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Jimmy Joy: Meal Replacement Heaven? Review

22/6/2021

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Jimmy Joy Plenny Shake Strawberry, Ready-to-Drink and Plenny bar
I first turned to meal replacement products when I was driving A LOT. I lived in Norfolk for half the week, then on a Wednesday evening, after kayaking with my club, I’d drive to London. On Sunday evening or Monday morning I’d drive back, having attended evening rehearsals, had drinks with friends, taught at Saturday School and played for Sunday services. 

I didn’t have time to go shopping for healthy food, and the little shops near my London place were tiny and expensive. Enter Huel.

You can read my review of HUEL here.

You can read my review of FEED meal replacements here. .


Since relocating to Germany, algorithms on social media brought Jimmy Joy to my attention. The colourful, tongue-in-cheek branding of the Dutch company, and research into the cost, ingredients and nutritional profile convinced me to give it a go. (All their products are vegan.)

The starter box I ordered had ready-to-drink, powdered shake and bars. Plus a shaker and a t-shirt. I had a shake or a bar for breakfast and lunch every day for a week. Here’s what I thought of the products, and how I felt.

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Jimmy Joy Read-to-Drink Chocolate
Ready-to-Drink

I went for chocolate flavour over vanilla, the only choices here.

​The first time I drank it, it had been in the fridge for half an hour. It was warm, it was too thick and it had a weird taste. I was not keen.

​However, it kept me going until lunch. The next time I had it, I chilled it for much longer. The smooth texture was much better. Overall it’s ok. Slightly funny after-taste.


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Jimmy Joy Plenny Bar Hazelnut and Coffee Flavour
Bar

I picked Hazelnut Coffee Flavour, there are six to pick from. It’s a big bar - a whole meal. I like the taste - hazelnut latte vibes, but it’s quite hard work. It’s like a dense rice-crispy bar.

​I think a layer of something different on the top would help, but overall nice taste and really convenient.
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Jimmy Joy Plenny Shake and Shaker
Shake

This is most similar to what I usually get from Huel. Water in a shaker, two scoops, shake and you’re ready. I got strawberry flavour and I like it. It’s a smoother texture than Huel, and as my OH said, “it tastes like liquid oatmeal”. It tastes like food and not of sweeteners or weird stuff. 

Shaker

The shaker is cute. Half the size of the Huel one and comes to pieces so you can clean it easily. It fits in the bottle holder of my bag and won’t fall out.



T-shirt

It’s soft but WHY OH WHY do they not have female and male fits??

Unisex t-shirt really means man-fit t-shirt and it’s annoying. I’ll wear it for chilling at home or if I go to a fancy dress party as a sack.
​
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The shapeless t-shirt means you can't see the perfect line of my vasisthasana pose.
How I felt
​

I don’t usually count calories or weigh myself, so I have no numbers to give you. But I felt good.

There was one day, after a long run in the morning, where I had a lunch of carrots and hummus and a bar. About an hour later I was hungry and sleepy, which had me looking into maltodextrin. When I had asked in the Hueligans Facebook group, this mystery ingredient had been cited as a reason that one or two people didn’t fancy Jimmy’s products. It can cause blood sugar spike and then dip read more here, which would have accounted for my post lunch slump. However, it’s quite likely I just needed more food that day. 
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Nutritional Information of a Vanilla Shake. Tap for more information.
One of the great things about meal replacements in general, is that it takes the thought out of things. I don’t have to contemplate and decide what I’m going to eat, and then I don’t have to ponder if it was enough protein or too much anything else. I usually have an apple or a carrot with a shake so that I’ve chewed something, but otherwise I’m very happy on my liquid diet.

The standard Plenny Shake has less protein than Huel and I’m keen to try the Active Shake, which is nutritional the most similar. I’d get the bars again for the convenience of having something pocket-sized for bike trips and if I become a regular customer, I might one day become a ‘Time traveller’ - Jimmy Joy’s rewards programme is based on ‘Time Tokens’. This is completely random but if it means free stuff then, whatever.

