Priya recently embarked on a transformative journey. She made the bold decision to shift her career path, leaving behind her previous pursuits as a psychologist to pursue her passion for veganism. Currently enrolled in a three-year program at ROCvA in Amsterdam, Priya is working towards becoming a certified plant-based chef and kitchen manager.
Her unique schedule involves one day of intensive study and three days of hands-on experience in a professional restaurant kitchen each week. A committed vegan since 2017, Priya looks forward to sharing her story and insights into her vegan journey on this page. Get ready to join her on this exciting new chapter!
Meatless Movement recently had the opportunity to chat with her.
Please tell us more about yourself
Coming from a bloodline with colonial oppression and silencing in it, passed on from generation to generation, it hasn’t been an easy road to be a true voice for the animals.
Priya Sjambar
My name is Priya, I’m 35 and I was born and raised in the Netherlands. My parents were born in Suriname, South-America, a former Dutch colony where my ancestors from India were shipped to as indentured labourers end of 1800 and beginning of 1900.
I’ve worked as a psychologist and spiritual coach for 11 years and have decided to dedicate my life more to the animals last year. I’ve started a study to become a plantbased chef and I’m working in a vegan place where we do lunch, catering and workshops to stimulate people to eat healthy food as medicine without harming others. I’m also an animal rights activist. I post educational posts and footage of animal agriculture on Instagram and Facebook and I do street activism in which we show people footage on the street and talk to them about it.
When I became vegan I tried to share with the world what was happening to animals and calling for action
Priya Sjambar
I’ve been vegetarian since 7,5 years and vegan for 6,5 years. Actually my dog (then 1 year old) turned me vegetarian. I realized I was being very hypocritical never planning on eating my dog, so why would I eat another sentient being? It was already a big relief not eating meat, but I didn’t feel quite satisfied yet. I was doing fitness and needed to gain 2 kilo muscles according to my non-vegan dietitian. She told me I needed animal products for that. Then I watched the documentary ‘What the health’ on Netflix and when I saw you could do bodybuilding on plants I made the switch right away. It took me 3 weeks to dive into what would be good and healthy vegan food and the rest is history. Now I also see the connection between veganism and colonialism and how this mindset of taking from another without consent or fairness should stop.
As a human being I feel it’s my duty to be vegan at least, but also stand up for what’s right
Priya Sjambar
My biggest challenge has been the social aspect for me, not really in the food or the food options. My non-vegan friends and familiy are very respectful of my choices and get inspired by it too. They eat less animal products and pay attention to what’s happening behind closed doors. We go to vegan places and they cook vegan when I go to their place to eat. Some don’t make the transition to truly going vegan though, which is hard to understand sometimes as they themselves literally say they are hypocrites for not going vegan. I think our obstacles to become vegan never outweigh what animals endure in this industry. I’m very happy to have vegan friends too. Yet I’ve also lost friends along the way, which I think is a normal part of growing and learning in life. My biggest challenge is talking to people who I don’t know and not have this respect right away because they feel personally attacked by my choice of not exploiting animals for my pleasure. I’ve had moments that people tried to put me down and ask me nonsense questions, but I took this as an opportunity to strenghten my voice and defend the animals in an even more strong way.
Also dating and finding a partner who’s vegan and ideally does activism as well hasn’t been easy either.
How might you encourage someone who hasn’t embraced a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle to give meatless food a try?
I’m grateful for the animals, since they instigated a beautiful intergenerational healing process for me
Priya Sjambar
Obviously I’ll have them taste it, but I also feel it’s very important to give information and education about what’s happening behind closed doors of the animal industry. Most people don’t know the details and they deserve the truth.
I would love to recommend any full vegan restaurant, because I celebrate these entrepreneurs taking risks and going for what’s right in a non-vegan world. They are the pioneers and changemakers and we should definitely support them!
Most people aren’t properly informed about the practices and honestly I only truly discovered this after I became vegan
Priya Sjambar
There are a lot of misconceptions, that are not based on either logics or facts. Like not being able to be healthy on plantbased food. I would encourage people to Google, everything you need to know is there. A lot of us have walked this path and we came to this standpoint for a reason.
Also try to find groups of vegans where you can ask questions, share your frustrations and share an unexplicable bond with!
Going vegan is literally the best decision in my life and I regret not doing it sooner. I didn’t know how guilty I felt subconsciously until I stopped using animal products and I feel very liberated.
I’d love to say to everybody: go vegan! For the animals, for the earth and for yourself. And then please create more awareness and use your voice for every imprisoned animal in this horrible industry!
Priya Sjambar
From psychologist to vegan chef @rocvanamsterdam & @mensa.mensa.food
🌱Vegan FTA since 2017
🐮Animal Rights Activist
🍇Food as medicine
📍Rotterdam, NL
all images courtesy of Priya Sjambar