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Veganuary 2026: Jennie's Vegan Journey (Originally released 2024)
0 Playsin 2 days
This January we are re-releasing all eighteen of our 'Going Vegan' series, to shine a spotlight on the huge variety of everyday normal folk who choose to avoid animal expoitation through choosing a vegan lifestyle.
In today's rerun, we hear from the lovely Jennie!
For the original shownotes for this episode, visit Episode 22 directly https://zencastr.com/z/Dv4c_g8A
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Enough of the Falafel is a community of people who love keeping on top of the latest news in the world of veganism & animal rights. With our podcasts, we aim to keep listeners (& ourselves) informed & up-to-date with the latest developments that affect vegans & non-human animals; giving insight, whilst staying balanced; remaining true to our vegan ethics, whilst constantly seeking to grow & develop.
Each week we look through news stories from the past 7 days in the world of veganism & animal rights, as well as picking a 'timeless' vegan or animal rights issue, and discussing it in more depth.
If you spot any news stories that might catch our fancy, or have an idea for a discussion topic, get in touch via enoughofthefalafel@gmail.com.
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Thanks everyone for listening; give us a rating and drop us a message to say "hi"; it'll make our day!
Jennie & Ant
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to the Enough of the Falafel Collective
00:00:01
Speaker
Hi there, this is Anthony from the Enough of the Falafel Collective. We're a group of just everyday vegans who for the last two and a half years or so have been releasing two podcasts a week bringing you vegan and animal rights news as well as philosophical discussions. And many of the contributors on the show have released a special episode in the past where they've talked about their journey of going vegan.
Jenny's Vegan Journey Begins
00:00:26
Speaker
And for Veganuary 2026, we are re-releasing all of those episodes and the episode you're about to listen to now is one of those so it's been recorded at some point in the last three years and it features one of our contributors we really hope you enjoy it and that you continue to join for other episodes that we release over the course of 2026
00:00:53
Speaker
Jenny, thank you so much for being here. We're we're really lucky to have you on today to to share your your going vegan story with us. Do you mind starting things off by just telling us a little bit about maybe those first little signs that veganism might be of interest to you or something that made you want to learn a little bit more? How how did things get started for you? So I was actually vegetarian. I've been vegetarian for over half my life. So if you think back to like Do you remember mad cow disease? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was i was about 10 when that happened. Yeah, I think I was like 14 or something. I think it was like 2001. And obviously I was living with my parents. You know, I ate what they ate. And they then suddenly, obviously mad cow disease started. And they decided that that was it, no red meat.
00:01:39
Speaker
And I was like, okay, cool. And I think fundamentally that's where it started. So, and funny enough, I actually am a farmer's daughter as well. Oh, wow. my dad actually, yeah, my dad owns a farm. So people always say to me like, really? Like farmer's daughter, vegan? But I feel like from that mad cow disease and living on a farm, seeing it happen right in front of you, basically, and kind of got me, I don't asking my dad, especially these questions. So from then, that was it.
Influences and Decision to Go Vegan
00:02:10
Speaker
No red meat, no white meat. So what was that, 2001? So vegetarian since then. And then vegan kind of came around, And it was my sister that kind of like spoke to me about a few people that she used to follow on Instagram. One of them being Deliciously Ella, don't know if you've heard. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So started to kind of like follow her.
00:02:33
Speaker
and And I was like, I think I could do this. Obviously, I was vegetarian, didn't have the meat. So it was more like dairy cheese. And what I did, first of all, was I thought if I just do a couple of days a week as a vegan, I And then just see how I progress. And this was back in, so when was this? 2019, August of 2019. Yeah. And I started to do it and I started to love it.
00:02:54
Speaker
And within about two weeks, I was like, I'm just doing it full time. So turned around to my husband. I was like, yeah, I'm going vegan. and He's like, what? um But from then, yeah, and that's it. And I've never looked back, honestly. What do you remember of that moment? you You've described a time there where you'd been trying trying to be vegan for a few days a week or kind of like getting used to the idea. And then that that point where you decided, right, I'm going to go for this. I'm going to tell someone, I'm going to tell the the significant person in my life. do Do you remember how that felt? Like, what was that like for you? I think I was like, i don't know, I just excited about it. I just thought when I do when i like want to do something, I go like wholeheartedly in if you know what mean. yeah um so So it wasn't quite overnight, but almost, I'd say. And from then on, I found I was...
