Zara is a passionate advocate for health, nutrition, and holistic lifestyle choices. With an enduring interest in these fields and a growing fascination with the fitness industry, Zara embarked on a transformative journey in 2012, driven by the desire to help individuals become the best version of themselves in terms of their overall well-being.
In 2016, Zara made a courageous decision to leave behind a career in fashion and fully commit to the mission of positively impacting lives. Taking a deep dive into the realm of nutrition, Zara sought to gain a comprehensive understanding of the human body and how to fuel it optimally. It was during this period that a groundbreaking documentary, “What The Health,” produced by Joaquin Phoenix, shattered the walls of ignorance, revealing the distressing cruelty that Zara had unintentionally been contributing to.
Having dedicated many years to working with animal welfare, both in the wild and in domesticated settings, collaborating with various organizations across the Middle East and Europe, Zara realized a profound truth. While being a passionate voice for animals in certain areas, the realization dawned that the very creatures on Zara’s plate were being disregarded and harmed. This realization sparked a profound awakening, shaking off the cultural cognitive dissonance that had clouded Zara’s perception for far too long.
In collaboration with The Vegains Co, Zara is committed to making the transition to a healthier and more compassionate lifestyle effortless for all. Whether you’re an athlete striving for peak performance or a busy individual seeking to prioritize wellness without sacrificing convenience, Zara’s meticulously crafted meal plans are tailored to suit your unique needs.
Meatless Movement recently had a chat with Zara, she told us that by joining the Vegains Community, you become a part of a movement that advocates not only for the well-being of animals but also for the betterment of our world as a whole.
Please tell us more about yourself
If you’re vegan for the animals, as long as there is suffering, you’ll never stop being vegan. Period
SuperSwede
My name is Zara and I am originally from Sweden.
I left Sweden when I was 18 and moved to London where I lived for 14 years with a stint in New York before moving to Dubai in United Arab Emirates. I lived in Dubai for 9 years to the day and moved to Los Angeles last year.
As I moved to Dubai I started volunteering in a cats and dogs shelter and also started actively rescuing and fostering and adopting out cats.
I joined Middle East Animal Welfare Foundation and headed up the illegal wildlife department dealing with trafficked exotic “pets”. I represented Middle East & North Africa in conferences such as MENAW in Egypt & the Climate & Animal Welfare conference at United Headquarters in Kenya. I love being on the ground and getting my hands dirty helping animals and humans.
One of my favorite missions was in Beirut where I was just a week after the blast in 2020 with the rescue & response team of Four Paws International. We were reuniting animals with their owners and helping people get supplies and vaccinations for their pets. It’s something about being in the middle of the chaos and making a difference that makes me tick.
Do we really have to kill in order to live?
SuperSwede
My true strength lies in not seeing weakness as weakness
My strength needs no victims
My strength is my compassion
It was during this time I started hearing a nagging voice at the back of my head that I was being a hypocrite; rescuing some animals whilst contributing to the pain, suffering and death of others.
I kept trying to ignore it as I enjoyed eating what I always had, but it was getting harder and harder to shut that voice out.
In Sweden we have meat and dairy with every meal. And I never questioned it growing up. I was completely conditioned to think of it as food, and not a living breathing being.
Had someone told me the truth where the meat was from and how it was made, it would have awoken my empathy and compassion sooner in life I think.
During a holiday in Orlando, I was on a date and the guy said that we should watch the new documentary on Netflix “What the health” he assured me that there wasn’t much animal abuse pictured, as of course, being a “lover” of animals, I’d hate to see it. Because deep down, I knew that I couldn’t be an animal lover and pay to have them killed at the same time.
I watched it. And my carefully placed blindfold came off. I went vegan over night, I no longer cold contribute to the horrific beast that is the meat and dairy industry. I started questioning everything, started researching everything myself and not trusting what I was being told by the commercials and the doctors and media who is just there to profit.
That was 7 years ago and the only thing I regret is that I didn’t do it sooner.
We live in an imperfect world, just by us being alive, others suffer and die. We have found ways to exploit absolutely everyone and everything
SuperSwede
I started watching more and more documentaries. Gary Yourofsky “the greatest speech you’ll ever hear” quickly became one of my favorites, I’ve seen it so many times and it’s usually the first one I show to people who are interested in veganism for the animals. I still can’t watch the likes of Dominion and Earthlings as it stay with me. It makes me extremely sad and desperate for the animals and it makes me hate humanity and the world we live in. So I try to stay away for my own sanity. I recommend it to others though haha
At first, I didn’t tell anyone I had gone vegan, only a couple of close friends. I didn’t want to have anyone else’s opinion interfere with my decision. I also didn’t want to be that “annoying outspoken vegan”. But the more I researched, the more I felt that I had to be a voice for these millions of victims, I could no longer keep quiet. It wasn’t fair and it wasn’t enough for the animals.
I started seeking out local vegan groups on whatsapp and Facebook and started following loads of vegan accounts on Instagram, to further my knowledge and not feel so alienated.
