Plantier Features - Christian Bank-Pedersen
In addition to our ‘becoming plant-based’ series, we will also be running Plantier Features. In these posts we will share with you people like us who have made conscious efforts to adopt a plant-based diet. In these testimonials we explore the different reasons why people have chosen a plant-based lifestyle and the benefits they have gained.
This week, Plantier speaks to Christian Bank-Pedersen, a kindergarten teacher at Copenhagen International School.
Describe your personal food/diet journey?
My Mum has always been interested in nutrition and has shared what she learned with us through the food that we used to eat a home. My mum was adamant to teach me to cook for myself, so I have always felt empowered by my food choices. I enjoyed learning how to cook from scratch with her.
In a past relationship I learnt a lot about Indian food and cooking and realised I didn’t have to sacrifice taste when not including meat in my food. This led me to go mostly vegetarian when I moved to Denmark 5 years ago to study a Masters in the Anthropology of Education and Globalisation. In my body I noticed that I felt better in my guts without meat in my diet. I gradually cut out the meat, first from home cooking, limiting it to eating out, then just cutting it completely.
My next biggest moment was when our family pet died 3 years ago. I was completely beside myself. I skipped Danish class and sat by the lakes and cried under a tree. This experience really sat with me and the realisation was so clear, I loved her, Tia -a rescued greyhound so much, so how could I eat other animals. For me cutting out meat was a health choice, but the ethical feelings came later.
Next most significant moment was when I cut out dairy products from my diet. I did this around new year 2017. This change made the biggest difference to my overall health. I completely got rid of my hay fever and asthma which normally plagued my summers. I never really enjoyed summers because of the allergies, I longed for cool damp summer days when the pollen levels would be reduced. But in 2017 I was walking around a park smelling smells I had never smelt, I realised that I didn’t have those symptoms any longer. I was so grateful. I have also rarely had a cold since then, and my sinus problems have never come back. I feel dairy products were the cause and after reading much about their effect upon the body, I realised they were the root of my allergies.
It’s frustrating that many people don’t know this information that could truly change the quality of their everyday living. Your food choices strongly impact your health and experience of living in your body. That’s why I decided to work towards actively promoting the lifestyle and its benefits. I am in the process of finding my path in regards to that.
We understand that you have decided to adopt a plant-based diet. What are the main reasons for making this change to your food choices?
Besides what I had already mentioned the main reasons were personal health and quality of living. Many people could be feeling so much better in their bodies than they currently do. The influence of Forks over Knives on my decision was the strongest aspect though. Dr. T Colin Campbell and Dr. Esselstyn’s research impacted me strongly. I still enjoy watching that movie again to understand the subject better. The influences of my dietary choices on my health was so impactful I could never go back to eating meat and dairy products.
What benefits have you seen from adopting the plant-based diet?
Loss of excess weight - 13kg in my case so a healthier leaner body.
Lose of allergies - no more hay fever or asthma and all of those frustrating symptoms; itchy eyes, blocked up nose, generally lethargy, cloudy mind.
I get less illnesses - I rarely get ill, my last sick day was in the last school year.
I get to show people that you can look good and be healthy without eating what is traditionally taught to us as ‘normal’ or ‘healthy’. I feel proud to point of the benefits if people ask. I like to be an advocate for this message.
What are your biggest challenges in making plant-based food choices?
Initially I found it daunting to learn new recipes then I figured I would ‘plantify’ the ones I knew, then I had plenty of options. As I read more about a balanced plant-based diet I realised I needed to included a wider range of foods than what I was normally preparing. Also, I ensured I was taking a B12 supplement as recommended by Dr Michael Greger, I love his book ‘How not to die’. Generally it’s not hard to eat well, unless you go down the route of eating a lot of ‘vegan junk food’. Often the meat and dairy replacements are packed with a lot of oil and aren’t so great if consumed regularly. I ended up avoiding them and finding ways to eat without them. My one vice for a sweet treat is vegan ice cream Ben and Jerry’s PB and Cookies. That never lasts long in my freezer. A part from that I’m a hummus addict and probably buy too much of that stuff from the supermarket. It’s just so convenient! In the end, learning new tasty recipes is probably my biggest issue. To keep some variety going.
The biggest challenge when eating out is that dairy isn’t really considered as a problem in restaurants and you may get some choices with dairy based sauces that weren’t mentioned. Sometimes there can be a confusion between Vegetarian and Vegan definitions and you get something lathered in dairy. Besides this, I now always ensure that I research where I am going to eat to see their menu. Options are generally better these days and vegan restaurants are on the up, so I am excited to be able to be living in such a vibrant era. Never have we been able to enjoy such options in recorded history.
What do you hope to see change to help you in your plant-based lifestyle choice?
Every restaurant with clearly stated vegan options. Also a really good option, not just some half-assed effort which can often be the case. It is not that hard to make a tasty and cheap vegan option. It should even be cheaper, but is often more expensive, which I find laughable. It’s just vegetables. I look forward to the day I can go out without having to check the menu ahead of time.
Follow Christian on Instagram and through his blog:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/yoga_christian_cph/
Blog: http://youareyoga.dk/