00:03:46
Speaker
I don't know, more like, because I didn't watch any of these documentaries or anything until I actually was vegan. And then I started to do my research more. And then it was that kind of thing that I was like, I'm definitely doing the right thing. yeah Environment, ethical, health. Yeah. So, and and everyone really supported it to be fair. And yeah, what was it, four and a half years later? You're still here and not dying of protein deficiency. Yeah, I know. Yeah, shock. Yeah. So I'm interested, to what extent do you feel like the environment they had around you at the time of going vegan, how how helpful was that?
Family's Reaction and Support
00:04:24
Speaker
to to going vegan in that you've mentioned earlier being being the daughter of a farmer. but To many people that would that would be quite a significant obstacle to yeah eliminating animal products from you from your life. if we i mean if you If you want, tell us about both of those times actually, because um I imagine they might be quite different.
00:04:45
Speaker
To what extent was the environment that you were in helpful and naturally led to you making that transition in your life and to what extent was it an obstacle and and there were difficulties obviously going back to the whole farmer's daughter thing obviously seeing cow you know we it was like dairy and arable so you know cows would get picked up they get picked up on these trucks and you know piled high and You know, and you start asking yourself questions. And obviously I was still quite little um and something wasn't sitting well with me. And as I got older, I suppose, I don't know, thought more about it. Thought it's nothing. No, it's not right.
00:05:24
Speaker
You know, everyone deserves a life. Like, why is this happening kind of thing? You you spoke about ah people around you being very supportive when you get to become vegan. that's And I guess a lot of people don't have that, do they? But but you you found that quite helpful, I'm i'm guessing.
00:05:39
Speaker
Well, I suppose because obviously my parents initially were like, we're cutting out meat. Obviously that, yeah you know, so they were already vegetarian. Obviously all my brothers and sisters then kind of like followed us. So I feel like the support network that i have, immediate family were always kind of that way inclined. Yes, they're not fully vegan now. I am obviously, but they're still vegetarian. So I felt like I did have support. You know, people would question it. Oh, you and know, you're a farmer's daughter. Like how... But that's, I find, I find that's like backward in a way because I obviously see it firsthand. do you know what mean? Like, so I feel like I had a lot of support and obviously my partner now fully supportive. Obviously, my children, they basically eat plant-based because I make plant-based. They're not fully, but yeah, they eat what I eat, basically. Yeah, yeah. Well, that's that's ah a big part of these things a lot of the time, isn't it? Can I ask, was there anything that you were afraid of at the start of that that journey towards veganism? Were there any things that made you think, oh gosh, how how's this going to go? Or how am I going overcome this? No, not at all. The only thing maybe was how am I going to live without giant chocolate buns?
00:06:48
Speaker
That's I've not heard before. Now now you've mentioned it. Honestly, that was the one thing I was like, okay, cheese is fine. Milk is fine. But giant chocolate buttons. So random. So random. yeah But yeah. But I feel like like four and a half years ago, that there wasn't i don't think chocolate was as good. And now it's like, it's fine. I mean? I don't miss them anymore. So yeah. Yeah. that The progress has been quite exponential, I think, with a lot of these foods because it it feels to me Like whenever you speak to somebody about their vegan journey, regardless of when it happened, they will say, oh, when I first went vegan, the products weren't as good, but now they're so much. And that that is the case whether someone went vegan in 2003 or 2011 or 2019 or last week. Like everyone says, oh yeah, it didn't used to be very good, but it's quite better now. you think ah what's What's your substitute for giant chocolate buttons then? What what gives you that the crack now? Well, I love a lot of them, to be honest. So is it Nomo?
00:07:46
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Yeah. and Daisy and Daisy and Dom's, is it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. From Holland and Barrett. and Yeah. And actually, believe it or not, I used to hate dark chocolate
Adapting to Vegan Substitutes
00:07:56
Speaker
as well before I was vegan. And and my mother in law, she always used to Christmas and it used to be dark chocolate. And I'd be like, why does she keep giving me dark chocolate? But now I literally love it. Yeah. Tastes, tastes can really change. Oh, massively, massively. Yeah. Now when I get out the cheese for my kids, I'm like, oh my God, I can't even bear it. Yeah. Yeah.
