Feed Me Real

No from me today. Not today. Today I am sad. Today my heart hurts for everyone and anyone who goes through the pain of loss.

My heart aches today for one of my closest friends who is grieving the loss of her mother. It aches for the pain of this past year. It aches for the world but also for selfish reasons. Like how much I miss my own parents, my brothers and being able to celebrate life events with real live people, good or bad.

I want to keep my feed real because that's the point of .

This is not a highlight.

All I've eaten today are crisps.

All I've done today is cry.

(ok so I multitasked and I cried in bed whilst sending super important emails because I didn't dare to ask my boss for an afternoon off to cry but I probably should have even though the flashbacks of me cocooned in my duvet sitting in bed today sobbing whilst exchanging chirpy emails with the secretary of the minister of health is now quite entertaining)

I'm sharing this post as part of my civic duty as a millennial, in the (perhaps naive) good faith and hope that these words might help someone, somewhere. To read that it's not always exciting brioche burger competitions and brightly coloured vegan food, but that sometimes it's ugly crying and 3 different flavours of crisps as your varied diet.

And that that's cool.

Tomorrow the sun will rise again.

The world won't stop turning to allow you to grieve.

So we must create the time and space to do it ourselves.

There's no right way to do it.

Only a right way for you.

The brioche burger competition is still on .

Catch y'all on the flipside. 💫

Vegan out.

M I C R O N U T R I E N T S 🔥 Do you refer to your food as healthy/unhealthy? Or as nutritious? Or simply as 'delicious'? Comment below! 👇

As a nutritionist, people often ask me if food X, Y or Z is 'healthy'. This question is more often than not, impossible to answer.

Because I believe in holistic health, 'healthy' is a subjective term. The simple sugars in your triple chocolate muffin might not be 'healthy' for your gut bacteria but if you're enjoying it fully and it's feeding your soul, then it's healthy for your mind.

For this reason, I have banned the term 'healthy' in our household and replaced it with 'nutritious'. Here's a detailed explanation of why:

ALL food is made up of a combination of macro- and micronutrients. There are 3️⃣ macronutrients:

1️⃣ Carbohydrates
2️⃣ Protein
3️⃣ Fats

So even a piece of bread, which is often downgraded to the almost insulting word 'carb', is actually made up of these three macronutrients. A spinach leaf is also made out of a combination of macronutrients. Macronutrients are the fuel we need to keep our bodies moving and our brains ticking.

Micronutrients are the real game changers when it comes to food. They are:

🍊Vitamins & ⛓ minerals.

We must obtain micronutrients from food as our bodies cannot — for the most part — produce them. We call them 'micro' because our bodies need smaller amounts of micronutrients relative to macronutrients.

A piece of white bread and an apple contain roughly the same macronutrient profile. So if your goal was weighloss, there would be little difference in eating a piece of white bread or an apple. HOWEVER! The micronutrient profile is completely. different.

An apple will provide you with a banging punch of fibre (good for your gut!), vitamin C & potassium.

A piece of white bread will provide you with.... a punch of carbohydrates and little to nothing else. Which is FINE! If that's what you're after!

But if you're looking for something a lil' more nutritious, an apple would be where it's at. And this is why people call apples 'healthy', when they actually mean 'nutritious'!

Did this make any sense? Comment a yes or a no below! Feel free to DM me with any questions 🍏

N O W A S T E W E D N E S D A Y S 🔥 Check my reels for a glimpse into how I made this . Is this how to instagram these days? Let me now below! 👇

Yesterday I had a massive kitchen fail, team. It happens. What doesn't happen in my kitchen however is food waste. But that meant I had to come up with a creative solution to salvage this quite frankly disgusting chickpea & veg stir fry.... (I have no idea what happened to this dish friends but that taste should be illegal).

