rode 640kms in 12 days, an average of just 53km/day.

Weather plus sickness plus public holiday travel timetables plus life got in the way a bit. Fact is, when you’re on a bike tour, you wake up at dawn (if you’re camping!) and then there’s nothing to do but ride all day. At home, even though it was holidays, I still had a bit going on; even when I felt like I could, I couldn’t always ride all day. In the middle of my project, I got discouraged. I was tired, but also frustrated that I wasn’t doing the big miles and interesting rides I had planned. But I persisted, because – well, some riding is better than no riding, and being out on the bike is better than almost anything else. (Though if I’d known I’d be riding so much in Melbourne, I would have gotten organised and found friends to ride with in advance!)

Despite getting a bit cranky in the middle of it, I got a lot out of doing the twelve rides. I explored new areas and found new places to ride. I rediscovered good cycling routes in Melbourne. I enjoyed hitting a few bike paths again, something I haven’t done in a long time. I rode at night. I forced myself to look beyond Melbourne and use trains to travel out of town. The out-of-town rides I did were my favourites by far: Daylesford, Clarkefield, heart of Victoria, Werribee and Eltham.

It was interesting for me writing up the mini adventures, thinking about the shape of each ride. My next book is about bike riding, and creating compelling cycling narratives is something I need practice with. Although I have no new touring plans at the moment (sadfase!), I’ll definitely keep doing long rides around Melbourne, and maybe I’ll post a few of the rides.

I would take on the 12 rides challenge again. A full-on tour would definitely be preferable, though! We’ll see where I’m at next Christmas…

You can read all the twelve rides here. Photos here.

That’s it for How to be vegan, my online guide for navigating the transition from omni or veg to vegan. The full round up of how to go vegan posts is here, and also archived under the turning vegan tag.

There is still more I can say on this topic, but I’ve capped it here because I think these posts together make a pretty good primer for anyone considering becoming vegan.

I might touch on ‘dealing with non-vegans’ in the future, but I’ve resisted doing it this time because the comments on this series are peppered with good advice in that vein. So I urge you to read the comments on all the posts – my lovely readers have left some stellar advice and shared their own stories on the articles, which just goes to show how diverse we vegans are. I’ll still be keeping an eye on the comments and updating the posts as needed, so please continue leaving your comments, links and questions!

How to go vegan:

1. Going vegan
2. What to do with your non-vegan stuff
3. What is vegan food?
4. Reading labels
5. Ninja vegan
6. How to cook vegan food
7. Vegan baking
8. Coming out
9. Eating out
10. Vegan community

Finally, thanks to everyone who read and commented! You made this week doubly fun for me, and your insights, tips and ideas really got me thinking more broadly about veganism yet again. You rock.

Image by nyxie.

Transitioning to veganism can be tough, and going it alone can make it even harder. So get in touch with your vegan community!

When I went vegan I had one vegan friend, now I have loads. I met a lot of vegans online through forums (the post punk kitchen is a good one), and also through food blogging, and through them met lots of other vegans too. There’s probably a vegan mafia to tap into near you as well. If you don’t know any vegans, your local veg society might be a good place to start.

If you live in an isolated place or are really too shy to go and meet some strangers from the internet (don’t worry, we’re not all mad – some of us are actually kinda… normal), blogging and online forums can be a good way to connect with other vegans and swap information. You might be surprised how much you come to appreciate online friendships!

Why is vegan community important? I have written about this before, but I value my vegan friends for these reasons:

• Some of them are really good at reading labels and they keep me updated about ninja vegan products.
• It’s nice going out for an all-vegan dinner sometimes.
• It’s great to be able to talk about omni annoyances without having to worry about offending anyone.
• They are great sources of recipes and restaurant recs.
• Moral support from people who really get it.
• It’s comforting to know you’re not the only vegan freak out there.

Vegans – do you know many other vegans? Where did you meet them?

Image by penguincakes.

