We talked to Jayna Mistry- Marketing Manager at Artfinder- about her path into veganism, her thoughts on referring to it as a 'lifestyle' and if following a plant based diet has affected her training or not.

Jayna MIstry

Jayna MIstry

Please can you tell us why you adopted a vegan lifestyle and how long you have been doing it for?

I have been a vegan since Boxing Day 2015.

I disagree with the word 'lifestyle', as it's really important that people understand that it is not a fad or a craze.I became vegan because eating meat was an obvious flaw in my moral compass: I believe in equal rights and treatment for men and women, rich and poor, young and old, able and disabled, black and white. But I if I truly respect all lives on a moral level, then why do I buy into a system that hurts another being with which I share this planet?

You have an active lifestyle so how has going vegan affected your training and recovery?

Veganism hasn't affected my training or recovery at all - I train the same amount as I did before, and I recover as I did before! I've always been careful to ensure that my diet contains sufficient protein, the only difference being that now that source of protein is plant-based.

You are the marketing manager at Artfinder so do you have a favourite piece of vegan artwork you can tell us about?

I had to run this one by Google, as the vegan art scene has certainly not taken off like feminist art, or liberal political art, and it is certainly yet to hit Artfinder!

Instead, I'll punt for my favourite animal artist - Eva Fialka. 'Robert' and Julio may look a little silly, but in putting a Dad shirts and hipster jumpers on animals, Eva makes a really valid point about - that we see animals as friends, equals, members of the family. I certainly wouldn't kill and eat any of my family or friends, would you?

Where is your favourite vegan place to eat out?

There is a great vegan food scene in London - Ms Cupcake in Brixton lives up to its slogan of having the naughtiest cupcakes in town and Manna in Primrose Hill is great for a special occasion.

But, for me, top marks go to Fed by Water in Dalston for their great, non-pretentious Italian food. And they even feature art by Artfinder artists - I looked up from my pizza just this weekend to see a piece by Anna Laurini on the wall!

What is your favourite vegan moment so far?

So many funny things have happened to me since turning vegan. A couple of weekends ago, I forgot to go on holiday and had to dash to the airport like a madman!

This to say that there is no such thing as a "vegan moment" - my nearest and dearest will tell you that I'm still the dizzy, flawed human being that is prone to doing incredibly stupid things.

Have you met anyone who challenged the lifestyle? If so how did you handle it?

Nobody has outrightly challenged my choice to become vegan.

However many people have suddenly taken a great deal of interest in my personal nutrition - the food that I choose to put into my body. To which I point out that I get 100% of my 50g of protein, 70g of fat, 260g of carbs and 15mg of iron from my balanced diet, thank you very much. Knowing the precise figures has a disorientating effect on most people.

I never fail to point out the irony that they never cared before when I would happily and regularly eat burgers, pizzas, fish and chips and various other fast food for lunch.

Do you think your success as a vegan has influenced anyone else to give it a go?

No. In fact, I think this is the first time that I have written extensively about veganism! I'm always happy to discuss the concepts with people who ask, but I am a rounded individual with so much more to talk about than just veganism.

I have also never seen any point in trying to influence people - I prefer to let them decide.

What have you found the easiest and hardest aspects of going vegan?

As soon as I understood that veganism equates to respect for life, nothing about going vegan was hard. I'm often asked whether I miss anything - the answer is no, not really.

Have you read or watched anything inspiring you can recommend?

'Earthlings' (You Tube) and 'Cowspiracy' (available on Netflix) are both a must-watch. Any talk by Melanie Joy is a marvel. And 'Eat Like You Care' by Gary Francione is an easy, light introduction to the basic principles of veganism.

NB: Please don't watch Earthlings on your own.

What advice do you have for someone who is struggling to transition from vegetarianism to veganism?

There are three points to make here:

  1. Vegetarianism is not a "gateway drug" to veganism - I went straight from eating animal products to none at all
  2. If they were considering veganism for moral reasons, then nothing that I could say or do would help -- the decision is made for them
  3. If it's a "lifestyle" choice, then I'm not really the best person to ask

www.artfinder.com


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