​Hi @Raepublic! Or, let’s go with real names- Chana Rae, but Rae for short. Thanks for joining me for this interview. I love your website and your mission and look forward to learning more about you through this interview and beyond! ​

So, what was your inspiration to adopt a vegan diet and when did that happen? 

Well, this may be a long answer. I lived in China, Macau and Hong Kong for several years. While living abroad I started finding it harder and harder to consume meat because I would see dead de-feathered ducks hanging in restaurant windows, I saw a dog hanging by its neck getting skinned...you get the picture. I ate less and less meat as the years passed and the only dairy I ever even liked was cheese. When I moved back to the US the easiest meat for me to eat was hamburger because it didn't look like anything. As time went on, I watched a documentary and decided that I needed to go vegan but I didn't want to be 'difficult' on any of my friends or family so for some time I was an "at home vegan". I laugh a bit at myself now for that. The more I read, the more I researched, the more documentaries I watched and the more I connected myself with what is actually going on in the meat and dairy industry, it's effect on the environment and one’s health, I needed to be vegan 100% of the time. January 9, 2015 I came to this realization. 

How did your friends and family respond to your diet change? 

There are always people that make fun of you or give you a hard time because they are afraid of change or don't want to look at their own choices, their own life. There are also a good amount of people that take change well though (which is always nice). I think many people in my life took it well partially because I eased them into it with how I went about going 100% vegan. 

I know that healing your spirit has been part of your vegan journey. Do you think this is a side effect of a vegan diet? What do you think the connection is?

Yes, improving one’s spirit has been part of my journey and I do think a vegan lifestyle can have a great effect on one’s spirit. However, in order for one’s spirit to work towards healing, one has to be ready and willing. I'm sure there are people who aren't necessarily aware or ready and so a vegan diet may not have the same effect. What do I think the connection is? Well, we could study and research that for years (which I plan to) but for a start I definitely think showing compassion towards all creatures and not being part of an abusive killing cycle can only do good for our spirit. I know that for me personally this made a huge impact because I can't stomach the thought of causing any creature pain or suffering that is even remotely close to what I have been through in life. 

In your YouTube videos you’ve shared your interest in the connection between plant based food and mental health. You’re really on the cutting edge of bridging the gap between those, and I really respect you for that. Can you share with us about your dream of supporting people in their emotional and mental healing through plant based diets?

I believe that our diet can have a huge impact on our emotional well-being. There is so much in this world that we don't know about, one of them being what spiritual or mental effect being part of a cycle that encourages abuse and killing has on our spirit or emotional well-being, we usually don't think about things like that. Even if we are only very distantly apart of the cycle. Aside from that there has been some research done regarding how eating plants literally makes you happier based on their effect on our bodies compared to consuming meat or dairy. I think it is all fascinating which is why I am going to school for my Masters of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine. My plan first is to create an online course for how the average day person can 'lean' into a plant-based vegan diet (hopefully to be released within the next year). Once I am finished with my degree I plan on creating online nutrition courses specifically aimed at assisting those who have experienced trauma. One of the things I love about my school is that they have classes like Psychology of Eating and Wellness and Fundamentals of Mind-Body Medicine and the Psychology of Well-being.

Wow, that sounds like a super cool school! And congratulations on being accepted into a Masters of Science in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine! Can you explain what functional medicine is? 

Thanks so much! Functional medicine addresses the person as a whole as apposed to isolated symptoms. It focuses on the underlying cause of disease and illness as opposed to just focusing on the disease or illness itself.  I really love the the Institute for Functional Medicine's analogy: 

"Conventional medicine tends to look at the constellation of symptoms first (the branches and leaves on a tree), which usually results in a disease diagnosis. Often, this diagnosis is associated with a drug or drugs that can be prescribed to treat this constellation of symptoms, and that is the end of the story. But this approach neglects the more fundamental aspects of health that reside in the roots and the trunk of the tree. It treats all patients that present with similar symptoms the same and completely neglects both the inherent differences among patients as well as the myriad of possible causes that a "disease" can have." - Institute for Functional Medicine 

Yes, I agree with that statement! So, 5 years from now what will we find you working on? 

