A Happy Life with a Balanced Vegan Diet

Sally is a vegan from Hong Kong who joined the Green Monday campaign during high school to encourage people to adopt a vegan diet every Monday. While she became an ovo-vegetarian when she started university and has avoided consuming eggs and milk since last year, she finds it difficult to give up her favorite desserts such as egg waffles and lava cakes, which are often made with animal products.

Despite the challenges of living as a vegan in Hong Kong, Sally’s friends have been supportive of her dietary choices. Sally has even shared her homemade vegan pastries with her friends, and they’ve expressed gratitude for them.

Meatless Movement recently had a chat with her.

Tell us more about yourself, please

I’m a vegan from Hong Kong. I participated in Green Monday, a campaign which advocates people to go vegan on Mondays, since high school, and turned ovo-vegetarian when I entered university. I tried to avoid eggs and milk since last year.

Transitioning to a vegan lifestyle is not easy. I have a weakness for desserts such as egg waffles and lava cakes, but unfortunately, 99% of them in HK contain animal products. When hanging out with friends, I recommend vegan restaurants, which is actually why my friends encouraged me to start a vegan foodie Instagram page.

I often felt isolated for being a vegan in HK. The majority of Hongkongers are meat-lovers, and vegan options are limited. Fortunately, many of my friends are receptive to vegan food. I often bring them homemade vegan pastries and they appreciate them. They were also amazed by vegan meat like Impossible Meat. It’s less cruel and less resource-intensive, and causes far less harm to our cardiovascular system.

Many people believe that adopting a meatless diet leads to weight loss, but that wasn’t the case for me. Despite switching to a vegan diet, I found myself feeling hungry even after meals, and ended up snacking a lot during the first few months. As a result, I gained weight and didn’t feel satiated.

If you’re considering going meatless, my advice is to pay close attention to your body’s reactions. You may find yourself feeling hungry, or even “hangry,” if you don’t consume enough protein (at least 1g per kg of your body weight).

Vegan protein shakes and soy products have been my saviors in this regard. A balanced diet can lead to a happier life.