I’ve always wanted to help souls that are on the weaker side of this world

Reelyka is a vegan and plant-based lifestyle proponent from Estonia. She has worked as a nurse for over 6 years and wants to bring a healthy high fruit lifestyle to more people.

Meatless Movement recently had a chat with her. She told Meatless Movement that sometimes she doesn’t have anything to say and she can be very shy. But when it’s about others who can not defend themselves, she’s in.

Early Days

I grew up in a little country named Estonia
reelyka

I had an ordinary childhood but I was a very empathetic child. I remember in the early days that I couldn´t eat bunny meat that my uncle had raised and then placed on the dining table. It was incomprehensible for me because bunnies at the time were my favorite animals. Why would we want to eat them?

This is my first memory of not wanting to eat meat. I had the intuition of not wanting to eat animals early on but I was still socially conditioned to do it. I had a hard time understanding what to eat, how much to eat and how to feel great in my body. Especially when everyone around me was not questioning their choices.

I got introduced to veganism in my life in my early 20s. Back then when I saw the movies ’’Forks over knives’’ and ’’Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret’’ I made the choice right away that i won’t eat meat ever again. I had no idea that we treat animals this way. It was heartbreaking and the choice was easy to make.

My story

In 2014 I stepped into medical school and ended up working in the hospital for over 6 years
reelyka

It was a really interesting time for me, I learned so much about our health and got to understand the reasons why people get sick.

Being plant based and working in a hospital was very rare. I didn’t know any vegan back then and nor did they understand what the heck I was doing. I often felt different from others, but it didn’t really bother me. I always packed my food with me, on my birthdays I enjoyed covering the table with plant based food and on trips I prepared my own snacks to take with me. Never did I feel it was hard to be plant based. Though I always wondered why medicine is not taking the approach of cutting out animal sources from our diet when there’s so much science based information out there.

Last years of working in the hospital really led me to burnout. The long intense hours with patients in severe conditions and many understaffed night shifts take a toll on you. So I changed jobs and got used to a calmer lifestyle. This in turn got me questioning my life choices because I didn’t feel I could help people that much anymore.

I was also struggling with my relationship and I became rather depressed and lost. I was coping by eating junk food and started enjoying a lot of cheese and wine. I started partying and being social with people who were in a similar lifestyle. I still preferred vegan food but I was surrounded by omnivores and as I wanted to ignore any kind of friction over food I succumbed to consuming animal products. I became more and more careless in my food choices. I was just consuming whatever was the easiest choice and made me feel better in the moment.

I was also obsessed with staying lean which made me restrict the amount of food I was consuming. Sometimes I would get really hungry and end up going on crazy binges.

My diet was not healthy. I was juicing some days, other days I would eat fatty brunches. I was avoiding eating potatoes, rice, and other carbs as I was taught these make you fat. As most plant-based foods are carb heavy I ended up consuming more animal foods instead.

As I was not eating enough I also started consuming coffee and matcha to reduce my appetite and make up for the lack of energy I had.

You could say I had an eating disorder at this point. I would not feel good most of the time as I would be bloated and would have recurring stomach pains. My acne was also getting worse and I didn’t have my period for half a year.

I was embarrassed I was living this way but still kept going and ignoring my inner voice that there is a better way.

Finding a way

Once things got really bad I had a choice to change something or find help
reelyka

I knew from my previous experience in the hospital that I would only get bandaids for my symptoms from the healthcare system. Doctors are not really educated in nutrition science and plant-based practice is non-existent. I wanted lifetime health, not drugs I would have to take for the rest of my life. I wanted to get to the root of the problem. I knew I could only help myself so I started learning again, reading different sources of science based literature and found doctors who support a plant based lifestyle – Dr McDougall, Dr. Klaper, Dr. Barnard etc. The more I read the more answers I would get and I knew that a plant-based lifestyle is the only healthy way to live.

