Healthy_Food_Guide_UK_-_January_2020

PHOTOS: GETTY/ISTOCK IMAGES

JANUARY 2020 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 21

VEGAN

asparagus and then it would come wrapped in bacon,

which wasn’t mentioned on the menu! I now use a

great phone app called HappyCow, which is like

TripAdvisor for vegans – it gives you the lowdown on

the best vegan-friendly restaurants all over the world.

Going vegan is a new venture. One of the

myths is that the food can be bland, but that’s not

true. Any food is bland if you don’t use spices and

fresh herbs to season it, and there’s such a variety

of products available. I’m now a partner at and

ambassador for a firm that supplies healthy vegan

ready meals called The Brook [see p14 for our

ready meal review]. As someone who loves food,

I’m delighted to have the opportunity to dispel the

myth that plant-based eating is boring. The Brook

recipes are full of the bold flavours and textures

associated with traditional dining. As a working

mum of two children, I’m only too aware of the time

constraints that can often wreak havoc with our

eating habits, but The Brook offers the convenience

of fresh ready-made dishes created using

nutritious ingredients. They transform vegan

ready meals into a gastronomic treat.

I follow a vegan lifestyle in general. We

don’t have any leather in the house or feather

duvets. I use vegan beauty products and am

transitioning my make-up products over, too.

I don’t want to use anything that has been

tested on animals.

When I’m cooking at home I’ll make all

the usual dishes for the kids, such as sausage

and mash or shepherd’s pie but using vegan

ingredients (the kids are vegetarians). We had

loads of barbecues last summer with vegan

burgers and sausages, and our friends and family

thought they were great.

I have three meals a day. I’m really grumpy if

I’m hungry, so having healthy snacks in between

is really important. I’ll have a vegan protein shake

with nut butter and fruit and seeds or a handful

of almonds, which are much more satisfying than

a biscuit or crisps.

Sleep is the holy grail for my health. I’m bad at

relaxing and I’m not into yoga or meditation. I like

to be busy and squeeze a lot into my days and

when the kids go to bed I’m up doing my admin

until late. But I do try to get eight hours of sleep

a night. Until recently, I’d had five to six years of

broken sleep and I can’t believe I got by on so

little during those years. The kids have recently

turned a corner with their sleep and it’s amazing

how energised I feel now.

OJasmine is brand

ambassador for

The Brook gourmet

meal boxes. These

contain your choice

of eight vegan

dishes, selected

from the menu at

the-brook.co.uk and

delivered frozen

across mainland UK.

The range is also

available in

selected Co-op

stores and from

thevegankind

supermarket.com

Jasmine (in 2013,

above, and with the

children, below)

swapped yo-yo

dieting for healthy

eating and exercise

5

QUICK-FIRE

QUESTIONS

Take supplements?

I use Better You Vegan Health

Daily Oral Spray (£14.95,

betteryou.com) to top me up.

Familygotodishes?

Shepherd’spieorspagbolmade

withveganmince,tomatoes,herbs,

garlic, red lentils and capers.

Weaknesses? Sometimes I’ll have a

vegan sausage roll or a cake from a

bakery – just occasionally, though. I’ll

also have a few spoons of vegan ice

cream (previously, I could have eaten

the whole tub!). I’m not a big drinker,

but I do enjoy the odd glass of

chilled white wine.

Baking or shop bought cakes?

I’m not much of a home baker, but

I’ll buy birthday cakes for the kids.

Builder’s tea or herbal?

Neither. I don’t really drink

tea or coffee – I prefer water.

Family go-to dishes?