Vegging out

Students and staff at the university got really involved in Green Week recently. It was a fantastic five days with lots of different activities happening around the uni to celebrate being green, something that’s really important to staff and students at the university.

Second year student, Harry, lives in Hastings and decided to take part in a Green Challenge. Here he writes about what it was like to give up meat for a week.

“Starting last Monday, Bright N Green and C-Change encouraged us to take part in Green Week. All you had to do was to choose one of five challenges to try out over the week, all in aid of being a bit more green. From changing what you eat to buying less, supporting local businesses and travelling by foot or public transport, there was a challenge for everyone.

I decided to do the Veg Out! Challenge. This was the best challenge for me as not only would I be more green by not eating meat, I would challenge myself to eat healthier and cheaper.

Tuesday

I started the challenge a day later than planned as I had food that needed to be eaten and I didn’t want to waste it. Already thinking green!

I started the day with porridge and fruit. This healthy kick allowed me to be productive all day; I didn’t even notice that I’d skipped lunch. I had #Brinner (breakfast for dinner) night choosing eggs and beans on toast.

Wednesday

I decided to have porridge again for breakfast as it proved great yesterday and a yoghurt and fruit for an afternoon snack. I swapped a full chocolate bar for a few orange segments that made me feel fab.

I went to see Nightcrawler at the Digital Film Society that night where I was tempted by the free pizza. I must say it was difficult having the plain cheese pizza when there was pepperoni available but I did it!

Thursday

Porridge again. I was getting a bit bored of porridge at this point so I decided to go shopping and treat myself to some fresh food. I planned my shopping according to a rough meal plan to keep the cost down whilst buying fresh food. Lots of fruit. Lots of veg.

I experimented in the kitchen that night making cheesy nachos and a homemade salsa sauce made from tomatoes, onions, and garlic. Not too bad but definitely room for improvement.

Friday

I finally had an alternative breakfast. Choco hoops were a great change. Not the healthiest cereal but I deserved a treat. Sadly, they didn’t fill me up as much as the porridge did so I snacked on fruit, yoghurt and too many biscuits in between meals and had the left over nachos from the night before as a side with rice and vegetables for dinner. A sauce would have been a good but I didn’t really know what would be nice.

Saturday

Back to the porridge. I felt guilty for snacking so much yesterday so I thought it would be better to choose something that filled me up. I researched some recipes and decided to make stuffed Portobello mushrooms. I’ve never made these before and was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to make. I filled the mushrooms with cheesy mash and garlic butter (not the healthiest but very tasty) and frozen peas and sweetcorn.

Sunday

Sunday was cheat day so I went for a lunch with some friends. I opted for the Mexican veggie burger, topped with guacamole, sour cream and jalapenos with fries and onion rings on the side. It was as good as it sounds. This left me full until late that night when I had tea and toast with some chocolate. I love cheat day.

Monday

I didn’t want hot porridge this morning so I mixed yoghurt, honey and banana with the porridge oats. It was a nice change and proved just as filling. I had some peppers, mushrooms and onions that needed to be used so I fried them all together and put them with noodles to make my own stir fry, with lots of spices and herbs from the cupboard.

Overall, it wasn’t too difficult to stop eating meat. I was surprised with how easy it was. The hardest challenge was the healthy eating and finding food that would fill me up for long enough! Now I’ve done the challenge, I do feel better and have a lot more energy so I’m going to try and stick with it for a while.”

Just because Green Week is over, doesn’t mean you can’t still find ways to save money and be green.

Bright N Green have loads of advice and updates for you here and you can find out more about C-Change here.

Don’t forget you can get a box full of locally sourced, sustainable veg for £4 from the Food Co-op, making it even easier to get your five a day whilst doing good for the community.