Overall, I'm pleased to have encountered Jimmy Joy but I won't abandon Huel.

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Now I kind of want to be a Time Traveller
Are you a Hueligan? Or a Time Traveller? Or are you fond of a different brand. I’d love to hear about it if you are! Comment below.

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Struggles Continue in Bosnia: No Name Kitchen Wants to Expand

18/6/2021

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The people I met in Bosnia don't want to be beggars, asking for help, but they have no choice. I will never be able to imagine what it feels like to ask for food so I don't starve, or clean underwear because I haven't been able to wash. 

Dignity is in short supply when the authorities beat you, steal your possessions and deny you your human rights.

In March 2020, as the world shut down, No Name Kitchen found a way to continue helping. The voucher scheme works remotely and allows some dignity to the people who need support. 

Volunteers across the world receive and respond to messages from people-on-the-move and then provide a code for use in a local shop. 

Genius!


You just receive a code, walk to the shop and BUY WHAT YOU NEED AND WANT! Rather than waiting for a food pack, you have a bit of dignity restored as you go shopping in a normal way.

Not only this, but the scheme supports small, local businesses and frees up volunteers on the ground to take on other tasks. 

WE NEED TO EXPAND


The brilliance of the scheme means that volunteers don't need to be physically there. There's another town, far away from the two NNK bases already in Bosnia, where families are staying. Local businesses are already in agreement, but we need your help. 

I went to this other location a few times, some friends of mine ended up there. A family with a 12 year old and a four year old. It's a calm and friendly little town and the local people want to help, but resources are stretched thin. The teams in Bihac and Velika Kladusa are occupied enough without having to travel further. 

Please consider donating via this link.

I'm very proud of NNK and the work every does to think of the very best ways of helping. Involving those that need help in the decision-making of the organisation and of the aid the receive is exactly as it should be, but is lacking in many other organisations. Well done team!

What do you think of the voucher scheme? What other ways can we ensure vulnerable people retain dignity and control? Comment below.

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The G7 Summit: are we doomed?

11/6/2021

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As the leaders of the wealthiest nations meet in Cornwall, UK this weekend, the issues of recovery from the pandemic will be at the top of the agenda.

Yet, as these wealthy nations with successful vaccination programmes, proclaim victory over the virus, poorer countries continue to struggle.

​The worst affected countries in the last 7 days are currently Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina. Where is the international reporting about those countries? 


Britain wants “[G7] leaders to seize the opportunity to build back better from coronavirus, uniting to make the future fairer, greener and more prosperous.” 

A great slogan, nice use of alliteration there, but a huge contradiction. 

"build back better"
The UK announced a drastic reduction in foreign aid “from 0.7% to 0.5% of total national income - a reduction of around £4bn. 

​Greenpeace UK has been keeping track of the government’s broken promises on cutting carbon emissions.
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Power and inequality

Greenpeace and other activists call on citizens to take action. But it’s really hard to make sustainable choices when you have little control over your spending habits or accommodation. The shocking graph provided here shows the dramatic increase in the number of vulnerable people in the UK.
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If you’re busy worrying about whether your family will eat a healthy meal, you’re not going to be too worried about the fossil fuel targets being missed. 

And thus the divide widens. The effects of climate change are being felt.

“Already, flooding in low-lying coastal areas is forcing people to migrate to higher ground, and millions more are vulnerable from flood risk and other climate change effects.” 

Migration. Climate change causes migration.

So people fleeing war, famine and persecution will be joined in the inadequate refugee camps at the borders of the EU, USA and elsewhere. Hoping for protection from a problem they had little part in causing, but now at the mercy of those who caused it.
​

What CAN​ We Do?


It feels pretty hopeless doesn’t it?

The corrupt governments of wealthy, western nations act against international law with the full knowledge of their citizens and we can’t do anything.

But there are success stories of people-power leading to change.