I still hadn’t fully found my voice yet within the movement. Dubai is not your typical activist place either, you can’t really stand up and protest about anything, so the vegan scene there was always more about the food and less about animal rights.
In 2020 is co-founded The Vegains Co. in Dubai. This is a meal plan business that delivers 3 meals and 2 snacks a day to the clients door fresh every morning, 5 days a week. It is primarily to help busy people eat well and have all the nutritious food that they need. But it also works excellent as a transition for someone who wanted to try a vegan diet or if someone simply wants to eat less meat during the week.
Once I went vegan, I never really saw it as a challenge. Yes, annoying when you go out to restaurants and they offer you fish or chicken when you say you’re vegan, especially back in 2016, when being vegan wasn’t that trendy. But because my reasoning behind it was so strong; the animals, I never felt I gave anything up.
The biggest change I felt was in my mind. I felt more peaceful and no longer a hypocrite. And my purpose grew stronger and stronger from there on.
I speak on veganism daily as I always have people in the gym asking me how I’m managing to maintain muscle on a vegan diet. I approach the conversation with an open mind and actively listen to people and how they view veganism.
Not calling anyone out, simply explaining and voicing my personal thoughts and opinion on the matter
SuperSwede
Most people are capable to have their opinions but still listen to opposing arguments without it affecting their ego, and it can lead to really interesting conversations. My aim is always to just plant a seed in someone’s mind and perhaps make them think twice next time they order a burger or steak.
I also believe you have to understand what is most important to the person you are talking to. Most people care about themselves and their own health first, so speaking of the benefits of a vegan diet to someone like that is more impactful than talking about animal abuse, where they would most probably just shut off. I always encourage people go off and do their own research and always recommend previously mentioned Gary Yourofsky’s; “the greatest speech you’ll ever hear” as he explains veganism in such a light it’s hard to argue it.
My favorite foods is my own meal plan and cooking. I like to experiment with recipes and find that I am so much more creative in the kitchen since I went vegan.
It’s almost like a challenge to cook and bake and make it taste “non vegan”, and then serve it to no vegans who can’t believe it’s vegan 😂
Although I am currently doing a 6 month bikini prep so I eat the same thing 6 days a week with one cheat day thrown in to keep me sane.
I make my own Seitan at 54 grams of protein a meal so that I can ensure that I get all my proteins and amino acids to build more muscle. I eat half a plate of cruciferous veg, black beans for carbs and the Seitan. Every day, lunch and dinner.
I would say that’s probably my favorite meal, even though I eat it 6 days a week. My plate is huge and I don’t feel deprived of anything.
For my cheat days-
I love the vegan pizza at The Butchers Daughter in Venice, LA and the mushroom burger at Kusaki in West LA. The breakfast pizza at Margo’s and literally everything at Cafe Gratitide.
Some misconceptions about veganism I’ve come across is that we are deficient and weak and I feel it’s my duty to break that stereotype 😂 I feel sorry for people that think vegan food is boring, cause they honestly don’t know what they’re missing.
The thousands of animals dying every second don’t have time for people to be on “their own journey” but people also won’t be receptive to the truth before they are “ready”, if ever…
SuperSwede
I try to educate by leading by example in terms of my own fitness and cooking, to show people that it’s not what they have been taught to think. I do my best to keep an open mind when speaking to non vegans that are genuinely interested, to remember that I haven’t always been vegan myself and try to relate instead of judge.
My advice for someone who is starting to go meatless is always to seek out support, Facebook groups, WhatsApp groups, local groups. it can get tough with friends and family that won’t accept your lifestyle changes and might mock you or make you feel like you’re doing something wrong. You gotta grow thick skin as a vegan.
Follow as many inspirational vegan accounts as you can, as well as vegan recipe accounts. Do more research and find your why.
Make sure you eat nutritionally and not just fries cause it’s easy and you don’t know what else to eat. I hear so often that a vegan diet is expensive, and it’s really not. I eat a lot of beans, lentils, cruciferous veg, my own Seitan and sweet potato etc and it’s cheaper than how I used to eat before I was a vegan. And also a lot healthier! I can eat a tone of tasty food and get really full and it hasn’t cost much. If you eat the processed meat replacements, which I do occasionally as a treat, then yes it can be a little more expensive. But what steak isn’t?
We have the unique position to choose whether we want to contribute to the horrific senseless killing that is the animal agriculture industry, or not.
SuperSwede
What do you choose?
To me, being vegan is all about the animals, the rest is just a bonus.
Having such a strong reasoning behind it makes it easy for me to be vegan. I could never not be now.
Besides it’s getting easier and easier with so many alternative. There really is no need for us to abuse and exploit animals like we do and I hope that in the near future more people chose compassion over comfort. For the animals.
SuperSwede
📍Los Angeles
Partner @thevegainsco 🌱🇦🇪
Director 🐅 The Big Paw Foundation
@el_chapo_and_cartel 🐕🦺
all images courtesy of SuperSwede