“What day is it?” Asked Pooh.
“It’s today”, squeaked Piglet.
“My favourite day”, said Pooh.
Today I am writing my very first blog post. I will tell you how I became vegan and how it shaped my identity. In later articles I will share with you my experience as a plant-based chef and a positive psychologist, will talk about zero waste, sustainable fashion, practicing mindfulness and meditation, and will share plant-based recipes.
It all started in London, back in 2011, when, at the age of 31, my body all of a sudden refused to digest meat. I stopped eating fish, sea food and eggs. Soon I felt my health problems, such as heaviness in stomach, regular headaches or mood swings – all disappeared, and I realised that something good was happening to me.
After few years of being vegetarian, I became vegan – I stopped taking dairy. Moreover, I stopped eating refined sugar, refined oils and wheat (gluten).
It may sound crazy, especially considering that I live in Georgia. It’s been a challenging and exhilarating journey at the same time: I studied at LA’s best vegan culinary academy, took vegan culinary courses in Bali, Berlin, Barcelona (I just realised they all start with letter B – that reminds me of importance of vitamin B for vegans and I will be writing about it in the upcoming stories).
Today I run Namu, the first plant-based cuisine in Georgia. My aim in Namu is to raise awareness about healthy lifestyle – about benefits of following plant-based diet and practicing mindfulness. I try to spread the message through regular Namu supper clubs, detox juice programme, raw vegan diet and body-mind detox retreats.
Being vegan largely defines who I am now. I believe Veganism is the future, and present: there is a 600% increase in people identifying as vegans in the last three years in the US, and 350% in the UK. Same trend is noticeable in Europe and Asia.
I know that I found my purpose in life – I will speak up about Veganism and help others take small steps towards healthier lifestyle, towards happier lives.
With love and passion
Ana
Today’s recipe:
Chia Porridge
– 200ml nut milk (you can get unpasteurised, unsweetened, homemade nut milk from Namu)
– 1 table spoon of honey or maple syrup
– 1 table spoon chia seeds (you can get this from big supermarkets or get in touch and I will give you a contact details for a person who sells it at the market for a reasonable price)
– 5 table spoons of oats
Mix everything together in a jar and leave it overnight. Put some fruit on top and enjoy your healthy plant-based breakfast.