00:08:16
Speaker
Yeah. It's mad. Yeah. ah Are there any other things that have surprised you? Things that you perhaps never thought you would see yourself eating or, or see yourself saying or doing? Oh yeah, definitely. Like drinking pea milk. mean, come on.
00:08:31
Speaker
I mean, that's like a game changer. um No, not really saying. Like a few things I thought like I'd never, not that I was ever a fussy eater pre being vegan, but I feel like, yeah, maybe a few things I'd be like, oh, I'm not sure about that.
00:08:45
Speaker
But definitely taste buds have changed. And if I'm honest, to begin with, I was like, obviously like things like cheese, and maybe the milk was slightly different. And it does take you a time to kind of like it Like the milk, for example, it took me ages to find one that I actually really was like liked, if you know what I mean. I'm still a bit fussy with that now, to be fair. yeah But Oatly is my game changer. That's like, yeah, the best one.
00:09:10
Speaker
Yeah. and So obviously when I did go vegan, it was like a case of, okay, right, I'm going vegan, went to the supermarket, you get all this stuff, don't you? And you have to find stuff that you like, like, you what I mean? The amount I spent on milk was just ridiculous, but it's all about trial and error and trying what you think. Yeah. So so can I ask then if if we can just focus in on the milks and on the plant milks? Because like you said, there are so many of them and there's such a variety, isn't there? Even within, i think almond milk is the kind of biggest culprit for this. Like there are so many different types of almond milk and they all taste completely different.
00:09:45
Speaker
And yeah like you say, with trial and error, with with hindsight, that's that's fine because you can reflect back and go, oh, I remember those horrible ones that I used to have. But actually, on the day that you've spent your hard earned money on on a type of plant milk that turns out to be really horrible, that can feel really crap, can't it? Like, how yeah how did you deal with those um those failures as well as the successes? I mean, it was okay. I didn't get like down by or anything.
00:10:12
Speaker
I was like right onto the next one, I suppose. and I mean, it's, it's just, fuck it' I don't know, it's hard to explain. Like, yeah, I never, I never got like, I never kind of like once I'd done it thought, oh, now I don't know if I could do this, if you see what I mean. yeah. yeah It was, yeah, this is just what I'm doing. And I know it will be weird to begin with. And I might find things hard to begin with. And that might taste funny or whatever. But yeah, I never kind of struggled. I always knew that in the long run, it would be better for me.
00:10:44
Speaker
You know, all the things I touched on before, environmental, ethical, you know, health. and Yeah, so. but yeah but That's quite far sighted of you, I think, actually, isn't it? Because ge generally speaking, as human beings, we're we're quite selfish, and we're we're kind of hardwired to to look after ourselves, really. And if if we're suffering through something, and we're we're buying a product that tastes horrible and we're feeling a bit crappy about it, like that that that can be quite difficult. So do do you think having that that bigger a picture as as to to reflect back on has has been quite important for your vision? Oh
Social Influences and Personal Choices
00:11:16
Speaker
yeah, definitely. Yeah, definitely. That's interesting. can Can I ask Jenny, I hope you don't mind me asking, like, have have you had other things in your life where you're doing something that is not the norm? and Because actually sort of coming out of you like and saying, oh I'm vegan, um that most people in the world aren't.
00:11:35
Speaker
And yeah so you're a bit unusual. Is is this yeah the kind of first thing that you've done like this? Or are there other things where you're like, yeah, I'm i'm Jenny, I'm a bit different because I'm dot, dot, dot. Well, I've always been a bit different. i got to be honest.
00:11:48
Speaker
I've always been a bit like doing stuff and it's like, really, you want to do that? You know, change your hair color a million times, you know, that kind of thing. and So if anyone was going to do it, my dad would say it was going to be me. yeah and But no, I mean, this is, I suppose people say this is quite drastic, isn't it? Do you know i mean? And, you know, you tell people they're vegan and they're like, oh my God, what, what do you eat? it's like that That is like what they always say to me. I'm like, are you actually joking? and But,
00:12:15
Speaker
Yeah, no, i am it's probably it's probably the most one I've done. Yeah. Craziest thing. Yeah. do Do you think you kind of need a bit of resilience to that? Like that that that kind of, I don't know, those those societal norms, those pressures to kind of kind of fit in and do what everyone else is doing. Actually, by being vegan, we're not doing that.
