Welcome to part 3 of our plant based stories series! Our aim in this plant based guest series is to highlight other plant based vegans and share their journey and how they adopted a plant based lifestyle. We want everyone to know that a vegan lifestyle is not limited to just certain people but appeals to everyone from all ages and walks of life!
If you have read our plant based stories, you know that we believe a plant based lifestyle is the best way to achieve optimal health, fight inflammation and care for the environment – but we don’t want you to take our word for it, that is why we are partnering with guests so you can hear from them why they decided to go plant based.
Let’s dive in, meet Robin and learn why she adopted a plant based lifestyle.
Meet Robin, Plant Based California Resident, Dog Mama, Colorful Recipe Creator at Vegan Dollhouse and DIY Crafter
Hi Robin! Thank-you for being part of our Plant Based Stories series, can you tell our readers a little about yourself?
I live in Sunnyvale, CA, which is in the San Francisco bay area. I feel very fortunate to live in a community that values a plant based lifestyle. I am very lucky to have found a group of vegans in my area that I enjoy spending time with, laughing with and planning fun gatherings – such as exploring new restaurants, hosting tea parties and attending vegan festivals. I spend my 9-5 doing marketing for an education research company in Palo Alto. When I’m not working, I make cute vegan food to post on vegandollhouse.com and hang out with my rescue dog Macchiato (IG: @macchiatosnores). I’m super into DIY and love getting together with friends to craft.
Sounds like you have an amazing vegan community and group of friends! Have you always been vegan?
I was raised mostly vegetarian, but 19 years ago, I visited the Peta2 booth at Warped Tour. Little did I know that signing up for the mailing list would be a life changing decision! When my first leaflet came in the mail, I became vegan and as some would say ‘the rest is history’.
It sounds like you have a huge heart for our environment and all creatures that inhabit our planet! Is that what motivates you to stick to a vegan lifestyle?
There are a million things that have kept me vegan all these years but the top three would be my health, the environment, and the animals. Basically, once someone comes to the realization that we’re enslaving and murdering people (yes, animals are people too), then it’s a pretty easy decision. It is certainly what motivates me to stay vegan.
You mention that your health is one of the tops reasons you have stayed vegan; do you think most people would benefit from a vegan lifestyle?
I was already in really great health when I went vegan, so I did not notice a huge change in my health, but I think everyone would benefit from eating plant-based. Most animal products are laden with cholesterol and antibiotics, and it has been studied and proven that eliminating those from your diet can improve heart disease and many other health conditions. If we had fewer factory farms, our air and water would be cleaner and have a huge impact on our environmental footprint.
I definitely agree with that! You mentioned attending the Warped Tour, do you find it hard to be a vegan and travel to festivals?
I haven’t had any difficulty traveling, but I also usually research where to eat on Yelp and Happy Cow before I leave. I also always pack snacks to eat on flights. If you are attending a non – vegan party (such as a wedding or birthday), bring your own food and a vegan cupcake, so you won’t feel left out if they don’t offer vegan options for you to eat.
Some other obstacles that people transitioning to a vegan lifestyle often encounter are giving up some of their favorite foods; what foods did you struggle to give up?
Ice cream and cheese were difficult to give up and back in 1999 (when I went vegan), there were not many options for good tasting plant based ice cream and cheese alternatives, so I just gave them up completely. Luckily, 2018 is like a vegan Disneyland. You can find delicious alternatives to almost everything.
I think that is a great transition into my next question – what do you fill up your grocery cart with?
My two favorite foods are pizza and salad – so those are on the menu on a regular basis! I have a few favorite pizza recipes on my blog including my Vegan Pizza Pockets. Other staples that make their way into my grocery cart are: Califia coffee creamer, Kite Hill yogurt, Follow your Heart American cheese slices and 365 brand organic almond milk. I also supplement with Vega protein powder.
Do you have any favorite vegan bowl recipes you can share with us?
Vegan Red Panda Carrot Soup is delicious, nutritious and inspired by the Sanrio character, Aggretsuko. Both ginger and miso provide a rich and satisfying taste.
I love how adorable all your recipes are! Every time I scroll through Instagram, my 6 year old daughter is always in awe of your culinary creations. You have a great knack of not only making food tasty but fun!
Speaking of Instagram – where can our readers connect with you socially?
I’m @vegandollhouse on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. My podcast is Dolls & Doughnuts and can be found on Stitcher and iTunes.
Thanks so much Robin for sharing your plant based story with us! I look forward to getting in my kitchen creating some of your tasty plant based creations.
