PLANT BASED RECIPES C o n t e n t c r e a t o r A n h Tr a n d i s c u s s e s h e r t r a n s i t i o n t o a plant based diet and shares two delicious Vientnamese recipes, perfect for the cooler months!
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y name is Anh Tran. I am a Master’s student and recipe developer and content creator on my food blog veggieanh.com.
I was initially interested in a plant-based diet in 2019, after watching the documentary ‘What the Health’ and learning about the environmental impact of the animal agriculture industry. Back then, I tried to go vegetarian but it didn’t stick: I didn’t have many resources and information about plant-based cooking, and animal products were such a big part of my culture to give up. I started to take it easy and incorporated one veggie meal per week, and have been gradually increasing the number of meals over time. In 2020, during the pandemic, I started to follow many vegan YouTubers and Instagrammers and read books about plant-based cooking. The more I learn about it, the more my mind shifts and the more passionate I become about the plant-based lifestyle. In the beginning of 2021, I took part in Veganuary and have been adopting a plant-based lifestyle since then. This time it sticks, as my motivation was not only for the environment, but also for the well-being of the animals and my health. A few months later, I started my food blog and Instagram account @veggieanh to help people change their perception about vegan food. I produced easy-to-make, accessible yet nourishing recipes and instruction videos inspired by my Vietnamese culture and places I travel to.
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Like many, I used to think vegan food is only restricted to quinoa, berry smoothies and cold
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salad. With my platform, I want to change that negative perception and show that plantbased cooking is not only diverse and accessible, but can also be delicious and nourishing! Being plant-based also doesn’t mean giving up your favorite food. Some of my favorite dishes like noodle soup, spring rolls can be easily “veganized”, you just need to replace meat with plant-based alternatives like tofu and tempeh. Luckily, there are more and more plant-based products and resources out there, making this lifestyle choice easier than ever. My food philosophy is ‘Progress over perfection’. Eating plant-based is not about 100% perfect, it’s about doing your best. Start with 1 or 2 veggie meals per week, then gradually increase the amount, and one day it will become very doable to be mostly plant-based.
