Zero Waste Periods

Let's face it, no one likes getting their period. I am currently sitting on my sofa with a hot water bottle on my stomach because of cramps and I'm not exactly thrilled by it.

However, we (women) all get periods so we need to think about what products we want to use. I'm lucky because I get light periods due to the birth control I use (it's a UID if anyone is interested).

I read something a few weeks ago about how the average sanitary pad contains the equivalent of four plastic bags. We've become a nation who are trying to cut down on our plastic bag use, yet women are using lots of plastic each month without even thinking about it. Then there's tampons which come with plastic applicators, the name alone tells you they aren't good for the environment.

So what options do we have?

I know quite a few people who swear by the menstrual cup. I have tried one, but it just wasn't for me. I'm sure it probably takes a while to get used to. I just didn't have the patience and found it all a bit awkward.

So I decided that I would try reusable menstrual pads which I bought from this great shop on Etsy here. They're really comfortable, soft, and they look so much more fun than regular disposable pads. Plus, while each pad costs a few pounds to buy you'll be saving money in the long run and really cutting down your plastic use.

So how do you wash them?

I just soak them in some cold water and then throw them in the washing machine with my regular washing. Once the wash is done, I just hang them up to try and they're good to go again.

If you haven't thought about how much plastic you use each month for your period, then I recommend that you do. There's a few different options on the market which will not only save you money but will also dramatically cut down the amount of plastic you. I'd also love to know what products and companies you're using in the comments.

Making my own almond milk

Guess who made her own almond milk at the weekend?

I had wanted to make it for a while, but I kept putting it off. I thought it would be really difficult, but in actual fact it's really simple. So here's my step by step guide to making your own almond milk.

1. Soak 2 cups of almonds overnight or for at least 8 hours. Place the almonds in a bowl and cover with an inch of water. The longer you soak the almonds, the creamier the almond milk will be.

2. Drain and rinse the almonds. Use cold water to rinse the almonds which should be quite soft if you pinch them.

3. Blend almonds and water. Put the almonds in the blender with 4 cups of water and blend until the almonds are broken down.

4. Strain the almonds. Pour the mixture into a nut milk bag (I use this one from Lovetree products) and squeeze or twist the bag until the liquid comes through the bag and you're just left with the almond meal.

5. Refrigerate the almond milk. Store the milk in a air tight container. It usually last between 2-3 days.

If you like your almond milk sweeter then you can pick a sweetener of your choice, but I usually only use my almond milk in porridge so I don't need it to be very sweet because whatever porridge toppings I use will do that for me.

There's also lots you can do with the almond meal whether it be adding it to energy balls, nut bars or smoothies. I just put mine in the fridge for now until I decide what to do with it, but I'll write another post about it when I make my mind up.

Most plant based milks come in either plastic bottles or cartons with plastic tops, so making your own is a great way to cut down on your waste while also cutting out any additives that can sometimes be added to it.

Have you ever made your own non-dairy milk before? I'd love to hear your recipes.

Good Full Stop - Vegan Snack Bars

A couple of weeks ago, I was sent two boxes full of Good Full Stop bars. I've been meaning to post about them before now, but with work being busy and spending a week in bed sick, I've have a backlog of half written posts that I needed to finish.

If you've been to a vegan festival before then chances are you may already tried one of these bars. I tried a couple at a festival in Edinburgh, but now there's 9 different flavours to try.

The flavours are:

• Cherry Sweet and Cherry Good (Cherry & Maple)
• Sun Kissed and Good (Choc & Orange)
• Chocolate is Twice as Good (Double Choc)
• Very Nutty and Very Good (Mixed Nuts)
• Berry Berry Good (Raspberry)
• Cool, Minty and Good (Choc & Mint)
• Full of Beans and so Good (Mocha & Caffeine)
• Devilishly Hot and Red Hot and Very Good (Double Choc & Chilli and Fiery Choc & Chilli)

I have a big sweet tooth, so my favourite has to be the Double Choc one, but Choc & Orange comes in a very close second place. I'll admit that I've never been a fan of cherry or coffee, so I gave those ones to my mum who loved both of them.

One of the best things about these bars is that they're really tasty. Sometimes I find fruit and nut bars a bit tasteless, but these ones are packed with flavour. They're also gluten-free, vegan, and all but one of the flavours counts as one of your five-a-day!

If you'd like to get your hands on some Good Full Stop bars then I have a special discount code for you. If you go to the online store here then you can get a mega 50% off your first order with the code GFSBLOG.

Enjoy!!

DIY Himalayan Face Scrub

There are so many recipes for making your own face scrubs, but this one is my favourite at the moment because it's so simple.

I've used lots of face scrubs over the years and more recently I had been using the St. Ives apricot one, but in reality it's not the best for your skin. It's one of those products that uses the word 'natural' but is full of unnatural ingredients. It's also quite harsh on your skin, so I'm not sure how much good it was doing.

So I decided it was time to experiment with making my own face scrub. I looked at lots of different salt and sugar scrub recipes, but this recipe (if you can even call it a recipe) caught my eye because it's so simple. The only two ingredients you need are Himalayan pink salt and coconut oil.