I quit my job that didn’t serve me anymore. I am educating myself more and more on how the body works and how we can heal ourselves. I want to speak out about animal suffering and what we can do to help. I’ve found more courage to talk about the issues that have plagued me, my experience and what has helped.

I’ve finally found something that led me to helping others in a way that has lasting results. I’ve opened my eyes and I will never go back to eating animal flesh and living a self-destructive lifestyle.

Looking back, the main issue with my diet was that I was lacking fiber, I was not eating enough volume and I was consuming too many fatty foods.

Now I’m thriving on a high fruit lifestyle. Me and my boyfriend make a plant based cheese called Kuu Blu. We write more about a healthy lifestyle on our site VegaHero.com . Once you know what is right then it´s not hard to stay on the path.

Plant based lifestyle

I am way more confident and proud of being vegan than ever before
reelyka

I think it’s in our nature to be kind and compassionate towards others. I want to make sure that people who start a plant based lifestyle know how to do it in a sustainable way. I think the biggest mistake that people make on going to a plant based diet is they are not eating enough. We are used to eating high calorie, low volume dishes but it’s not going to help us eat plants this way. Our meals should be very big but not heavy.

I have a lot of energy eating an abundance of plant based food. It helps me to workout consistently and recover fast. I go running 3-4 times per week and started to do weights at the gym. I’m stronger and sharper than ever. And all because plant based foods have helped me get there.

Travelling & cooking

I’ve traveled a lot and finding vegan places or places that have vegan options has not been hard.
reelyka

You just have to use your google maps skills a little bit more. I often see that vegan restaurants are fuller than omnivore restaurants. These days I don’t rely on eating out all the time and prefer airbnb-s which have a kitchen so I can make my own food.

I try to make my dishes very simple. In the morning and lunchtime i love to eat fruits – smoothie bowls, mono meals of fruits, fruit bowls or whatever entertains my mind. In the evening i eat something cooked like – potatoes, rice, pasta etc. On the side I love to add boiled, steamed or stir fried vegetables or different curries. I don’t add salt nor oil. These meals are very simple and preparing them does not take any energy from me.

In my home country Estonia there are plenty of restaurants with plant based options. If you ever consider visiting Tallinn, which you should, then here are my recommendations where to eat as a vegan: Vegan V restaurant, Cafe Commune, Kringel, Veg Machine, Rohe Kohvik, Oasis. These are all fully vegan places.

Social life

Changing my life has definitely been difficult
reelyka

I´ve needed to change my routines, my social interactions, and my whole way of living. But looking back, the only regret I have is why it took so long for me. Before it was easier for me to ignore if someone would eat meat around me but now it’s difficult to turn a blind eye. I kindly talk about veganism with my family and friends too, hoping that one day I will have more people with similar views around me. Even if it is hard for me to stay polite when talking about veganism, I always try to remember that I’m talking about animals and my emotions do not matter here. We need to talk in a more neutral, not aggressive way.

The most common misconception that I hear quite often is that on a plant based diet you are not getting enough protein, iron or omega 3. In my eyes people who make these claims often happen to be people who don’t have much knowledge about nutrition. I always try to explain kindly where I get all the essential vitamins so nobody needs to worry. I really think that nobody is worried about you but rather scared they might have to change their own ways if you are right.

Moving forward

I often feel that the things I used to do were a waste of my time
reelyka

Not that I regret those times – I feel I needed to walk this path to become what I’ve become. And I do feel we all need to make our mistakes so we can learn from them. Never be tough on yourself because it makes it harder to be kind to others. Listen to yourself and deep down you know what is right.

I’ve come to the realization that I don’t need to be chasing dreams that I’ve created based on other people’s dreams. I am creating my own dreams with a much bigger view now. I want to spend my time efficiently, I want to have deep and instructive conversations and I want to charge myself during nights while others are loading themselves empty. I want to thrive. Without being friends with other species it’s hard to achieve those dreams.