Life without Anorexia

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Monday, June 19, 2017

Food questions part 2 - my views on alcohol, calcium in food, eating non vegan?

What fat/oil do you use in baking - cakes etc? I have found some of the oil based ones leave a strange taste and I end up throwing the baking away, I just wondered what you use?
It depends what im making :) Usually just coconut oil as it isnt so heat sensitive compared to other oils. Or otherwise i just use rapeseed oil when baking food or even in brownies i sometimes use it, but it does give  a weird taste at times. Otherwise vegan margarine works if i am just following a standard recipe which i choose to veganize :)

What made you change your views about alcohol ie from being quite against it to now drinking the occasional glass?
In the past i was all or nothing when it came to alcohol. Either i drank nothing or i drank far too much that i would almost black out... i.e not a healthy relationship with alcohol at all. I liked the taste of alcohol, just like with coffee i liked the taste from the beginning. I dont personally like beer, but i do like wine, cider and even vodka so its not been the taste that has deterred me from drinking but because i havent been able to drink in moderation. Not to mention i never really understood why you would want to drink, because alcohol is toxic in the body... it effects your liver and does nothing good or healthy in your body at all, not to mention that waking up hung over the next day is never fun and also i was more serious about my working out in the past so i felt like drinking would affect my working out and gym sessions. So i chose to not drink, but also i never really went out to drink either i never had the opportunity to drink as much as i do now. I was also much more of a "Light weight" so i could drink 1 glass of wine and feeling dizzy which deterred me from drinking even more.

I dont promote or recommend drinking, and i know i have many young followers so i advise to not drink at all. HOWEVER i have also learnt to see the social aspect of alcohol and learnt that drinking 1 or 2 glasses of wine isnt going to negatively affect me or do any damage to me as long as it isnt done too often. It is only the past 7-8 months, since starting university in Gothenburg that i have begun to drink alcohol and see it as a social thing. To celebrate a test or just sit in the sun and talk with friends. Of course alcohol isnt needed or necessary and because i have CF and take alot of medications i really shouldnt drink, not to mention that there is a history or alcoholism in my family (which is also genetic) and i do have a slight addictive personality (i.e i've been "addicted" to many things and at times it can feel like i go from one addiction to the next in some sense) so i do need to be aware of all of that, but its not a problem for me right now i.e i dont feel addicted to alcohol in any sense.

Ive found a balance with alcohol that works for me and i feel alot more healthy now compared to in the past when i wanted to drink a glass or two but all i could think about was "how will it effect my body, can i workout the next day etc etc".

Are there any fruits or vegetables you dont like？Im just curious:）
Mushrooms is one of them.... i can only really eat them if they are sort of hidden and covered and i cant taste the mushroom/mushy taste of them hahah. Though i did recently try fried portebello mushroom which was pretty good, but over all i cant stand them. Other vegetable types.... yes im sure there are plenty but i cant really think of them now. I used to hate brussel sprouts, asparagus, avocado when i was yyounger i.e 7-12 years old but now i love those vegetables. I think its a taste thing and that you keep trying to eat them :)

I dont like vegetables that taste too much of the earth or that you buy them still covered in dirt, that sort of creeps me out and i cant stop thinking about bacteria and insects hahah. 

Also, i cant really eat lettuce or similar salad leaves after i had bought lettuce and in the "root" it was an infestation of bugs - literally, i had the bugs crawling in my food and because they were so small i hadnt really noticed them. I am VERY sensitive to those types of things, and since then havent bought lettuce or similar salad and only eaten once or twice when eating out.

Is it possible that i can regain my calcium by eating more supplement & right food? 

Thank you.

If you eat alot of calcium rich foods but also have a high intake of D vitamin it can help, however the best is to talk to a dietitian or a doctor who can help you. Calcium is a very important mineral and a lack of calcum isnt good, however not all calcium is absorbed and the older you get the less calcium is absorbed even if older people actually need more calcium due to the break down of bones.

But also there can be inhibiting factors to the calcium absorption for example, spinach contains alot of calcium but it also contains oxalic acid which means that very little calcium is absorbed because of the inhibiting acid.

However if you eat plenty of foods such as fortified oat/soy drink, tofu, tempeh, kale, green collards, and if you eat dairy then milk, cheese, yoghurt are sources of calcium. 

But like mentioned, talk to a proffessional and if you have deficiency then a supplement is needed as well as the right food :)

How much have you inspired your family to eat vegan meals? Do you all eat vegan when you visit or do they keep to their normal diets?
I've inspired my family alot :) My mum, sister and step dad are all pescetarians (who also eat dairy) so they've eaten alot of quorn (which contains egg) and dairy products as well as fish. I was the one who was obsessed with eggs, chicken and quark and to think that i would be the one who went vegan is sort of comical.

