Jade Phoenix Interview
Jade Phonix is a 25-year-old social media influencer from Australia. She is widely known for her Instagram account @TheAdventuresOfJade, with a following of 52.6k people. She is a big advocate for self-love, traveling, sustainability, and veganism—among other things. If I could sum up her Instagram account in two words it would be positivity and gratitude. She uses her platform to uplift, enlighten, and educate others. I wanted to interview Jade to get a better understanding of her veganism journey while having such a massive following of people interested in her life.
Q:How old were you when you decided to have a vegan diet?
A: I went vegan when I was 20 years old after being vegetarian for a year prior.
Q:How did you transition into eating a vegan diet?
- Were you influenced?
- Did it happen all at once?
- Did you try and fail a couple of times?
A: After being vegetarian for a year I was aware of veganism but never had the push to make the switch until I watched a speech by Gary Yourovsky on YouTube. He had an answer to everything I would have questioned & by the end of the video my husband and I both agreed that going vegan was the best thing to do. We went vegan overnight and haven’t looked back since!
Q: Did you stop eating animal produced products for ethical reasons or because you dislike the taste of meat?
A: I went vegan purely for ethical reasons.
Q: Do you enjoy non-meat products that mimic the taste of meat? For example: seitan, beyond meat burger?
A: Yes, I see no problem with them! I didn’t go vegan because I didn’t like the taste of meat – it was something I grew up enjoying. I think it’s great that alternatives are around for people who still want to enjoy those flavors/textures. I personally eat mainly whole foods + tofu (so not a lot of processed foods like faux meat) but I do enjoy them here and there!
Q: Do you feel as though you have to bring your own prepackaged food with you to events in case they do not offer veggie/vegan options?
A: Not at all, sometimes, like Christmas for example at my husbands family home we brought some tofu & extra vegetables for our own meal, while his sister had some vegan options available too. After being vegan for almost five years now my family & friends are used to it now & enjoy making vegan food + it encourages them to make kinder choices and to be more aware of what they’re eating. I personally enjoy making food for others, so I love to cook for family & friends.
Q: Do you always read the ingredients on things to double and triple check to make sure what you’re about to consume is vegan?
A: I actually don’t eat a lot of pre-packaged foods so I don’t usually have this issue. In the beginning I did check a lot, but over the years I have grown and the foods I enjoyed have varied so I mainly just eat a lot of vegetables, fruit, legumes etc which are all safe for vegans anyway!
Q: Have you ever accidentally eaten meat/dairy?
- If so, how did you react?
- Did you feel guilty?
A: Yep! I think it’s an easy slip up especially in the beginning. I once ate half a pork spring roll at work after I was told it was vegetarian – this was disappointing but I didn’t feel guilty at all.
Q: Since you have a generous amount of people who are interested in your life, do you often hear negative comments about your diet choices?
A: Not at all really, maybe a few times over the years, but nothing frequent. I like to keep it quite peaceful online & I do enjoy sharing my views/thoughts/meals – but aim to never be too preachy or pushy. I get it’s not for everyone and I respect that.
Q: Since you became pregnant, have you noticed people trying to influence you into letting your child decide the type of diet they wish to have?
A: Not at all, I have definitely had people ask if my husband and I plan on raising our child vegan – to which we say of course. It’s like asking someone that eats animal products if they’d raise their child eating animal products – they would, because it’s what they do & what they know. We know that being vegan & being health conscious is best for us and we’re very educated on that it’s very healthy for a child too.
Q: Have you cut out/added something to your diet since becoming pregnant?
A: No, I eat more as I’m hungrier, but am just listening to my body. I’m very thankful to be in great health and have that reflected in how I look, feel & my blood results! My doctor is very happy.
Q: Are there any documentaries/books/websites that you would recommend someone to check out in order to educate themselves on all the wonderful things a vegan lifestyle offers not only animals but our planet as well?
A: I love documentaries – so Earthlings, Dominion, Lucent, Cowspiracy, Food Matters, What The Health etc are all great ones if you want facts/stats/footage.
