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This Chef Queen shares her journey to veganism, along with a holiday recipe everyone can love.
Shaqueena Snyder is quick to tell you: shes the last person shed have ever guessed would go vegan much less become a professional vegan chef. A soul-foodie raised on her familys Ethiopian and Eritrean cooking, Chef Queen owner of Royal House of Vegan, previously called Queens Vegan Caf once couldnt imagine life without her favorite meaty, cheesy favorites, from heavily spiced chicken stews to bubbling-hot mac-and-cheese.
But at 23, she began to experience health symptoms that demanded a wake-up call.
I was just getting increasingly exhausted. I was the biggest Id ever been and I was very, very uncomfortable, Snyder remembers. I said, at the age of 23, I shouldnt have horrible back pain. I shouldnt get exhausted walking up and down stairs.
A quick look at her familys medical history convinced Snyder that it was time for a change.
High cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure I didnt want any of that, she says. I wanted to better myself for my son.
Like many people who eventually go vegan, Snyder first considered cutting out meat as a simple health and weight-loss tool.
While she didnt know it, she was part of a growing number of individuals exploring plant-based eating. Across the country and on the other side of the world, campaigns like Veganuary in which folks vowed to nix animal products throughout the month of January would soon popularize the lifestyle. And while curious newbies like Snyder often approached veganism as a way to get fit, new research was suggesting there might be other, bigger reasons to delete meat.
Take, for example, a 2018 study associated with the University of Oxford, published in Science to considerable media attention. In it, researchers J. Poore and T. Nemecek asked the best way to reduce foods environmental impact, using a swath of data from some 38,000 farms. Their conclusions were startling: even the lowest-impact animal products still did more environmental damage than their vegetable counterparts sometimes a lot more.
In other words: swapping out animal-based foods for plants could be a lot more than just a healthy dietary move; it might also be a seriously green lifestyle choice particularly if a person focused on eating sustainably-grown local fruits and veggies.
As Snyder researched her own nutritional choices, she was quietly tapping into a broader conversation happening all over the world one that increasingly convinced her to give veganism a go.
She didnt know it yet, but the shift was about to change her body and her career.
When I decided to go vegan, I just cut it all off, Snyder remembers.
The cold-tofurkey approach was brave. But she quickly realized that veganism wasnt going to stick unless she could figure out how to veganize the foods she loved most.
Ethiopia food, Eritrean food, its rich in spices and flavors its something Im extremely passionate about, says Snyder. I said, I need to learn how to cook good stuff so I can be happy.
So she threw herself into adapting her favorite recipes, visiting store after store for new ingredients and experimenting until she ended up with a slew of crave-worthy meatless meals. Chickpea curries, jerk jackfruit ... Delicious comfort food. I was like, if I can do this, then shoo, go ahead, she recalls.
As Snyder began to shed pounds, she gained energy and confidence, and her friends and gym buddies took notice. The next thing she knew, they were asking for help in going vegan and requesting that shed meal-prep for them, too.
It was through that homegrown, word-of-mouth model that Queens Vegan Caf was born a fact that Snyder says still humbles her.
Obviously, she says, losing weight was good. But the thing that stuck with me the most was when my peers would come to me and say I was a motivation that they would never have tried a vegan meal if it wasnt for me Its weird when I think about it.
Learn more about Shaqueena, plus get her recipe for a "Decadent Love Loaf" in our latest issue, on newsstands now!
The story above is a previewfrom ourNovember/December 2020issue. For the full storysubscribetodayor view ourFREEdigital edition.Thank you for supportinglocal journalism!
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