Alyna is from Atlanta, where she has made her home since her college days, and she recently graduated last year.
Although she was born in New York, her roots have firmly taken hold in Georgia, where she grew up in a town about an hour and a half south of Atlanta.
Currently, Alyna wears the hat of a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, a role she finds incredibly enjoyable. She cherishes the opportunity to build strong connections with her clients as time goes by.
When it comes to her passions, Alyna’s heart is dedicated to her faith, her family, and her friends. She’s also quite the culinary enthusiast, finding joy in cooking and baking. Furthermore, she has a knack for discovering vegan businesses, not only in her beloved Atlanta but also wherever her travels may take her.
Alyna’s vibrant spirit and diverse interests make her someone you’d love to get to know better!
Meatless Movement recently had the opportunity to chat with her.
Please tell us more about yourself
My name is Alyna, I live in Atlanta and have lived here since I started college, but I actually graduated last year! I was born in New York but moved to Georgia shortly after being born, and grew up in a town about an hour and a half south of Atlanta.
Currently, I work as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, which is very fun and I love getting to know my clients better the longer I work with them.
Some things I’m very passionate about is my faith, family, friends, cooking & baking, and finding vegan businesses around Atlanta and anywhere else I may travel!
In the summer of 2019, my husband, then boyfriend, had begun to research a vegan diet after wondering why there were so many health problems in his family, my family, and those around us.
He saw that many diseases come fromwhat we are putting into our bodies, and began to eat a whole-food plant-based diet. I decided to tag along and eat the same kind of diet.
It was difficult for me at first because I tried to do it cold turkey like my husband did, but I ended up
overeating and spending way too much money on food delivery services to bring me some kind of food that had chicken and cheese involved.
That went on for a few months because I wanted to be vegan, but I was putting way too much pressure on myself to do it the way my husband was doing it. Finally, over time I decided to stop eating meat and went vegetarian, and it was like that for about 6 months and then I fully went vegan in the fall of 2020.
So it has been about three years now and I love it, my body feels way better! My acne went away, my nightly stomach aches stopped happening, and my mental clarity improved.
Right now, I eat a whole-food plant-based diet with lots of fruits and veggies and it makes me
feel amazing!
I remember as I was transitioning to a vegan diet I was following a foodie page (not vegan) and I just really thought it was so cool and inspiring to showcase businesses around Atlanta, and getting to try so many different kinds of foods.
When I went vegan, I decided to create my vegan page a couple months after, and I absolutely love doing it! I’ve met so many wonderful people, and made great connections. The vegan community in Atlanta is so supportive towards each other, and it’s lovely to experience.
I actually had stopped posting on my vegan page at the beginning of this year because I felt like I started to become a little selfish in how I was presenting my page. I was more worried about how many followers I had, taking focus off of the small businesses that I started this page for, and I felt like every time I got food I just had to post it.
It affected myself and my relationships, so I took a long break from it. But I am back and focused on serving God with this page by serving the businesses I post and serving my followers!
There’s so many businesses that wow me with what they do with vegan food.
Alyna-veganeats_atl
I feel like as the years go by, it has become easier to find vegan food wherever I go, especially with more of an emphasis the world is bringing to vegan food.
However, the times that I go visit family in another state or city can make it a little more difficult as they aren’t vegan and prefer to go to non-vegan restaurants.
There have been times where I have gotten sick from accidentally having cheese, or having milk because of miscommunication when going to non-vegan restaurants. Thankfully, I’ve had more good experiences than bad.
The way I’ll usually overcome these challenges when going out with people and there’s limited vegan options is ask questions! I will ask what the process is, is the vegan food cooked on the same surfaces or used in the same oil as the nonvegan food, etc. It is important so that I don’t get, or feel, sick.
There also have been times where I am at a restaurant or event that doesn’t have any vegan options, and
usually I will suspect there won’t be vegan options, so I will eat beforehand.
They offer the tastes you know and love, but more delicious and cruelty-free!
Alyna-veganeats_atl
I will give you guys my top 5 favorite vegan places to eat in Atlanta.
My absolute favorite vegan business is Calaveritas Taqueria Vegana, they have delicious, cruelty-free Mexican food, and their street tacos are a MUST!
My second favorite is Cafe Sunflower, which is plant-based and has lots of options including
traditional American, Italian, Mexican, and Asian cuisine. My favorite dish from there is their Pad Thai, and I love their Spinach & Artichoke Dip.
In third place is Plant Based Pizzeria, they have some of the most delicious pizza I have ever
had with a bomb ranch sauce. My favorite pizzas from there are their Philly and their Georgia Peach.
Holding the fourth place spot is Punjab Spice Company, they are a vegan Pakistani street food business selling chutneys, delicious Paratha rolls and rice bowls, drinks, and great appetizers.
My fifth favorite spot is Hippie Hibachi, 100% vegan and gluten-free hibachi with some of the best
cooked proteins I’ve had to date.
Another thing I would like to add is that there is an all-vegan market called Bien Vegano that happens almost monthly where many vegan vendors (food, art, makers, and goods) set up and sell their product.
It’s a great way to try different small businesses in one area, and it’s one of my favorite events to attend.
Check out these businesses and let me know what you think!
Misconceptions Debunked
The first misconception I’ve noticed since being vegan is that vegan and vegetarian is used interchangeably which can create a problem when eating out at restaurants or events.
Vegan is no animal and no animal by-product, so no cheese, meat, eggs, gelatin, etc. Vegetarian is just no meat, so they will still eat cheese and eggs.
When I see these used interchangeably I make sure to specifically ask that none of those ingredients are included in the dish I want, and explain the difference.
Another misconception I’ve seen is that all vegans are judgemental and will be in your face telling you not to eat meat or cheese. I, personally, will not judge you or tell you you need to stop eating meat, or glare at you for eating chicken.
If we start talking about veganism and why I am vegan, I will talk about it and give my opinions but it will never be in a rude, judgemental way.
The last misconception I will talk about is people believe vegans don’t get their protein and we all have protein deficiencies. This is not true, if you make sure you are getting the nutrients you need, you should have no problem with getting your protein.
Since being vegan, I have had no problems with my protein intake, and yes you can still be vegan and make muscle gains!
Anytime someone I know tells me they want to go vegan, I always tell them to transition at their own pace. It can be really challenging for some to switch immediately and can lead to over-indulging, eating disorders, etc. so go at a comfortable pace that will help you rather than hurt you.
However, there may be some of you that may need to go cold-turkey because that may work better for
you mentally. Whatever way you do it, make sure you are eating foods that are nutrient-dense and giving your body what it needs. Another piece of advice is to listen to your instincts. When you first start going meatless, there will probably be a lot of people around you trying to tell you not to do it, which is what I
experienced, but there’s a reason you want to do it and you might as well just try it and follow through to see how it works for you.
When I first went vegan, I actually wasn’t giving my body the nutrients it needed and was eating a lot of vegan foods that had little nutritional value, so I actually ended up becoming anemic and vitamin D deficient, along with other health conditions. It was really interesting because I was like “well I’m vegan but don’t feel that great, I thought it was going to help me feel better.”
But once I added way more nutrient-dense foods onto my plate and ate more, I felt a lot better and my symptoms improved greatly. So just another reason of why it’s important to be mindful of what you are giving to your body.
I hope this allowed you to get to know me and my story better, and I would love
to connect! Follow me for more delicious eats!
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all images courtesy of veganeats_atl