00:12:37
Speaker
And you're going to get a little bit of pressure or you're going to get a little bit of people going, oh my God, that's ah that's a bit weird. Like, do you think as a vegan, you need to be a bit resilient to those things? Could you do it if you... Oh, yeah, definitely. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, definitely. But I just think at the end of the day, it's like, you know, people think it's it's bizarre, but that's the decision that I've taken. You know, they've probably taken decision that they want to do and I don't answer them for it. do you see what I mean?
00:13:01
Speaker
and You know, everyone has, you know, and I give my reasons to why I've done it and they probably don't normally listen, but... yeah That's fair enough. this Yeah. could Can I ask what things have have helped your transition to to veganism the most? Like, would you say? Instagram. Right.
00:13:20
Speaker
To be fair. YouTube. So I would probably say social media mainly. um And how have they helped? So I followed a lot of like what i eat in a week, what I eat in a day, vegan on YouTube, which I know a lot of people, you know, don't like, but I just found it quite inspirational for me just to get ideas more than anything yeah with the what i eat in the weeks etc and then Instagram I just started to follow a load of vegan people obviously like I said earlier Delicious Ella was one of them So Vegan was another and just following them kind of
00:13:55
Speaker
Yeah, just gave me inspiration of what I could cook or how I could be. so those two were definitely a massive part of the beginning. Yeah. yeah So it's it's kind of been the the practical help, the ideas, the inspiration side of things. Definitely. Yeah.
00:14:11
Speaker
Yeah. Obviously, like a lot, I was vegetarian anyway. So it was kind of like the meat wasn't really a problem. It was just kind of like, it was the dairy side of it more, you know, baking without milk, without butter, that kind of thing. So knowing what to use, if you know what mean. Yeah. Do you feel like you've nailed it now? Nailed it. Come on, give us some give us some secrets. Give us some secrets. No, to be fair, i I don't do a lot of it still off my, i still follow a lot of people and follow what they do. if you see what i mean, like I still follow a recipe, like I'm not good enough yet to wing it in the kitchen, if you know what I mean. yeah Especially when it comes to baking.
00:14:47
Speaker
Well, I think one of the difficulties with with vegan baking is there's not a heritage of it. Whereas with savoury food, savoury dishes, a lot of cultures have got hundreds and hundreds of years of plant-based cooking behind them. So like there's a lot of heritage there. Whereas people generally haven't been making traditional British style cakes without animal products for very long. yeah So it's it's harder to wing it because we don't instinctively know these things because we we have no heritage of
Commitment to Veganism in Social Settings
00:15:15
Speaker
it. but Yeah. um So I'm going to divulge something about myself here. Since calling myself vegan, I have eaten lots of non-vegan foods, sometimes accidentally.
00:15:25
Speaker
um Sometimes because I have not felt prepared enough socially to say no to somebody or to tell my nan, I'm sorry, nan, I'm not going to eat that thing that you've just cooked and accidentally put some products in. There have been some times when it's just been a oh, do you know what? In the early days, i would say, I just thought, do you know what? That's got milk powder in it.
00:15:48
Speaker
um i I don't really think that's going to make much of a difference right here, right now. Like, screw it. I'm just going to eat it. Like, have you found it something that you've been able to or wanted to do absolutely to the letter 100% of the time? Yes, 100%. Fantastic. Yeah, I know. That day that I said, that's it.
00:16:06
Speaker
But then that's just my attitude anyway. And that was it. I was like scanning the back of the ingredients of everything. And I'm like, no, i can't have that. I was like taking my own packed lunch to my mum's or whatever. But I was just adamant. I just thought if this is what I'm going to do,
00:16:21
Speaker
Then I'm just going to wholeheartedly just throw myself into it. yeah Just do the best that I can. And maybe accidentally i might have eaten something, you know, you know, so when you eat in and restaurant, you know, you order vegan, but then you haven't cooked it. So you're not a hundred percent, if you know what I mean.
00:16:37
Speaker
um but with everything that i've done or somebody has given me i've always said what's in it uh no i can't have it you know what mean so i've been quite hard on myself probably yeah maybe some people would say too hard but yeah i just thought from that moment that i did it i just thought yeah i'm just gonna do this and i'm gonna do it properly if you see what mean yeah what why would some people say you're doing it too hard on yourself Well, because some people say just do it like, it's like my sister, she's she's more of a, so she's vegan, but she's more of flexi vegan, you know? So if she was like out, I don't know, she'd have an ice cream. Do you see what i mean? Whereas I'm like, she's like, just have an ice cream. And I'm like, no, I'm not doing it. And I feel like because I haven't had it for so long now, I almost don't want it now, if you know what mean? So, yeah. Yeah. Can I ask, you can tell me to stop prying and stop asking annoying questions.
