David Diettenbach

I am a 45 year old living in Maine- runner, yoga practitioner, and share my home with 3 cats. I consider myself to be an introvert and also very in tune with the energies around us. I work at a Software Technology company that serves veterinarians, and have had a lifelong affinity for nature and animals.

1. How long have you been plant-based? 5 years vegan, 20+ years vegetarian.

2. Why did you become plant-based? I was vegetarian and spent 2 weeks volunteering at Peace Ridge Animal Sanctuary in Brooks, Maine. There, I had an opportunity to spend time with animals who were rescued from the food production system..an experience I wish everyone could enjoy. I had a chance to talk to many people, and for the first time I learned more about the dairy and egg industries which I had considered fairly benign. The switch to vegan was relatively easy, though I can’t imagine how I didn’t know more about the animal ethics issues in dairy and egg industry before!

3. What have you found to be the benefits? I am active, and have found that I feel more fit and recover faster. I have traditionally been very healthy, but have felt great on a vegan diet. I still eat a fair amount of ‘junk food’ in processed meals, so I’m not perfect, but I rarely get sick and feel as good as I did at 35.

4. What did you find to be the challenges? The single biggest challenge is the social challenge; in the business world, much of the activities center around meals. I’m one of 3 identified vegans in a very large company, and we often have to pack our own food and I try to skip dinners if I can’t figure out what restaurant we are going to . There remains a strong social stigma as well that ties masculinity to eating meat that was something that took me some time to adjust to…people rarely say things, but it’s all over the place in ads and tv shows and in day to day barbecue culture.

5. What are you go to foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? I eat a lot of peanut butter and hummus—both go great on a bagel. My favorite meal to prepare is Falalfel with roasted potatoes and Brussel sprouts, and my favorite meal to eat out is Pad Thai.

6. What is your favorite recipe, cookbook, or tip to share? Favorite cookbook is Eat Like you Give a F&ck..funny and easy to follow recipes. I have a few that I make from memory now .

Check out this website: http://www.peaceridgesanctuary.org/

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