I also just really enjoy personal experience & witnessing others thriving. I love YouTube – so watching people like Ellen Fisher, Avant Garde Vegan, Liv B, and other vegan youtuber’s inspire me daily.
Plenty of information can be found online too:
https://nutritionfacts.org https://www.pcrm.org https://www.veganaustralia.org.au https://www.plantbaseddoctors.org/browse https://plantproof.com
Follow Jade: on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/theadventuresofjade/?hl=en
On Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCITbqAMNqpQdrzGIHRvaOXQ
DeAndra Forde Interview
DeAndra Forde, D, is a 22-year-old nutrition major at Drexel University and for as long as she can remember food has been her passion. She has always had a deep love for: cooking, eating, and talking about different kinds of foods. As she grew, so did her relationship with food. As a child, D experienced many various injuries and a big part of her healing process was finding certain foods, to help her have speedy recoveries. She has never been a big meat eater, only poultry and fish, which is a big reason why I wanted to interview her about this topic.
She is currently a senior at Drexel and in the summer will be finishing up her college career. After graduation, she will be taking some time off academically with the hope to pursue a community partnership. In the fall, D plans on moving back to her home state, New York City where she will begin touring for dietetic internship programs.
Q: What are foods rich in protein that are vegan?
A: Lentils, quinoa, seitan, tempeh, beans and legumes.
Q: Are those who eat a vegan diet missing core vitamins and minerals? Should they be supplementing?
A: A multivitamin is good for everyone, and it isn’t just vegans that are at risk for not getting essential vitamins and minerals. However, vitamin b12 is mostly naturally found in animal products, so vegans should make sure to take a vitamin b complex supplement to avoid any missing nutrients.
Q: How important is B12?
A: really important! Most natural sources of B12 (cobalamin) is found in animal sources meats and dairy, so supplementation is very important. Inadequate amounts of B12 can lead to neuropathy. Vitamins B12 deficiency can be due to inadequate intake and impaired pancreatic of GI function. It can cause pernicious anemia which is also due to lack of intrinsic factor in the body.
Q: Are those who eat a vegan diet likely to suffer from iron deficiency?
A: Yes and no. It depends on how educated and dedicated the vegan is. You can eat a bag of chips and be vegan, you can eat clean and also be vegan. But it’s about taking the next step to know what plant based foods can come together and make a complete protein. Many meat eaters even suffer from iron deficiency. Iron deficiency isn’t just about eating meat.
Q: Is too much soy a health concern?
A: There were studies in the past that related a high consumption of soy to lead or trigger breast cancer. That is not the case anymore so I don’t believe there are any health concerns with soy specifically. Although, soy products tend to be high in sodium, so I would be careful about how much soy is consumed in that sense.
Q: How much is too much processed foods?
A: The least amount of processed foods you consume the better, and that is for omnivores to vegans alike. Processed foods, you never really know what you’re getting. There are so many additives to keep products “fresh”, whether the product is organic or not. IF you can keep your packaged foods to a minimum the better, and which packaged foods makes a difference as well. Although stores like Trader Joe’s makes great ready made dinners, those have a lot of sodium, so taking the time to make some of those dinners yourself, could make all the difference, and you can control the ingredients, for example adding more veggies and less sauce.
Q: Should a woman who is pregnant and vegan add something to her diet for the safety of the baby?
A: Women vegan or not, while pregnant should be getting a lot of folate, once they are of child bearing age. Thankfully, folate is found in a lot of plant sources, that should be highly consumed in a vegan individual’s diet. Folate/folic acid supplementation may also be needed, but she should speak with her physician to have a blood test done to see here RBC levels. It is important to have enough folate in the system prior to pregnancy to avoid birth defects like spina bifida, neurological disorders, etc.
Q: Are there skin benefits that come with a vegan diet?
A: There have not been any RCT (randomized clinical trials) that highly support that. But having a clean healthy diet over all will eliminate the amount of impurities in your body, thus aiding in your skin complexion/ condition as well as other attributes.