I have two nifty solutions when it comes to making a dish taste completely different:

SOLUTION 1️⃣:
Change the texture! I tend to blend disasters up & mould them into something new. Soups, sauces, or in this case: mini burgers! Blend, add spices, a splash of milk & breadcrumbs. Fry. Eat plain or in a bun with toppings. 8/10 (would have been a 10 but I made them too spicy)

SOLUTION 2️⃣: Add tinned tomatoes! My solution to LIFE. Kitchen disaster? Tinned tomatoes. Nothing to eat? Tinned tomatoes as soup. Annoying boyfriend? Tinned tomatoes as a weapon. See how this works? 😉 In this case I added the tomatoes & mexican spice mix, whacked it all in a wholemeal wrap with avocado, oat crème fraiche, spinach 👌 maaaaaate! Whole new experience. 10/10. Banging.

How do YOU save your kitchen fails? Lemme know! 👇👇

HAPPY WORLD VEGAN DAY! 🌱 According to , World Vegan Day (and month!) is celebrated around the world as a time to:

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recognise how far the vegan movement has come,

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to reflect on our successes,

🍕🍟🍔🍏🥑🥝🍌
and to highlight how accessible and beneficial a vegan lifestyle is.

I couldn't put it better if I tried!

When I first heard the term 'vegan' I only knew one person who followed this lifestyle and they wore socks and sandals. (For anyone following me under the age of 25, there was a time when the socks and sandals combo was REALLY uncool. Just like being vegan was).

Now, there's (luckily) no escaping it. Plant milks taking up full supermarket aisles, celebrities endorsing it left right and center and even huge fast food chains launching cruelty-free versions of their best sellers.

However, even though I'm all about celebrating every single milestone, big or small, we still have a LONG way to go.

I work for a network of Dutch hospitals and the lack of knowledge of nutrition within the health sector, let alone that of a plant-based diet, is absolutely shocking.

And this is (one of the many) reason(s) I am making a comeback.

Because we need to continue making noise.

🌎
The world as we know it is changing.

This doesn't have to be a bad thing.

But right now, it IS a bad thing.

Making small dietary changes, like introducing meatless mondays or swapping your coffee milk to a plant based one, can all add up to make a huge impact. Remember: we don't need a handful of people doing veganism perfectly. We need a million people doing the best they can.

Don't underestimate the power of you!

Happy world vegan day 💚

Why hello there! It's been a while. ✨ A long, long while. 386 days while to be exact.

386 glorious days of nothing but growth.

386 days since I decided to learn how to focus my attention in ways that benefitted me and me alone, 386 days of saying 'no' more often than 'yes', 386 days of realising that growth doesn't always have to come from hard ass hustle, never-ending deadlines and exhausted tears. Growth can also come from quiet progress, peacefully paced, with your attention fully invested in just one thing at a time.

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The environment I found myself caught up on the gram was not the one I wanted when I started. All I ever wanted was to create a little corner of the big ol' interwebs where I could share my humble knowledge on (vegan) nutrition & attempt to send out some positive vibrations into the world.

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So HELLO THERE FRIENDS, let's try this again! I might be a little rusty (what the heck are Reels?!) but at least Stijn hasn't lost his talent for always catching my best angles. 😂

O C T O B E R ✨ My favourite month of the year (and not just because it's my birthday!)
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Wow ok s**t BACKTRACK. I was about to start a post about autumn, cozy jumpers, candles etc etc and then thought NAH GIRL WHO DA F R U. STAHP. THE WORLD DOESN'T NEED TO KNOW HOW BASIC YOU ARE.
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What you DO need to know however is that delicious recipes can be created from previous failures.
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I first attempted this recipe as a "warm salad" kinda thing.
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Roasted sweet potato, balsamic glazed brussel sprouts & roasted beets.
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It didn't work out.
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I was disappointed.
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I had leftovers.
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The next day I found said leftovers in the fridge after a gym session and could not be bothered to re-heat them and eat sad "warm salad" again.
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So I ate them cold.
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With feta cheese & parsley.
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It was the most delicious meal I've had in a while.
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Beautiful things can come from your failures my friends. Sometimes you just gotta approach them from a different angle.
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Even "warm salad" level failures.
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Stay positive
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Stay kind

Stay curious 💚

This is all I wish to share with you today compadres. Have YOU ever created something beautiful out of a fail? 👇

W E E K E N D ✨ Is there any better way to celebrate a Saturday than with cake?
This is a major 🚨HOTSPOT ALERT!🚨 is a cute lil' cafe in The Hague with the loveliest staff, gorgeous interior and banging vegan cakes.

