✹ Meet Savannah​

Hey everyone, my name is Savannah and I have been vegan for six years. I am originally from a tiny town in KwaZulu-Natal called Estcourt. I am a Physical Geography lecturer at the University of Johannesburg and a young academic with research interests in pro-environmental practices such as sustainable diets and sustainable fashion.

✹ What are three values that you live by?

Three values I live by would be authenticity – be who you really are, compassion – be kind to all kinds, and lastly gratitude – for everything we are blessed to have in our lives.

✹ What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge I experienced when I became vegan was work functions etc, if friends do not respect your vegan lifestyle you can move on. But you are stuck with colleagues or work lunches where there are limited or no food options.

When I transitioned to veganism I was a student at UJ and the single food option available on campus was slap chips. At least now they have plant milk cappuccinos available but the options are still slim to none for food. I overcame this by ensuring I prepared properly for the day with vegan meals to carry with me or at least snacks to tie me over until I got home.

Even now when I am told that a work event will cater to my dietary needs, I still come prepared with something, because odds are they have confused a vegan meal for a vegetarian one! It’s cliche but failing to plan is planning to fail.

✹ What helps you to stay vegan?

It really is no challenge for me to stay vegan! I actually have the word ‘vegan’ tattooed on my arm and people always ask what will I do with it if I decide to no longer be vegan. But I could not imagine a world where I am not vegan. Neither can anyone who knows me haha, I have asked! What I can say, is the ever-evolving and growing market of vegan products, eateries, and markets, make this lifestyle easier and more accessible.

✹ What advice do you have for going vegan?

To anyone wanting to adopt a vegan lifestyle, I would advise reaching out to fellow vegans, we are always so excited to help new vegans. Also, know your primary motivation, this tends to evolve as well through your journey, but for example, knowing that you are doing it to be compassionate to ALL animals, will be your pillar when you face challenges.

I would also advise to try new foods, and then try them again. Sometimes your taste buds will take a while to acclimatize to new textures and flavours (this goes for your stomach as well!), so you may try tofu and hate it at first like I did, try it again a few weeks later and you may end up in love with it. We are living in such an incredible time where there are so many vegan food options, so definitely explore!

Lastly, make sure that you eat nutritionally complete and balanced meals, and supplementing. So many people try veganism the wrong way and quit because they were not nourishing their bodies!
 

✹ If you had one wish for the world, what would it be?

If I had one wish for this world, it would for the end of the animal holocaust. It is hard to live your own life that you are lucky enough to be blessed with, knowing that everyday millions of innocent animals are suffering. If we could all be kinder to everyone we share this planet with, there may be hope for us yet.
Logo Design of Vegan Community in Gqeberha South Africa

We hosts a variety of events in Gqeberha, South Africa to bring awareness to veganism in a fun and accessible way and create a like-minded community. 

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