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7 months ago my mum asked me to watch What The Health with her on my last morning in Noosa before I flew home to Sydney after a stunning end of year break.

It was not an out of the blue request. In fact I’d been championing it for a couple of years. For my 40th birthday I’d unsuccessfully suggested: “All I want for my birthday is for you and dad to watch What The Health!” Unsurprisingly emotional blackmail was not the winning approach!

I’m keen to learn what changed? What little vegan seeds were planted to cause my mum to be open to watching the documentary? What compelled her to try something that she knew my dad would not be supportive of? What has been her experience so far from a health, social and food joy point of view?

Before we get rolling I want to share how incredibly proud of my mum I am. We’re bonding over food, recipes and the judgements / perception of non-vegans. I feel like food which once might have been a subject of contention is now something that’s bringing us even closer.

It’s a journey I’m loving. Of course I’d super-crazy-LOVE to welcome my dad on that journey too. 

As I’m eternally optimistic I’m hoping that’s an upcoming show I’ll be able to share with you in not too too long!

For now, it’s my huge pleasure to share with you my mum – Annie Galli, and

My Mums Plant Based Journey. 

In this interview we cover:

• Mums experience growing up on a farm and memories that jump out so far as the food she ate or the food animals that also lived on that farm. 
• Mums experiences with vegetarians and vegans before I turned vego at 16.
• How mum imagined eating plant based would be before she tried it. Did I sell it well?!
• Mums fears / hesitations.
• Mum decided to give this “plant based thing” a try after watching WTH with me at the beginning of Jan. What were particular vegan seeds leading up to that point? 
• What surprised mum? Good and bad?
• Mum lives with someone who is vehemently not vegan. Yet she makes it work. What are her tips here? 
• Mum is an amazing cook. What’s it been like making such huge changes to the way she eats and the way she cooks? 
• Does mum have any advice to someone who might be vegan curious yet hesitant? 
• Does mum have any advice to vegans who are desperate for the people they love most to become vegan too? 

Mum had so much more to share after we stopped recording! Do you know we both got a little nervous. However, I think mum did a great job.

Straight from Annie Galli: If you take away anything from this podcast let it be that eating plant based is so much easier than you might think.

It’s a comment I hear so regularly.

Generally, the person who thinks a plant based lifestyle is restrictive is the person who has not tried it. I know because I was that person. So was my mum. 

I’m so happy I get to share this chat with you because I think mum and I represent two very different approaches that both work and are hopefully relatable and relevant in parts no matter at what stage of the ethical vegan – plant based curious – meat eating spectrum you sit.

I’m very aware that to the non-vegan, my approach and the approach of many animal rights activists might seem extreme.

I’m not willing to take a more moderate approach. To me the situation is too dire. If I was trapped in the hell we inflict on animals I’d want someone fighting for me fiercely and without compromise. And yet, my passion will turn off some people. Perhaps even the majority. That’s why I’m so incredibly grateful there are people like my mum. Planting delicious, respectful little plant based seeds throughout her family and community – Ha, and now internationally (!) and absolutely having a huge positive impact.

As I’ve said before, to appeal to every type of non-vegan there needs to be every type of vegan.

Some patient, compassionate and understanding like my mum. Who leads with support, compromise and delicious food.

Some relentlessly focused, passionate and at times sometimes abrasive like me.

If you’re vegan / plant based curious or someone you love is, I urge you to seek out the advocates for the lifestyle that resonate with you.

Please know, as I hope I’ve demonstrated today there are so many approaches and so many individuals willing to support you.

Of course when the lives of billions of animals and the future of the only planet we have to call home are at stake – some of us might just be a bit too excitable in our approach for you. However please don’t judge every vegan to be extreme. That’s a stereotype the mainstream media perpetuates to sell conflict based views / clicks and to make the lifestyle seem less appealing and in doing so protect the financial interests of animal agriculture. 

There are powerfully ingrained systems hell bent on maintaining status quo and the cycle of cruelty that literally profits off the backs of enslaved animals. Animals that feel pain, suffer and do not want to die in exactly the same way that you or I or my lil bro Thomas feels pain and suffers and does not want to die.

The ONLY difference is that we humans have decided that some animals gets to be our friends and some animals get to be our food. 

To end on a positive because I found todays chat so very positive and hopeful, know that every thing you do counts. As consumers we have such power to help effect change at every single meal and such power to influence in every single interaction.

So whatever little seeds you’re planting, thank you. Thank you for listening today and thank you for sharing The Healthification Podcast with anyone who you believe would find value in it. That’s it for today in Healthification however I’ll be back soon with more awesome guests. Happily I keep getting “Yes’s” to my interview invitations that really excite me! To help make the show even more attractive to even more guests I have a final ask for you.

If you’re yet to review the show on iTunes it would truely mean so much to me. It takes a couple of minutes of your time and legitimately makes my day. So far as visibility it’s also one of the only ways a little show like this gets the chance to be seen within the iTunes algorithm. So it really helps big time. With huge thanks across the pod-waves.

The Healthification podcast is proudly bought to you by my FREE ‘Easy Vegan’ plan. It took me 25 years to transition from a meat eater to a happy, healthy Vegan! You can do it in just 3 days with my simplified ‘easy vegan’ plan!  Get the fit, strong, and healthy plant based body you deserve… while avoiding ALL the mistakes I made along the way!

Till next time, remember Creating a body and life you love is Freedom. (If this ex-carb queen, non genetically gifted, naturally uncoordinated vegan chick can do it – so can YOU!!!)

If you liked “My Mums Plant Based Journey” you’ll also like: No Fuss Vegan / The Advice I’m Giving My Mum!

If you liked “My Mums Plant Based Journey” you’ll also like: The Ultimate Vegan Food Pyramid For Getting and Staying Lean.

Finally you if you liked “My Mums Plant Based Journey” you might also like: 6 Steps To Easy Plant Based Eating (Part 1).

If you’re yet to share the Healthification love – just click here to zip over to iTunes and leave an honest rating and review. It’d help me out big time. With gratitude, Kate.