Y'all know I'm a sucker for appreciating anything & everything 🙏but eating cake holds a special sense of gratitude to me. I spent most of my life avoiding all the things the media taught me to avoid, cake very much included. & when I first made the switch to veganism I was DELIGHTED that cake was completely off the menu for me.

However, as I've mentioned before, veganism slowly but surely began to fix my toxic relationship with food.

Luckily for me, this positive curve coincided perfectly with the rise in delicious vegan food (like THIS VEGAN bad boy 👆).

Nowadays, my food rules are non-existent. I am still conscious of what I feed my body but even more so of what I feed my mind.

Less "I can't eat this" and more "I can eat this if I want to but I choose not to".

More mindfulness.

More gratitude.

And most importantly...
..more cake.

Here's to a great weekend amigos! Stay kind 💚 @ Plenty Den Haag

B O R R E L E N 🔥 My favourite word. Do you have a favourite word? Share yours below! 👇
Did you know that the Dutch have a word designated to the act of having a snack & a cheeky alcoholic beverage around 5pm?
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Well, now you do! It's: borrelen (& it's my favourite thing/word ever).
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Since going vegan people panic at the thought of hosting me for "borrelen".
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WHAT DO WE MAKE?
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WHAT DO WE BUY?
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IS BREAD VEGAN?

HELP MEHHHHHHH. (Answer to that question is 99% of the time yes btw).
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Luckily my sister in law (aka, with 3 kids under 5!) no longer flinches at the challenge.
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She whipped up this super delicious, super quick, super awesome pizza kinda thing for our last borrel and it was SO BANGING I wanna share the recipe with you!
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: puff pastry, muhamara, beets, sweet potato, coriander & the cutest baby hand you'll ever see.
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Method.
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- Roll out puff pastry (pretty much all puff pastry is vegan my friends, especially the cheaper brands)
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- Spread muhammara all over it
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- Layer sliced beets & sweet potato (uncooked or cooked. We used cooked beets & uncooked sweet potato. You do you)
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- Cook in oven until ready
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- Sprinkle with coriander because
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- Eat & discuss why people still eat dead animals when you can eat this kinda stuff instead
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- Fight with under 5's about who gets the last piece
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- Win fight because it's their bedtime
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- Have a (very) successful borrel

Today I am sad.

Today I am sad because it is hard to stand your ground in a world wherein your world views are a minority. A vibrant and vastly growing movement but a minority one nevertheless.

Today I am sad because this weekend I ate in a restaurant that was so full, there were people queuing at the door for a table. A restaurant where their monthly special was a slab of wood filled to the brim with a whole roast chicken, skeleton and all, pieces of young pig flesh sold under the more enticing name of "pulled pork" and to top it off, some slow roasted cows flesh too.

Today I am sad because I spent 3 hours watching plank after plank of these poor, tortured animals being served around the buzzing restaurant.

Today I am sad because a mere 2 years ago I too would have enjoyed a meal like that, without giving a second thought to:

🌏 the environmental damage my food choices were causing,

🆘️ the suffering I was contributing to,

💸 nor the sheer amount of unnecessary torture I was financially encouraging,
..just because "I liked the taste".

Two years ago I decided to try veganism out for a week. A week turned into a month and a month into a year.

Full disclosure: I first became vegan because it was the perfect cover for my eating disorder. I now said no to cake in the office because I was vegan, not because I was scared of the consequences of enjoying a piece of cake.

