We are onto week 2 of the current Food4Life plant based eating program! As usual, we had 2 lunch time meetings this week to catch up with the participants, help them through any issues they may be having and share some more presentations with them!
SESSION 1:
Today’s session started off as normal with a brief Q&A discussion and story sharing of how everyone was tracking along. Good feedback was given and some of the participants shared success stories, recipes they’ve made and how they’re feeling. Discussions such as this are a really great way for the participants to learn from each other and know that they’re not alone!
I was the lucky chosen one to do todays presentation which was on Dairy. I was unbelievably nervous as public speaking is not one of my strengths but I accepted the challenge and did my best! I started off sharing my story and how I ended up choosing to consume a plant based diet and the enormous benefits it’s provided me. I then went into my discussion on dairy which covered a range of topics such as the levels of saturated fat and cholesterol, growth hormones and antibiotics, salt, grease and opiates and other issues associated with dairy such as acne and skin issues, digestion and intolerances as well as respiratory complications. Alongside dairy, I also spoke about the issues with consuming eggs and their link with cancer. If you want more information regarding dairy – check out my ‘Dangers of Dairy’ post!
Following the presentation we had a quick Q&A regarding the topics that were raised and Peter, myself and the other volunteers answered the best we could. Although being nervous as hell and not feeling like a did the best job presenting, I received good feedback and many thanks for my presentation. As they say, practise makes perfect so I'm glad I was given this opportunity to present and will definitely learn from the experience. Hopefully I’ve now broken the ice and will feel more comfortable and confident next time!
SESSION 2:
Today’s session was a little more relaxed and informal. There was no presentation, instead we had a group discussion regarding how to handle social situations, eating out and dealing with family, friends and colleagues. This is something that everyone faces when they choose to make changes in their life so it was good to share advice and hear people’s stories. Those of us who have been eating this way for a number of years shared some tips which I think the participants found to be very helpful and gave them some solutions to some problems they’ve been having. I won’t go into too much detail regarding this topic as it is something I am working on in more details and will share a full post in the coming weeks!
Next week is the final week of the program. We’ve got a talk from a plant based GP discussing ‘just how whole food plant based do you need to be’ and then we’re finishing the week off with a potluck lunch to celebrate everyone’s hard efforts!
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