Q: What made you want to be a content creator
promoting a healthy vegan lifestyle?
I don’t think I ever really wanted to become a content creator, it just evolved
into that over time. I noticed a lack of allergy-friendly and gut-friendly
vegan recipes that are healthy, fulfilling, and tasty so I wanted to fill that
gap by creating recipes and content of my own. I was experiencing a lot of
gut issues around the time I started Sugared Coconut, so I really had to
transform my diet b y cutting out many things like nuts, potatoes, sunflower
seeds, rice, most legumes, refined sugar, and gluten. At first, I felt kind of
hopeless and was afraid I would starve (not literally), since a vegan diet
is compromised of many of those items. I couldn’t find recipes online or
in cookbooks that didn’t consist of the items I was sensitive to, so I had
to create my own. And then I figured I should share them because other
people may be experiencing the same thing as me.
Q: What kind of advice would you give to someone
thinking about going vegan?
Q: Do you live a fully vegan life? In regards to clothing
and products and if so, what is your favourite products
and brands?
Yes, I follow a vegan lifestyle in every aspect. I don’t want the products I
use or the clothing that I wear to have a negative impact on an animal’s
livelihood or well-being. I think it’s really important not to promote that
type of consumption. For accessories, I really like Matt & Nat and Pixie
and Mood. For clothing, I don’t have a favourite brand, I just make sure I
buy garments without any animal products that are made with sustainable
materials. I want to make the effort to shop at thrift stores to reduce my
footprint. The vegan clothing companies such as Wholesome Culture and
Talk Vegan to Me are a great choice for clothing that has vegan sayings
on it. Everlane is also an amazing company, I’m going to buy one of their
vegan winter coats this year made from recycled plastic. For makeup I love
Sappho Organics, the line is not only completely vegan but also non-toxic.
For skincare and body care, I pick out vegan products from non-toxic and
sustainable brands like True Moringa, Province Apothecary and Piperwai.
There is no right or wrong way to go vegan, so do whatever works for Q: What was the most challenging and rewarding part of
you. Take necessary time and do it in stages. Do your research to find out going vegan for yourself and how can others overcome
what a vegan diet is all about and buy or rent out some vegan cookbooks, these challenges?
Minimalist Baker is always a good starter. And it’s okay not to like tofu.
The most challenging part at first was the fact that I was the only vegan
in my family, so family dinners were always a bit difficult as there were
Q: Who and what inspires you to create and
limited options as well as a limited understanding of what I was doing and
test these recipes?
why. There were many discouraging comments about my choice to go
vegan in the beginning. But now I use it as an opportunity to educate and
Anyone who messages me and tells me their story, their needs, or tells me teach my family about the importance of veganism. As well as introduce
that I have inspired them, in turn, inspires me to create more and more vegan foods at dinners. Creating and having a community of support is
recipes. I also really love to cook, but I get bored very easily when it comes really helpful when you go vegan, which is so easy now because of social
to food so I need to do something different and create new recipes all the media. The most rewarding part is knowing that my plate is a reflection
time. My dad really loved cooking, he always created really weird recipes that of my values. It’s knowing that every day I am making the choice to do
tasted delicious. One of his dreams was to open up a restaurant, so maybe no harm. It’s pretty empowering.
a part of me is trying to achieve that in his honor, I’m not too sure really.
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