However, as time went on, my head slowly but surely came out of the sand.

I slowly, surely (and inevitably) began unlearning EVERYTHING I thought I knew about eating.

I relearnt how to eat.

I relearnt how to nourish my body, mind & soul.

I relearnt it all, the hard way.

If you're on the edge of getting your own head out of the sand but need a little helping hand, and I have now created a 4 week turbo edition of our How To Vegan guide.

The guide is built from a place of nothing but desire to help others relearn, only without the struggle.

That's all for today folks.
Stay kind 💚 always.

V E G A N Q U I C H E 🔥 Have you ever tried veganising a classic? Comment below! 👇
I never really used to like quiche. I loved puff pastry & bacon so I'd usually eat those bits and then usually leave the rest 😂. The filling reminded me a bit of scrambled eggs gone horribly wrong. Can anyone relate? 🙆‍♀️
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Aaaaanyway, I heard down the vegan grapevine that you could make vegan quiche with tofu. Yes my friends I made this bad boy with blended tofu. Who'd have known!? This recipe still requires some tweaking but the basis is 👌👌. It was even approved by my tofu-hating, non-vegan man.

RECIPE: KICKASS VEGAN QUICHE A.K.A WHO THE HELL NEEDS EGGS AND DAIRY ANYMORE C'MON PEOPLE ITS 2019 AND THE WORLD IS LEGIT ON FIRE
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Ingredients:
Base
🔸️ 5 pieces of puff pastry (most cheap brands are accidentally vegan)

Filling:
🔸️ 500g tofu (I think mine was extra firm)
🔸️ 2 tablespoons mustard
🔸️ Roughly 4 tablespoons of plant milk
🔸️ Loads of nutritional yeast (optional but recommended)
🔸️ Sprinkle of kala namak (black salt, also optional but gives a great eggy flavour)
🔸️ Juice of half a lemon
🔸️ Onion & garlic
🔸️ 200g spinach⠀
🔸️ 200g of mushrooms (I used shiitake which I marinaded/fried in soy sauce, chili flakes & smoked paprika)

Topping:
🔸️ Cherry tomatoes & pine nuts (I used pine nuts because I had them on hand but next time I will definitely try smoked almonds or toasted pumpkin seeds. It needed some more crunch!)
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METHOD.
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1️⃣ Sautee the spinach and then set it aside. You want it to be as dry as possible when you eventually mix it in. I squeezed it out before adding it to the mix!

2️⃣ Fry the mushrooms with the seasonings. I think I eventually also added a little thyme & nutmeg. Set aside.

3️⃣ Fry some onions & garlic
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4️⃣ Blend the tofu with all the remaining ingredients. Also add the onion & garlic.

5️⃣ Position your puff pastry & prick holes in it with a fork

6️⃣ Whack all the filling on top of the pastry, decorated with cherry tomatoes & cook at 220°c for about 30 mins (or however long/hot you think is best in your oven! This can vary greatly).
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7️⃣ Dazzle the world with your great cooking skills and live your best quiche life yo'. @ Utrecht, Netherlands

N O W A S T E W E D N E S D A Y 🔥 do you know what the worlds most wasted food item is? Comment your best guess below! 👇
Did you know that a staggering 1.3 million apples are thrown away each year? 1.3 MILLION APPLES! 😱

The main reason fully edible apples (and most fruit & veg) gets thrown away? Because they're deemed ugly.

UGLY!

Food!

Nutritious, delicious food being tossed in the trash whilst everyday, more than 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes (that's approximately one child every five seconds btw)...
..because it's 'ugly'.

Imma let that sink in for a second.

Aaaaaaanyway! Luckily there are LOADS of things we can do to help avoid unnecessary fruit & veg waste. Here are my top 3 easy peasy ones:

1️⃣ The classic, my favourite, picking up local single...... bananas! 🍌 Loose bananas in supermarkets are always the first to get tossed. Bonus points if you pick up one that has started to split.