00:17:29
Speaker
Like, does it do something to you when you've got a sister who's saying that they're mostly or most of the time vegan, but then they're kind of having a moment where they're saying, I'm going to cheat on this. just like Does that make you feel something or is it... what Well, it's a little bit like if you're going to do it, you might well do it properly, hun. But, you know, if you don't want to, then that's cool. I would never preach. Like, do you know i mean? I don't feel like, I feel like I'm a vegan. If people want to ask why, I'll tell them why. But I would never go to a non-vegan and preach that they should be vegan, if you see what I mean. So I feel like at the end of the day, that's her decision. That's fair enough. And, you know, anything, if you do if you do vegan three times a week, that's still going to help.
00:18:15
Speaker
amazingly do you know what I mean like it's not just about being full-hearted if you don't want to go all in like I did yeah just a little bit makes a massive difference oh well I think it's about the long term isn't it and because I think with a lot of lifestyle changes some people will feel if they if they can't do it completely then they they'll just kind of jack it all in which which would be a terrible shame so actually if if the if the one way that that someone kind of can do something in the long term is by occasionally having a slice of birthday cake or whatever. I'd much rather they do that for the rest of their lives than be completely vegan for two years and then it's too much and they go back to steaks and
00:18:56
Speaker
Exactly. yeah Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So you've been vegan for four years now, haven't you? Yeah, four and a half. Yeah. Can we zip back in time and and look at what it was like to to transition to become vegetarian? Because I guess that's the first sort of significant diet lifestyle change that that you went through. And if I'm understanding correctly, you went through it quite suddenly with other members of your family too. Mm-hmm.
00:19:24
Speaker
what was that like yeah well I suppose I was obviously living at home so it wasn't kind of like you know my parents were making the meals it was I don't know I feel like I didn't miss it if I'm honest you know I can't even remember what we used to have I think we had corn a lot of the time as the substitute but we never ever even we never had lamb really or like veal or anything like that we weren't like fully meaty even before we became ve vegetarian all of us it's just things like yeah i mean it's i don't feel like it was ages ago now 2001 i suppose my parents made everything i guess i just ate what they made that was just the way that we were brought up um i don't ever feel like i was like gagging for a steak or anything like when they said that's it we're going vegetarian i suppose i suppose because i was younger you could just i don't know you just kind of get on with it maybe more i don't know it's hard to yeah i think there's definitely an element of of children and sort of people in adolescence will question things less because they're a bit more used to life just sort of happening to them and i suppose as i got older you know and doing a more things i just i don't know i'd i'd just be like no i don't want to now do you see what i mean because i hadn't done it for so long that was like it wasn't like that yeah they pushed on me maybe initially But I then made this decision myself when I was old enough.
00:20:48
Speaker
No, I now still don't want to, if you see what I mean. Yeah. are there Are there differences within your family who who went through that at the time in terms of where their paths are at now? have have Have they gone in ah in in a different direction to to yourself or have they reacted to it differently? So they, a lot of them still don't eat red meat, but do eat white meat. Yeah. Yeah. So obviously nothing to the extent that I've done. um So yeah, they're still, yeah, they're not hardcore meat eaters, that's for sure. Yeah.
00:21:15
Speaker
Yeah. And you you kind of, you would attribute that back to um being a farming family when mad cow disease happened? Yeah.
Ethical Questions from Farm Life
00:21:23
Speaker
Yeah. And obviously it's not, it's not just down to my cow disease, I guess. It's just seeing, you know, you're brought up in this farm, you have these relationships with these animals.
00:21:32
Speaker
you know i mean? Like i remember I had, I had chickens and i used to do the eggs and everything. And I was like, I want some pet chickens. And my dad was like, cool, go pick two. So pick two. And it was amazing. I used to take them for walks with a little string on their leg. And, you know, they were my little pets. And I used to eat their eggs at that point. And then one day I was like, where have they gone? Dad's like, yeah, you know i mean? Like done the whole. Yeah. And I was like, I suppose because, i don't know, it's hard not to have these relationships with these animals when you live on a farm. And that's when you start to question like, why? Like, why did you need to do that? do you know what i mean? And some farmers are so hardcore and they're like, that's just life. They die for us to eat or whatever. And I don't know, with me, it didn't sit well. And I suppose that's initially where it all really starts. That's a ah really powerful story. you for sharing that with us. Like, gosh, I'm just ima i'm just imagining that now. I know. Like, wake up and I'm like, what, nine? Where are they? Oh, I wrung their necks because they weren't like producing eggs anymore. And I'm like, what? Like, yeah. So.
