Ask a Vegan: Part 2

So our second feature is one of my long time best friends. Kristi means more to me than words can express! She lives in LA and we met in Texas. We get to see each other in less than a month when we pain Vegas Vegan. Woooottttttt!

Name: Kristi T.

Age:32

How long have you been vegetarian/vegan?
Three years.

What made you decide to take the plunge?
It’s been a long road for me. As a kid I never really liked meat, so I gave up eating pork and beef at age 10. When I was in college I experimented in vegetarianism, but unfortunately I was more a carbatarian (the one who ate a lot of bread and pasta instead of veggies). Finally three years ago when my younger son was 4 months old and I was starving (as nursing mothers tend to be) I drove through Mc Donald’s to get a chicken sandwich. I bit into it finding it to be completely raw and frozen on the inside. After that I knew I could never eat meat again. Going vegan was pretty easy. I and my sons are lactose intolerant, so dairy is pretty much a non issue. And then of course eggs have always creeped me out.

Do you have a personal philosophy?
You get back what you put in. When I was in college someone told me this I thought it was total crap (give me a break, I was 18). But it’s true in just about any aspect in life. If you want to be a good athlete/musician/parent/etc you have to spend time honing your skills. You will reap the rewards of the time that you have invested. ( I love this-truer words were never spoken!)

Do you have a blog you’d like to share?
While I am personally still working on getting my own blog up and running, I am a huge fan of Vegan Dad’s blog. He has a ton of amazing recipes that are kid friendly.

Favorite vegan website?
http://www.nomeatathlete.com/

Favorite food?
Tough one. I think that if I had to narrow it down I would go with my crispy gnocchi with fire roasted tomatoes, garlic, and basil. One part spicy, one part fried gnocchi goodness, all parts amazing. Yuuuum!

Least favorite food?
Leeks. They look like a giant green onion so you would think they are stinky and savory, alas they are more on the sweet side. Yuck.

Favorite vegan junk food?
Oooohhh, vegan nachos all the way! I pile my nachos with beans, a vegan taco “meat”, a kick ass chipotle cheeze sauce, guacamole, tomatoes, and green onions. I could seriously eat this everyday if it wasn’t attrocious for my waistline.

What other stereotypical hippie thing do you do?
I don’t wear deodorant and haven’t for about 3-4 years now and I don’t stink (trust me, I have asked several people around me, lol). I also make a lot of my own beauty and cleaning products. For me being a vegan is all about being good to your body. You don’t eat crap why would you put crap on your body or in the air that you breathe?

Tell me something totally awesome about yourself:
I run a lot. I have run 10ks, half marathons, and full marathons on a vegan diet. So many athletes think that you need meat in order to compete but it’s simply not true. I run further and have posted more PR’s (personal records) on a vegan diet than I ever did as a meat eater. This is totally awesome! Your fitness has always been an inspiration! Kristi whipped my ass into shape before and during my second pregnancy.