2️⃣ Support brands like (pictured), , 's "buitenbeentjes" and allllll of the cool people creating cool products with would-have-been food waste.

3️⃣ Learn how to use up all your veg. This can be through creative recipes (read as: soup) or just re-learning silly food rules (you can use all of the broccoli guys!!!!). Scroll through for some inspo!

What tips do you have for reducing food waste? 🙆‍♀️ Share below! I'd love to know. 💚

M O N D A Y S 🔥 Who else feels like they are supposed to be extra motivated on Mondays? 🙋‍♀️ Let me know below!
I gave myself a little time off this weekend to celebrate my brothers engagement in London. However, I would be lying if I didn't say that I felt a lil' ni**le of guilt about the fact that I wasn't posting. Just like the ni**le of guilt I feel pretty much every day when it comes to this page.

Guilty that I don't put enough effort into it.

Guilty that I'm not providing you with continuously stellar content.

Guilty that I feel guilty.

A good way to put a stop to this vicious cycle is to remember 2️⃣ things:

1. My favourite quote I've ever read ever from The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck (): you are not special. (Hate to break it to ya buddy. Please read the book for more context, it completely changed my outlook on life!)

2. Remember your why. It's easy to get carried away with big projects (this page in my case!) and forget why you started in the first place. I didn't start this page to put even more pretty pictures of vegan food in the world. I didn't start this page because I wanted my feed to look flawless. I started because I was frustrated at the amount of s**t people post on instagram that just isn't true. Frustrated at the amount of posted on the daily and frustrated at the amount of "bootea" influencers convincing vulnerable young people that their bodies define their worth. I wanted to make science accessible and COOL AF. I wanted to help just one person think differently about food.

And this is my why.

What's yours?

Happy Monday friends 💚

M O R N I N G S 🔥 Are you a morning person or more of a night owl? Let me know below! 👇
I am definitely a morning person. Sometimes I get so excited about breakfast and morning coffee that I have trouble getting to sleep at night. Is that weird? 🙊 Maybe don't answer that...

However this particular morning I was feeling a little worse for wear. I had one drink too many last night 🍺🍻🥂🥃 and I definitely felt today. My food choices last night were also sub-optimal. (Read as: my dinner consisted of half a bag of doritos).

But yesterday was yesterday and today is today. Mornings are a great moment to start your day as you intend to continue. Enter: the healthy, balanced breakfast!

: soy yogurt, oats, banana, frozen berries & h**p seeds.

A power breakfast stuffed with all the good things yo' body needs like protein, good fats, micronutrients and forgiveness. Ok so I made that last one up but I really hope that my body accepts this as my most heartfelt apology for last night's antics 😉

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Have you smashed your Monday? I definitely haven't. Comment below where you're at in life today. Either way, be kind to yourself today (and always) 💚

Peace amigos!

W E E K E N D 🍾 Who's brunchin' this weekend? I flippin' wish I was back at in Bali eating this brunch burger! Honestly one of the best things I've ever eaten.
.Then again, ALL food in Bali tasted better than normal food. Does that sound crazy or can anyone relate? 🙋‍♀️

Looking back at my Bali pictures I sometimes cannot believe how much incredible food we managed to try. I also can't believe I've made it to a phase in my life where I no longer fear any kind of food.

I know I am not alone when I say I used to be terrified of so many foods. Like many others, I believed ALL the fads. I was

terrified of bread,
terrified of eating too much fruit,
terrified of sugar,
terrified of fats,
terrified of "un-clean" food,
.this list could go on forever and ever.

I'm so, so grateful for the opportunities I have had to educate myself in the sciences of both psychology and nutrition, ultimately learning how to undo all these years of brainwashing and learning the intricate mechanics of the human body.

It was a mountain I was ready to climb. And now I hope nothing more in life than to continue helping others up their own mountains. To make peace with their bodies. To be grateful for what there was, is and will be.

