#They say biocoop is using it

[stuff4zek]

And for the French out there, watch out as more and more supermarket are using an illegal AI software to catch shoplifter. There is an article from La quadrature du net on this.

https://www.laquadrature.net/2023/07/04/veesion-la-start-up-illegale-qui-surveille-les-supermarches/

We are forced to live in a system that steals from us daily, Kill snitch culture.

[thesustainableswap]

Living Life On The Veg.

(This one is for you Laura!)

It took me a little while to get this blog out - so apologies for missing my Sunday post day. I sat down several times to write but couldn’t find what I wanted to say. After a long walk yesterday listening to Deliciously Ella’s podcast on: ‘How Our Food Effects Our Mood,’ it clicked! Thank you Ella for your amazing and informative show.

I’ve been a vegetarian on and off since I was thirteen years old. I’m twenty-four now and have been on team veg for around two years straight. I feel much healthier and happier when I’m consuming a plant based diet. Whenever I swapped back to a meat diet I would feel slow, groggy, and I would have a lot of digestive problems. Meat and me do not go hand in hand. I also try not to consume dairy which is relatively easy, but my one vice is cheese. I do consume less cheese than I used to though, so it’s not all bad! I’m always of the opinion that everyone should try to do what they can no matter how small.

I also try to eat organic, locally grown foods and with the seasons. I shop in France at Biocoop and they provide leaflets informing you of what is in season and when! Shopping local also means your food is likely to be cheaper as it hasn’t been flown over by plane, or shipped over by boat. This also equals less emissions - so good news all round.

Maybe you’re considering swapping your diet from heavily meat based to plant based but feel you won’t get the proteins or energy you need on a plant based diet. Consider that most of the protein we get from animals is from the food that animals are fed. If we removed animals from the equation and ate the food they ate we’d be getting more of the protein directly.

A plant based diet is also going to decrease your chances of bowel inflammation and colon cancer. Through the Deliciously Ella podcast I learnt of a study from 2018 taking twenty African-Americans on a typical SAD diet (Standard American Diet), twenty South Africans on their rural diets and swapping what they ate. This is what changed within two weeks:

"A change in diet from a Westernised composition to a traditional African high-fibre, low-fat diet reduced these biomarkers of cancer risk, indicating that it is likely never too late to modify the risk of colon cancer,"

So, eating a high-fibre, low fat, plant based diet is good for your gut! But not only that, it’s also good for your brain. On this episode of the podcast, Ella was interviewing Professor Felice Jacka on her book Brain Changer, which shows the link between a healthy gut and a healthy mind. As kids we are told to eat our five fruit and veg a day, but never really given more explanation other than ‘because it’s good for you!’ We now know through studies that there are so many issues that come with a diet heavy in processed foods, high sugar, and predominantly meat based. In an ideal world, everyone would make the swap to a plant based diet, but it isn’t always feasible or easy. It’s a process that takes time, and no one should just completely jump ship - you could find yourself quite ill (which has happened to me on a number of occasions).

First, start with small swaps. Quorn and other companies like this are great because it allows you to cook typical meals like lasagna without having to think too much about what to use instead. Some Quorn items should be avoided though - their sausages usually contain palm oil, and we’d prefer not to support the burning of the Amazon Rainforest. Meat free alternatives are a good starting point - but not the end goal. Ideally you want to be switching over to fruits, veg, beans, lentils, legumes... everything and anything. There are some amazing cookbooks that I love that I’ll link below and as I said at the top, try and make sure you’re buying items from the country you’re in, rather than abroad. It’s also good to shop organically but, if you’re buying strawberries from Spain when you are in the UK, better to find something local. Even with meat or dairy products, if you’re going to consume it, support your local farmers. Don’t buy beef from Brazil if you’re not in Brazil.

If you’re in the UK check out Slow Living LDN for a month by month guide of what’s in season and when. If you’re in France like me and near a Biocoop, have a look for one of their leaflets on eating seasonally. When you have a list, print it out and stick it on your fridge. That way you can always be sure when you’re planning for a food shop that you’re checking what is suitable for which season. Some items can be found all year long! In France those are carrots, mushrooms, potatoes (praise the lord), pineapples, bananas and lemons.

If you’re someone who loves sports or exercising and are concerned a plant based diet won’t provide you with the energy you need check out OhMyVeggies article on famous vegetarian athletes! I’ll end today with a quote from Mike Tyson:

“Becoming a vegan gave me another opportunity to live a healthy life. I was so congested from all the drugs [...] I could hardly breathe, [I had] high blood pressure, [was] almost dying [and had] arthritis. And once I became a vegan all that stuff diminished.”

Until next time,

The Sustainable Swap.

Recipe Books:

The Green Roasting Tin: Vegan and Vegetarian One Dish Dinners

Thug Kitchen: Eat Like You Give a F**k

The Hungry Student Vegan Cookbook (The Hungry Cookbooks)

[its-chotime]

Paris Grocery Store Report (Week of March 18)

I just asked my followers on Instagram to report back on their grocery shopping experience. It’s research for an assignment but I’m also curious. I don’t plan to go any time soon but because I’m asthmatic, I’m worried to be near humans! I’ll be updating daily and starting a new thread every Wednesday.  Knowledge and insights are so much greater when shared. If you would like to contribute, please DM on Instagram or email me (eileenc92@gmail.com). Thank you to everyone sharing their experiences!  *the date at end of description is when the comments were submitted to me 

Franprix in 3ème (on Boulevard Beaumarchais): “...had a black clad security guard at the door but the store wasn't crowded at 17H00.” 3/18

