I am an optimist by nature, always have been. Of course things can get me down, I am a human being, but in the end my disposition tends to point to sunny which saves the day. But optimism alone can’t combat a bad diet which in the past meant that no matter how cheery I was, I still kept getting the common cold, flu and bouts of the dreaded noro virus on a pretty regular basis. Boring, boring, boring…

Then a friend in the US introduced me to Kris Carr and her wonderfully sparkly book ‘Crazy Sexy Diet’. This was way back when and I was intrigued. Here was a gorgeous young women who was struck with a rare type of cancer for which there was no cure. And by changing her eating habits, as well as her stress levels, she managed to keep the cancer at bay and carry on living a normal life. I don’t believe there is a health guru today who will not quote Kris Carr as an early inspiration to their individual health journeys. Her 21-day detox is legendary (plantbased, no dairy, no sugar, no gluten, no caffeine, no alcohol) and can kickstart anyone with a sluggish metabolism into shape. You can read more about Kris and her ongoing journey here but suffice it to say that her change of diet played a massive part in maintaining her health.

Today, we know much more about the impact a healthy diet and mind can play on our overall wellbeing but when talking to people around me the overall concensus is still that eating healthy and plant based is hard and takes a lot of effort. I, of course, disagree.

First things first. If your cupboards are filled with processed junk then you’ve got some clearing out to do. To be successful you need to have the right tools. You can build this up over time, no need to rush out and go crazy although I did it all at once. I chucked out all non-essentials and started from zero. I didn’t stop eating meat but I stopped eating so much meat. And I experimented with a wider variety of plant based foods, such as new types of veggies, pulses and beans. The result? Years of no illness.

Upkeep of a healthy diet takes just as much planning as regular food shopping. With a fridge full of fruit and veggies, like avocados, sweet potatoes, peppers, celery, courgettes, broccoli, tomatoes, lemons, limes, berries, apples and pears you are halfway there. Add pulses, wholegrains and beans and you are closer still. Now what you need are the essentials to bring flavour and texture into dressings and sauces to make your plant based diet come to life. So here goes…

Once you have your fridge and larder stocked with the right tools, making a quick meal is a piece of cake. Here is just one suggestion for something that takes less than 5 minutes to prepare but sets you up with vital nutritients and fibre.

The 5 Minute Lunch. Chopped Salad and Avocado Toast.

Chopped salad

• 1 handful kale
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1/4 cucumber, chopped
• 1 satsuma, chopped
• 1 tbsp sunflower, pumpkin seeds
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Olive oil
• Drizzle of honey
• Salt n Pepper to taste

Avocado toast

• Sliced oat & rye bread
• 1/2 avocado
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Pepper to garnish
• Salt n Pepper to taste

How to:

Chop all veg, mix in the seeds and drizzle with olive oil and lemon, season. Mash the avocado on top of your toast and garnish with colourful pepper and season. Done!

Enjoy!

Birgitta xx