Congratulations! You made it out of the very wicked and evil year, 2020. Welcome to this newsletter! This year, I’m focusing on becoming the best Anda I can be and I want to take you on the journey with me. Hopefully, you’ll discover some things to help you become the best you, too🌱
Video
I don’t think there is anybody on Earth that loves a fresh start as much as I do. That is exactly how I view every new year. My excitement for this alleged “new beginning” has kind of died down over the years but I’m really trying to remain ✨positive✨ and ✨optimistic✨ (I’m a big propagator of the “fake it ‘til you make it” aphorism).
I recently watched this video that I really connected with. I’m a sucker for an inspiring message presented in a non-cringey way.
Song
After last year, I am desperate for a sense of control. I completely lost control of pretty much every single aspect of my life and it really put a lot of things into perspective for me. At the end of the day, I am the captain. I run this ship, I control my feelings and I have far more control in certain situations than I have given myself credit for. This song is a wonderful reminder of that as Gaby Duran literally walks you through all those scary feelings. I always feel so calm after listening to this song.
Food
Another way I have decided to take control is by signing up for the Veganaury challenge. Since I am already vegan, this really isn’t much of a challenge for me so I’ve double challenged myself by trying my own (vegan, obvs) variation of the elimination diet, Whole30. Here are the foods I have eliminated:
sugar (natural + artificial)
alcohol
grains
MSG
soy
peanuts
You also cannot consume legumes but I have included them because they’re an important source of protein for me. Dairy is also not allowed but I don’t consume any either way. I’ll do this for 30 days after which I will slowly begin to reintroduce each of the eliminated foods and observe how my body responds to them. The purpose of this is to discover which foods you may be sensitive to and figure out what makes you feel the best.
I have a lot of issues with the original Whole30 diet, like the fact that meat, seafood and eggs are considered “whole foods” but not beans and legumes? I like the idea though. Here is a vegan Whole30 lunch/snack I have been loving this Veganuary:
App
Even after having been vegan for 4.5 years, I am consistently growing and learning in this lifestyle. Considering the world we live in, it is pretty much impossible to be a perfect vegan but there’s always something you can do to be a better vegan. The way I’ve been doing that lately is by posting vegan product and meal reviews on the app abillion. Each review you post earns you $1 which you can then donate to an animal welfare initiative of your choice! Its brilliant and I just love that pretty much every time I buy a vegan product, I’m also now quite literally doing something amazing for the animals.
Download the app here and use my referral code “24KARROTS” to sign up!