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Eating out can seem like a big, scary deal when you first go vegan. And it can suck sometimes when you’re a veteran vegan too. There are three things to navigate – where to eat, ordering, and dealing with your eating buddies.

Go veg
The top choices for eating out would be vegan and vegetarian restaurants. Pure vegan restaurants are pretty thin on the ground in Australia, especially outside of Melbourne. Eating at vegan restaurants is a total joy, because not only can you eat everything there (mostly – some places still serve honey, so you still need to check) but the staff won’t treat you like a freak.

Vegetarian restaurants hold a similar joy, except for those places that don’t cater to vegans very well, which is very frustrating (and surprisingly common).

A quick google search will reveal any veg restaurants in your area, or there’s always the Veg Food Guide, which will be released as a national publication later this year. (Plug!)

Non-veg options
Eating at non-veg restaurants can be totally joyful or a big pain in the arse. While you’re transitioning it can be pretty daunting, especially if you’re not totally up on what things are vegan or not. Try to keep your ordering simple; even though this might mean eating something boring or bland at least you will know it’s vegan.

Look up or think about what sort of food you can eat at different kinds of restaurants. For example:

• Italian – risotto hold the cheese, plain pasta with Napoli sauce, or veggie pasta hold any cheese.
• Indian – veggie curries, but beware of the use of ghee.
• Asian – have things cooked with garlic rather than oyster sauces.
• Cafes – salads are a good bet, as is avocado on toast.
• Pubs – if it’s not cooked in animal fat, a bowl of chips.
• Middle Eastern – felafel, hommous and tabouli are your friends.

I know that looks a bit depressing, but it’s not forever! As you find out more about vegan foods eating out becomes less of a hassle, and you’ll get more confident about what you can eat and how to order what you want.

A few tips for navigating non-veg restaurants:

• Check to see if the restaurant’s menu is online before you go there so you’re prepared. If the menu isn’t online do a search to see if anyone veg bloggers have written about eating there.
• If you’re going to a restaurant and their menu doesn’t appear vegan-friendly, call ahead to let them know you’re coming. That way the chef can prepare to have something for you to eat. (This is more for nice restaurants – calling your local Chinese joint will probably just confuse them.)
• Don’t be afraid to ask what can be made vegan, or to request alterations to dishes. You’re a customer and you have a right to order what you want.
• Don’t assume that the waitstaff will know what a vegan is. (I once told asked a waitress and she recommended the ‘chicken pizza without the cheese’.) Say that you are a vegetarian and that you don’t eat dairy or eggs. That should lessen the possibility of any nasty surprises appearing on your plate.
• Don’t be a pain in the arse. Assertive yes, apologetic or aggressive, no.
• Don’t suffer in silence. If you’ve requested something vegan and it comes with something non-vegan, let the waiter know and send it back.

Eating with others
A few tips for navigating the social politics of eating with non-vegans:

• Accept that you will sometimes sit at a table of people and eat a really boring salad or plate of veggies, but remember it’s the restaurant’s fault, not the fault of veganism. (I had plenty of shit meals as an omni, too.)
• Veganism isn’t about missing out. You often won’t have control over where your friends want to go and eat. Don’t be shy to go somewhere and not eat (though do eat beforehand so your stomach isn’t growling!), or just to drink.
• Accept that people will not eat vegan because you’re there (and never ask them to). If this bothers you then think about skipping the meal and arriving for drinks later, or arranging non-eating social occasions.
• Don’t talk about veganism while you’re eating! If you’re with people who don’t know you’re vegan, someone will inevitably hear you ordering and ask you if you’re veg. If they want to talk about it, say that you’ll talk about it later.
• If you don’t make a big deal about being vegan, probably no one else will either. If someone is being an arse or trying to force you to talk about it, refuse to engage.
• Understand that many people find veganism confronting, and that some people might feel judged or threatened by simply having you eat vegan alongside them. Accept it, and accept that it’s their problem, not yours. See above if they start being a dick about it.

Vegans – what are your top tips for navigating eating out and social events?

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