But i have inspired them even if i havent really lived with my family since going vegan. Only during the 2 months in summer last year, but then i worked so much that i rarely ate at home/with my family anyway.

When i eat with my family/travel back to stockholm the food is usually 80% vegan but they might eat quorn when i eat a soy product or just beans/Lentils, or they might use normal creme fraiche or use normal butter on their bread. But otherwise they have started to buy oat products instead of dairy products, they've begun buying tofu and vegan fake meats instead of the quorn ones, and they dont eat as much fish as they used to. So even if i dont live with my family i have still inspired them to eat more vegan and me and my mum send pictures of the different meals we eat. For example when i make pizza or pasta dishses or make falafels or even just bake i'll send a photo to her and she likes to send photos to me when she eats fully vegan meals!! :)

And my sister has also begun to eat alot more vegan now, however she has also begun to think alot more about the other aspects of veganism apart from the diet such as buying cruelty free and vegan products. One evening at 9.30pm she called me and said she was in the store and didnt know which tooth paste was vegan as well as what deodorant was CF and vegan - it made me so happy to hear. Because those small things do matter in the long term!!

Inspiring others is one of the best things about veganism, because i would never force anyone to go vegan, but i can atleast inspire others to eat more plant based or to be more aware of what products they buy... and if i can make 5 0 people think more about the food they eat and the products they buy, that DOES make a difference. If everyone limits their animal product intake by 50% and stops buying products tested on animals then that is a huge difference :) It doesnt have to be black or white/all or nothing!!

Would you ever feel tempted to revert back to your old eating habits if you were amongst people who were not vegan?
No :)

None of my friends are vegan and my family isnt vegan either so when i go to parties or go out to eat there will be lots of animal products around me and im not tempted. Not even when my friends are eating normal marabou or when i see the new latest quark flavours or chocolate flavours or Ben and Jerry flavours which i was once so adament about trying all the latest flavours and newest editions. I am lucky though that my friends and family are so understanding and whenever i get together with friends there is usually something vegan i can eat - example if i go to a party at someones house, or when i visit my family there is lots i can eat. I am not so demanding, i just buy or bring my own food and dont expect their to be something for me. But it always makes me happy when there is a vegan dish/food available without me even saying anything!


  1. Izzy, I was wondering if you consider yourself a feminist? Because personally I regard you as one of my main feminist inspirations haha. I just think this blog is really powerful in the way it brings girls together but in a supportive rather than competitive environment, and you do a lot to make us feel better about ourselves, and you reject false beauty myths and standards, and idk it just feels very positive and empowering to me :)

    1. Oh yes I am definitely a feminist... I always find it strange when girls say they aren't feminist? I mean don't they want equality as well as women standing together instead of each other? It doesn't have to be a competition, women should empower each other and help each other and not bring others down. One of the worst things I know is people judging and commenting negatively or trying to bring others down. As long as it doesn't personally effect me or hurt me then it's not my business, example what others are wearing is none of my business but I know many who like to comment negatively about others appearance or outfits when really it's not necessary!

      And thank you:) your comment out a huge smile on my face! I want to empower and inspire others and make a positive community where it's all about helping others and inspiring others :( standing together not against each other!

  2. Why doesn't more than one portion of food count as that many servings of your 5/7 a day? meaning one portion of a certain food is one of your 5/7 a day - but what about if you eat more than that? surely it should count for more.
    Why is this?

    1. I think it does count... i.e if you eat 5 bananas you get 5 servings. HOWEVER the recommended 5 a day is also so you get all your vitamins and minerals through a variation of fruit and vegetables. I.e if you eat 5 portions of broccoli you won't get all the vitamins and minerals you need. So if you eat varied you will most likely get enough of all the vitamins and minerals you need :) if this makes sense!

  3. Hi Izzy, Thank you for answer my question & advice! May God bless you now always!
    Love ya xoxo

  4. I think its great that you have inspired your family so much. Its always nice to have the support of family when you choose to do something different and I think this adds to your conviction to be a Vegan. Also it just shows that other people would be willing to change their eating habits if new ways were opened up to them. Sometimes we just get stuck in a rut and become toatally unaware that there are indeed other possibilities. And great news that your sister is becoming aware of products tested on animals - again how many of us even think of that when we put our usual toiliteries in our shopping basket? No, it certainly doesn't hurt for us to become more aware of these things and I think you have done a great job in inspiring people. You never "force" or "preach" your views - you just allow others to see what you are doing and that way I think they develop more of an interest than they would if your attitude was different :)

  5. But have you considered that wine is mostly not vegan?
    Kind regards

    1. I know that :) I use Barnivore to check what alcohol is vegan before i buy it and usually just drink Black Tower or vodka which is vegan!