Welcome to our new series, Plant Fuelled People, in which we will be talking to various vegans with different lifestyles about how their vegan journey began, why a plant fuelled diet is important and how it can be very easy too!
In this first interview we spoke with Ed Griffiths from The Lean Tribe, a vegan fitness coach looking to change his clients lives by transforming their body, eating and training habits, mindset, health and energy levels to help them live up to their fullest potential with longevity and success in mind.
So Ed, when and why did your vegan journey begin?
My vegan journey started in 2017 after having numerous debates with my partner who had made the transition the year before. It took me a while to open up to the vegan way of thinking, purely because I’d been conditioned to normalise eating animal products for my whole life.
Being hugely into fitness for most of my adult life I had the belief that I needed to eat meat, dairy and eggs for protein in order to be in great shape and build muscle (little did I know back then!). I remember sitting down and watching “Cowspiracy” & “What The Health” on Netflix and being shocked at how consuming animal products negatively impacted our health & the planet. I transitioned into eating a plant based diet over the coming months which came pretty naturally to me.
The most powerful part of my vegan journey however (and what actually made me vegan), was when I made the connection with the animals and realised that this new way of life was about so much more than the planet or my health. I’d always considered myself an animal lover growing up. We had so many amazing pets that we welcomed into our family and I loved them all dearly. However, I never thought twice about where the meat, dairy or eggs came from that I was eating daily. I was never living in alignment with my morals and was completely ignorant of the reality going on, brainwashed by clever marketing and lack of education about it.
For me now, I’m proudly vegan for the animals, the planet and my health and couldn’t be happier for it.
What is your favourite aspect of being vegan?
Knowing that I am making a difference, saving animals lives and supporting an important movement that could help save our planet. Oh, and I feel like a vegan superman a lot of the time too – plants will do that!
If someone was looking to go vegan, what advice would you give them?
Give “Cowspiracy“, “What The Health“, “The Gamechangers” and “Earthlings” a watch. All of them will uncover a lot of truths which you may or may not have come across before. Just be open minded and see what thoughts come up for you as a result – change can only come from the ability to be open minded.
When giving a fully plant based diet a go for the first time do a little bit of research first – Follow vegan Instagram accounts and Facebook pages. The more knowledge you acquire, the more confident you’ll feel.
Also, don’t fall into the ‘junk food vegan’ trap. It’s easy to start eating a load of processed vegan food (Trust me, there is a ton of it out there), but your health & body will pay for it. Eating a plant based diet doesn’t make you healthy, you have to make conscious healthy foods choices, just like any diet. If you’re predominantly eating a whole food plant based diet and allowing for a few processed treats in moderation you can’t go wrong.
As a vegan fitness coach, tell us about your fitness journey as a vegan and what you do for your clients.
I caught glandular fever when I was 14 years old. It turned into chronic fatigue and I was left bed ridden for the majority of the time for many years at a vital time when I should have been at school and with friends having fun. It caused a lot of depression and anxiety for me growing up. I was at rock bottom and lacked confidence when I started getting into fitness. It lifted me up, built me up and strengthened my body as well as my mindset.
For me, fitness saved my life. Although, it wasn’t until I decided to go vegan that I felt some incredible shifts occur. I found I had more energy, I recovered quicker from workouts, I started getting ill a lot less than I used to and I just felt a lot healthier in general.
Since then, I’ve made it a priority to help other vegans transform their body’s in an ethical & sustainable way and become strong, fit & healthy ambassadors for the vegan lifestyle themselves. I’ve seen first hand how transforming my body & mindset positively impacts relationships, business/career, finances and other areas of life. So I teach my clients how to step into their power, build strong, lean & athletic physiques, increase their energy and build incredible confidence so they too can live their best lives.
Which flavour of Roots ‘n Shoots is your favourite?
ALL OF THEM! In all seriousness, I am impressed by them all.
Fine, if I have to choose it would be Blatantly Good Berry – it’s really fresh, creamy and tasty.
We know there are many ways to use our products, but how do you use your Roots ‘n Shoots?
Either in my oat bowls in the morning OR after a gym session when I’m in need of a tasty protein fix! Yum!
Finally, as this is an interview for Plant Fuelled People, what is your favourite plant and why?
It’s got to be lychees! Served with ice – so refreshing!
