If you’re looking for a way to live your life with purpose and compassion, Helen is here to inspire and guide you on your journey towards a vegan lifestyle that aligns with your values.
Meatless Movement recently had a chance to chat with her.
Helen told us that veganism isn’t just a diet or a trend, it’s a way of life that recognizes the intrinsic value and worth of all sentient beings. By choosing to go vegan, you’re not only benefiting your own health and the environment, but you’re also standing up for the rights of animals who are often overlooked and mistreated.
Please tell us more about yourself
Hi there! I’m Helen Papagavriel and I’m 52 years old. I was born in Cyprus, but spent the first years of my life in England. I was born in a non-vegan family and like most people never gave much thought about where my food, clothes, and so on, came from.
For many years I was facing digestive issues. At some point I was convinced that the cause was my eating habits.
In 2018, while doing some research on the raw food diet, I came across some footage of the meat industry on social media. At that point I became vegetarian. I still had no idea what veganism was.
Gradually I was exposed to more and more such posts, each time facing a new reality. I was finally making the connection, getting rid of the brainwashing and opening my eyes to the truth behind all the industries causing harm to animals.
All of a sudden, the world became a very dark place and the truth scarred everlasting images into my retina. Not only I became vegan, I also became passionate about animal rights. I wanted to spread the knowledge and help stop the suffering.
My biggest challenge was and still is my non-vegan partner. I can deal with mostly anyone, but watching family members endorse in the cause that I am fighting against is painful. The most difficult part is that we cannot force people to care.
I’m very proud to be vegan. Everyone, human and animal, has a right to a safe and happy life and I will defend that right till my last breath.
I share vegan recipes on my social media accounts just to show people that vegan food can be easy to make, delicious and the options are endless.
I love comfort food. Some of my favourite recipes are cottage pie, lasagne and spinach canelloni. But a meal isn’t complete without a delicious vegan dessert! I love chocolate cake, apple pie, banoffee pie and, last but not least, pancakes.
Most non-vegans think that vegan food is boring and consists only of vegetables, legumes, fruit and nuts. When they take a glimpse on what we actually eat they are astonished.
To new vegans, I always suggest a visit to a vegan nutritionist, because people have different medical issues and nutritional needs. I wouldn’t like to see someone give up only because they lack knowledge to do things right.
Some vegans don’t talk about veganism, in order to avoid confrontation. I’m quite the opposite. On every opportunity I get, I try to somehow mention it and engage in a peaceful, yet informative conversation, in order to plant vegan seeds.
People need to rethink animals as sentient beings, not livestock, not commodities, not entertainment. In all the ways that matter, there is no difference between humans and other animals.
Love and compassion knows no species. Be kind to every kind!
Helen
soulfullyvegancy
Blogger
Helen 💚🌱
all images courtesy of soulfully_v3gan