VEGAN OF THE MONTH: OCTOBER

Rebecca Young

My name is Rebecca Young and I grew up in a small country town in regional Australia. These days I spend most of my time in Australia’s capital city, Canberra, although I am just about to move to Berlin, Germany for six months.

What inspired you to go vegan?

RY: For me, health was undoubtedly the biggest motivator and catalyst behind going vegan. After many years of being overweight, perpetually tired and also being incredibly unhappy with my physical size and wellbeing, I decided that I genuinely wanted to commit to losing weight and becoming healthier. Going vegan was a slow process for me – over the course of several months I progressively ate more and more plant based and eventually, after moving into my first apartment and being in total control of the food I could cook and eat, I decided to go fully vegan as eating plant foods made me feel my best and was the primary reason why I lost and kept off 20kgs. Additionally, as time has gone on, environmental and ethical reasons behind veganism have appealed to me more and more and my health and happiness has increased!

What are some of your favorite vegan restaurants?

RY: The majority of my friends and family are not vegan or vegetarian, so when eating out, I generally find myself eating at ‘normal’ restaurants that have options for everyone. That said, in Canberra there’s a lovely vegan bakery called Sweet Bones that I like to visit as well as a café right next door called 80/20 Food that have a heap of great vegan options! I’m really excited to see Berlin’s vegan restaurants because I’ve heard good things, so perhaps this is a better question to ask me in a few months!!

What are your favorite vegan dishes to make?

RY: I LOVE to cook. It kind of goes with being a food blogger that cooking is something you love and that couldn’t be closer to the truth for me! I love to bake, mostly involving chocolate and cookies or brownies, though I am also a massive fan of stir-fry’s and raw vegan cheesecakes.If I had to choose one dish that takes the cake, it would have to be my double chocolate brownie with berries. I coincidently have one in the oven baking as I type, and I am so excited to devour it when it’s done cooking!!!

What are common misconceptions about being vegan?

RY: One thing that I find friends and family continually assuming is that as a vegan I must not be able to eat food, and for that reason, I think undoubtedly the biggest misconception about being vegan is that your diet is incredibly restrictive and wholly limited to lettuce and carrots. I personally love a good salad, so I’ve nothing but love for lettuce and carrots, but I’ve actually found since going vegan, my diet has become more diversified than ever! When eating out with people, I always find they assume I must not be able to eat anything and then apologizing for making me watch them eat. They’re generally always shocked when they realize that ordering vegan friendly food is relatively easy and that some dishes they eat themselves may in actual fact be vegan!!!

What do you find is the worst part about being vegan?

RY: Convenience.Whilst it is generally fairly easy to find vegan food while you’re out and about, I travel quite regularly and I’ve learnt that if I want to eat decent quality and quantity of food, I need to do my research. Most places offer at least one vegan option on their menu these days, but sometimes it can mean the days of walking into the first restaurant you find are gone and that a little internet research before heading out can be necessary. I don’t find this a massive problem though because most times when trying to find a good restaurant, people will search on the Internet anyway!!

What is the best part about being vegan?

RY: I really like that through my own choice to become a vegan, I’ve been able to influence other people around me to adopt a more open mindset towards being a vegan and what it entails, and, in many situations, to make a vegan choice for themselves. From a personal perspective, I obviously believe that being a vegan is the best choice for health, for the environment and for ethical reasons, so it’s really beautiful to see other people in my life see those reasons and benefits and make choices themselves to use vegan products or eat vegan food.It also goes without saying that for me, one of the best parts of being vegan is my health. I have truly never been fitter, happier or healthier and I wholeheartedly believe that being vegan is the main reason behind that.

What advice to you have for people who want to become vegan?

RY: I found it really beneficial to do things gradually, and I would recommend making the change over time rather than in a snap decision. My body definitely needed to adjust to the new kind of food I was eating and I found it best to slowly cut things out rather than suddenly alter my entire lifestyle.Another really, really important piece of advice I would give is that when you’re vegan, you have to be really conscious that you are eating enough food, and, generally speaking, you have to increase the quantity that you eat in comparison to an omnivorous diet. This is so that you get enough nutrients from the food you eat and also so that you feel sufficiently satisfied!

How has your life changed since you’ve become vegan?

RY: Probably the biggest change I’ve noticed is that I have 1000 times more energy! I don’t need as much sleep, I can happily and easily do more exercise and I just generally have a lot more energy to put into everything I do in my life.I’m also a lot happier. I feel great physically and mentally and I’m incredibly content and satisfied with my life!

I’ve also established my own food blogging business, which would absolutely not have happened if I did not become a vegan. Food is an integral part of my life these days, I get a huge amount of enjoyment creating things in the kitchen and I have established my own company at the age of 21. I never though any of this would eventuate, but hey – Life is full of surprises!!!

What are the top 3 reasons to go vegan?

RY:

1. Your health. You only have one body and one life, and if you’re not going to do everything in your power to make that body and life as healthy and fulfilling as it can be, then you’re wasting an enormous opportunity to be more, live more and achieve more!

2. The environment. We only have one planet and I doubt there are many people out there who willingly want to contribute to degrading and destroying the environment. But, fact is, animal agriculture, which refers to the farming, feeding and production of animals and animal related products, is the single largest cause of global warming, climate change, deforestation and environment loss in the world. For that reason, going vegan is the best choice to make for the environment.

3. Happiness. It’s an incredibly beautiful thought to live your life knowing you are making the best choice for the world, your health and for the lives of others. Research from the United Nations has outright proven that being vegan is the best choice for the longevity and health of the planet and for individual people, and it’s insanely satisfying to know that you live a life in harmony with that research! It’s also great to feel your best, and veganism has definitely brought me a lot of happiness from that perspective!

What are your favorite vegan blogs/instagram/youtube channels?

RY: I love Elsa’s Wholesome Life a lot! She’s another Aussie and she makes beautiful vegan food and takes beautiful photos! I’ve also followed Bonny Rebecca for a long time and I have a great deal of respect and appreciation for the message that she is putting out in the world.

Do you have a blog, instagram, or youtube channel?

RY: You can find me on Instagram at @young_rebeccaMy blog, The Orange Kitchen, which is a collection of my cilunary creations and recipes, can be found at www.the-orangekitchen.blogspot.com and I have a Youtube account – Rebecca Young, and, although I don’t use it much yet, I’m about to spend the next 8 months travelling, so there’ll be lots of new videos coming soon!!!

ThatVeganLifeDoe

Keep calm and vegan on

VEGAN OF THE MONTH: OCTOBER

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