Hey Everyone,

I have been a veg since about the age of 14, but only been vegan for a little over 2months.

I feel so good, and my crazy-about-meat boyfriend has also become a vegan, he is doing so well.

I can't believe the change in us.  My spots have cleared up, my blackheads are shrinking, I feel more energetic, peaceful, happy, and more motivated in work.  I have also lost 19kg, and my boyfriend 10kg's.

My boyfriend quit his stifling day job to freelance permanently, and we are doing well- and I believe its our new lifestyle that is bringing all these positive changes our way.

Congratulations Claudine!

I'm so happy for you and your boyfriend - it's so great that you can support each other; I suspect this journey will strengthen your relationship as well.

Maybe it's just the particular South African friends I have in London, but I had always assumed that meat was a HUGE part of the food culture there - kind of like Argentina - I'd always thought it would be even more challenging to make this choice in SA - it's hard enough in London!!!

Thanks Anita, it is really hard here, especially to get certain ingriedients, for eg. agave, its super expensive and we have to drive really far to get it.

South African really love their red meat, yucky.  It is a tradition to have a 'braai' (bbq) on the weekends, and when we walk through the neighborhood, you can smell the burning flesh, its gross.

We are really having fun experimenting with new recipes:-)

We went on a ski holiday with a few other families some years ago - we were in France and stopped one day to have lunch together at a little mountain restaurant. My husband ordered one of those salads with grilled goat's cheese croutons (which I used to find so delicious in my previous life!) and one of the other dads on the trip - from SA - couldn't believe that my husband was having "only" a salad for lunch. He ordered this ginormous steak, and, being France, it was presented at the table practically mooing, and he kept sending it back to be cooked more, cutting bits off the side and sending it back again. Thinking about it now (it's about 8.30am here!) is just totally grossing me out - all that blood! - but in a way maybe it was the celestial scales balancing after his nosy remarks about the salad. I can't imagine skiing was much fun for him that afternoon, with a bulging belly of meat.

I guess, with all that fantastic weather you guys are used to in SA, you must have the most delicious fruit EVER - mangos, papayas - all the stuff that has to be sent such a long way if we want to feast on it. :-( 

Good luck to you both,

Hope you have a super weekend!