00:22:34
Speaker
ah you Are you surprised that there aren't more people who have grown up on farms who end up becoming vegetarian or vegan? 100%. 100%. But I feel like it's this stigma of, like, where you live on a farm. So it's like you breed, you eat, like, you you make this pig all fat and, you know, we're going to have it for dinner. And I'm like, what? Like,
00:22:58
Speaker
how how is that even like to me that's just completely alien now do you know i mean i'm i'm at that point where it's like so far beyond that i just actually cannot even get over it now gosh gosh this is this is a really interesting journey thank you so much So I'm going to ask you like a bit of a hypothetical question now. So if let's let's just imagine that um in 2019 you hadn't decided to go vegan then.
00:23:27
Speaker
Let's just say life just just carried on as normal. But instead that that kind of feeling that you had then, you instead had now. So let's imagine that that happens to you now in early 2024.
00:23:39
Speaker
How would it be different for you? Do you think there would be any differences? Maybe slightly easier in a way of maybe there's more talk around it. Maybe there's more on social media, more in the supermarket to what there was four years ago. Maybe slightly. Yeah. I don't know. I feel like four years isn't too long. No, but but you've you've noticed in that time a sort of higher profile for veganism and... Definitely. And more products. Because i do I do feel like when I turned vegan, there wasn't as much...
Transition to Whole Food Plant-Based Diet
00:24:11
Speaker
maybe talk about it but then I tend to think was that just because I didn't follow the people that I follow now if you know i mean so so I'm not sure but that's something you've said that that has helped you hasn't it sort of surrounding yourself with more vegan media massive yeah massively social media has been huge help yeah and still is to this day yeah yeah you've mentioned some I feel like you've mentioned some YouTube accounts but possibly are there any other ah Instagram you mentioned was particularly useful for you any particular accounts Yeah, so we've got Deliciously Ella, who's like whole food, plant-based, so vegan. Julia Ayers.
00:24:46
Speaker
I think it is. She's YouTube. She does a lot of what I eat in a week. When I so first started vegan, I used a lot of, you know, you get the fake meats and stuff to try and transition.
00:24:57
Speaker
i was buying a lot of that. So like instead of a, you know, don't know, you'd have a sausage or whatever. But now I feel like I have changed slightly to actually I try and eat as whole food plant-based as I can, as in not buying so much of the crap.
00:25:14
Speaker
As amazing as it is. Like, I love the fact that they have all these options and everything now. yeah It's incredible. And, you know, I do sometimes get it, but I do try to eat as much that I've made myself, if you see what I mean. So I feel like that's quite a change from four and a half years ago. yeah because i feel like there's like a vegan where you can be vegan and then you just buy all this like processed stuff do you see what i mean yeah um and that's great but for me i'm now trying to kind of like transition slightly now to completely whole food where i know what's in it if you see what i mean do you do you think if you were let's say you're sharing a kitchen with somebody who was already cooking that way at the point at which you went vegan and
00:26:01
Speaker
Do you think it was just a case of educating yourself and and and being able to do that? Or was there a case that these sort of fake meat products, if you like, helped ease that transition? And you'd kind of always need to do it that way, where you you always have to start off by making those those replacements before kind of changing to a more whole foods. Yeah, I feel i feel like the replacements helped, especially with things like cheese. Mm-hmm.
00:26:27
Speaker
Um, I don't now eat so much of the vegan cheese. Like I use nutritional yeast. yeah Do you see what I mean? So it's kind of that change. So initially it helped me. Yeah. like having all this stuff that's available now and it was amazing. But now I feel like I don't tend to, or I try not to use it as much as I can. Yeah.