In five years from now, I will be working on creating accessible online plant-based nutrition programs designed for different segments of society. I plan on starting with creating online nutrition programs whose aim is to assist people who have experienced trauma to live a more holistic, well-balanced life. 

Awesome. I wish you all the best with that. Your work is the work of the future and you’re so passionate and connected to it that you’ll no doubt be successful. 

Now, something light: 
What’s your favourite vegan-focused book? 

My future cookbook! Just kidding...maybe. :-) Honestly, I love Pinterest and websites. For some things I definitely love a physical book but for recipes I love the internet. I usually make my own recipes, utilize Pinterest or the Minimalist Baker's site.
What’s your favourite vegan website? 

www.raepublic.com
www.minimalistbaker.com
www.oursuperfoodkitchen.com
I'm also really excited about www.drool.com which will be launching next month I believe! It is a food aggregate site like TasteSpotting but it will contain only vegan recipes.

What would you cook for a potluck? 

I would definitely cook my Creamy Red Dhal and rice. I think it might be my best recipe. :-) 

​What was your experience when you first transitioned to a vegan diet?

34 years ago in Dallas, Texas, going vegetarian was considered quite radical and "weird." But it wasn't a discrete event. I gave up meat first, then egg yolks, then egg whites, and finally cheese.  Cheese was tough, but I couldn't justify eating it any more. Going vegetarian, and now vegan, was most impactful, both in mind and body.  My energy levels increased, I didn't get sick, and my awareness of the inter-connectedness of all life and the environment was augmented. 


For you, what is the most fulfilling, and most difficult part of being vegan?

Aside from the ridicule I got on occasion, going completely vegan wasn't that tough once I learned to adapt to "no cheese."  One of the reasons I wrote my book was to encourage others to give it up, too.

I agree with others who note that "no animal has to die for me to live or eat" and like the different awareness achieved through finally completing the process of going vegan.  Any difficulty is primarily due to other people not "getting it" and voicing concerns, arguments, and sarcasm.  After all these years, though, the clear increase in the number of people going vegan or plant-based is a nice validation of what those of us "early adapters" thought decades ago.
​

​What does an average day of meals look like for you?

No such thing!  I plan my meals usually around what's available seasonally, and ideally, locally.  I consider what I've been doing physically and mentally, what I anticipate is coming up, and do permit some comfort food now and then, with an occasional indulgence in a low-fat low salt meat analog.  Being an experienced plant-based cook, and having been actively researching and cooking veg recipes for well over 30 years, I tend to wing a lot of meals.

In general, I do like fresh fruit and oatmeal with almond milk and ground flaxseeds for breakfast, and when in a relationship, I'll cut loose a bit more often with a large brunch.  Lunch?  At least a very fresh salad once every three days, but more and more these days I tend to skip lunch, especially during the warmer weather.  I like having broccoli or greens of some kind as often as possible as part of dinner.

I strive for a variety and diversity of produce, grains, and legumes during the week, not having soy or wheat too often, preferring brown rice to white rice unless making sushi (still haven't master a decent short brown rice sushi recipe, although I've had some interesting results with millet or quinoa).  

Whatever I can envision I can usually make, so I really don't have a dietary routine, per se.


Could you share with us one of your favorite recipes? 

Well, here's an article I wrote for the T. Colin Campbell's Plant-Based Nutrition program that has a recipe and photos. 

​So I see that you just graduated from T. Colin Campbell’s Plant Based Nutrition program. Congratulations! I took this amazing course too. With this in mind, what would you recommend to someone who wants to improve their overall health? 

Certainly one can learn a lot about health from the program, but I see it as more beneficial to the medical or dietary professional, who wants to refine and enhance their knowledge of diet, nutrition, and health.  I would suggest that people subscribe to the Newsletter (it's free) and get a sense of where the program is going.  It was exciting:  great knowledge to be absorbed, challenging questions, and linking up with people around the world attending the class online at the time.  They are doing some fantastic work, and I urge people to "like" them on Facebook and follow their progress.  This will, in my opinion, be a very big thing in a few years.  It's like watching a wave starting to crest- that is, plant-based nutrition and a plant-based lifestyles.

