Amber is a professional writer, blogger and editor with an expertise in wellness, travel, vegan lifestyle and yoga. She has a master’s degree in journalism, has worked in publishing for several decades, and is a certified yoga teacher. She is passionate about plant-based nutrition and enjoys inventing new vegan recipes. If she’s not in her kitchen or at a yoga studio, you’ll find her searching for vegan menu items at restaurants around the world.
Meatless Movement recently had the opportunity to chat with her.
Tell us more about yourself, please
Changing the world begins and ends with changing yourself
herhealthypassport
I’m American. I grew up in Hawaii and San Francisco, and have lived in the New York area for long time since then!
I’ve been a vegetarian my entire life and an evolving vegan for 13 years
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My parents were the original hippies from the 1960s who became vegetarians before I was born. So I have always been a vegetarian. My parents became vegetarian for ethical reasons out of respect for animals. So I grew up with those values, and they are a fundamental part of my thinking. People find it hard to believe that I have NEVER eaten meat, but it’s true! I finally decided to transition to veganism when I had children.
The product of hippy parents who became vegetarians in the ‘60s, I was born and raised on a strict vegetarian diet for ethical reasons.
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Before I had kids, I was a careless vegetarian. I grew up eating a very nutritious whole foods vegetarian diet by my hippy mom, with no sugar, white flour or processed ingredients in our kitchen. In my 20s, as a young professional in New York City on my own for the first time, I ate a terrible low-budget diet of bagels and soup. And I loved dairy! Ice cream was my favorite treat, and I ate it all the time.
Everything changed when I had children. The importance of nutrition and wellness became paramount in my life—it was an “ah ha” moment for me when everything my mom taught me about conscious eating suddenly clicked. Also, I started to mature and do a lot of reading about the nutritional value of food, the link between cancer and the chemicals sprayed on non-organic food, and the harmful efforts of meat production on global warming.
Suddenly, I felt compelled to eat only the best possible ingredients. It’s important for me to not only feed
my kids healthy food but be a mentor for them as well, to teach them to make conscientious lifestyle choices. During that time, I wrote a book “The Green Pregnancy Diet” about how to eat a vegetarian diet during pregnancy with easy recipes. The book is available on Amazon.
Live the best possible version of yourself. If you’ve thought about eating more vegan and/or vegetarian food, start today!
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As I transitioned from vegetarian to vegan, truthfully, I found being vegan difficult because I used to get a lot of my protein from cheese. It’s been a long process of training myself to eat some plant protein—mainly beans and nuts–all day long, in all meals and snacks. I need to eat protein throughout the day, not only with dinner.
I end up eating plain carbohydrates like pasta or potatoes when I go out to eat, go to friends’ houses and travel if I have no other options. A lot of new vegetarians and vegans fall off the wagon for that reason. Because I’ve never eaten meat, it’s not an option to eat meat at a restaurant or a friend’s house, even if I can’t find vegan protein. So the biggest challenge is finding vegan protein outside of my home that’s tasty—not just a pile of beans!
I’m very passionate about it
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Being vegan is a lifestyle choice based on a set of morals and values that reflect respect for all forms of animal life, the planet and, ultimately, my own body because I’m honoring my livelihood by feeding myself an optimal diet.
The Meatless Monday trend is a great concept. I often tell people to cut back on eating meat, and that even one vegetarian or vegan meal a week will make a positive impact on their health and the planet. It’s unusual for someone to become a strict vegan for the rest of their lives. The reality is that most people don’t want to make the effort. It takes work to prepare, cook and eat healthy plant food all the time. So I try to encourage people who ask me for advice to take baby steps in the right direction.
Her Healthy Passport is a lifestyle blog about travel, food, fitness and culture with a focus on veganism and wellness.
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Beyond Sushi in New York City is amazing—the restaurant has all vegan sushi rolls with some really creative ingredients. I wrote and most posted some pictures about the vegan restaurants in New York City on my blog her healthy passport.
At home, my expertise is making healthy snacks that have no sugar or processed ingredients.
My whole food gold bars recipe is the post popular recipe on my blog so far.
My husband’s favorite snack is my chocolate brownies made with peanut butter, cocoa powder and oats.
My gluten-free donuts made with millet flour, apple juice and maple syrup are also really good.
I also love making marinated tofu dishes, like paprika spiced vegan chicken and tofu chorizo tacos.
What are some common misconceptions about vegan and vegetarian diets
The world is a glorious place–it is our privilege as humans to explore it responsibly and respectfully
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The biggest misconception is that vegans/vegetarians can’t get enough protein. Even with the plethora of well-researched information available on the Internet disputing this myth, most people don’t believe it. I don’t debate people about this topic. I’m not a preachy vegan. I share information if someone approaches me with an open mind and asks for information about a plant-based diet.
Check out all the amazing recipes on blogs, Facebook groups and Instagram! The meatless home cooks and chefs hand out their recipes for free, so take advantage of the opportunity. It doesn’t take much effort to find recipes online. Start with making easy recipes and take the process step by step.
I’ve lived in the tropics, cities and suburbs, and am usually searching for the next travel adventure.
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I search for vegan food everywhere—I’m a total foodie who loves to travel and eat at all types of places from gourmet restaurants to food trucks. I’ve worked in publishing for a long time; I’m a professional writer and editor and certified yoga instructor. So I recently launched my vegan lifestyle blog her healthy passport as a way to showcase all of my skills, talents and interests with publishing, writing, food, fitness and travel.
My blog includes recipes, destination travel stories, restaurant and hotel reviews, and picks for vegan food products including snacks, clothing and beauty products. I’m developing an exciting feature for her
healthy passport that I think all vegans will love.
Sign up for my email newsletter and follow me on social media for updates!
Health-obsessed adventurer living a vegan lifestyle
Writer
🙏Writer, blogger, editor
🙏Recipes, restaurant & hotel reviews
🙏Destination travel articles
🙏Yoga & lifestyle tips