We should be aware of the impact that our diet has on others and our planet

Nicola converted to a vegan about 2 years ago after realising that dairy is worse than meat for the environment. Meatless Movement recently had a chance to chat with Nicola. She told Meatless Movement that giving up animal products like cheese or milk is not as hard as it seems.

👩🏽‍🍳 I used to love baking more than cooking🧁. However, since I became vegan, I enjoy cooking much more than baking 🤷🏽‍♀️
eat with nicola

Please tell us more about yourself

My name is Nicola, I am 28 years old and I live in Cologne. I am working at the University of Cologne as a researcher, lecturer, and PhD candidate. I was born in Munich and grew up in a small village nearby Munich with my loving family.

My parents highly valued a healthy and balanced diet. My mother, who is an excellent cook, taught my sister and me how to prepare delicious dishes; we always had (and still have) a lot of fun helping her cook dinner.

In the beginning, I was a bit scared of creating a food account and pursuing my passion of vegan cooking and baking
eat with nicola

I stopped eating meat about 16 years ago. The reason for this decision was my sister, who made me aware of the animals’ suffering in the food industry. Even though I was a big meat lover and could not even imagine giving it up, it was hard for me to ignore this cruelty. Therefore, my sister and I decided to try giving up meat for only a short period (i.e., one or two months). I am glad that this “trial” has turned into a permanent change.

During my sister’s studies, she had to work in a slaughterhouse. There she saw the pain and suffering of the animals that were slaughtered. She regularly told me about her cruel slaughterhouse experiences, which confirmed my decision to stop eating meat. For several years, I felt very comfortable with this decision.

However, after reading Sebastian Fitzek’s mystery thriller Seat 7A (approximately three years ago), my interest in the production of dairy products grew. Therefore, I started to watch several documentaries/videos and read books/academic studies dealing with this topic. I then realized that the intensive animal farming is also associated with a lot of pain and suffering for animals. I have also realized that the exploitation of animals is not only harmful to our environment and the animals but also to our health. Even though a lot of academic studies examine the negative effects of animal products on humans’ health, a lot of people are not aware of this fact.

Based on these insights, there was no longer any reason for me to consume animal products. It has been over two years now since I made this decision for myself. I am absolutely confident that this is among the best decisions of my life.

What problems are facing you as a vegan?

In my first weeks and months of eating vegan, my biggest concern was what others would think about my new diet. Then I realized that there is no need to justify a healthy diet, the protection of the planet, and the stop of animals’ agony.

Even though a lot of people have switched to a vegan diet recently, there are still many challenges associated with this diet. For instance, not every restaurant offers vegan options. Moreover, a lot of people are not familiar with this diet and do not know which dishes contain animal products. Thus, dinner or birthday parties with family and friends can also be challenging. On vacation in other countries (e.g., Italy), I often have problems finding restaurants that offer (or can prepare) vegan options. Going out to eat can be challenging in multiple countries or small villages where this kind of diet is not widespread.

With regard to dinner or birthday parties, I ask my friends or family if there will be vegan dishes on the party, otherwise I create some lovely vegan dishes and snacks that I can bring to these parties. I also explain to people not familiar with this diet which ingredients/products I do not [want to] eat or how I adjust recipes so that they fit my diet.

Tips for dining out on a vegan diet

Nowadays, there are many vegan restaurants (especially in big cities like Cologne) and most of my friends and my family (vegan/vegetarian or not) love to discover those vegan places that offer delicious plant-based food with me.

You should read the menus of the respective restaurant (online) in advance to make sure that vegan dishes are offered. Also, never hesitate to ask for a vegan dish in a restaurant if there is none on the menu. Often, the chefs can easily create vegan dishes like spaghetti with garlic and olive oil for you. You can also use certain apps, such as ‘Vanilla Bean’ or ‘Happy Cow’, that help you find vegan restaurants.

What are your favorite vegan recipes?

Life is a combination of magic and pasta
eat with nicola

You do not need vegan alternative products to cook or bake delicious vegan dishes. Moreover, it is not important to do everything “100% correctly”. Small steps in the right direction are always better than not changing anything at all! Just try to avoid some dairy products or reduce your meat consumption, and eat more consciously.

Here are some of my favorite dishes. You can find the recipes on my food blog (link: https://nicolak93.wixsite.com/eat_with_nicola).

Breakfast:

Lunch or Dinner

One of my favorite dishes is vegan lasagna, a traditional Italian dish. There are a lot of (vegan) variations of lasagna (e.g., pumpkin lasagna or spinach lasagna). As delicious as these lasagna variants are, I prefer the “classic” lasagna with a red vegan minced meat sauce. You can find the recipe on my food blog (Instagram: eat_with_nicola).

My aim was to inspire others with vegan meals; but actually I was inspired by so many amazing food accounts and the food community on Instagram. Thanks a lot 🥰
Eat with nicola

I love being vegan – veganism has been a transformational and wonderful journey for me. With the vegan diet, I feel much more comfortable as I no longer feel bad and guilty about eating animal products. I am also more conscious about my diet and pay more attention to a balanced diet.

Due to my passion for vegan cooking and my food blog, I have met a lot of inspiring and amazing people that share my interests. I am happy that there is such a supportive and creative vegan community.

I am also happy to have so many amazing friends and my lovely family that are super supportive. When I am in Munich, my mother cooks awesome vegan dishes for the whole family and my parents buy tons of vegan alternatives. My parents, sister, and my boyfriend always support me in my passion for cooking and food blogging: Every time they find lovely dishes, baking stuff, or any kind of decoration, they draw my attention to those.

We should be aware of the impact that our diet has on others and our planet. Let’s make the world a better place for all individuals!

Nicola – vegan food
Personal blog
✨”Life is a combination of magic and pasta.”
🌱 vegan food
👩🏽‍💼@nicola.jk 🐕
Just Spices Code: justeatwithnicola
Myrawjoy Code: NICOLA-10