Emily Roddy, from Manchester was vegetarian for just over a year and decided to go vegan mainly for compassion for animals, but also for environmental benefits. She admits it's been much easier than she thought it would be. Emily reveals that the hardest bit is people questioning her all time.
Emily Roddy
On the flip side, she has found cooking at home and eating out super easy - as there's loads of veggie restaurants in Manchester. The only thing that she's found a bit difficult is buying convenience food like when buying meal deals for lunch. She knows deep down however that it's definitely a good thing to eat less convenience and more homemade foods, so it doesn't really bother her all that much as it encourages her to make her own.
People at work have complimented her on looking more chilled out, which could well be a result of her new vegan diet. The good news is- she is definitely planning on staying vegan.
We caught up with Emily to delve a little deeper into her reasons for making the switch and asked her about her favourite vegan foods.
You were vegetarian for over a year before going vegan, so what made you go veggie in the first place?
It was a documentary on Netflix called Vegucated, it influenced me so much that I made an overnight decision and have never looked back! It had been something that popped into my head a couple of times over the years but it was never something I took seriously until I educated myself about the ethical, environmental and health issues surrounding meat and dairy consumption.
You say the hardest bit is people questioning you all the time, so what is the oddest question you've been asked?
It's not really people asking me questions - it seems to be people making claims about vegan diets. But the strangest one I've had was 'but plants feel pain too, apparently lettuce screams when you chop it'. I also get 'but what do you eat?!' A lot, which is why I share pictures of my food regularly to prove that I eat a delicious and varied diet!
How did you overcome the comments and are you used to them now?
It can be frustrating having to justify yourself and I did struggle at first, but most of the time it's because people are genuinely interested, so it's nice to be able to explain why I do what I do.
What is your favourite restaurant in Manchester?
That's a really tough question! It completely depends on what you fancy, there's a huge choice here. Based on how many times I've been (and ordered from them on Deliveroo) I'll have to say Handmade Burger Co. They serve meat and dairy as well but their vegan options are great. Closely followed by V-Revolution, it's entirely vegan and very reasonably priced, and also extremely tasty!
What do you mostly cook at home?
We make so many different things at home, I'm a big fan of spice though so I love making curries or Mexican food such as burritos and fajitas. But we also have things like lentil shepherd's pie, pasta bake and sausage and mash. Contrary to popular belief we never make salads!
Have you discovered any convenience foods on your lunch break that are vegan friendly? If so please tell all!
Sainsbury's salad bar is amazing! If I've not prepared anything for the next day it's my go-to convenience lunch. All the allergens are clearly listed so I know exactly what is vegan and there's loads of choice. I also sometimes have a Bol, which do a wide range of microwave lunches, a lot of which are vegan and veggie. My favourite is Mexican sweet potato chilli. Extra snacks include Sainsbury's Thai sweet chilli crisps, Nakd bars and Alpro chocolate puddings.
People say you look more chilled out- do you feel any different?
Yes definitely, I've got loads more energy and am sleeping so much better. Instead of coming home and slumping on the sofa all evening I actually want to do things, I've joined back at the gym and have recently taken up playing badminton. I don't feel restricted what so ever in my diet, I snack and indulge just as much as the next person, but it enables me to have a clear conscience that I am doing everything I can for animals and the environment.
For more informaation go to www.peta.org.uk.
Tagged in Manchester Vegetarian Vegan