Bio C Bon in 7ème (St Dominique): “Honestly, there were very few people. All but Bio C Bon restocked almost everything except the pasta and the rice. Bio C Bon was missing a lot of stuff of all types (milk, cleaning supplies, pasta, etc.) All people working were wearing gloves, and some masks too. There was no barrier besides the register. Everyone made sure to keep a safe distance though.” 3/18

Carrefour in 7ème (Rue du Bac): “It was empty except for us. There were a few things out of stock but not much. One person was working, and she was lovely. We checked out at the self-checkout, we told her no offense, just don't want to spread. We sanitized everything as soon as we got home. Pretty uneventful!” 3/18

Carrefour in 9ème (Place Pigalle): “Short wait outside in an orderly line. Hand sanitizer, sanitary wipes, and gloves provided just inside front door.Well stocked in most areas. Shortage of facial tissue, hand soap, hand sanitizer, cereal, and sliced bread for sale. Appeared to be plenty of toilet paper, so Parisians are not copying the USA fad of hoarding toilet paper.Most store employees were wearing masks. All had gloves on. The cashiers have a glass shield in front of them so customers cannot breathe on them. Security was vigilant to keep distancing of shoppers. Everyone was calm and polite.” 3/18

Intermarché EXPRESS in 10ème (Republique/Bonsergent) “We didn’t have to queue. It seemed like the employer did not provide any masks: some employees were covered in scarves / masks, without masks. Shelves were mostly full except for dairy products, fresh fish/meat...beer was back too 😂” 3/18

Picard in 11ème (Filles du Calvaire): “...freezers were as empty as the streets outside.” 3/19

Bio C Bon in 11ème (Filles du Calvaire): “The bio had some crowd control, allowing 10 in the store at a time. People were not standing close to each other, shelves were somewhat empty(depending on section), I bought everything I needed which were just the essentials.” 3/18

Carrefour in 11ème (Filles du Calvaire): “...there was no crowd control, some people were standing far from each other while many didn’t. It was pretty well stocked and I got everything I needed. Plenty of TP!” 3/18

Naturalia in 11ème (Charonne): “Naturalia has plexiglass up for the cashiers but is the same end of the world vibe in the pasta aisle, no regard for distancing though.” 3/18

Monoprix in 11ème (Voltaire): “...shelves are almost full and there were still some eggs. And there is no anxiety cause they even put some kind of plastic window between you and the cashier. People avoid each other in the street so it is good.” 3/18 Bio Coop in 11ème (République): “Hey just got back from grocery shopping at bio coop avenue de la république. Not busy but not at all empty, no one had their faces covered. Taped at the entrance it says « wait until someone leaves the store before entering » I was waiting for someone to exit and 2 people went in without reading any of their signs. They also had written a bunch of rules such as CB only, 1 metre between clients etc. It was very very well stocked- all vegetables and fruit baskets were full, toilet paper, conserves decently stocked. The cashier did not have a mask but had gloves that he sanitized regularity. No barrier” 3/18

Carrefour, the large one in the 13ème, (Rue Tolbiac): “...went to get some vegetables and drinks. It was quite busy, but not enough to need crowd control. Something that had changed since the last time we were there, is that there are now glass dividers between the cashier and the customers at all checkouts. There are also now tape marks on the floor to indicate where customers should stand while waiting, to keep everyone 1 meter apart (plus signs reminding people to stay apart). There were very few employees working and lines extended into the aisles. Still no toilet paper or paper towels available, no non-refrigerated milk, very little pasta or sauce, but the store wasn't totally emptied!” 3/18 Carrefour Market in 14ème (near metro Alésia): “They were limiting the number of people going into the store (10 at once, but there were probably 50-60 people in the store when I was inside). They were low on milk, eggs, rice, and pasta. They finally restocked their meat section, veggies and fruits were restocked well, AND they had toilet paper! I went through self-checkout, but there was an agent there (no mask, no gloves) that was helping people. I didn't see if there was a barrier for cashiers at the normal registers.” 3/18

Monoprix in 15ème (Rue Lecourbe): “...fully stocked, tons of stuff, good amount of people, zero restrictions but people kept respect of the 1 meter tape at cashier, cashiers no gloves no masks, and no control of how many people in the store. Lots of people out near us walking, running, playing ball and they are planning outdoor market here in 7th tomorrow as well! 😰” 3/18

Monoprix, large one in the 15ème (near Beaugrenelle): “No lines, no crowds, easy in easy out. They seem to have most of the stuff. The fridges with frozen goods are kind of empty, but still not crucially. They only closed most of the self checkouts for some reason, only left a couple (guess to make sure you deal with as much bacteria per square inch as you can), I don't think the "live" checkout works, maybe only one cash desk at the most.” 3/18

Carrefour City in 16ème (Rue Malakoff): “[Went at] 17:30 pm. 5 people queuing with safe distance outside. Entrance controlled. We were let in little by little. Few people in the shop. Generally very well stocked except meat, cheese and cold cuts. Some left but very little. And no eggs whatsoever. Also no toilet paper or paper products (napkins or tissues). No barrier with the cashier. Did self check out.” 3/18

Biocoop ADN in 20ème (Nation): “...was perfectly civil. Orderly line outside, only a few in the store. Hand sanitizer upon entry, and someone who worked at the store was touching the products and putting them in a basket for you rather than everyone from the outside touching everything. Is not as busy as I thought it would be, they are not really prepared for this (not well stocked), I felt discriminated for going out, I couldn’t buy pasta (completely empty yesterday, today I could), there’s no barrier and in some places people respect the distance but in other places they don’t. I went to bio c bon, Naturalia and Super U. The Naturalia (18e) I went there was no barrier, the only place I went that had one was Picard (18e)” 3/18

“Produce Market” in 20ème: “It was so crowed, full of people. In 20eme no control of crowd, not a single police. I went again during the rush I think around 11AM, and of course I wore my mask and gloves.” 3/18