Q: Is there one magic food that people should at least eat once a day?
A: ABSOLUTELY NOT. I personally hate the term super foods, it is a marketing ploy. If you eat tons of products with matcha but still have a crap diet, that matcha isn’t going to be doing too much for you. Again, sorry I sound so repetitive, but changing and enhancing your over all diet is what will make all the difference.
Q: Out of all the dairy-free milks, is there one that is the better for you?
A: There isn’t one that is best for you, but there is one that is not that great for you, and that is coconut milk. Coconut milk like the oil was labeled a super food (honestly is was America finally getting on the band wagon of what so many other countries and cultures knew forever, but don’t even get me started on that lol). Coconut products oil and milk are high in fat! For almond milk almost 95% of the calories comes from fat. When you drink almond milk, you should essentially not have any more fat consumed for the day, but how realistic is that. If you are going to use almond milk, I would dilute it with another dairy free milk like oat milk (water is good too, but the taste is bleh).
Meg Kyle Interview
Meg Kyle is a 24-year-old florist who was born and still lives in Philadelphia. As a local florist who relies on the business of her community to be able to do her craft, she finds it very important and a serious responsibility to invest one’s money back into their community and support the local products/people producing them. This has been a key part in her trying to sort through the trials of mindfully eating animals products. She has encountered a few people who believe there is NOT a mindful way to eat anything that comes from an animal. She can see their point, but cutting out all animal products is not a realistic plan for her. She wants to contribute to the betterment of her community and her overall environment, while still feeling satisfied and enjoying what she eats.
Q: Have you always been conscience about where your meat and dairy came from?
A: No! I grew up only drinking milk and water, so I thought very little about where the milk actually came from. I became aware of where my food was actually coming from when I was 19. There was a stretch of time that I struggled with consuming any animal product. It took a lot of trial and error to find a balance that made me comfortable as well as full!
Q: In a week how often would you say you consume meat?
A: About 2-3 meals per week will contain meat in my diet.
Q: In a week how often would you say you consume dairy?
A: very often! I try to again, be mindful of how much I’m eating, how frequently I’m eating it, and where it’s come from. But I’d say I eat dairy about once/twice a day, mostly cheese.
Q: Where do you go to purchase your meat and dairy products?
A: I go to Weavers Way, a co-op in Germantown! They have all Pennsylvania produce. Meat and dairy products all sourced from Pennsylvania. I like to give my money back to people who are working and contributing to my state and the betterment of the meat community.
Q: What, if anything, inspired you to be a more conscience food consumer?
A: Cowspricay! It’s a documentary about the problems animal agriculture is causing the planet. Not only is farming animals cruel for the animals, but it’s killing the planet. Hearing the statistics made me feel a sense of responsibility for contributing in a drastic way to the decline of our atmosphere.
Q: Have you ever cut out meat and dairy for a long period of time?
A: I tried to. I went for about 2 months without meat, and two weeks without dairy.
Q: Do you see yourself always consuming meat and dairy products?
A: Yes! I want to find a healthy balance of being able to eat the things that are good for me and that I enjoy. That being said, I am aware that every time I eat meat that it did come from an animal. I try to remind myself that and be thankful and mindful of the process my food went through before it ended up on my plate.
Q: Do you consume any dairy alternative milks? Example, oat or almond?
A: yes! I try to use milk alternatives for almost everything.
Q: Is there a case scenario where you would not consume meat?
A: Fast food. I try not to buy into and give my money to companies that aren’t aligned with how I’d ideally like the meat industry to be run. I want to give my money to the people who will put it to the best use. The people, and farmers and workers who do this process ethically are the ones I try to support.
Q: Do you have any documentaries/website you’d like to recommend someone who isn’t as educated on this topic to check out?
A: Cowspiracy was amazing and very informative on a lot of sides of animal agriculture. I recommend researching the brands you’re buying from. Even those selling exclusively vegan products. Knowing who you’re going your money to and where they are investing that money is a very powerful way to make change, I think.
Anything You Can Eat, I Can Eat Vegan! 