Vegan Q and A

Since changing over to a vegan diet I have been asked a lot of questions! I get that to a lot of people it seems so “radical” and “extreme” as it did to me for many years. What changed? I woke up and started researching where my food was coming from and took responsibility for what I was consuming. Not just accepting what I was told by advertising and media. Many of the things we have been told all of our lives were turned upside down! Growing up with the guidelines of “meat and 3 veg” and the promotion of the dairy industry / egg industry… Anyone who is interested at all in any of this should really do their own research  and make up their own mind. My suggestions are to read The China Study as a starting point if you would like scientific, evidence based findings. Another great book around the health aspect is How Not to Die. Some recommended documentaries – What The Health, Cowspiracy, Food Inc,and Mission Blue will at the very least give you something to think about. Make an informed choice of your own. The major factors for me are: environmental, health, sustainability, cruelty, animal protection, the planet and the ocean.

So here are some common questions!

Where do you get your protein? This is the most frequently asked question. Everyone seems so worried about this when they hear you are eating plant based foods only – if you know me, you know that I am not fading away with a lack of energy. The only thing the human body can not get through a plant based diet is Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D. The body actually has three years of B12 stored when you change over to vegan from previously eating meat. So three years into your vegan journey you might want to look at supplementing B12. You can get Vitamin D from the sun or supplement if needed. I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice – everyone is different. Find out what works for you and do that!

What about iron? As per the protein question, everything you need is found in the plant kingdom.

What do you eat for breakfast? I have a section of breakfast recipes you can check out. Most days I make a smoothie with banana, almond milk, coconut yoghurt and berries.

Do you care if other people eat meat?  No. Of course I would love it if everyone gave up eating meat, dairy and eggs! I appreciate that this is very personal and for many people there are major hurdles to overcome in adopting a vegan diet. I am very happy to discuss my choices with anyone who wants to have the conversation.

What about when you eat out? There are always vegan options in most places and you can always ask for things to be left out or prepared for you. This has not been a problem for me. Indian restaurants are fantastic for vegan meals with loads of flavour.

What about building muscle? There are many very buff plant eating people in the world! It goes back to the protein question. Go ahead and type “vegan body building” into Google images and you will see what I am talking about.

Aren’t you hungry? This is so easy to answer – No! Just look at my recipes. If you have been to one of my recipe testing / supper clubs – you already know the answer! You make food choices every single time you decide to eat something – just make different choices whenever you can, it’s not that hard. Choose the vege burger instead of the beef burger. Every time you choose a plant based meal you are saving a life, saving tons of water and saving your health…

Do you ever eat something that isn’t vegan? There are times when you have to compromise – the world won’t end if you eat a tasty soup that has a little chicken stock in it or someone cooks a delicious meal for you and there is some fish sauce or something in it. I always do my best to maintain my vegan eating habits. Most people will ask if you have dietary requirements or are allergic to anything. I have been really surprised at how accommodating people / restaurants / school camps (!) have been. Blown away in fact! 

Don’t plants have feelings too? Someone wrote this and this sums it up for me: “I always tell people who say this that if they watch a 30 minute video of what goes on in a slaughterhouse I will watch a 30 minute video of a bunch of people picking strawberries and then we can sit down and discuss what we watched.”

Well I hope that clears up some of the confusion? Don’t hesitate to send me in any of your questions and I will do my best to answer them here!