If it’s perfectly possible to live a healthy, happy life without killing animals, then why would you want to?

Eloise has been vegan for nearly 5 years, and she made the transition just before starting at university, where she studied Medicinal and Biological Chemistry. She started her Instagram account, which was previously called @thatveggiestudent, when she first went vegan. Meatless Movement recently had a chat with her.

She told Meatless Movement that starting her Instagram account is a great way of documenting her journey, sharing simple but tasty recipes and showing people that veganism is not restrictive and you can still enjoy your food, even on a limited student budget!

After she graduated, she changed the name to @no_cheese_eloise, so that she could continue sharing recipes, despite not being a student anymore (although actually she will become a student once again when she starts her PhD in September)!

Please tell us more about yourself

My name is Eloise (instagram @no_cheese_eloise), I’m 23 and I’m from Sheffield.

I went veggie for animal welfare reasons
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I started off by going vegetarian at age 16, then two years later I became fully vegan. I went veggie for animal welfare reasons- I had started to learn more about the horrific practices that take place in the farming industry, and I didn’t want to contribute to that in any way.

My thoughts were that if it’s perfectly possible to live a healthy, happy life without killing animals, then why would you want to? I then transitioned to being vegan because I had previously thought that the dairy/ egg industries treated the animals with more kindness, since they weren’t simply raising them to be slaughtered, but when I found out that this is far from the truth, I knew I had to stop consuming these products too.

I also started to learn more about the environmental benefits of being vegan, such as reduced land use/water use/carbon emissions, which was another factor that encouraged me to make the change.

What are some challenges a vegan might face?

In my experience, the most challenging times have been when I’ve been on holiday in other countries, particularly ones where veganism is not catered for as well as in the UK. Generally, it helps if you cater for yourself because supermarkets always have basic vegan items such as pasta, rice, beans, vegetables- you might just have to go without the ‘luxury’ vegan products (mock meats, vegan cheeses etc) for a short time.

When eating out, restaurants might not have vegan options on the menu, but you can generally find something that can be modified to make it vegan friendly. My go-to is to get a veggie pizza and just ask for no cheese!

Veganised pizza from a restaurant in France – no_cheese_eloise

I love being vegan because I can still eat plenty of tasty food, but with a clear conscience! To be honest, I was never a huge fan of meat/cheese/eggs anyway, so they haven’t been particularly hard to give up, and there are vegan alternatives to most things these days, so I don’t feel like I’m missing out at all.

I also feel better physically now that I don’t consume animal products- generally they are much less greasy and heavy, they’re easier on my digestive system and although there are plenty of vegan treat foods available, I feel like my diet is much healthier overall.

Tofu bun salad from @namsongcaphe , a Vietnamese cafe in Sheffield – no_cheese_eloise

Vegan brunch from @vutiebeets in Letchworth – no_cheese_eloise

Bakewell slice, a pretzel cupcake and a treacle slice from @lovelypearsheffield , a cafe in Sheffield – no_cheese_eloise

How to encourage someone to try a plant-based diet for the first time

Show them that meat free doesn’t mean taste free and they can still enjoy all the same things they liked previously!
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My best advice would be not to go in all guns blazing and start preaching at them- take a more subtle approach, or they might feel like you’re attacking them and get upset or defensive. Perhaps cook them a really tasty, meat-free version of one of their favourite dishes, or take them out to your favourite vegan/veggie restaurant, to show them that meat free doesn’t mean taste free and they can still enjoy all the same things they liked previously!

Undoubtedly, my favourite restaurant is Wagamama because they have a huge vegan menu and it’s all so delicious! My recommendations would be the no duck donburi and the mushroom steamed buns, they’re incredible! Pizza Express also has a huge range of vegan pizzas. I love spicy food, so my favourite is the Vegan American Hot, which uses jackfruit pepperoni.

This is the no duck donburi from @wagamama_uk – no_cheese_eloise

Myths about meatless diets

Going meat free won’t make you weak and protein deficient!
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The main one (and I can’t believe people still think this) is that you can’t get enough protein on a meat-free diet, which couldn’t be further from the truth! Beans, lentils, tofu and mock meats are all great sources of protein, and there is also protein in plenty of other foods that you might not consider, such as bread and even some vegetables!

If you are really concerned about getting enough protein, then there are lots of vegan protein powders/snack bars on the market that you can use to supplement your diet, but you will probably find that you don’t need to (although I choose to because some of them are really tasty!).

As a runner, I’ve found that my speed and endurance have both improved since going vegan, and even some world class athletes are vegan/vegetarian (such as Scott Jurek, Venus Williams, Lewis Hamilton and Fiona Oakes), so that’s pretty convincing evidence to show that going meat free won’t make you weak and protein deficient!

The left is me running Sheffield Half marathon, and the right is me running the Sheffield tententen

Be kind to yourself!
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It’s ok if you make mistakes in the beginning, being vegan isn’t about being perfect, its about doing the best you can. Initially, you will have to do a lot of label checking (its amazing how often you find things like milk powder being snuck into things that you wouldn’t expect), but eventually you will build up a list in your head of products/brands you know are vegan, so it gets much easier.

I find it helpful to follow instagram accounts such as @accidentallyveganuk, which post pictures of loads of different vegan products on the market, so you know what to look out for in the shops. Another thing you can do is to look for ways to modify your favourite meals to make them meatless, so that you don’t have to give them up. For example, instead of using minced meat in your bolognese sauce, you could use lentils or vegan mince.

Often, you’ll find that you don’t actually notice the difference!Finally, try and make the transition fun so that you don’t feel like your diet has suddenly become much more restrictive (because it really hasn’t!). Try out some different restaurants, buy a new cookbook so you experiment with different recipes and look out for vegan markets that you can go to, where there will be loads of exciting things for you to try and you can chat with likeminded people.

It’s really helpful to have get to know other vegans/vegetarians, so that you can support and advise each other- I joined a vegan running club (Vegan Runners UK), which has been a good way to do this and I’ve met so many great people!