The Himalayan pink salt is great for your skin because it's draws all the toxins out and coconut oil balances it by acting as moisturiser. You just need to be be careful not to scrub too hard.

If you want to make your own Himalayan face scrub then you just need to mix a few spoonfuls of coconut oil with some salt until you have the consistency that best works for you. If you have sensitive skin then you may want to use a bit less salt, but other than that it's pretty straight forward.

Do you have any recipes for your own DIY face scrubs? Let me know in the comments below.

Vegan Ben & Jerry's is finally here!

The wait is finally over, vegan Ben & Jerry's has landed in the UK.

There's been a lot of confusion over the past few days about where you can actually find it. Tesco have been telling people on social media that some stores aren't selling it, but then people are turning up and staff are finding it in the store rooms of the shop. Then some staff are telling people they don't have it, while others are managing to find it. Overall, it seems to be a bit of a mess.

Luckily for me, I managed to find all three flavours at the Tesco down the road from me (that's the one at the bottom of Leith Walk in Edinburgh if anyone lives nearby). The new vegan flavours are: Chunky Monkey, Chocolate Fudge Brownie and PB & Cookies. I went for Chocolate Fudge Brownie and oh my god does it taste good. I haven't eaten Ben & Jerry's ice cream for almost 4 years, so this feelings like all my birthday's have come at once. There are other good vegan ice-cream brands out there, but this will always be my favourite.

I almost ran home from the supermarket with the ice cream in my hands, and I'm sitting working my way through the tub just now.

The only small disappointing thing is that there's plastic round the top of the tub but I do like fact that aside from that Ben & Jerry's use responsibility sourced packaging which you can find out more about here.

Have you managed to find a tub yet? I'd love to know what you think of the new flavours.

Best Vegan Doughnuts

If you live in Scotland then you might already be familiar with The Doughnut Family, but if not, then let me introduce you to their amazing doughnuts.

The Doughnut Family are a family run business in East Lothian who deliver their doughnuts in and around Edinburgh, and also stock them at Grassroots Heath, a 100% vegan café and shop in Edinburgh too.

I ordered a box of six for £13 (including delivery) and they arrived on Sunday morning just in time for breakfast!! The flavours I ordered were Irn Bru, S'mores, Turkish Delight, Rainbow Unicorn, Maple Glaze and Pina Colada, but they have so many other flavours you can order too.

I have a feeling this won't be the last time I order these doughnuts, I just need to get through my doughnut fuelled food coma, do some exercise, and then I guess I can treat myself to another box.

Lush Shampoo Bar

I've finally taken the plunge and entered the world of solid shampoo bars and I love it. I'll admit that I never really thought much of them before, but it turns out that I was completely wrong (now that I something I don't admit to much).

I picked up the Seanik shampoo bar from Lush last week and my hair has never felt better. You basically just rub the bar into your wet hair and it lathers up just like normal liquid shampoo does.

This particular bar contains seaweed, sea salt and lemon and is meant to give you great shine and volume, which my hair certainly has since I started using it. I smells like the ocean too so I can pretend that I'm not living in rainy old Scotland, but I'm showering in some sort of tropical island.

It's also vegan and plastic free! So let's face it, it is pretty much the perfect shampoo for me.

If you're looking to stop using shampoo that comes in plastic bottles, then I couldn't recommend this more.

The rise of Kombucha

If there's one drink that everyone is talking about right now it's kombucha.

So what is this mysterious drink? Kombucha is simply fermented tea. I'll admit that the first time I tried it I was a little worried. As someone who doesn't like fermented foods and only recently started drinking fruit tea, I wasn't sure it would be for me. However that has all changed thanks to the wonderful people at Left Field Kombucha.

Left Field Kombucha is Scotland's first kombucha brewery. That's right, Scotland has it's own kombucha brewery!! The drinks are packed with nutrients, vitamins, essential acids, and lots and lots of friendly bacteria. It also tastes delicious. I've tried a few different brands of kombucha so far and this one is hands down my favourite. They also sell it in glass bottles too which fits in well with my own zero waste goals at the moment. And of course, it's vegan friendly too.

There are two different types of drink on offer from Left Field Kombucha -

The No.1 Yunnan Black has a strong earthy flavour and tastes similar to a beer. However if you don't like beer (like me) then don't let that put you off because I still really enjoyed it.

The No.4 Darjeeling Second Flush has a more fruity flavour to it and is my favourite of the two. It is made with teas harvested before the monsoon season which really does sound as cool as you think it does.

If you haven't jumped on the kombucha bandwagon yet, then you really need to give this drink a try. Not only does it taste great, but it's also good for you too. I mean what's not to like about that.

You can pick it up in so many places in Edinburgh including my favourites Real Foods and Hanover Healthfoods. Plus, Juice Warrior sell it on tap!

Have you tried kombucha before? I'd love to know what you thought.

The Herbivore Kitchen

Last weekend I visited The Herbivore Kitchen for the first time, and had the most amazing pancakes and milkshake that I've ever had.

