My "Healthy Eating" Challenge

In my first post I said how I wanted to be a vegetarian by the end of this year and eventually a vegan. I have thought a lot and read a lot since then and I have now decided that while I will live a primarily vegetarian/ vegan diet I will still consume the following things:

- fish

- yoghurt

- eggs (thought I don't really like the thought of it)

- honey (because apparently proper vegans don't eat honey)

- margarine/ butter (although I have bought soya butter, but if it's on something I order or I eat at somebody's house then its fine)

and I think thats it.

So I have decided to do this now from a health perspective, because in theory I will be a healthier and less disease prone person if I stick to this kind of diet and obviously eat a variety of other foods. The whole exercise thing needs to be upped a bit too but never mind. Need to get training for the race for life (okie its only 3.6 miles but it's a challenge for me!), but because it's so cold at the moment and I don't want to get up early when its dark to do it, I am going to start skipping in the conservatory in the morning for about 5 mins to start off with to get my fitness levels up. Thing is the conservatory is freezing so I am really going to have to psych myself up for it.

But the main reason I was writing this post anyway was to give a quick product review of a brand of some dried fruit that I recently purchased. This brand is called "Forest Feast" (can be found at: www.forestfeast.com), and the products I bought were:

- "Fantastic Physalis" (if you don't know what they are google it - they are often used as a garnish on deserts in restaurants)

- "Mouth-watering Mango"

- "Scrumptious our Cherries"

- "Gorgeous Goji Berries"

Okie so I love love love love love Physalis fruits and I eat them by the boat load when they are in season, but I saw these in their pretty packaging (which is nothing like the packaging shown on their website by the way) and thought "Oooo! I love physalis fruits! So I should buy some dried ones!" so I did. But the thing is the real fruit has quite a lot of seeds in them so these has quite a lot of seeds in them. They are only mini and you don't notice them in the fresh fruit, but because it is dried the seeds are harder, and because the fruit has quite a distinctive flavour and the dried fruits taste is more intense I think they taste a bit strange and then add the nasty texture and, well I just don't really like them, but I am forcing myself to eat them because I hate throwing things out.

Now the mango one does taste nice, although I was dissappointed to find that they have a light dusting of sugar on them, because while it makes them taste nice I am trying to avoid refined sugar so that I find vegetables and things without a sauce more palatable. They are also quite tough, and perhaps a little hard to chew without them swimming around in your mouth. I also had one piece that was particularly fibrous (because mango does tend to have strange vein like bits through it) which I had to spit out because it wasn't overly pleasant. Although out of all of them they are definitely my favourite and if I wasn't trying to cut out refined sugar (although there is hardly any at all - it literally is the lightest of dusting's) then I would definitely buy them again to keep in my handbag for a snack (thats the other good thing about the packets is that they looks nice but they are also resealable)

Next was the sour cherries which I was very disapointed in, because I didn't read the back of the packet in the shop but they have quite a few things added to them to make them sour, and it has caused them to have a strange film over the dried fruit, kind of a bit like a very thin layer of wax, and while they taste ok it means that I don't really like the texture.

Finally there was the Goji berries, which on their own aren't great because they are a little bit hard, but they are good for you, so I added a few to a bottle of water so that my water tastes nicer and so that the water soaks into the fruits a bit and makes them more edible. Don't leave them for too long though else they go a little too soggy.

So overall I wasn't the biggest fan, but that said I have never really been a big fan of dried fruit, much prefer the fresh stuff. But the mango was good and so were the goji berries when you leave them in water for a few mins. But I hope this was helpful anyway if any of your were interested. Speak soon!

Much Love,

Miss Multiplicity xxx

New Years Resolutions

Usually I make new years resolutions and end up breaking them pretty quickly, so like many people I don't see the point. However this year I want things to be different. So I have created this blog to keep track of my process and so that you can come along for the ride as well, and hopefully it will inspire you to do the things you want to do in life, whether it be climb the highest peak in your home country, run an marathon, become a vegetarian or vegan or become skilled at something which you have wanted to do for a long time but have been too scared. This blog is going to hopefully track me trying to live my life to the full, because we only get one shot so we might as well take it :)

So here are my new years resolutions:

Starting a blog about the main things that feature in my life. I can't categorize them because they are so varied, but they are the things that I feel passionate about - some more than others - but they have a fairly major effect on my life anyway.

