Linda-Louise Swain and Carol-Ann Kelleher have a lot more in common than being trained actresses well known in the Bay’s media and arts world.
Both are also passionate advocates for the rights of animals and so horrified at the thought of killing them that they shun eating meat.
Both also recently made the move from being vegetarians – who eat no meat but include eggs, milk and butter in their diet, to vegans – who consume no animal products at all, not even by-products.
“I was vegetarian for 32 years and have been vegan for a year now. It is totally to do with the cruelty aspect of the food industry and I want no part of it,” Swain said.
“We are growing our own veg and the difference in taste is unbelievable. Veganism is definitely on the increase worldwide.”
“Being a vegan has put a spark back into sourcing delicious dishes and experimenting with new ingredients,” Swain says.
“Your tastes definitely do change, the palate becomes open to all sorts of flavours, the food sources are all energising and you really do feel healthier.
“You can have a vegan pizza, and polish the whole thing off and not feel bloated and heavy.”Kelleher agrees.
“There is something so amazing about clean eating as you never feel awful after eating this type of food.
“We have reached a crisis because the food we are eating is killing us. Look at the rates of cancer, obesity, diabetes – medication is not the cure, how we are eating is.
“Meat – especially processed meat – is now classified as carcinogenic by the WHO (World Health Organisation). Chicken has so many hormones in it; then there are micro particles of plastic in fish we eat because of all the rubbish dumped in the ocean.”
Kelleher and Swain say vegans do not have to cut back on flavour or worry about lack of protein or vitamins.
“You can ease into it or you can just take a leap of faith,” Swain says. “
Find the tastes you like and do ensure you get your protein, but remember, protein is in just about everything. All these smoothies and superfood powders are available, and then your raw foods are full of protein. Always have some nuts around for snacking – and those hummus and tahini pastes are always there for an extra boost,” Swain says.
“Be adventurous. Put tastes together that you would never have paired before. It becomes a journey of culinary creativity.”
“My advice is to try it for a month and see how you feel – my guess is you will be amazed at the changes in your body!” Kelleher says.