Veganism is my perfect match!

Natalie Aviv about veganism, sustainability, and her favorite recipes

Hi! Please introduce yourself, why and when did you go vegan?

Hi there, I’m Natalie, an Israeli educational psychologist, and a vegan YouTuber and blogger.

I’ve always been a big foodie type of a person, then I’ve decided to start a YouTube channel back in 2015 so that I can share my own recipes. Back then, I wasn’t vegan yet. Quite the opposite to be honest, I was a big meat lover, and enjoyed having the occasional bbq spread. I think somehow, the fact that the food I’ve made literally was out there, confronting me through my videos, gave me a “wake up call” and I’ve decided to become more conscious about the food choices I make.

So, in August 2016 I’ve ditched all animal products from my life, and dedicated myself to veganism, which was for me, more than just a diet.

First, I was doing it because I’ve educated myself on the health benefits of such a diet, but then I’ve learned more and more about the suffering of animals in the meat and dairy industries, and about the environmental effects these industries cause, then, I’ve decided whole heartedly that I’m not going to contribute to such a harmful way of living and just like that — went vegan.

How do you use social media to promote veganism and what do you post?

I film a variety of vegan plant based recipe videos to nourish the body and the mind. You can find all sorts of videos on my YouTube channel - from recipe videos (mostly easy and simple ones), what I eat in a day, eco-friendly vegan product reviews, vegan grocery hauls, meal prep videos and much much more. I get many comments and messages from people telling me that I help them go vegan and find vegan alternatives for their non vegan foods they loved eating.

I really believe in this type of promotion, and think it’s really helpful.

What’s your vegan guilty pleasure & what do you like to eat?

Mostly, I prefer eating healthy wholesome foods, that are packed full of good nutrients and actually benefit my overall health. I’d say I eat really intuitively, mostly balanced vegan diet, with good source of plant proteins such as legumes (did someone say hummus?), whole grains, healthy fats, and surely a lot of fruits and veggies.

But I would definitely eat foods to nourish my mind as well. So I would say my current “guilty” pleasure is a good Beyond Meat burger with a vegan melted cheese on top, or a vegan mac and cheese pasta with a creamy cashew cheese sauce, this is so good!

What would be your advice to those on their way to become vegans?

Take it one step at a time, you don’t need to be perfect, just start small, in baby steps, if you feel it’s difficult for you to do a 180 at once.

Find 3–4 recipes you really like and make them your staple meals and start making them regularly.

Start following some vegan YouTubers/bloggers/influencers on social media to get you on the vegan wagon and fill you up with inspiration.

If you find it difficult socially, join Facebook groups or any online vegan group to get the support you need and to ask all the questions you like to ask.

Nowadays, there are so many vegan alternatives out there, so just buy and try some until you’ll find the perfect match.

What is the best/the most difficult about being a vegan?

For me, honestly, there are no difficulties whatsoever. I’m grateful for having a lot of vegan options here in Israel, in the restaurants and in the grocery shops. Israel is a really vegan-friendly country and one of the countries where there are the highest rates of vegans in the world.

But I think veganism is now more acceptable and accessible in most Western countries, and lots of people have heard of this lifestyle at least once in their lifetime, even if they are not vegan themselves.

The best for me, is having great delicious mostly healthy foods, without harming the life of other sentient beings.

In your opinion, how would the world change if vegans were a nation and had their own currency?

I don’t think I know enough on the subject and I’d really like to educate myself more, but it sounds like a really beneficial way of helping the planet and supporting vegan businesses. I think it’ll be a much more ideal and compassionate way of participating in the world economic system, a way in which vegans would happily not contribute to businesses that are not aligned with their own way of living. It’ll unite all vegans around the world and will help to generate a cruelty-free economy system.

What are your hopes for the future of your work and veganism in general?

I hope more and more people will decide to make conscious food and lifestyle choices and stop engaging in harmful industries that are harming us, the animals and the world we live in.

I hope I’ll help more people to see that veganism can be really simple, enjoyable, tasty and even healthy, so there is no need for meat or dairy or any other animal derived food or product to live a healthy life.

Personally, I dream of releasing a book that will help people go vegan the simple way.