Thank you Mark! And thanks for all your hard work propelling the plant-based movement!
​

Hi Emaline, so nice to have you here! Could you start by introducing yourself and your music career? 

Thanks for having me. My name is Emaline Delapaix and I am a Berlin based Australian singer songwriter, vegan, and cat companion. I taught myself to play instruments in 2011 and decided to pursue a full time career in music after pretty much having a mental breakdown a few years back. I wasn't living an authentic, honest life and in the end something had to give. Now I am living much happier here in Germany and playing music full time.

I’m in awe of your bravery of quitting your job in Toronto to pursue your music career in Eastern Germany, not to mention starting off living in a caravan in the winter! Can you share with us how you took that giant leap and what impact it had on your life?

I was so down mentally and spiritually in the creative sense that I knew something big had to happen for me to find and reinvent myself. I had been in a long term relationship which was abusive (this relationship inspired the song 'Exorcism' from my new EP), I wasn't vegan, I wasn't playing instruments or writing music that meant something to me. I had a horrible day job that didn't pay a lot and was struggling with a lot of body issues. I was also flat broke and dealing with such horrible depression that I was even having suicidal thoughts. I just thought logically, if I am to go on then I must fix this. I must find a way to live as a person who suffers from depression in a gentle, creative and affordable way. So that's how the idea of the caravan in nature came about. And Germany, well it's quite affordable and they are very supportive of art.

Congratulations on giving yourself what you needed! You partially credit veganism for helping you shift away from depression. Can you speak further about how veganism contributed to a shift in your mental health? 

Depression is an illness that will be with me for the rest of my life and it's still something I need to face in my day to day life. Music has helped me so much in being able to express myself, and veganism is so important. Apart from the obvious health benefits of a healthy veggie/fruit/grain/nut diet, I feel that I am treading a little lighter and have become a more gentler person in the world. It haunted me before when I ate dairy and wouldn't take responsibility for my food choices. Food plays a huge role in how our bodies and minds function. I did a lot of research when I moved to the caravan and raw and unprocessed vegan foods, especially juice have a really positive effect on how the brain works. Unfortunately most mental health professionals don't focus on food and just hand out lots of pills. This is my experience and pushing all those chemicals into my body just made me worse. A healthy vegan diet, exercise, and following the path you are supposed to be on, for me, is a really good starting point to begin tackling depression and accepting that it's part of you but to not allowing it to dominate you. If that makes sense.

As a vegan in Berlin, what does a typical day of meals look like for you? 

Well I tour so often so there isn't a typical day but when I am home it's mostly pretty healthy. Often breakfast is simple, fruit or cereal with homemade almond or cashew milk when I have the time. Lunch is often a huge salad- you know, one of those metal bowls usually for a whole family. I fill it with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, peaches, nuts, chickpeas or beans, with some cayenne pepper, sea salt, lime juice and walnut or olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Dinner might be a simple pasta with fresh veggies and lots of chili/garlic and I often make a litre of juice during the day such as apple, beet, lime, ginger, cayenne pepper. When I find myself getting down I will switch to 60-70% raw if possible to help kickstart my brain and get it into alignment. That's how I like to think of it. :)

Hi Tera! Could you introduce yourself and give us a little background information on who you are? 

My name is Tera McDonald and I live, work, and play in St. John’s, Newfoundland Labrador with my husband and two dogs. I am an adult educator at a post secondary institution here in NL. Throughout the past few years, I worked as a personal trainer and spent my happiest times as a running coach for the local Running Room. I started running in 2005, after settling some limiting body image thoughts, and I haven’t looked back! I am currently returning from a health concern which derailed my decision to start running ultra marathons in 2014, and now learning what this new body wants and needs.

Having previously been on the path to running ultras, how did you balance your vegan diet with intense athleticism? 

