The Blonde Vegan
"Vegan? I don’t really know of any vegan restaurants.” I groaned as I googled Vegan Restaurants UES. I was planning a lunch date with a friend from college and she was bringing her vegan friend. I settled on Candle Café (now one of my favorite NYC restaurants) because it had good reviews and miso soup, which I knew was much safer than anything with seitan (yikes!). I began asking questions and making all kinds of assumptions about Jordan, “The Blonde Vegan”. By the end of lunch, I had a wonderful impression of Jordan but still wasn’t too sure about The Blonde Vegan.
I began following her Instagram because who doesn’t want a little daily inspiration from a positive, healthy, beautiful blonde? I didn’t have to know anything about Veganism to love her photos of fruit, dessert, and smoothies. What I didn’t expect was to be rocked out of my close-mindedness when I visited her blog.
The Blonde Vegan blog is an honest, endearing diary of Jordan’s journey with food and her health. I was completely humbled by her transparency. The more I read, the more I liked Jordan AND The Blonde Vegan. Her approach was more about health and tuning into your own body than radical veganism. I now follow her blog religiously and, inspired by Jordan, tried veganism for 40 days. (and loved it!)
Full circle...After a year of being inspired by her blog, we met back at Candle Café to chat about this interview. I feel so grateful to know Jordan, inspired daily by her beautiful spirit and healthy lifestyle.
Everyone’s journey with food is different. I can appreciate veganism so much more now because of Jordan. (also, now my favorite restaurants in NYC are vegan!) My goal on FFB is to explore many different lifestyle diets to help people discover what works best for them. Cheers to all of the wonderful bloggers like Jordan who are spreading health and nutrition in all the right ways!
**APPLAUSE** for TBV
INTERVIEW:
Q: What led you to becoming vegan?
A: I have always been very interested in health, and I ate a clean diet for years before I went vegan. The reason I have always been so health conscious was because I grew up with an extremely sensitive stomach, so I could never eat anything greasy, oily or fatty to begin with – unless I wanted my stomach to feel miserable! Until two years ago I was eating a predominantly pescetarian diet along with eggs and dairy, and when I was a senior in college I decided to try a 5-day plant-based cleanse. I had no intention of going vegan when I started the cleanse. I just wanted to detox from all of the holiday food! I could not believe how amazing my body felt when I started eating that way, so I continued the cleanse into the following weeks. I then experimented with adding grains and legumes. One month later I was positive that this lifestyle worked for me. I fell in love with being vegan and never looked back.
Q: In the beginning, what were the biggest challenges for you? And even now?
A: In the beginning, one of the biggest challenges was dealing with the reactions of the people around me when I made the switch. I have always had an extreme personality, so my family and friends figured I had just made another “extreme” choice that was going to last for a few months and then taper off. Once they realized I had made a legitimate lifestyle change, people then worried that I had gone too extreme… that I was wrapped up in a lifestyle that was obsessive and not entirely healthy. It took me a while to convince them that I knew what I was doing, that I was happier and healthier eating that way, and that it wasn’t going to affect me in negative ways. They came around pretty quickly at that point - they saw how much better I felt! And they heard me complain about my stomach problems WAY less.
Traveling was another biggie in the beginning. It has taken me a few years to learn how to travel as a prepared vegan, but not as someone who has so way over-the-top packed food that I am stopped in the security line and mistaken for a terrorist (true story).
Now, the biggest challenge is finding restaurants that work for me and for other people in my life who don’t eat this way - so that I’m not stuck with a plain green salad and they’re not stuck with menu of vegan options! NYC does make that a lot easier. I have also had some issues with my Vitamin B-12 intake lately, which was a little scary. I’ve gotten it back under control now.
Q: What benefits have you felt personally?
A: I have gained so many amazing benefits. Aside from losing weight and gaining a ton of energy, my stomach problems and migraines that I had suffered from my whole life disappeared. I am happier and more confident in my food choices, and I have significantly less stress in my day to day life revolving around food. I have also been given the beautiful gift of helping others transform their lifestyle through my blog, which has turned into a career for me. Connecting with like-minded individuals and being involved in such a healthfully aware community has changed my life immeasurably. I changed my entire life path after I went vegan! Crazy stuff.
Q: What benefits do you feel most people would feel from a vegan diet?
A: I very much believe that most people out there have food sensitivities and intolerances that they don’t even know about because they have never eliminated certain foods from their diets. And that’s not something people should feel bad about! We have grown up in a society where eliminating foods that everyone eats is completely out of the norm, and where eating McDonalds for lunch turns less heads than eating a plate of vegetables. People who try out a vegan diet (in the proper way of course - lots of fresh veggies, fruits, nuts, grains and legumes!) for the first time almost always report having more energy, clearer focus, weight loss, less body aches, and an overall lighter feeling in their stomach. Even just eating vegan for a week out of each month makes for significant health benefits.