To become a vegetarian. Now this is something that I have thought about doing for a long time but always making the excuse that it is too difficult. However after reading zen habits blog (zenhabits.net), he has inspired me to become a vegetarian and I now feel confident enough to start the process. It's also easier because I'm at University and only have to cook for myself. Eventually I would like to become a vegan but it's going to be a lengthy process so to start with I want to be a vegetarian by the end of the year. It's not because I hate the thought of killing animals or anything or because I don't like meat (because I do), but it's more for the health benefits, meaning that I could lead a healthier and longer life, providing I eat a balanced diet.

To be able to run a 5k race. Initially I was thinking 10k but I know that 5k is much more achievable. The race in my home city is on the 11th July 2010 (the race for life) so I will book into that soon and I'll get running! (Just so you know right now I can't even run a mile so there is definitely some work to do) This was again inspired from Zen Habits, guys I really do suggest you have a look at his blog and sign up to his newsletter because I find him really inspiring.

To get a 1st at uni and to get an absolutely fantastic work placement. So far a 1st is achievable but I need to keep up the motivation. I really need to get on with my placement search - I am doing a 4 year course and the 3rd year is a years placement in industry so I need to get on top of my applications.

To become a top shop size 8. This may seem a little odd that its topshop but their sizing is quite small, but at any rate I have got the measurements off their website as to what a size 8 in so I am trying to slim down. I may start posting my diet diaries on here (me and my best friend have been sending each other emails every night of what we have eaten and what exercise we done and how we feel about it, and its actually a really good motivator, because if you have had a bad day you don't feel like giving up. Its also a bit of light competition :) ). I am currently a size 10/12 depending on where you shop (although according to topshops measurements my bum is a size 14 - which it isn't), but I have quite a small chest - a size 8 chest in fact (god talk about pear shaped), and as my boobs haven't grown since I was 13, I have decided that I want to be in proportion and therefore the only way to do that is to loose weight off the rest of my body. I also want a bikini body so that I would feel quite confident walking down the beach in front of loads of people my age because I know I look fabulous.

I want to do some blogs on motivation, because again zen habits has motivated me to do this which is good! Just on how I am motivating myself to stick to all of this stuff I say I'm going to do.

I want to do some book reviews, more how to books and the likes rather than fiction, so that you guys know what the best books are. I love reading and getting books, in fact I suppose it's what I collect. I may also do a few product reviews for things that I really love and things that I really hate *cough* dell laptops *cough*.

I want to expand my wardrobe and become more stylish because at the moment I'm really not, well I mean I have clothes that work well together and I look nice but its very limited. I own one coat and one handbag which kind of says it all really. I want to be fashionable and look nice all of the time - especially when I get my beach babe body.

I need to complete a pan 10 (well more like a pan 50 probably). A pan 10 is something i heard from lollipop26 (http://www.lollipop26writes.com/). Basically you use up all of the products that you have before you buy any more. Lollipop26 has a slight obsession with make up, so her aim was to use up 10 makeup items before she bought any more (the pan bit coming from being able to see than metal pan of the makeup item - but she is doing it so that the item is literally completely finished). While I don't have an excessive amount of make up, I do have wayyyy to many toiletries collected over the Christmas's and birthdays, such as moisturiser etc. I have way too much of the stuff, and it isn't helped by the fact that I probably moisturise once every two week (like full body) so I need to use it up, but I suppose a bonus point is that I'll have nice smooth skin.

So those are my new years resolutions so far. Getting fit and eating better are in there like everybody elses but because I working towards something I think that they are more achievable that way. I really do think that this is the key to success - having a goal to reach, else how do you know when you have succeded? But anyway I will do some posts over the next few weeks about my resolutions in more detail, detailing my weight and progress with that, and placement search and how I'm going to cut meat out of my diet etc and list all of my pan 10 (or however many products it is) etc etc. Speak to you soon anyway!

Much love,

Miss Multiplicity xXx