Hey, friend. It’s been a little over 4 years now since I said “adios” to animal products, extra pounds, grogginess and “heyoo” to a nutritious plant-based, vegan lifestyle.
If you haven’t read the in-depth story of when and how I went vegan, check out this blog post I wrote three years back. Every word I wrote rings true to this day and it’s one of my most popular blog posts to date!
In a nutshell, living vegan and eating a whole foods plant-based diet has changed my life for the better in every way. It sounds dramatic. I know. But there’s really no other way to put it, fam! I’m still healthier than I’ve ever been and it consistently gets better. My skin, sleep, nails, digestion and endurance during workouts haven’t gone away. Obviously there are the occasional breakouts and few extra pounds during the holidays but my body can put up with quite a bit. I hardly get sick anymore and when I do, it lasts for only a day or two. In 2019, I’m pretty sure I got sick one time and with some rest, I was back to normal. It’s like I’ve been blessed by the vegan godmother to be able to endure the nastiest of germs. To feel this healthy makes me really grateful to have gone vegan about 4 years ago.
My biggest blessing that came out of living vegan is Coconut Whisk. The vegan and gluten-free baking mix company that I launched in 2018. This baby company of mine is why I took a year break from my blog and personal content creation. I’ve been hustling this past year (2019) to get it off the ground with my partner, Myles. I was (and still am) in charge of marketing, sales, setting goals and building a strong team. As you can tell, it took a whole lot out of me. But now, I’m finally in a phase where I have a little more creative time and freedom. Besides the point.. Through Coconut Whisk, I’ve met some of my best friends, hardest workers and found myself in the middle of some really cool opportunities. Without my decision to go vegan, I never would’ve dreamed of being 24 and running my own food biz.
Second blessing is the community that I’ve been able to connect with. I’m not a fan of the stereotype about vegans being abrasive. All the people I’ve met in this sphere is truly one-of-a-kind. Welcoming, warm, inquisitive and beautifully passionate. I’ve met a friend who shared about veganism helping her get sober and it made me think about how powerful the changes can be when you live a life of compassion. This is just one of the many stories I’ve heard. You have the die-hard vegans and yeah.. they can be a lot. But most vegan peeps I’ve met… they’re pretty darn cool.
Lastly, I didn’t expect this one to flourish so much but I’ve developed a richer spiritual life. A deeper sense of purpose. I started tapping into my Buddhist roots and to my surprise, a lot of the teachings already align with how I already live my life, as a conscious, compassionate and perfectly imperfect vegan. I learned more about what compassion truly means and how it’s our duty as humans to spread that loving-kindness. Which means to relieve the suffering of others and to do no harm. Buddhist, non-vegan, vegetarian, Christian, woman, non-binary or whatever… that’s a philosophy and way of life that I think we can all embrace.
Moving forward towards this new decade, I see myself living as a happy & healthy vegan for more years to come. I envision myself raising my family on these values and spreading nothing but plant-based goodness. From my personal brand to our food company, I want to continue to cultivate a space that’s inviting and warm to all. Vegan or not, we all simply want to live our best lives. I’ve been able to find a better version of myself through veganism, that might not be your story, but I’m grateful that you’re allowing me to share mine in hopes of inspiring you. Thank you.
Top 5 tips when starting:
- Do research on vitamins and minerals you’ll need to pay attention to; iron, b12, zinc, magnesium, omega 3’s
- Follow and get involved in a vegan community online or off. My favorite is watching vegan youtubers! (ellen fisher, itslivb, sweet simple vegan, earthy andy) — to name some of the many few)
- Let the people closest to you know why you are transitioning and the importance of their support. Trust me, telling my traditional Asian mother that I’m not eating her amazing pork steamed buns anymore was heartbreaking but she now is so understanding & in the end, it’s all worth it.
- Having a health log aka food journal on what you eat, how you feel and any thoughts can really help when it comes to accountability.
- Cooking is actually so much fun (and cheap) because there are so many resources out there. But start off with the basic dishes first then branch out to the fancier stuff, which makes it easier.
Lotsa love,
Bella