I certainly did! Now my rule is always vegan at home so I can treat myself when I'm out to eat! - J
Q: Do you have any recommendations for reading material to guide a beginner vegan?
A: Do I ever! I would highly recommend the book "Skinny Bitch" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin - it’s a no nonsense guide written in a humorous, down-to-earth tone while being FULL of information about veganism and the cruelty of factory farming. For something more scientific, I highly recommend “Whole” and “The China Study” by Dr. Colin T. Campbell. I also adore “The Crazy Sexy Diet” by cancer survivor vegan powerhouse Kris Carr, and all of Gabrielle Bernstein’s books. And, of course, BLOGS! There are so many fantastic blogs with free, easy to find, and extremely helpful and logical firsthand accounts from vegans. Some of my favorites are Oh She Glows, This Rawsome Vegan Life, and Oh Lady Cakes.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about being vegan?
A: Where do I even begin? That we don’t get enough protein, that we are all total hippies, that we all want to call attention to ourselves and the way that we eat, that we want to shove veganism down other people’s throat, that we are super judgmental… you name it, I’ve heard it! None of it is true. We are just regular people who have made the dedication to eat healthier and eliminate animal products from our diets. Okay, we are extraordinary (haha), but still.
She's also a yogi like me and we took an amazing Hot Yoga class at Pure Yoga on the UES. (my favorite yoga studio!) - J.
Q: How do you plan for situations where you know you won't have vegan options? Ie. restaurants, social events, traveling.
A: I have become a total professional at planning ahead. I usually make a big sweep at Whole Foods and/or Trader Joes before I head out for a vacation. Easy to pack foods are fruit (nature’s fast food!), pre-made salads, nutrition bars (Larabars and Kind bars are my all-time favorite), green juices (Suja all the way!), and lots of raw nuts. If I know I am going to a restaurant that doesn’t have any vegan options, I eat before or afterward and usually order a small green salad or a sparkling water with lime so that I’m not totally rude. At social events, I usually try to notify the host ahead of time so they don’t feel bad for not having any options for me. I hang with a pretty health conscious bunch, so it’s usually not too big of a problem.
Q: Have you lost weight since becoming vegan?
A: Yes, I lost about 10 pounds when I initially went vegan, and then about 5 more when I was super hardcore and living off of my fruits-veggies-nuts recipes. Then I branched out a little more, got a little less extreme, and my weight balanced back out. I am still about 5-10 pounds lighter than I was before I went vegan, and that’s also from cutting out wheat and refined sugar and eating a cleaner diet overall. It feels good!
Q: Have you noticed any other differences since becoming vegan? Ie skin changes, digestion, bloating, sleeping?
A: When I am really rigid about eating 100% clean and plant-based, I do notice major increases in digestion, sleeping, bloating and glowing skin. But then other things in my life start to slip… like my sanity. I have been on the crazy end of clean eating to the point where it affected my social life and my day to day plans. Now I try to live a life in moderation, and even though that means my sleeping, digestion, etc. are sometimes a little off, I roll with it for the sake of living a more balanced and more carefree life. (Or, I try.)
Q: What are your favorite vegan recipes?
A: My raw vegan peanut butter cups ALL the way. And my favorite dinner is a baked sweet potato with half an avocado and steamed kale. Sometimes I add black beans or lentils if I am feeling extra spicy! And I have a habit of adding tempeh to everything!! And green smoothies for breakfast are my jam.
Q: I love your blog series "what I ate" ...what is your most staple breakfast, lunch, and dinner?
A: Breakfast is almost always either a green smoothie with kale, banana, blueberries, almond butter and almond milk, OR a big bowl of steel cut oats with berries. I usually have a green juice as a snack. Lunch is usually a kale salad with tempeh, berries and nuts. Dinner is usually roasted veggies and a grain and a legume! And I almost always have some raw chocolate for dessert. ;)
Q: What's the most energizing vegan snack you recommend?
A: Dates with almond butter. You’ll be on an all-natural sugar high!! Or any type of all-natural nutrition bar.
Q: Tell us a little about your amazing new TBV line!
A: Ah, the new line! So exciting. I had been daydreaming about The Blonde Vegan Apparel for quite some time, and I always told myself it was something I would pursue in the future when the time was right. A few months ago I was sweating my butt off in a power vinyasa yoga class, and it suddenly dawned on me that I needed to create the line. I started brainstorming, and by the time I walked out of the class I was 100% motivated to make the line happen. I want to show people that promoting health and veganism can be sexy and cute, and you can rock conscious clothing with skinny jeans and wedges just as easily as you can rock it with your gym clothes. Plus, I want to show people it's okay to laugh at the often supposed extremity of veganism - that's where the "Hashtag Vegan" and "is Vodka Vegan Come In?" For this line, it's all about creating a community around a conscious subject. It's playful. We are rolling out some new designs in the next few weeks and doing an awesome photo shoot in Central Park in a few days. I am beyond stoked!
#FFB