Originally from Poland, Ania has been living in Singapore for the past nine years. In 2017 she began her journey to develop and expand the awareness of healthy eating and plant-based diets. She went on to graduate in Plant Based Nutrition from both Cornell University (USA) and Winchester University (UK). To promote her aims she launched her company in Singapore, LivingveggiebyAnia.
With easy-to-follow cooking courses, demonstrations, and educational events (both for individuals and corporate) she aims to spread the message that vegan/whole food plant based (WFPB) food is not only healthy but also tasty and easy to prepare.
She has presented at a number of festivals including; London Plant Power Expo, Singapore Vegan Festival, The Conscious Festival, Green and Healthy Festival. She has recently co-authored a book: “My Voice - A collective Memoir by Women of Substance”.
Ania is a passionate foodie, loves to cook and create new recipes. She believes that vegan/WFPB food does not need to compromise on flavour. She uses her knowledge about science behind her food and wants to show you the links between our food, health and wellbeing through her events. She not only teaches what to put on your plate, but more importantly, what not to!
Share with our readers who you are, and tell us about your role in associations with LivingveggiebyAnia?
I am the founder of LivingingveggiebyAnia in Singapore. The company is the culmination of my long-held ambition to abandon the corporate world, which I worked in for many years, and a move into the food scene. I longed to abandon the office for the kitchen.
I love all aspects of food - from buying, cooking to eating. I am feel that most of us could eat healthier, and by training in food nutrition I am able to fully utilise my knowledge through LivingveggiebyAnia.
It was truly eye opening to learn what an impact diet can have on our health. After completing my nutritional studies, I realised that diet affects all areas of our life, not just the size of the jeans we wear.
What we put on our plate affects both our physical and mental health (there are studies showing the link between depression and diet). It can also affect our mood (via hormonal activities, which are linked to what we eat).
Eating is the most frequent activity in our life (at least 3-4 times everyday), it seems nowadays this is often reduced to a quick and convenient activity. On a daily basis I educate people to be more aware of what they eat, as the right diet is the single biggest change which can truly change our health.
What are the essential qualities to be successful in your role/business?
First and foremost, you must be passionate about and believe in what you are doing. Customers soon see through you if you do not fully believe in what you are saying. Without a doubt a good balanced diet can not only improve your lifestyle but I believe it can also help to extend your lifespan.
You also need to have a flexible approach. If your customers work all week you have to be available at the weekends. Some mothers want classes only during school time so you have to adapt to individual customers’ needs.
You also need to be able to speak in a language that the customer understands. Do they call it Eggplant or Aubergine? Is it Besan or chick pea flour? Grams, ounces, or cups? Getting these right helps the client and makes them more comfortable.
For corporations, I offer informative “Lunch & Learn” talks. Corporations these days have realized that their employees’ physical and mental health has a huge effect on their performance.
I also do supermarket tours, showing clients how to shop for what, explaining the various vegetables and how they can be prepared, etc.
What is your most noteworthy achievement to date either professionally or in your personal life?
The thing I am the proudest of is having the courage to start my own business at the age of 35 years old, without a big budget, a lot of business knowledge or experience. It was definitely stepping out of my comfort zone.
I was used to working for big corporate organisations where everything is taken care of and I just had to perform my own role. When started LivingveggiebyAnia I had to learn everything from scratch such as the marketing and accounting, on top of the daily operation of my day-to-day business.
When did your vegan/WFPB journey start?
Only 5 years ago, but I’ve been a vegetarian for 28 years, since a little girl. It wasn’t really a conscious choice back then, I just simply did not ever like meat or fish and refused to eat it. Unlike most kids, I loved broccoli!
What made you transition from vegetarian to vegan/WFPB diet?
I started looking more into health prevention by reading books and watching talks by well known plant based doctors such as Dr Colin Campbell who wrote “The China Study” and “Whole” and Dr Michael Gregor of “How Not To Die, How Not To Diet”. I also watched numerous food documentaries. “Forks over Knives” is my favourite.
From all this I learn a lot about what to eat and not to eat to stay healthy and how you can avoid a whole lot of diseases and ailments. I find it all absolutely fascinating, I became passionate about the benefits of eating a whole food plant based diet as a lifestyle and that’s when I went onto take several plant based university nutrition certificates.
What is the difference between being ‘vegan’ and being ‘whole food plant based’?
Well, being vegan indicates that you avoid all products derived from animals for ethical reasons; diet (including eggs, dairy and cheese) and products such as leather. Vegans usually also take a keen interest in environmental issues.
Someone eating “Whole Food Plant Based” will describe their diet as one made up of mostly whole plant foods that are minimally processed.
They will usually avoid oils and processed grains as much as possible, whereas these foods may be consumed on a vegan diet. Being vegan doesn’t always equal healthy - there’s a lot of junk food out there which is vegan!
So in that sense, I should call myself a whole food plant based eater as I put huge emphasis on creating healthy and un-processed foods.
Talking of food creating, how do you conduct your cooking classes?
I can hold them in my own home, or I can go to someone’s and do them there if there’s a suitable kitchen space. It’s good fun when people get a group of friends together (in these covid days, max. 5) and learn to cook some healthy dishes. Many also send their helpers along to learn.
What are people’s reactions to your plant based food passion? Are they curious? Dismissive?
I find that these days a lot of people have started to think about going paint based, realising the importance it has for their health as well as for the planet. Not to mention the cruelty to animals that goes on. If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we’d all be vegans! I hope to inspire people to take the plunge from just thinking to actually doing.
There’s an endless amount of delicious plant based recipes out there waiting to be discovered! Dare I talk about protein…? Ah, the questioning about “but where would I get my protein from?”
My answer is that you do not need to worry about it! There is plenty of protein in vegetables, legumes and other plant foods. People don’t see a doctor and get diagnosed with ‘protein deficiencies’, do they?!
Having said all this, I do not go around trying to make people stop eating meat, dairy and seafood - everyone makes their own choices. My aim and passion lies in educating and teaching the health benefits of adopting a plant based diet.
So in my teachings and classes, I do not bring up the vegan ethos, I concentrate on the food aspect of plant based eating - on what to eat for optimal health and longevity.
About The Writer Ina Hammer
Ina Hammer is the Director of Marketing and Events with The Living Free Institute a renowned psychotherapy services for trauma, ptsd/c-ptsd and other disorders of extreme stress.