Introduction
Today we’re lucky enough to be able to hear the story of a vegan influencer, The Vegan foode. She shares with us the reasons that led her down the path to veganism. She opens up about how going vegan changed her life. She also gives us insight into the impact that living a plant-based lifestyle has had on her overall health.
The Vegan Foode
Let’s read about The Vegan Foode’s journey to going vegan.
Who Is The Vegan Foode?
I am The Vegan Foode. I was born and raised in Michigan. Just two years ago I retired as an entertainment and sports publicist and became a vegan social media influencer and Day Trader. Recently I made a huge life decision and moved my family’s and my life to Nigeria.
Background
Going vegan for me was something that I knew I would do early on in my young adult life. My mom was into a the holistic plant-based lifestyle during my childhood. So really it wasn’t a foreign concept for me. I then decided as an adult to care for myself in the manner in which my mother raised me. My mom adopted a plant-based lifestyle because she couldn’t digest meat.
Denial
I knew the positive effect a vegan lifestyle would have on my health in the long run. Despite this fact, as an adult I decided to eat meat. But I always knew that eating meat would affect me negatively. So I often used the term vegetarian to describe my dietary status.
Body Issues
I didn’t think eating meat was agreeing with my body. I saw what eating poorly did to my grandmother. Something inside me told me that in order to avoid strokes and colon cancer I would have to make permanent changes to my lifestyle before old age kicked in.
My Body’s Reaction To Meat
One day, I had a sudden realization that my body could not process meat effectively. I decided that I had to stop eating meat. The main reason being that I was tired of getting sick every time I ate meat. I had to ultimately give up meat to save my health.
My Grandmother
I feel like my grandmother was truly my soul mate. We were connected on a spiritual level. When I was a child she had a stroke. I felt that we were so connected that I started to get ill too. My mom also notice this change in me. She begged my grandmother to get better. To live a more healthier plant-based lifestyle. This was because she feared that I might end up dying with my grandmother.
Grandmother’s Eating Habits
My grandmother was from the south. Which was really reflected in her food choices. Her unhealthy diet consisting of things such as meat, fried food and sweet dishes lead to her poor health.
Grandma’s Health Conditions
Unfortunately my grandmother developed diabetes. As a result of her eating poorly and her body suffered. My grandmothers actions ultimately caused her health to decline.
Published
Right before my grandmother died I wrote an article. This article was published in 2005. It was in Rap Files, an urban newsletter. I wrote about the connection between what we eat and our health. The article focused on how eating poorly can affect our lives.
Grandma’s Reaction
To my disappointment the article didn’t get national attention. But the look on my bed ridden grandmother’s face let me know that I was on the right path. I believe that she was pleased with the way I had evolved. She was happy to have seen this transformation in me with her very own eyes before she passed away.
The Factors That Influenced My Husband To Go Vegan
My grandmother wasn’t the only person in my life that was proud of my plant-based lifestyle. In more recent years my husband has also noticed that people have been very supportive of my vegan journey. He also saw a lot of people complimenting my weight loss. I feel that for these reasons my husband has also been inspired by my actions to slowly try and go fully vegan.
My Husbands Diet
I like to call my husband a half Vegan. Personally I feel because he is of Nigerian descent he finds going vegan more challenging than I do. I think this is because he grew up eating a lot of traditional Nigerian dishes that are meat based. It’s more of a process for him. He has struggled to give up certain meat products. To this day he still eats goat, barbecued fish and Gizzards in pepper sauce.
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My Content
My social media is mainly focused around vegan recipes. Recently I have also talked about my expat lifestyle. My followers have told me that they love my realness.
Food Ideas
When I first decided to go vegan figuring out how to veganize my favorite soul food dishes was one of my top priorities. Thankfully I was able to accomplish this and share it with my followers as they’re always looking for new vegan food ideas.
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Cost
I noticed that the cost of going vegan was different depending on the circumstances. Living on a plant-based diet is cheaper when you’re eating at home. On the other hand I quickly found out that going vegan could be expensive in certain places. When eating out I realized that the vegan options at restaurants were quite pricey.
My Go-To Food Spots
One of my favorite places to eat is Champs Diner. In New York I love to eat at the Go Vegan Grill. My favorite dining spot in Atlanta has to be the Veggie Victory.
Nigeria
Nigeria is an entirely different story altogether. Sometimes food shopping can end up being pricey. This is because I try to buy two days worth of food in one shopping trip.
The Process
I wholeheartedly believe that becoming plant-based isn’t difficult if you do it the right way. You have to take the steps daily to get closer to your goal of going vegan.
What I Gained From My Vegan Journey
Veganism has changed my life in many ways. It has helped me to lose weight. I feel like it has given me a sense of mental clarity. I have also felt a strong connection to others around the world, thanks to the vegan content I share with my followers. I believe that I have developed a new unspoken bond with nature and animals. Being plant-based has helped me gain true friendships and given me the ability to rediscover new foods. I am so proud to have become relevant in the world of veganism and have a fanbase on social media.
My Mission
I don’t know if my story, my transformation, my journey into a holistic vegan will change the world. I am however, on a mission to change the way my peers and fanbase thinks about the food that they put into their bodies.
Guest Bloggers Information
Name: The Vegan Foode
Social Media: @TheVeganFoode on all platforms
Website: www.theveganfoode.com
Thoughts
What are your thoughts on The Vegan foodes journey to veganism? Do you feel as though she made the right decision for her health by going vegan? Let us know your thoughts about The Vegan Foode on Instagram and Twitter. Alternatively you can also share your opinions with us on our forum. You can find out about other people’s vegan journeys on the Caavakushi vegan search engine. Why not submit your story? We’d love to hear about your journey to veganism and so would our readers.