The Herbivore Kitchen is a vegetarian and vegan friendly café in Edinburgh. The majority of the menu is actually vegan so there's lots of dishes to pick from. I'd like to think over time it might become a fully vegan café, especially given there's so many cheese and egg alternatives that could be swapped in just three of the dishes that are non-vegan.

I opted for Herbivore Cranachan Pancakes which were topped with Coconut Yoghurt, Grilled Pineapple & Passionfruit. They were so delicious and if I hadn't been so full after eating them, then I would have happily ordered another plate. I also had an Oreo and Biscoff Milkshake!! Having never drank cow's milk, I only had my first milkshake (non-dairy of course) last year, but the one I had at The Herbivore Kitchen was by far the best I've ever tasted.

There's lots of other delicious looking things on the menu too from sandwiches and salads to more pancakes and hot dishes. They also have a selection of cakes on the counter and I can highly recommend their Cinnamon Buns which tasted really good.

It's a great new addition to Edinburgh's growing vegan scene, and I'm looking forward to visiting again soon.

5 reasons why we shouldn’t be celebrating Edinburgh Zoo’s new panda

If you live in Scotland, then you'll be aware how crazy everyone goes over the news of a possible panda cub at Edinburgh Zoo. On Thursday, I got a call from a journalist at The Sun on my way home from work looking for a quote as news broke that one of the pandas was about to give birth. The story was all over the news by the time I got to work on Friday, but OneKind released a comment on the story which you can read here and this lead to me being interviewed on Kingdom FM and then I did my first ever TV interview for STV. Here's a picture of me getting filmed 'working' at my desk.

I also wrote a blog for OneKind's website which you can read below -

5 reasons why we shouldn’t be celebrating Edinburgh Zoo’s new panda

It’s been almost seven years since giant pandas Yang Guang and Tian Tian arrived at Edinburgh Zoo on a 10-year loan from China. Since then, the possibility of a panda cub being born at the Zoo has been one of the biggest news stories in the country with every step of each failed pregnancy attempt splashed across the media.

The decision to try and impregnate Tian Tian has very little to do with conservation, and is nothing more than a PR exercise to attract more visitors to the zoo. Here’s five reasons why we shouldn’t be so quick to celebrate the impending birth from one of the UK’s only giant pandas.

1. These pandas will spend their whole life in captivity
You just have to look at the panda enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo to realise it is no substitute for a life in the wild. After all, how many animals in their natural habitat sit behind a glass wall while a constant stream of visitors take photos of them? The main goal of captive breed programmes should be to release them back into the wild, but this is very difficult with pandas. In the past, captive bred pandas have been attacked by wild pandas when they’ve been released. It means the majority of animals will end up living their whole life being shipped between zoos around the world.

2. Artificial insemination is invasive
When pandas breed in the wild, they are free to choose a mate for themselves but Tian Tian hasn’t been allowed to do this. She has had to undergo multiple invasive artificial insemination procedures over the years, in a desperate bid by Edinburgh Zoo to impregnate her.

3. We need to stop using animals as entertainment
In the past few years, there’s been a noticeable change in people’s attitudes to animals being used in entertainment. The documentary Blackfish, about the controversial capture of killer whales, is a notable example of that. There was public outcry when it was released in 2013, and people started to boycott Sea World attractions. So why is one black and white creature’s life seen more important than another? Giant pandas are still wild animals being held in captivity. Yet for some reason, we still seem to think it’s normal to look at them from behind a glass wall in a zoo.

4. Breeding in captivity will not help conservation
It’s true, breeding in captivity will not help conservation. Instead of spending money on breeding giant pandas in zoos, the money would be much better spent on preserving their threatened habitat. I know people in Scotland will be excited about the prospect of being able to see a new baby panda in Edinburgh, but its illogical to think that paying to see an animal in a cage on the other side of the world from its natural habitat will help conservation. There’s lots of great conservation charities that your ticket money would be much better spent on.

5. Keeping wild animals in captivity is dangerous
There have been several incidents in zoos around the world where wild animals have attacked people. Three visitors were mauled in Beijing Zoo over a three-year period after failing or jumping into giant panda enclosures. Last year, Edinburgh Zoo has its own dangerous incident when a leaked email and CCTV footage revealed a member of staff was put at risk when a giant panda made its way into the enclosure before she was finished cleaning it. The email also went onto suggest the animal could have escaped to public areas of the zoo too.

Zero Waste Makeup Remover

I used to use makeup wipes all the time. I'd use one at night to remove all my makeup and then another again in the morning because I usually had some mascara or eyeliner left that always managed to end up on my pillow too. That's A LOT of wipes and I don't even want to attempt to think about how many I've used in my lifetime.

So about a month ago, I decided to completely change my makeup removing routine. I now use coconut oil and these washable organic cotton pads which I bought from Lastingthings on Etsy. The pads came in a pack of 8 and they're so soft and feel really nice against my skin. At the end of the week, I simply throw them all in the wash and they're clean and ready to use again.

It's simple, cheap and is helping the environment at the same time. I just wish I'd switched to this makeup removal routine much sooner.