I ate. A lot. The wonderful thing about eating a plant-based diet is that once you learn to cook a few basics, the kitchen becomes your very best friend. I started by switching to nutrient dense food as the base of my meals: quinoa, black beans, nuts and nut butters, and the holy chickpea. I swear, give me a can of chickpeas and a decently stocked spice rack and I can create any of 10 amazing recipes! The best part is that most recipes are doable in under 25 mins from kitchen to table and that suited my often hectic training schedule. Another way I found balance was doing meal prep for the week on Sundays. I would bake muffins, chop veggies for salads, make a soup, and plan out the main meals for dinners. On a typical day, I was eating between 2000-2500 calories to match the long runs and weight sessions. I had to be very organized and I always carried extra food.

Do you have any vegan athlete role models? 

Scott Jurek (ultra runner) not only helped me reprogram my thinking about fuelling and recovering from my runs (look in ANY fitness magazine and it’s full of eggs and dairy as go-to recovery), but he helped me see that I could be a successful vegan athlete. His book Eat and Run is a go to favourite for me; not only for his accounts of his running history, but for easy, filling recipes. Another early role model is former Triathlete and Vega product creator Brandon Brazier. His Thrive cookbook is another that provided me with further proof that I could sustain my activities on a vegan diet. Brazier’s recovery drink recipes are amazing, not to mention his simple, but filling soups! Most of all, I began to seek out like-minded athletes and cooks on social media such as Instagram to meet my need for inspiration. This was probably the most helpful as I didn’t have those kinds of connections or support in my day-to-day life. 

When did you become vegan and what was your transition like?

From 2002 - 2011 I was a vegetarian / pescetarian and in the summer of 2011, I took the full jump into the world of whole food, plant-based eating. I was never a fond lover of meat, though growing up in NL there was always plenty. My family fish and hunt as a part of their food stock; eating meat was a part of my childhood. This food style, coupled with an eating disorder that I hid from family and friends, led to me having my gallbladder removed in 2002. As you can probably deduce, my vegetarianism was the direct result of losing a piece of my body to a terrible diet. Fortunately, a university friend, who was a vegetarian, taught me how food could be different. It wasn’t easy at first as I spent many months learning that I couldn’t just remove the meat, eat the rest, and expect to be healthy. In fact, I had to teach myself what healthy actually was because I never really knew.

When I transitioned to plant-based eating, it was because I was interested in both reducing inflammation in my body and improving my recovery time while I was training for my first triathlon. Luckily, I stumbled onto some great online resources and started doing some reading about eggs and dairy that shocked the pants off of me. Based on this research, I eliminated eggs first and saw an immediate change. I then nixed the dairy and I haven’t looked back. In fact, I feel that I have more life in me now than I did as a teenager. 

In your life currently, what is the biggest reward and the biggest challenge you experience being vegan? 

I would say that the greatest reward is totally selfish: I am healthy, happy, and strong because of the diet I enjoy. Eating fresh, local vegetables provides me with the nutrients I need to be vibrant. I eat fruit throughout the day along with a variety of grains, seed, and nuts. I will shamelessly say that I have been asked for ID to buy alcohol just last week (I’m 36!) and this happens regularly. My skin is clear and healthy. I have the energy to tackle whatever workouts I decide, and I know that I am soon getting to a point that I will be able to take up rigorous run training once again.

I would say that the biggest challenge is eating in social settings with non-vegans. The options are often the unhealthiest whether at a restaurant or friend’s home. Don’t get me wrong…no one twists my arm (who doesn’t love french-fries, chips, or candy?) but too much of that and my glow dims. I could say that at a point in my vegan life, it was a challenge to eat at my family’s table, but now I eat there without trouble. I’ve learned to value the meal at home, and I prepare my meals daily. I spoil friends with the occasional cooked meal at my house and I’ve yet to have someone leave unsatisfied or hungry.

You have an amazing Instagram account with a constant stream of beautiful self-made vegan meals. Could you share your favourite recipe with us? 