Especially what will be.

Because trust me, the view is so much better from the other side!

Happy weekend, compadres! 💕

SPOILER ALERT! 🚨 THERE IS MORE TO VEGANISM THAN LETTUCE! Tag a friend who needs some vegan meal inspo 👇😉
Recently, put together this nifty "what I eat in a day" post for me. Let me know if you'd like more of these! I personally love checking these out for meal inspiration.

Brekkie: Oatly full fat oat milk (because it's the best), 1 banana, frozen strawbs, 1/2 no added sugar muesli & cacao nibs. (Sub soy milk or yogurt for more protein)

Lunch: Left over pulled jackfruit (scroll through my feed for the recipe!), wholemeal wraps, cherry tomatoes, mixed salad, kidney beans & extra bbq sauce

Dindins: Protein packed bowl (because my other meals were a bit low on the ol' protein): veg & tofu stir fry with quinoa

Snack: Keepin' it simple with soy yoghurt & frozen berries 👌

Obviously this is a planned day of eating, not all my days look like this! Well, except for breakfast. I legit have the same breakfast every day no matter what! 🙊

I build my meals on a few simple principles which I've shared many times before. I always make sure my plate is a solid combo of:

1. Vegetables (veggies are a great source of nutrients! & if we were to place them in a macronutrient box they would be considered carbs. However, as they are soooo low in carbohydrates I consider them as their own food group 😉).
2. Protein (think tofu, tempeh, seitan, beans...)
3. Carbs (grains, also plant-based protein sources like seitan and beans are a good source of carbs, potatoes...)
4. A healthy fat (avocado, nut butter, olive oil...)

See if you can spot this combo in these meals! Do you also build your plate based on your veg? Comment below, I'd love to know! 💚

SO MANY NEW PEOPLE HERE! HI! 🙋‍♀️ HELLO! Where are you from? Please introduce yourself below too! 👇
HI! I am Leonie, your friendly neighbourhood nutrition nerd with a boyfriend who takes beyond terrible pictures of me posing with my food which I greatly enjoy sharing with the world as I awkwardly pretend to be some sort of awkward-pretend food model. (Just incase my career as a food model doesn't work out I spent the last 3 years getting my MSc in Nutrition & Public Health at . You know, as a back up).
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Since teaming up with for our 12 week How To Vegan program there's a lot of new people around here so I thought it might be fun to spill some tea on me, myself & I.
1. My nationality confuses everyone (including me). Let's give this a shot. *deep breath*. By blood, I am half Dutch, half British. I was born in Amsterdam (🇳🇱), moved to Bristol (🇬🇧) when I was 2, then to Denia (🇪🇸) when I was 9, then back to Bristol (🇬🇧) when I was 18 and then finally settling in the one country I never thought I would at 19: the Netherlands 🇳🇱
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2. I was raised bilingual English 🇬🇧 & Spanish 🇪🇸 with a little Dutch 🇳🇱 on the side. Although I have now lived here for 7 years & can speak Dutch fluently, I still find it a bit awkward sometimes. Dutch is hard yo.

3. I have been vegan for roughly 2 years (& it's my best decision to date )

4. I have 3 brothers and 1 sister who have provided me with 3 nieces and 1 nephew so far. These mini humans are pretty much my favourite things, ever. (My siblings are alright too I guess. 😉)
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5. I am probably one of the most enthusiastic people you will ever meet & I get excited VERY easily. If you ever want to see me cry (which would be weird but hey ho, to each their own) all you have to do is tell me a happy story. A randomers proposal? Tears. Any talent show audition ever? Tears. A customer at telling me I did a great job serving their table? Tears.

