I am an absolute healthy living nut. I’d like to consider myself a healthy living guru to anyone who wants me to be their guru. If I get even the slightest hint that someone wants to hear even a teeny, tiny bit of my wisdom, I perk up like one of those cute little dogs that raise their ears and I may as well jump around and wag my tail too, because that’s how excited I get.                                                             (something like this)

As part of my healthy-living-hippie-ness, I cook all of my own meals, I buy organic as often as possible, I do thorough research on processing/cooking/packaging practices before I commit to buying any brands, I avoid processed foods, I do meal prep once a week, I keep up to date with new developments in nutrition… and much more. But you get the idea. At home or at school, I have a set routine and all my cool kitchen gadgets around me, and I know where to get the best deal on the healthiest foods and products. Now, I’ve uprooted myself and moved 4,745 miles from home to a new country where my favorite brands are no more, I less than what I consider fundamental kitchen gadgets, and I’m on a college-student-who-can’t-legally-work-here budget. My “kitchen,” such as it is, consists of a sink, a microwave, two burner stove, and a mini fridge I share with my roommate. I have no oven! no blender! no juicer! and no extensive place in the fridge for the massive amounts of fresh produce I like to buy! And no tupperware to store the week’s worth of veggies I chop every Sunday!

I’ve decided I’m living the ultimate healthy lifestyle challenge. It’s like Survivor, but instead of surviving the island (I never actually watched Survivor, but I think that’s what it’s about? Maybe?), I have to survive with my good health and good habits.

With this in mind, I have set out on a quest to keep my lifestyle, on a budget, as seamlessly as possible. First things first: I am very devoted to my morning greens smoothie, so I got a blender. I went to Morrison’s, which I conveniently live within walking distance from, and searched their appliance section. As I’ll have to leave the blender here when I go back to the States, I bought the most inexpensive model I could find. Unfortunately, this is one of those personal blender sizes, so I’ll have to make two to get my regular servings of veggies that I could cram into one big blender at home. On the bright side, my new blender is pretty and comes with two blender cups!

After settling the blender issue, I resigned myself to living without an oven and moved on to discover the holy grail of healthy living: Whole Foods. It turns out there is one within walking distance of my hostel. AKA, the best news in the ENTIRE WORLD!

Going to Whole Foods in the UK is like going home for me. While I try to embrace every new experience that I can, and I want to enjoy all of the unique and different nuances of Europe, I admit, when it comes to food, I am much less open. I’m allergic to a plethora of things, “may contain nuts” notes on products or in restaurants could be the death of  me, and I eat a plant-based diet. So, I leave the adventuring to every other part of my life, and try to stay on track with my food. Ergo, Whole Foods is like a very welcome trip home. However, without an oven, I’m having to branch out to at least a few microwaveable meals. While I love raw foods, even I can’t eat them 24/7. I’ve learned the key is to read through the ingredients listing very, very thoroughly, and read the asterisks. Amy’s is a great brand that sells preservative-free, organic, gluten/dairy free options that, hallelujah, I can microwave. The Chia Co. is another great brand that sells great snack foods called Chia Pods, which could be chia seeds and oatmeal, or chia seeds blended with coconut milk, or something along those lines, all preservative free and a great source of calcium, fiber, omega-3 and 6, and protein! I had to do research on coconut water again, because my favorite brand from the US is not to be found here, but I found a comparable brand, Unoco, that doesn’t pasteurize, woohoo!

 

Finally, I discovered Marks&Spencer’s.This is another food retailer similar to Whole Foods, and if Whole Foods doesn’t have it, M&S will, and vice versa. M&S is great for organic produce and pre-prepared meals that I can pan-grill or microwave for a quick dinner.

 As for the mini-fridge, I simply cannot buy in bulk. Thankfully, I can walk to M&S and Whole Foods from my hostel, so it’s easy to drop in on the way back from class and pick up a few things throughout the week. As far as I can tell, this is a more European way of shopping anyways. So, when in Rome (or London), do as Romans (or Londoners) do!

 

xox,

Lauren