1. Please tell me a little more about yourself and your social media.
1. My name is Dr. Angie Sadeghi, and I am a board certified gastroenterologist in California. My passion is to help transition people and in particular my patients to a plant-based diet. I feel lucky that I have stumbled upon this wonderful lifestyle and I want to share it with the world.
2. How long have you been vegan?
2. I began my vegan journey May 2014.
3. Why did you decide to go vegan?
3. Initially I became a vegan for moral reasons, but the health benefits to my surprise were tremendous.
4. How has it changed your life, health and outlook?
4. I had suffered from debilitating dairy induced eczema. Once I stopped consuming dairy, in particular cheese, the eczema disappeared for good. This was shocking given that I had suffered from it for so long not knowing the cause. Also, to my surprise my waistline started shrinking and I got into the best shape of my life without even trying harder at the GYM.
5. What’s the hardest thing about being vegan?
5. The hardest thing about being a vegan is that I have to witness a lot of suffering in my patients in the hospital, experiencing a poor quality of life in the last 5-10 years of life, with chronic health problems, knowing that it could have all been prevented with simple lifestyle modifications. Sometimes I wish that I could have impacted them 10 -20 years prior while their disease was setting in.
6. What’s your favourite meal?
6. My favorite meal is air-fried sriracha tofu with a side of beans and rice. I can make it in 5-10 minutes 🙂
7. Are there any foods you miss or crave?
7. No. Actually the opposite. I have an intense aversion towards animal products and feel nauseous when I imagine that I used to eat it.
8. Have you convinced any friends or family to change their lifestyle?
8. Yes. As a doctor and a social media influencer, I have probably helped hundreds of people go either 100% plant-based or more plant-based.
9. Who/what is your biggest inspiration?
9. There isn’t only one single person who inspires me; rather hundreds of plant-based people inspire me. I admire all the plant-based chefs who have made it feasible for people to start eating healthier without sacrificing taste. I am inspired by athletes who have made it obvious eating plant based is not a handicap; rather it is an advantage. But I am most inspired by the animal activists who have worked tirelessly to expose the cruel industry of animal farming.
10. What advice would you give someone who is thinking about going vegan?
10. The only regret you will have, is that you didn’t go plant-based sooner.