00:26:46
Speaker
Yeah. Just because I, I'm kind of like recently looking to more into like what's actually in your food and trying to just kind of really strip it back. If you see what I mean? yeah It's interesting, isn't it? Like the, the, the journey for veganism, like in a sense, it just starts when you go vegan because there's so much more learning to do, isn't there? If you, if you want to,
00:27:06
Speaker
that it can completely open so many new doors definitely yeah because obviously I'm Vegan now was vegan four and half years ago, but I would say I'm a slightly different vegan now, if you see what I mean, because I'm not one that grabs for, you know, the easy food that's, you know, vegan. I try and make as much as I can myself. Yeah, cool. So let's let's just talk some specifics in terms of like, youve you've obviously mentioned social media accounts that have been really helpful. what In terms of um products or brands or things like that, just like practical tips for somebody who's listening now, and they're just at the start of their vegan journey, or they're considering it, are there particular products or brands or services that you would say, definitely go for that? or the opposite, definitely don't go for that.
00:27:52
Speaker
Definitely don't go for pea milk. ah I know, was sorry peas. So like, I try and shop cosmetics and things like that the body shop because obviously so much of their stuff is vegan and and obviously not again not tested on animals etc and what's the other one faith in nature so when I use cosmetics shampoo and stuff they're the two brands I always just use Violife is amazing fur cheese so if you do yeah if you do like a cheese obviously they've got so much stuff now the other thing as well I would say I know you didn't say it but it's
00:28:28
Speaker
documentaries so i actually initially when i turned vegan i hadn't actually watched any documentaries and it wasn't i don't know maybe a year in and you know when like cow spiricy came out and see spirits day and i was like right babe we've got to sit down and watch these documentaries and it was those documentaries that were like uh oh my god i'm so doing the right thing do you see what i mean like not that I ah not that I ever thought that I wasn't but it was that kind of sense of this is just the best thing that I can do yeah so for me if you see what I mean so and actually believe it or not my partner wasn't actually vegetarian when I met him yeah um or even when we were married yeah and I was like I'm not I can't do this anymore like living with a
00:29:13
Speaker
Not that he was a massive meat eater, but he'd live, you know, like, I don't know, like a steak every now and again. I'd be like, literally like, I can't deal with this smell in the house. and so I was like, right we're going to sit down and watch his documentaries. And he literally watched it and that's it. He's been vegetarian ever since. No way. Yeah. So it's things like this that like, just change your, hold on a second. So what was it? Cowspiracy, Seaspiracy, What the Health and Game Changers were huge for us. Yeah. Did you just have like a movie night where you just watch them all back to back? yeah Oh, yeah. I wish. Yeah. Binged them. Gosh, gosh. I think I'd be a quivering wreck at the end of that.
00:29:56
Speaker
ah Just to finish off with then, if you could go back to the start of your vegan journey,
Reflections on the Vegan Lifestyle
00:30:03
Speaker
or indeed your vegetarian journey, choose choose the point at which you want and and go about things at all differently. ah Would you? Is there anything that you'd do differently? No, if I'm totally honest. but I just feel like that day that I said is just being a massive turning point for me.
00:30:21
Speaker
And I don't regret it for a second. I don't feel like I could have done anything different. I just, I feel better in myself. I feel more energy my skin is like a hundred times better so I feel like actually if anything it was the best thing I ever did I know that sounds really cheesy and really corny so bad but it's true yeah do you wish you'd done it sooner hundred percent yeah do you think do you think you could have done it sooner because it's it's easy to say that but actually there are often things in our lives that that make it difficult Maybe. Yeah, maybe. I mean, I look back and I like, you know, when I follow these people and they're like, oh, I've been eight years vegan. And I do always think, I wonder if I could have done that at that point. Like, and I mean, I don't know. you don't know, do you, until you're kind of in that situation. yeah I feel like I could have. that Still ahead of the curve though, aren't you? Let's be honest. Yeah. We can cut this out if you want to. I think it might be interesting for people to hear on your approach with your children with regards to it in that different people take different different approaches with their
Raising Plant-Based Children
00:31:27
Speaker
children. Yeah, I've thought about it a lot to be fair and people always ask me as well how it is with my children. I was tempted to bring them up on a plant-based diet, but I didn't. They basically eat, they eat what I eat. Yeah. So I only ever cook plant-based. So if they had, I don't know, macaroni cheese, they would have a macaroni cheese, how I make it. But if they then wanted cheese, like real cheese grated on it, yeah then I will let them. I feel like it's a decision that it's hard when they're younger as well, because
00:32:00
Speaker
Obviously, the school environment, you know they have things at school, you know they go to these parties. It's just difficult to kind of manage. Oh, actually, no, they're vegan. and So I just thought at their age, vegetarian is what we basically do. I would say they were like 80% plant-based, 20% not. Just for those times. you know mean? I don't want them to feel... If they're at a birthday party, a kid's birthday, I don't want them to feel restricted. Oh, I can't have that because...
