Confession: My quest to go Vegan was abandoned because of a simple craving for frothy milk. I am an unashamed caffeine addict and feel 100% alien when my alarm starts screaming every morning. Most people jump out of bed and brush their teeth, but my feet instinctively shuffles to the kitchen to fire up a coffee machine. It’s that bad.

Results: During my 10 days of complete veganism I had more energy than I can describe. I ran, swam and cycled faster, I stayed awake longer and would cram even more work into my days than I usually would. My energy levels were insane, but I lost almost 2 kg’s during this period. I wasn’t feeding myself the correct portions of protein and I had developed a vigorous appetite for fruits and carbs like bread. Whenever I fed that craving I ended up with a tummy full of gas and a complex about how bloated I looked.

Sustainability: I have decided that I will stick to my diet of moderate amounts of fish and vegetables and no refined carbs like pizza and bread because this works for me. Over Christmas I indulged in Gammon and Lamb and as lovely as I felt sharing this wonderful meal with my family I was acutely aware of the effect it would have on my inflammatory markers. My psoriasis flared instantly, and I suspect, because of extra sugars from store bought mince pies and fruit cake, my face and neck developed a fine rash. Fast forward to New Year’s eve - I am a complete mess. My body has shut down completely, I’ve lost my voice, and now have a horrible flu.

Moral: Eat whatever works for you.

I make this prawn curry as a treat whenever I feel like I need a pick-me-up. The tomato chutney is simple and also a free food in my diet. I usually serve it up with some quinoa roti, or brown rice and a carrot salad.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

10 large de-veined prawns with the heads on

1 tbsp olive oil

3 tomatoes grated

1 onion diced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chillie powder

1 tsp jeera seeds (cumin powder)

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp tumeric

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 tsp crushed ginger

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 fresh green chillies sliced in half

1 stem curry leaves

coriander for garnish

Method

1. In a large skillet or pot, heat the oil on medium heat.

2. Add mustard seeds, jeera, curry leaves and fresh green chillies to the oil.

3. When you start to hear the mustard seeds crackle, add diced onion.

4. Fry onions until translucent and then add your garlic and ginger.

5. Immediately add spices; tumeric, chilli powder, garam masala. Stir until you cannot smell the rawness of the spice.

6. Add grated tomato and prawns, close the pot and let the mixture simmer until the oil separates from the chutney. Add a tiny amount of water to the pot to prevent any sticking. This should take between 10-15 minutes. Any longer and your prawns will end up rubbery.

7. Season with salt and garnish with coriander.