The Delaware Valley is in for a treat because the Main Street Vegan, Victoria Moran, is headed this way for a one-night-only event Thursday, November 13, at 7 p.m. at the Great Valley Campus at Penn State University. Moran, a holistic health counselor, author and longtime vegan, will discuss her book, Main Street Vegan: Eating Green & Loving Life. Oh, and did I mention that she has appeared on “OPRAH”—yes, that Oprah.
I get to meet a lot of awe-inspiring vegans, and Victoria is at the top of the list. I recently sat down with her to ask a few questions. I walked away feeling even more inspired than I already am as a whole-foods, plant-based vegan. I am also very excited to add another one of her books to my collection when her new book, The Good Karma Diet, is released in April 2015.
I am hoping that Victoria’s clear and well-defined responses might help anyone who’s curious about becoming vegan. Here’s what Victoria and I chatted about.
PA Eats: What’s the first thing you suggest to people who want to become vegan?
Victoria Moran: First, I congratulate them! They’ve embarked on a grand adventure. They are, however, about to do something that makes them different, and a lot of people have trouble with that. Therefore, my first suggestion is ‘Call me!’—or somebody who’s vegan—and get some support for what you’re doing. You can get educated from books and films and online resources, but you need a friend in real time when you’re at an airport and there seems to be nothing you can eat, or when you’re visiting your family for a holiday and your brother-in-law won’t get off your case.
Do you perceive that there is a difference between a vegan and someone who is plant-based?
I believe some people want to make that distinction, but I don’t.
If we were some giant movement representing 30 or 40% of the population, we could split into all kinds of denominations, but we’re just not that big. And what we’re about is important. The environmental ramifications alone of widespread adoption of an animal-free diet could be so profound and so positive, we just need to do this thing. I personally love the word vegan, celebrating its 70th anniversary this month. I’m thrilled that people finally know what it means—I remember when they didn’t—and that it’s even a selling point. Some of the people who prefer ‘plant-based’ want to be clear that they’re about healthy eating—no vegan junk food—and/or that animal rights considerations don’t enter into the equation. In the old days, we had an easy way around all that: two terms. Ethical vegans were in it to save the lives and mitigate the suffering of animals. Health vegans were motivated by personal health and chose whole, unprocessed foods all (or nearly all) the time. Many of us were in both camps. For myself, I got into this for the animals, and I’m beyond grateful for what it’s done for my health.
In your practice as a vegan, who has influenced you the most and why?
My primary role models early on were Jay and Freya Dinshah, co-founders of the American Vegan Society in Malaga, New Jersey, and comedian and human-rights activist, Dick Gregory. The Dinshahs believed in me when I was an aspiring vegan who continually fell off the wagon. I was at that time a practicing binge eater, and I was addicted to cheese and the sweets and baked goods made with eggs and butter. But they never gave up on me and ultimately I was able to let go of both the eating disorder and the animal foods. Dick Gregory inspired me as someone who was out in the world, a famous entertainer, who ate a simple, vegan diet, and did a lot of fasting, both for health reasons and political reasons, just as his mentor, Mahatma Gandhi, had done.
In my twenties, I fasted for a week with Gregory and 125 other people in the basement of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. We were there to draw attention to world hunger, and on the final day we did a march. I’ll never forget Mr. Gregory saying, “Don’t be wearing no leather shoes. The reporters are gonna first look at your shoes.” That spoke to me of ethical consistency, and I’ve carried that with me to this day.
What is your ideal vegan meal and list four people who you’d invite to share that meal?
There are so many great vegan meals! And I eat so seasonally—lots of raw food when it’s warm out, more comfort food from now through spring. I’d really like to give you FOUR ideal meals.
Okay, here’s one we do for Main Street Vegan Academy that everybody loves: our Southwest Buffet that starts withTossed Green Salad (every meal I have starts with green salad—not a wimpy one either, interesting greens and nice additions like steamed sweet potato or broccoli), Aztec Salad (a wonderful corn, black beans and tomato salad with an oil-free vinaigrette dressing), Cheapish Chili from Main Street Vegan (super-easy and so good), Baked Blue Organic Corn Chips and Salsa and, finally, Flourless Chocolate Cake—a wonderful raw dessert based on walnuts, dates and fair-trade cocoa.
My four guests…
Hm, let’s see:
Oprah—she’s so close to being vegan and could do so much for this planet if she came out as such.
Michael Moore—he read and endorsed Main Street Vegan but as far as I know hasn’t yet joined the ranks.
Bill Clinton, who changed his diet for his health and even wrote me a beautiful letter about it.
Dr. Oz—he gets so many different points of view presented to him every day, but c’mon, Doctor, you’re a cardiac surgeon, and you know that no drug, no surgery and no other way of eating has been definitely shown to reverse heart disease other than a low-fat, vegan or nearly vegan diet.
What is the greatest misconception about being a vegan that people believe?
There are lots. There’s still the hippie cliche, which I think came from hippies eating brown rice and granola because they didn’t have much money, not that they wouldn’t have preferred a steak. Then there’s the weak and puny misconception, rapidly being diffused by powerful vegan athletes, including Patrik Baboumian, the strongest man on earth. There’s the Left-Wing stereotype (I think many vegans lean liberal, but having a heart for animals and having a heart that depends on arteries aren’t partisan issues); and the hackneyed idea that we care only about animals, not people, when the vegans I know care lavishly for humans and other beings.
Are you inspired? Have more questions? Come and join an inspiring evening with Victoria. You will not be disappointed. To register for her one-night-only event, click here. Learn more about Victoria at Main Street Vegan.
- Photos: Chris Pearce Photography, NYC
One Comment