00:32:30
Speaker
They understand the meat. The older one now asks questions all the time and she generally can't get it in her head. And this isn't me. I told you I don't preach. like i'm I'm honest. So I say if they ask the question, yeah, someone will kill a cow and eat it. And it's weird because they've made their own decision. She's like, I don't understand why someone would eat a cow. And that's nothing down to me. That's just...
00:32:56
Speaker
do you know i mean i think children and animals it's kind of i don't know they're like you know we love animals we've got lots of pets and i don't know it just doesn't sit well with them i suppose yeah so vegetarian but yeah plant-based mainly at home yeah and i feel like when they get older it is completely their decision what they want to do if they want to turn around and eat meat again obviously i'll be slightly devo i would be like cringing in my seat like oh are you sure um But then that's the decision and they're old enough to make that decision. I think something that a lot of people will miss sometimes is actually there's the there's the food that children are being fed, but there's also the environment and the culture and the attitudes and the ethics that they are being brought up with. And like I'm hearing from you that you don't want to... indoctrinate them, you don't want to preach to them. But actually, if you're modeling compassion with them, with which it sounds like you are, then actually yeah that's going to lead them to to be the best versions of themselves and the nicest human beings that they can. And and their actions will will more or less fall into line with that, whether it's 100% vegan or or whatever. But like that's that's really important, isn't it? arguably yeah Arguably more so than whether they're having a piece of birthday cake at their their friend's party or not exactly and they often ask like why are you and i just give them an honest response and so they kind of understand it now but it's funny because my older my eldest one she was watching something the other day and she was like mommy come in here and um it was like i don't they're watching a cow getting milked for some reason i don't know i on some sort of like farm kid program yeah And she was like, this cow's getting milked. It's disgusting. I was like, what are you on about? Like, that's because I don't think they realize you you go into a supermarket and the milk's just there. Yeah. You know, they don't know how that milk comes from a cow, if you see I mean. And she was like totally creeped out about it. And I was like, honey, it's just, that's how you milk a cow. She's like, oh my God, it was disgusting. And I was like, okay. Yeah.
00:35:01
Speaker
But then it's seeing things like that. And eventually she will make her own decision on what she wants to do from that, if you see what I mean. Yeah. I'm really, really grateful for that for the conversation we've had, Jenny, and and for your time. Thank you so much.
Advice for New Vegans
00:35:12
Speaker
You're welcome. Is is there anything you'd like to say to anyone listening now who is starting their their vegan journey. we're We're hoping by calling the show Going Vegan that it will it will pop up on people's searches when they're looking for podcasts to support them with the start of their journey. what What would you say to somebody who's in that position now? I'd say, obviously, don't go all in if you can't like I did, but do what you can.
00:35:37
Speaker
Like I said earlier, it's not just, you know, if it's two, three days a week, anything helps. And if it's a slow transition, great. But use... Like you say, like listen to these podcasts, find these YouTubers, because it does massively help.
00:35:53
Speaker
It really does. Jenny, thank you very much. You're welcome.
Closing Remarks
00:36:07
Speaker
This has been an Enough of the Falafel production. We're just a normal bunch of everyday vegans putting our voices out there. The show is hosted by Zencaster. We use music and special effects by zapsplap.com.
00:36:22
Speaker
And sometimes, if you're lucky, at the end of an episode, you'll hear a poem by Mr. Dominic Berry. Thanks all for listening, and see you next time.
00:36:48
Speaker
This episode may have come to an end, but did you know we've got a whole archive containing all our shows dating back to September 2023? That is right, Dominic. There's over 100 episodes on there featuring our brilliant range of different guests, people's stories of going vegan, philosophical debates, moral quandaries, and of course, around a dozen news items from around the world each week.
00:37:13
Speaker
So check back on your podcast player, to hear previous episodes. And remember, to get an alert for each new episode, simply click like or follow and also subscribe to the show.
00:37:23
Speaker
Thanks for your ongoing support wherever you listen to us from.