Kim Camilia, is 19, based in Birmingham and is an upcoming singer/songwriter. Kim moved to Birmingham from Holland about a year ago to be with her partner and pursue a career in music...
Kim Camilia
Kim tells her story, "I became vegan gradually, although I was never very fond of eating meat in the first place. I went from trying various products that are popular among my fellow vegans like hummus, avocados (I had never even heard of them before I became vegan!), tofu in different flavours, etc to cutting meat out of my diet completely.
My views on the animal industry actually changed drastically when I was still living in Holland, after one of my then classmates gave a lecture on ''broiler'' chickens, completely with quite graphic images and I felt so sorry for these little animals, being locked up in way too tiny cages and not being able to walk or stand up properly because of the way they were bred. I started to imagine what it would feel like to be in a situation like that myself and from there on I felt the need to change my diet around and think about all the animals that suffer, rather than be selfish and ignore what really happens 'behind the scenes.'
After my high school friend gave her lecture on ''broiler'' chickens, my view on the animal industry had changed drastically. I started looking up information about other animals suffering from the farming industry and it was heartbreaking for me to see. I decided I wanted to change my diet around, but wasn't able to do this completely until after I moved to England. I moved in with my boyfriend, who had already been vegan for 7 years and consequently didn't have any animal products in his house. I started to discover vegan meals that he had been eating for a long time, we discovered new recipes together, he took me to various food festivals and then to the West Midlands Vegan Festival and just a few days after going there I made the transition from being part vegan (mostly vegetarian) to being entirely vegan and I have stayed that way ever since.
The West Midlands Vegan Festival was such an inspiring experience for me. There were so many people from all over England that came together in one place to sell their vegan food and other many other things like shoes, clothes, makeup, body care products, etc at the festival. All of the food stands had such amazing smelling and tasting food, there were a lot of types of food to pick from and there was even a vegan cupcake stand called Care for a Cupcake. What caught my eye the most was a group of people selling t-shirts with interesting phrases on them to raise money for Sea Shepherd, a well known Washington-based organisation that uses direct action to protect sea wildlife. I recommend the event to my friends, and encourage them to try a bit of all of the food that is freshly prepared at different stands, listen to the talks and maybe even attend one of the vegan cooking classes. It's the kind of festival where you can hang around all day long and still not get bored, so I'm sure they would learn a lot of new things and bring loads of vegan products home!
It was quite easy for me to make the transition because I was never very fond of eating meat in the first place and I have been lactose intolerant for a great amount of time so dairy products were a no-go for me anyway. I was so happy when I discovered the world of dairy free milk, cheese and desserts!
I had a lot of support when I went vegan. I was living with my boyfriend who had already been vegan for a long time, so when I decided to become vegan as well he was very supportive of it. And even though people sometimes may give you the odd stare here and there or ask you if you only eat plants and grass, most people I've told about going vegan have showed nothing but admiration for my decision.
My favourite vegan recipe at the moment is one me and my partner recently came across; vegan nacho cheese sauce made with just nutritional yeast, beans, a bell pepper, a couple of spices and a blender. Another recipe I really like is bell peppers stuffed with quinoa, sweetcorn and sometimes other types of vegetables. But my most favourite vegan recipes are ones for Indian food. You can make so many various dishes with such a small amount of ingredients and spices and it's healthy and delicious! Since I've discovered hummus, I've been eating it almost every day, as well as cucumbers, bread, carrots and pretty much anything you can possibly think of. I also really love tofu, because there are a lot of various flavours to choose from. Violife cheese is a favourite, so is Daiya cheese, but it's a lot harder to find in the UK. I do have to admit though that my most favourite vegan product of all time is Food Heaven's dairy free cheesecake in lemon flavour, it's so good!
I shop at The Vegan Store in King's Heath owned by Karma, Indigo Wholefoods and Holland & Barrett. One of the nicest vegan cafes I've been to so far in England is a place in Manchester called V Revolution. Everything they served was vegan, even their milkshakes and they served food at very reasonable prices. My favourite vegan cafe in Birmingham itself is an all vegetarian/vegan cafe called 3 Three's. All of the food that they serve is vegan/vegetarian and it's one of the only ones in the city centre that does this. I can't forget to mention The Vegan Grindhouse, because whenever I go to a Street Food Festival they're always there and they serve the best Americana style vegan food that's out there.
It's so easy to go vegan these days. There are so many vegan products on the market like meat substitutes, flavoured tofu, soya milk, etc and new products and variations of already existing products enter the food market almost weekly. Over the last year I've been to quite a few restaurants and a lot more of them are starting to either create vegan versions of their menus or give vegans the ability to amend a dish so that it's vegan instead of vegetarian.
I don't consider veganism a 'trend', necessarily, because you become vegan out of your own principals and because you've done a lot of research on the horrors of the animal industry, rather than just being ignorant about it. I do notice that there are a lot more vegans out there now than there were just a year ago and that makes me happy.
I have been a fan of Prince for all of my life. He was vegan for while and he wrote a song called ''Animal Kingdom'', which is about the fact that just like us, animals are living and breathing creatures with feelings of their own and we should treat them just like we should treat our fellow human beings, with love and respect. I've also been a fan of Australian girl band The Veronicas ever since I was in my early teens and both of them have been vegan for quite some time. They have to fight the criticism of the press daily, mostly on their appearances that people associate with their diets and yet they keep on fighting for what they believe in and I think that is their most admirable quality
The best thing about being vegan is that I am not eating animals or products from animals that breathe the same air as me, have a heartbeat and have feelings just like I do, anymore. By being vegan, I am showing that I do not support the cruelty that exists in the farming industry - I feel strongly that animals should be treated just like us.
I have also found that every vegan I've met so far has been very compassionate, smart and friendly because these people chose not to be ignorant about what really happens to those poor animals in the industry. They are ready to talk about what goes on behind closed doors and want to make the world a better and safer place for animals.
If you're thinking about going vegan, take small steps. Cut animal products out of your diet step by step and watch a lot of documentaries to really help you understand why you're going vegan. My biggest piece of advice would be that you need to completely stand behind your decision, cause it's not just a small change that you are making, it's a whole different way of living.
I feel a lot healthier now that I'm vegan, I have a lot more energy and I just feel better in my skin in general. I also feel better about myself because I know that I am not supporting the farming industry anymore and for me, that is an accomplishment to be proud of."
The West Midlands Vegan Festival takes place on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th October 2016 from 10am to 6pm both days, at Wolverhampton Civic Hall, North Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1RQ. Admission is just £1 (under 16's free), payable at the door. Visit www.midlandsveganfestival.org.uk for more information.