STORY
Since growing up in Germany, I’ve always known the environment was pretty important. I remember being told about the ozone layer and global warming even then. We recycled everything and no one complained about it.
We came back to England and everything was put in one bin. Food, cans, bottles, plastic, paper. It didn’t sit right with me at all and I felt SO guilty. But I didn’t really know why. I’ve always had a huge sense of empathy for the natural world and animals within it. When I was around 11 years old, I spent several weekends on a farm in Richmond, North Yorkshire where I got to know the sheep from the day they were born. I bottle fed several who were rejected by their mothers and even named my favourite Titch. We returned several weekends later to find all the lambs in a pen on the farm with large spray painted marks across their backs. I asked my parents what the marks meant and they grimly informed me that those lambs were going to market. They were only 6 months old. And after that I never saw my sweet lamb Titch again. From that day on, I never ate meat again.
Fast forward a few decades and I’m now a mother of 3. My experiences with having my own babies and struggling with the initial stages of feeding them made me consider my dietary choices even further and consider the plight of the cows who year after year supply us with the milk that we drink, make into yogurt and cheese, but that we don’t really need. I do still have milk in my diet but more and more I strive to find vegan recipes and ways of eating which minimise my dairy intake. I also find it incredibly difficult to feed my active children with food that they actually enjoy but is also nutritious and healthy. Over the years I’ve learned more and more about nutrition, health, calories and macros.
In addition to passing on some of this info I’ve learned about diet, I also plan on talking about sustainability, sharing recipes, telling you about our plans to build an eco house and loads more. I hope you’ll join me for some of it.
Caroline x