The fantastic work of The Good Law Project have held politicians to account over PPE procurement,
 and the damage done by Trump’s selfish policies has been halted by President Biden.


I’m not going to preach at you about going vegan, donating to charities, reusing your plastic bags or signing petitions. But if any of these ideas has got you thinking, then here are some useful links.

How to go vegan 

How to find and donate to a food bank near you
 

The Joyful Environmentalist 

Greta Thundberg’s FridaysForFuture 
​

Do something for nothing 

Start the conversation. What should we do? Is it too late to make any changes? Is humanity doomed? Why should I care when I live in a nice house on a hill? Comment below.

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Do Something For Nothing: Joshua Coombes Book Launch

4/6/2021

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One day, hairdresser Joshua Coombes decided not to walk past. He stopped and chatted with people experiencing homelessness, giving time just to listen. Another day, he took the tools of his trade with him and offered cuts to anyone that wanted them. That was the start of #DoSomethingForNothing.

Since 2015 Joshua has encouraged other people to see a problem and do something about it, and his influence has spread. The Instagram account @DoSomethingForNothing has over 59,000 followers. But it’s not just a # movement.

“There’s a kind of global network of people doing stuff at the grassroots level. Jade got involved early on in #DoSomethingForNothing, providing an opportunity to get involved in the same way. Jade messaged me, she’s a vet in north London. A lot of people on the streets have dogs and love them dearly. Jade started Street Vet UK, now with links all over the country.”

The movement has touched the lives of countless people, and changed Joshua’s direction as well. “I suppose for me, being an author was not something I set out to do. I thought, this is an important message and I knew it had to live longer than Instagram. It can be transient. I was not into English and writing at school and I’m really proud of the book.”
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He’s travelled the world promoting his message, telling the stories of those he meets. “When I first started, I’d write the captions for the Instagram posts. The words of the posts became important. I’d done this quite a bit, every day at times. I hadn’t written before but I guess I learnt that way. Sometimes I’d use people’s words, sometimes my own objective observations. When someone reached out to me about the book, I didn’t have to think too hard before saying yes.”

Joshua’s book Do Something for Nothing was released this week. It’s the stories of those he’s met “through the simple act of a haircut,” It’s another way that Joshua raises awareness of important issues.

“This week the eviction ban ended. Then you’ve got people that are still furloughed, and haven't got their jobs back. Hundreds of thousands of people could be given their eviction notice to leave their home. We can talk about prevention and talk about solutions. It’s all very well that the government talks about reducing the bill for homeslessness and funding for local councils. None of it means anything without prevention.”
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Joshua also highlights the short-comings of mental health support, even when economic and practical support is there. “If you’re in a transient, insecure place, you’re going to be experiencing acute mental stress. Having people there for you, having a support network - is lacking, especially in the UK. If you’re providing housing or job opportunities, but no support system, none of those things mean anything.”

These current and important topics should be the concern of everyone. It can seem difficult to know how to contribute to change yourself, but Joshua has some advice. “Write down those few things that don’t sit well with you. And write down your own skills. Connect things that you like doing and are good at with how to help. Remember your time is really important too. If you go and volunteer at a soup kitchen, or like when I go to Napier Barracks [with Jas and worldwidetribe] to meet people, I know I might cut a couple of people’s hair and some people might bring food. But ultimately just being there to hang out is the most important thing. You are important and your time is important.”

Joshua's message, of making small efforts towards positive change in the world around us, really is doable by everyone. Why not check in with your neighbours or search for local, grassroots organisations? 

Plenty of NGOs need remote help with social media or online tasks too. No Name Kitchen recently requested volunteers for 2 hours each week for their innovative voucher scheme in Bosnia.



To buy Joshua’s book go to bookstore.org and search for “Joshua Coombes Do Something for Nothing” from your local book shop. And to join the #DoSomethingForNothing movement check out Joshua on Instagram

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    Hannah the traveller

    is a travel and lifestyle blog with focus on running, vegan eating and of course global travel.

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