It’s time we stop all the nonsense theories that people have regarding vegan diets

Tell us more about yourself, please

Veganism is a way of living excluding, as much as possible, all forms of exploitation of animals

My name is Berta, I am 26 years old and I come from a town near Barcelona in Spain.

I have always shown empathy for others, so it was natural that when we were shown footage of
what chickens go through in a slaughterhouse in ethics class at secondary school, I decided to
stop eating meat. I remember coming home with those horrible images in my mind and finding
that my grandmother had prepared chicken for lunch for my brother and me. That was the first
time I consciously refused to eat meat.

I was 15 at the time, so as you can imagine it was not easy to change my diet, especially as other
family members were in charge of preparing lunch while I was at school studying. I did not eat
meat for a couple of years until I started to eat it occasionally, for example when eating out or with
family and friends.

Time passed, but I still had those images in my head, so when I went to work in the city of
Barcelona at the age of 21, I stopped eating meat and fish and became a vegetarian. At that point
I felt relieved, as I felt I was no longer involved in any cruel activities, but oh boy was I wrong.
At first, I was a committed vegetarian, but as I delved deeper into the subject, I began to realise
that it was not as perfect as it seemed, I began to reduce my milk intake and decided to join the
Veganuary movement just to try it out. Long story short, I have been vegan for almost 3 years
now.

I hope that one day everyone will understand why I don’t eat animal products but love a good vegan burger, that I can get protein without involving the killing of an animal and that YES WE EAT MORE THAN JUST SALAD!!!!

I imagine everyone who has made the transition to a plant-based diet has stories of how friends
and family reacted to the news, one I always remember is my grandmother being surprised that “I
couldn’t eat snails” as she didn’t think they could be considered an animal, and me having to
explain that snails are in fact animals and do feel pain.

Because we deserve more than just fries, a green salad or pizza without cheese when eating out with friends that are not vegan

When you first switch to a vegan lifestyle it can be difficult to adjust to certain aspects, you may
not know that some wines are not vegan or that some skincare brands, although they don’t
contain animal products, they do use animal testing.

One of the biggest challenges people face when starting their vegan journey is eating out with
friends or family, as it can be difficult to find a restaurant that suits everyone.

I love eating out, to the point where I would say it is my whole personality at times, so it was very
important for me to overcome any challenges that eating out with friends might present. I always
try to be proactive and check beforehand if there are any vegan options in the restaurants by
looking at the menu or even calling, you would be surprised how many vegan options there are
that are not even on the menu. Another helpful tool is to use the happycow app, it is one of my
favourites to check out cool vegan-friendly restaurants wherever I go.

It makes me so happy to see nonvegan restaurants offering a full plantbased menu

Also, I have to say that I am lucky enough to live in an area where there are lots of vegan
restaurants and vegan options, but it is true that sometimes it can happen that when you go to a
restaurant for a birthday party for example, you end up having to eat pizza without cheese or a
boring green salad. When that happens, I remind myself that it’s just for one day and that next
time I’ll go to a great vegan place!

What are your thoughts on living a vegan lifestyle?

“I have been surviving” since I decided to start following a vegetarian diet and then when I transitioned to being vegan

For me being vegan feels like the right way, the choice to protect and reduce the suffering of the
voiceless, to influence the world, to rethink if what we are doing is normal, if it is really the way it
has always been…

People still think this is a phase or a trend, but for many it is a way of life, and in fact the only
thing I regret about my vegan journey is that I did not start earlier.

🌱Go at your own pace: going vegan is a journey that is only yours, is your diet, your choice and lifestyle not others

I always encourage everyone to try meatless food, but in reality it can be difficult for them to order
it in a restaurant or try to cook it at home, so I always offer a bite of my food so they can try it. For
me, sharing is caring and I love to see that face of “oh, this is good” when someone eats plant-based and realises that it’s really good.

This does not mean that we want to eat only “boring things”, we love eating out and enjoying good meals just like anyone else.

There are so many great places to go for a vegan feast, but I will recommend a couple favourites
from my neighbourhood Gracia in Barcelona.

La besnéta: vegan bakery offering a wide range of cakes and sweets to take away, from
carrot cake, muffins, cookies to whole cakes. Highly recommended, one of my favourite
places to go when you have a sweet tooth.

Good Shit Vegan Kebabs: this is probably the restaurant I have ordered more takeaways
from, even my non vegan friends and family love it. If you fancy a kebab, this is the best in the
city!

Umami Plantbased: it’s the best vegan ramen in town, so it’s definitely a must-visit now that
it’s getting colder.

La Golosa Vegan Vurger: if you fancy a burger, this is the place to go, with lots of options to
choose from, all plant-based and delicious.

Since transitioning to Veganism, I have discovered a new way of enjoying food more consciously, through different flavors, textures and most importantly without the suffering of any.
So definitely vegan food (and a vegan lifestyle) belongs with me

From what I have experienced, people seem to become nutritionists as soon as you tell them you
are vegan or vegetarian, it is very funny how they worry about your protein intake or b12 levels,
so I would say there are a lot of misconceptions about what we can eat and if we are getting
enough nutrients in our diet.

In situations like this, the best way to educate them is to calmly explain that you can get a lot of
nutrients from a plant-based diet, that it is normal to supplement with B12 because the meat they
eat was once an animal that was also supplemented.

And the most important thing to remember is that there may be some people who will judge you
and have many misconceptions about veganism or vegetarianism and even if you try to explain
yourself they won’t even try to understand what you are saying, in this situation the best thing is
not to waste your energy, maybe in the future they will be more open to listening to why you
decided to stop using animals, but for now it is best to focus your energy on those people who
show some interest.

What advice would you give to someone starting a meatless diet?

They say better later than never, right?

My advice would be not to stress, as it can sometimes be overwhelming when starting a meatless
journey. Something that helps me is to remember why I decided to stop eating meat in the first
place, which can be for many reasons; for the animals, for sustainability, for health, etc.

Also, there are many meatless alternatives these days, so if you think you can’t live without
chicken, for example, you can look into meatless chicken, which gives you the familiar taste
without all the negative effects of eating meat.

The truth is that there is no silver bullet to start the meatless journey, the important thing is to take
it step by step and follow what your body and heart are telling you.

My Instagram account, where I post recommendations for vegan restaurants and more:
bertaeatsvegan