Well, thank you! I found Instagram to be such a great resource to just see what other vegans were eating; healthy, mindful, and joyful food at the click of a button! It really inspires me still and I love sharing my food. As for favourite recipe? This question is the hardest to answer; I have so many recipes that I love. However, I think my all-time favourite vegan recipe is from Oh She Glows, her Ultimate Vegan Lentil Walnut Loaf. It hit her blog around the same time I was seeking food to feed a hungry athlete. I cannot imagine how many lentil loaves of Angela Liddon’s I have made in the four years since!  

Thank you Tera! I wish you luck in your continued recovery, and hope that you find a beautiful new balance in this stage of life! 

Hi Ryan! Thanks for taking the time to chat with me! To start, could you please tell us a little about yourself and your online magazine, T.O.F.U.?

My name is Ryan Patey, and I’m the Co-Founder and Editor of a vegan magazine called T.O.F.U., which is currently based in Canada. Since 2007, I’ve been releasing the magazine in one form or another, whether print or digital. Currently, it’s available online through a pay-what-you-can system to ensure access to as many people as possible, regardless of financial constraints. However, I do have plans to bring the magazine back to print in the near future, if all goes well.

Personally, I quit my job as a Copywriter for a web and marketing company based in St. John’s, Newfoundland to pursue the idea of operating T.O.F.U. full-time. So far, it’s involved a lot of juggling in terms of limiting my expenses and trying to find a cheap place to live while remaining productive. Of course, it’s also allowed me to do things like living in Costa Rica for several months and crossing North America on The Wild T.O.F.U. Tour to promote the magazine and connect with like-minded individuals and organizations in different cities.

Congratulations on committing to your passion full time! About T.O.F.U., I love that Issue #6 challenges vegans to look critically at the ‘ethical’ label of the vegan movement. Why do you think it’s important to highlight challenging topics such as this one? 

There are so many reasons why it’s important to challenge people, whether they’re vegan or not. With the way so many issues are connected, there is no end point where you’ve reached peak compassion. Being vegan is just a part of it, and, in some ways, it tends to cause its own problems. Highlighting those areas, including racism, fat shaming, ageism, etc., is just my attempt to get folks to go beyond doing things “for the animals” or to at least acknowledge that those animals should include people.

If we’re not going to fight all forms of oppression, then where will we be once we end the oppression of animals? Sure, it’s hard to fight for everything, but being open to criticism from those who are fighting for something else is the easiest way to ensure you’re not being a part of the problem. Hopefully, by addressing these issues from the standpoint of already being vegan, readers will be open to considering those criticisms as well.

Well said! So what are you goals and dreams for T.O.F.U. magazine?

If you had asked me this when the magazine started, I would have simply said “To showcase vegans from around the world”. Now, it’s something more than that. The shift to critical thinking about veganism has allowed the magazine to highlight plenty of important topics, as well as a number of great people, and I want to continue that.

Ideally, I’ll be returning to print with the next issue, and then working on getting the magazine distributed to a number of places. It’s all still very grassroots, and the majority of the behind the scenes work is done by just me, so I don’t have dreams of being on every grocery store shelf in North America or anything like that. However, it would be great to know that if people wanted to hold T.O.F.U. in their hands, they would be able to. Of course, I’ll also continue to offer the digital version for whatever price folks want to pay.

Along with that, I also wouldn’t mind heading to Europe for a tour. I’ve done three across different parts of North America, and I want to bring the magazine over the Pond to connect with folks there. After that, I’d love to meet the folks in Australia who have been supporting me since the first issue, and then the rest of the world is certainly up for consideration too!

Basically, I want to bring T.O.F.U. to the world, and I’d love to do it through something other than just the Internet.

As the editor and co-creator of T.O.F.U magazine, what advice would you give someone who wants to impact more people through their vegan website or blog?

I have to admit I’m not doing so great at the blogging game, and attending the Vida Vegan Con each year has made me aware of that. The key thing I’ve taken away from that conference, and those I think are doing great with that platform, is that you have to be true and stick with your own voice. Instead of trying to do whatever the newest fad is or posting the next viral video to try and get likes, you should concentrate on writing and creating the things you want to be out there.

