Hi, I’m Karen, and here’s the deal…
…I have to be honest, when I adopted a vegan diet 26 years ago, it was about 2% (if that!) for ethical reasons. The other 98% of my reasoning was twofold. Firstly; I had chronic asthma, eczema and allergies during my childhood and teenage years, and I’d heard that avoiding meat and dairy could improve these conditions. Secondly; I wanted to lose weight – if you avoid animal fats, you are cutting out most forms of saturated fat, so it’s easier to lose and then maintain weight.
I was successful in all these things. When I went plant-based I lost weight and have easily maintained a healthy, stable weight over the years. And I no longer have asthma or eczema, and my allergy status has drastically improved.
Over a period of time eating this way, I began to realise that it felt good not participating in animal cruelty as much as I could possibly avoid it (of course it’s difficult to eliminate all the harm we cause animals because animal products are in lots of commercial products too; like tyres for example).
Later, I felt even better discovering I was having minimal impact on the environment.
Later still, I learned that not only am I not contributing to world hunger by eating this way; I am, in fact, living in such a way that optimally promotes world peace and universal social justice:
“As long as there are slaughter houses there will always be battlefields” ~ Leo Tolstoy
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” ~ Martin Luther King Jr
I must admit, it took me a while to learn these things – for the longest time I was just happy being thinner and healthier! Now I’m plant-based and fully-conscious – it’s my lifestyle, and I can’t imagine livng any other way.
In the interest of FULL disclosure, while I haven’t eaten meat, dairy or eggs for 26 years, I did eat fish for a few years in the middle of this period. I read somewhere that fish didn’t feel pain, and I believed that they were completely good for our bodies and therefore were meant to be eaten by us. Without boring you with science, it turns out fish DO feel pain, and they are NOT that good for us, because, like all animals they contain saturated fat and cholesterol. These days too, pretty much all fish contain mercury and other toxins. The healthy ‘omegas’ that are found in fish can just as easily be obtained with flax seeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and avocado.
My feeling is that it doesn’t matter why someone wants to go plant-based. The same ends are achieved anyway. As you can see, I am in NO position to judge anyone. If you want to go vegan because it does wonders for your your skin – go for it! I would love to coach you. If you want to go vegan because you love all living creatures, I would love to coach you, too.
It’s taken me a while to get it right. At first I had other health issues, partly through not realising the evil nature of sugars and refined starches! I figured that I was not eating meat and dairy, so sugars and white flour products had to be ok right? Er, no. Sugar causes a whole array of weird and (trust me!) not-so-wonderful problems.
As you can see, it’s been a process. But because of my errors, and the lessons learned as a result, I can dramatically reduce the length of this process for you. I feel happy, light and strong every day, and I want this for you, too.
I came to realise little by little, that I have valuable, life-changing experience to share. And if I can help people sustain a plant-based diet by helping them see that not only is it the best thing they can do for themselves health-wise, but that it can also be delicious, exciting, indulgent, and decadent, then that is what I want to do.
OFFICIAL STUFF: I am qualified to practice Vegetarian and Vegan Nutritional Therapy, having studied to Practitioner Level 3 with the British School of Yoga.
I also have a Masters Degree from Birkbeck, University of London.
With so much practical experience on top of my qualifications, and many MANY books read (lots of them science-y!), I feel I am more than qualified to help you transition to a vegan diet healthfully and happily.
OTHER STUFF: I love music. So much it scares me sometimes. Music and food are my two biggest passions. Throw in hiking in major nature with my partner; books; creekwalking (which I invented!), scrambling over rocks in the desert; and you have my paradise!