My plant-based journey

• I became vegan in 2017 after returning home from a months-long backpacking trip throughout southeast Asia. This isn’t to say that I had a questionable encounter with a meat product while traveling (although seeing a bus crammed full of pigs sticking their noses through tiny airholes while driving to the beach was not a pleasant sight). My travel partner and I were both vegetarian during the trip and we ate at some incredible places during our journey. The real impetus was feeling overwhelmed by climate change and powerless to make a real difference. I had just finished my Master’s in Public Health training and was all too aware of how the industrial food system, in particular factory farming practices, are degrading the environment. I learned that the most positive impact an individual can have in addressing climate change is through their food choices, so I vowed to become fully plant-based after returning from my adventures.

• I was lucky to grow up in a family with access to nutritious foods, and I completed nutrition courses during college, so I had a solid understanding of how to eat a healthy, balanced diet. I spent a ton of time finding new recipes and learning how to make tofu taste delicious and the cheesy wonders of Nooch (aka nutritional yeast). I had a blast learning about this new world of vegan food but that doesn’t mean I didn’t miss certain things - cheese, in particular. Through trial and error I developed a recipe toolbox and figured out how to get my plant-based cheese fix. 

• For those of you wondering where to start with this journey, that’s why I’m here! I have done the research and tested the recipes so I’ll make sure you get to eat all of the delicious vegan food without feeling like you’re missing out on something better. You’ll discover the personal and planetary health benefits of plant-based eating, and strategies to develop wellness goals that you can actually stick to.