Thanks to the Internet, we can connect with people around the world, and, if you keep at it, those people will connect with you as well. Of course, T.O.F.U. has been around for nearly a decade, and I’m still working on spreading the word about it. So, you’re not going to be an overnight success, but you most likely will see new people joining in on the conversation as you continue. Be sure to talk with them! Be approachable and open, but only as much as you feel comfortable with. It’s hard to find a balance when you’re trying to create positive change online, but it’s important to be able to step away from it and allow yourself to breath and enjoy the world outside of a computer too. Not only will this give you a chance to be social in other ways (and maybe eat, feed your pets, etc.), it will also show you why it is you’re doing the work you do. Taking a moment to pet a cat, play with a dog in a park, or stop to smell a flower is a great way to remember that there are some beautiful things in the world, and they’re all worth protecting.

Trust me, if you spend enough time online, especially when responding to social media comments, you may forget this!

I see that you lived in South Korea for a while! Me too! I was vegetarian at the time, and bibimbap was my absolute favourite food while there. How did you navigate Korea as a vegan, and what foods were your favourites?

The first month or two I was in South Korea was tough, and my meals were not exactly interesting. I was living in Daegu, so I didn’t have all the benefits of the large metropolis that is Seoul, but I did eventually visit there a number of weekends, and each time I was able to connect with some of the people in the veg group. Plus, having Alien’s Day Out offering mail order vegan baked goods made the tough days so much better! Sadly, I left before Mipa opened Plant, but I do hope to visit there sometime to finally meet her.

Near the end of my stay in SK, I was also lucky enough to have a So Delicious Cafe open just a few blocks away from my house. Yes, So Delicious had cafes similar to Baskin Robbins in South Korea. I’ve never seen them anywhere else, but I’m glad I saw them there!

Along with that, there was Loving Hut. I can’t say I approve of their religious leanings for a number of reasons, but their food was a great safety net when I didn’t want to try and explain what “vegan” meant with my limited (basically non-existent) Korean.

As for my favourite Korean foods, I have found myself craving bibimbap and ramen many times. Of course, kimchi goes without saying, right? I put that stuff on far too many things whenever I can find a vegan-friendly version!

Speaking of South Korea, I know that you travel a lot. What tips would you give to vegans embarking on international travels?

I think it goes without saying, whether vegan or not, that the Internet is a great resource for travelling. Along with finding cheap flight options, there are folks who have blogged about being or doing so many things in a majority of the world. Simply searching “vegan X” for wherever you’re looking to go will most likely give you a number of blog entires. If not, make an effort to write one when you’re done your adventure!

Outside of that, there are plenty of folks who are vegan and basically full-time travellers, and they’re not making my attempts to settle in one place any easier with all their lovely photos and posts!

Check out Vegan in Brighton, Mindful Wanderlust, and Burger Abroad for starters. Also, keep an eye out for the first issue of Driftwood Magazine, which is sure to include plenty of great vegan travel stories!

In your experience, what is the biggest reward and what is the biggest challenge of being vegan?

I’ve been vegan for at least 7-8 years now, and I think the biggest reward actually comes when someone decides to be vegan based partially on my actions. I like to think that being a good example and countering some of the misconceptions of vegans is a great way to change people’s minds, and each time someone tells me I helped them make the change, it’s a great feeling.

As for the biggest challenge, I’d say trying to convince people to be open to change is one of my biggest issues. Although this relates to my biggest reward, I also mean trying to open people up to issues outside of veganism, especially those who are already vegan. I’ve probably faced more criticism from other vegans and vegetarians for my stance on PETA, posts about sexism within the animal rights movement, pushes to eliminate fat shaming from the usual rhetoric used to convince people to go vegan, and other statements/actions that are not quite commonplace. Granted, I feel strongly about these issues and I also experience a great amount of privilege in being able to speak about such things without any serious threats to my safety, etc., so I’m willing to put up with the pushback. However, it’s always more disconcerting when you’re being faced with opposition from people who spend so much of their time trying to open the eyes of others to oppression of a different sort.