You've made very deliberate choices about your lifestyle.
Yes. Though they weren't deliberate at first. I'd go on diets and exercise for a while then stop for various reasons; sometimes it was the heavy workload, or I'd just lose interest. But then around 4 years ago, I became very deliberate about my lifestyle choices. The first thing to go was alcohol.
Talk to me about that.
It's very easy to get sucked into alcohol. There's a thin line between having fun and letting things get out of hand, and for many people, that line becomes difficult to distinguish. You need to know when to stop. Otherwise, you end up doing things you will regret.
Did you get sucked into it?
I don't think I did anything I regret, but sometimes I would get to a point where I knew I had gone too far. I would get home late on a Friday night because I had been drinking with my buddies and lost track of time. The next day and most of Sunday I would spend the day on the couch, nursing a hangover and watching TV. That would be my weekend wasted. Those kinds of things put a strain on your relationships at home.
When did you quit?
New Year's Day 2017. I made the decision and went cold Turkey.
Was it hard?
At first, it was. I'd go out and have people asking why I wasn't drinking. Some would tempt me to drink, but after some time, they just got used to it. And then I began to have a whole new perspective of things. When you're you're not drinking, you notice a lot of things you would otherwise have missed if you were drinking: people stepping on your shoes, spitting as they talk, shouting over you. Then you realize you're not actually missing out on anything.
And when drinking is no longer part of the equation, you adapt to a new lifestyle and pick up other interests. I like house music, so I would enjoy that with my bottle of water whenever I went out. I also started going out less, maybe that's an age thing too.
And then, shortly afterwards, you went vegan.
Yes. I used to workout, but I never paid too much attention to what I was eating. And here's the thing: if you're not eating right, regardless of how much you're working out, you cannot lose weight. I say weight loss is a numbers game - the number of calories you take in needs to be less than the number your body is burning. It comes down to the type, amount and frequency at which you're eating.
The trigger for me to go vegan was after watching 3 different documentaries on Netflix. The first one was
Game Changers. It caught my attention because of its sports angle; athletes talking about how plant-based diets give them more energy.
After watching
Game changers, Netflix recommended a similar documentary which I watched with Winfred, my wife. It's called
Forks Over Knives; it talks about the health benefits of plant-based diets. It also has a social angle to it where they talk about the negative effects of livestock farming on the environment.
The third is called
What the Health, it talks about how government agencies, particularly in the US, focus on promoting certain foods (processed meats and dairy) based on their commercial benefits as opposed to their health benefits- which by the way, are apparently not that many. I watched these 3 documentaries in succession and ultimately decided to become vegan.
Did you have any meat in the freezer as you were making that decision?
I remember there was fish that was there for a month - within that time there was some cheating.
Many people first go vegetarian, but you went full vegan.
Yes. That meant no animal products at all- no eggs, no dairy, no meats. And if you go deeper, that means looking into how the food is prepared, what oils are used. Everything is plant-based.
How on earth do you just quit?
It was tough. I'd go out and smell
nyama (meat), and the aromas would be tempting. But honestly, those documentaries did it for me. I challenge anyone to watch them and not be impacted in some way.
Again, I asked myself, is there anything I am losing out on by not eating meat? The answer was no.
Doctors focus so much on treating diseases but rarely talk about prevention; nutrition is one way to prevent disease. Look at places where obesity is a problem and look at their diet; it just tells you where the problem is. There is a clear correlation between diet and disease.
But did you love meat the way Kenyans love meat?
I
loved meat. There used to be a
kibanda (food shack) next to my office, where I would go every lunchtime and pick out at least 3 different types of meat to eat. I loved meat. But right now, I don't even think about it. Sometimes the smell of fresh meat from a butchery is repulsive to me. I have found alternatives which, by the way, taste really good.
Like what?
Vegetables, starches and grains are the major categories. I do salads which are so easy to prepare.
Rice and beans is my all-time favourite. And if you look at types of lentils, there is a huge variety there, and they all taste different. I make different types of potatoes, baked, boiled and fried.
When you're discovering different menus, there are so many other meals you may never have thought about. Take mushrooms for example, before I became vegan, they were not even a consideration. I cook mine with some coconut cream, salt and pepper. They taste so good!
Unfortunately, most restaurants in Nairobi don't serve vegan meals on their own but rather, as side dishes- and that's what I end up ordering when I go out.
Is your wife vegan?
No.
How does that work at home?
She was vegan for the first couple of months, but then she loved meat too much and had to go back (laughs).
How does it work? I have a great support system in my wife. In our home when one of us feels very strongly about something, there's always the support from the other partner. That's the cornerstone of everything. I am lucky that we have that going. We rarely cook meat in the house. Most meals will be vegan, and when we go out she can order for her meat, and everyone's happy.
Who cooks?
Honestly, I cook most meals- mostly because I want to be in control of what I am eating.
You are the first vegan Kenyan man I have met.
Really? (laughs) I think it's a culture thing. When you're a kid, it's hammered in you that meat is special. If your family is well off, meat becomes a part of every meal. If not, you look forward to the days you'll have meat. Meat is considered a delicacy. It isn't easy to move away from that.
There is also a lack of information about the harmful effects of animal products. In other countries, the awareness is growing with all kinds of lobbyists working day and night to give people the right information. But here, people don't talk about it.
I don't rub my choices in people's faces; most people figure it out for themselves. I don't force people not to eat meat, I'll suggest it here and there, and if someone is really interested, then I'll open up. And if I feel like someone is judging my choices, I find ways of deflecting the negative energy; it's the kind of person I am. I may just crack a joke and move on.
Some people become vegan for health reasons, others because of the impact that livestock farming has on the environment, what was the more powerful motivator for you?
My health was my first motivator. I am happier and more focused as a result of making healthier lifestyle choices.
The impact on the environment comes in second. In Kenya, it's not as bad it is in the western world, because we don't have those huge farms that contribute to greenhouse emissions; here, it's mostly open grazing.
And thirdly, it's compassion for animals.
If you look back on the history of humanity, our ancestors mostly gathered berries and roots. Once in a while, they would make a kill and eat meat, but it wasn't their staple. Today, we have made it our staple.
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