This book can be very useful for mothers and fathers who want to understand their children's transition to veganism. Estela Bayarri explains in a simple way how to follow a healthy diet, what products to use, and, above all, the ideas behind this lifestyle.
At Aula Animal, we recommend this book not only to families, but also to anyone interested in learning about veganism.
How did the idea of writing this book come about?
About three or four years ago, I had the idea to write a book about my experience as a vegan mother—vegan during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, and when I started introducing solid foods to my son. I wanted to convey the idea that being vegan is easy and very healthy, for all stages of life. When I had already written quite a bit, I came across Beta Editorial by chance. Actually, it was a friend of mine and colleague from the online organic cosmetics store where I work who went to Veggie World and saw Beta Editorial's stand. I had told very few people that I was writing a book, but I had told him, and he told the people at the publishing house. The publisher was interested since they were looking for new authors and told him he could put me in touch.
So I did, and we had a meeting. At that meeting, they told me they were interested in writing a book for parents of children who were becoming vegan, as it was a growing phenomenon. The publishers were familiar with it firsthand because someone on the team had worked in a vegan supermarket in Barcelona and had often seen parents come into the store and buy things without knowing what or why, feeling quite lost after their children had announced they were vegan.
We wanted to create an engaging, easy-to-understand, and straightforward book for all those parents who found themselves in that situation. Beta Editorial asked me if I could adapt all the material I had written into the book they had in mind, and I said yes, I'd be delighted.
Two well-known nutritionists in the vegan world collaborated on the book. What role did they play?
The Vegan Nutritionists are friends of one of our colleagues at the publishing house. From the beginning, we wanted the nutritional information to be verified and reviewed by nutritionists, and the book also recommends consulting a nutritionist if you have any questions.
In any case, for nutritional recommendations I had already relied on the many studies and vegan or "plant-based" doctors, especially from the United States. In that country, as well as in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, there is a wealth of literature on vegan and plant-based diets. I had also found information in the official vegan guidelines of these countries.
It seems this work is just one part of your animal activism. What other projects have you been involved in?
Hace más de siete años que soy vegana aunque mi camino empezó unos años atrás. Durante este tiempo siempre ha estado en mi cabeza hacer activismo por este movimiento. Hace unos seis años empecé a escribir un blog y una página de Facebook sobre veganismo. Esta es la que todavía es vigente aunque en el último año he ido cambiando un poco el tipo de contenido y la página web la rehíce del todo hace unos pocos meses. Mi página es www.vidadesaborautentic.com y @vidadesaborautentic en Instagram y Facebook. Hablo sobre todo relacionado con el veganismo, sobre los animales, el medio ambiente, como familia vegana con un hijo de ahora cinco años, con mi marido vegano deportista y atleta, recomendaciones de libros, restaurantes (de Londres y Barcelona, las dos ciudades por donde nos movemos), etc.
About four years ago, I wanted to start a vegan meetup in Barcelona (I was still living there at the time) and I met Caitlin from The Vegan World through Robb, the organizer of the London Vegan Meetup, the world's largest vegan meetup. Caitlin and I started the Barcelona Vegan Meetup, which now has over 2,000 participants. Back then, we held a monthly meeting at Cat Bar, a vegan burger bar in Barcelona. The goal of the meetup was to bring together vegans or people interested in veganism, since social contact and support are so important when making this transition.
In London, where I've lived for the last three years, I've attended many vegan fairs and vegan meetups to build community and find ways to spread the message of veganism. I'm eager to be even more active, and now that I'm moving back to Barcelona this summer, I hope to be able to do much more. I'd like to participate in Cubes of Truth events, vegan fairs, and give talks wherever I can. When I lived in Barcelona, I already gave a talk at a respectful parenting center about veganism during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and for young children.
I'm also involved in the world of natural and vegan cosmetics, and I write articles on topics related to organic and natural cosmetics, lifestyle, minimalism, and veganism for a couple of online organic and vegan cosmetics stores.
I have translated a vegan book from English to Spanish that is still in the process of being adapted, which is the one by Simple Happy Kitchen.
How do you teach your child respect for animals?
From a very young age, we've spoken to our son naturally and simply about why we don't eat animals or use them for any purpose. To his questions, we always answer that we love animals and don't want to harm them, and that eating them requires killing them. We've explained the same about milk: cows produce milk for their calves, just as human mothers produce milk for their babies. We always say that animals deserve to live their own lives and that humans have no right to mistreat them or take their lives. If we don't like them, we simply leave them alone. And if we do like them, the reason is self-explanatory: how could we possibly want to harm them?
Our son is a very active child, eager to learn, so we've also been introducing the topic of health. A vegan diet is not only cruelty-free but also healthy. We have a poster by Liz Cook that shows all the nutrients (protein, calcium, iron, omega-3, etc.) along with the plant-based foods that are richest in those nutrients, and it also includes pictures. It's very visual, and we've had it in the kitchen since our son was about three years old. He loves looking at it, learning about nutrients and foods.
One of my dreams was to visit an animal sanctuary to see farm animals living happily and well cared for. And so we did: we visited the Friend Farm Animal Sanctuary in Tonbridge, UK. It was an incredible experience; it filled all three of our hearts. We celebrated the 20th birthday of the oldest cow, watched pigs frolicking in the mud, wild boars resting, goats, ducks, chickens, turkeys, sheep, and even an alpaca. We fed them and were able to talk to sanctuary volunteers. I highly recommend this experience.
We've also met other vegan individuals and families, with whom we regularly get together, and we often attend vegan fairs, which are very large and frequent in London. We always have a wonderful day there, knowing that all the food is vegan and discovering beautiful initiatives, such as reforestation campaigns for orangutans, or learning that all the profits from the sale of t-shirts and other items go to animal welfare organizations. Being with other vegans always gives us a boost of optimism to keep fighting for this cause.
A hug,