6. Bonus point: I am very long winded. If long captions ain't your thang, you're at the wrong address. I have a lot to say. (And I'm so excited to share it with you all!)💚

SO MANY NEW PEOPLE HERE! HI! 🙋‍♀️ HELLO! I am Leonie, your friendly neighbourhood nutrition nerd with a boyfriend who takes beyond terrible pictures of me posing with my food which I greatly enjoy sharing with the world as I awkwardly pretend to be some sort of awkward-pretend food model. (Just incase my career as a food model doesn't work out I spent the last 3 years getting my MSc in Nutrition & Public Health at . You know, as a back up).

Since teaming up with for our 12 week How To Vegan program there's a lot of new people around here so I thought it might be fun to spill some tea on me, myself & I.

Here are 5 fun facts you may or may not know about lil' old me:

1. My nationality confuses everyone (including me). Let's give this a shot. *deep breath*. By blood, I am half Dutch, half British. I was born in Amsterdam (🇳🇱), moved to Bristol (🇬🇧) when I was 2, then to Denia (🇪🇸) when I was 9, then back to Bristol (🇬🇧) when I was 18 and then finally settling in the one country I never thought I would at 19: the Netherlands 🇳🇱

2. I was raised bilingual English 🇬🇧 & Spanish 🇪🇸 with a little Dutch 🇳🇱 on the side. Although I have now lived here for 7 years & can speak Dutch fluently, I still find it a bit awkward sometimes. Dutch is hard yo.

3. I have been vegan for roughly 2 years (& it's my best decision to date )

4. I have 3 brothers and 1 sister who have provided me with 3 nieces and 1 nephew so far. These mini humans are pretty much my favourite things, ever. (My siblings are alright too I guess. 😉)

5. I am probably one of the most enthusiastic people you will ever meet & I get excited VERY easily. If you ever want to see me cry (which would be weird but hey ho, to each their own) all you have to do is tell me a happy story. A randomers proposal? Tears. Any talent show audition ever? Tears. A customer at telling me I did a great job serving their table? Tears.

6. Bonus point: I am very long winded. If long captions ain't your thang, you're at the wrong address. I have a lot to say. (And I'm so excited to share it with you all!!) 💚

Happy Monday! ✨ How many cups of coffee do YOU drink a day? 👇
What better day of the week than this to write a post about my drug of choice: caffeine!

There is a lot of bro-science, pseudo-science, mixed opinions-science floating around the interwebs surrounding coffee.

Some people say it is the elixir of Gods, others say it Satans work.

Regardless of which side you pick here are my top 5 evidence-based FACTS for you on this very grey Monday:

☕ 1. Caffeine is a stimulant. Yes, in exactly the same way that ni****ne, co***ne and M**A are (a.k.a, uppers). Stimulants are chemical substances which enhance both cognitive and physical performance. Basically, caffeine (like all uppers) makes you (temporarily) feel good.

☕ 2. Coffee can be protective for some forms of cancer. Research conducted by the AICR (American Institute for Cancer Research) found this to be true for both endometrial and liver cancer. Moderate evidence has also been found for colorectal cancer.

☕ 3. Forget sugar laden "vitamin waters", your humble cup of coffee actually provides a solid antioxidant hit.

☕ 4. Coffee makes you p**p because drinking any type of liquid stimulates your colon (where your p**p lives). Also, most people drink their first cup of coffee in the mornings, which is coincidentally when your bowels are up to 2x more active than normal. This being said, when comparing colon stimulation between caffeinated coffee and decaf, research found caffeinated coffee to be 23% more effective. So, maybe caffeine does have a little bit to do with it but it's definitely not the primary reason.

5. ☕ Coffee can lower your risk for Parkinsons, Alzheimers and Type 2 Diabetes. DM me for the studies!

As always, I aim to provide you with just enough science so you can make your own choices in life. I personally loveeeeee coffee. However, just as with all stimulants I've tried in my lifetime (sorry mum) I know my limits. And much like the illustration above, I know that any more than 3 cups will send me into a frenzy. Luckily, the positive benefits of coffee are all found in 3 to 4 daily cups of coffee.

Do you drink coffee? What's your limit? Comment below! 👇