HOW A CHINESE POLE DANCER DITCHED MEAT, LOST WEIGHT AND BECAME A VEGAN PASTRY CHEF

This month is Veganuary, a good time to try a plant-based diet. A convert, and experts, describe its many health benefits

Competitive pole dancer Linda Vongdara underwent a life transformation in 2015, switching from an omnivorous diet to a vegan one.

Then a new mother aged 35, she "went off" meat and dairy products after reading about the cruelty involved in the dairy industry. Cooking meat also suddenly made her feel ill.

Until then Vongdara, who was born into a Chinese family and raised in Paris, France, had taught pole dancing and taken part in competitions in France and around Europe.

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As a professional athlete she ate a lot of meat, believing that animal protein was necessary for strong muscles and stamina.

She gave up pole dancing when she had her daughter, and then changed her diet.

As a new vegan, Vongdara avoided processed vegan foods and replaced meat with tofu, soy milk and other simple but healthy plant-based ingredients. She began making Chinese-style dishes such as tofu with vegetables stir-fried with flavourful sauces.

That same year, she left her 15-year career in fashion design to learn French pastry making. Her teacher encouraged her to create a vegan pastry recipe, which she did, using soy milk.

Now 44, Vongdara owns and teaches at L'Okara, a vegan pastry school in Paris. She has written three cookbooks, one of which is simply titled Vegan Pastry (2023), which she co-wrote with Pierre Herme, the "king of macarons" and one of the world's top pastry chefs.

Vongdara was not expecting to experience the health benefits of a plant-based diet, as she had switched for the animals' sake.

"Although becoming healthier wasn't originally why I switched to veganism, it didn't take long before I lost weight and felt better. I also started to enjoy my meals more," she says.

With January rechristened Veganuary to encourage people to eat more plants and less animal foods for the month, it is a good time to look at the health advantages of a vegan diet.

The benefits are wide-ranging, says Aleksandra Klints, a Singapore-based nutritionist and specialist in plant-based nutrition. When Klints herself stopped eating animal products eight years ago, she began having better sleep, younger-looking skin, fewer seasonal allergies and increased energy.

"Eating this way is associated with a reduced risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers," she says.

"A plant-based diet is typically high in fibre, vitamins and antioxidants, which support digestive health and boost immunity. It can also help in managing weight, lowering cholesterol levels and improving energy."

Klints notes that animal products can be harmful to health when consumed in excess, because of their high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol, which can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure.

Processed meats, like bacon and sausages, are linked to a higher cancer risk, especially that of colorectal cancer. High consumption of red meat, in particular, has been associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.

"Additionally, animal products lack dietary fibre, which is essential for digestive health. Industrial farming practices may also expose animal products to hormones, antibiotics and contaminants, which can affect human health," she adds.

A review of 49 papers published between 2000 and 2023 found that, overall, people on vegetarian and vegan diets tend to have better scores on risk factors such as blood pressure, blood sugar management and body mass index that are linked to cardiometabolic diseases, cancer and mortality.

Such diets are associated with a reduced risk of ischemic heart disease, gastrointestinal and prostate cancer, and death from cardiovascular disease.

Transitioning to a vegan diet can feel overwhelming, so Klints recommends gradually increasing your intake of vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds while cutting back on animal products.

To ensure you are getting essential nutrients, plan your meals carefully and around a variety of plant foods.

Leafy greens are rich in calcium and iron, for instance, and you can enjoy a range of antioxidants from colourful vegetables.

A study published in December 2024 in the journal Allergy found that eating more cruciferous vegetables - that includes cauliflower, cabbage, kale, garden cress, bok choy, broccoli and Brussels sprouts - may suppress food allergies, thanks to the presence of a flavonoid antioxidant called kaempferol.

Kaempferol is found in a variety of foods such as kale, beans, tea, spinach and broccoli. The study revealed that it can help modulate the immune response and treat inflammation caused by food allergies.

The researchers noted that regularly eating foods containing high amounts of flavonoids could serve as a natural remedy to alleviate allergic symptoms.

"When taken as a daily food, they are expected to reduce allergies, inflammation and autoimmune diseases that are caused or aggravated by excessive immune response," said the study's lead researcher, Professor Chiharu Nishiyama at the Tokyo University of Science, in Japan.

To meet protein, fibre and essential amino acid needs, Klints suggests eating lentils, chickpeas and beans.

Whole grains like quinoa, brown rice, oats and farro - also called spelt - provide complex carbohydrates and B vitamins, while nuts, seeds, avocados and olives are sources of healthy fats.

Consume fruit for natural sweetness, fibre and additional nutrients, and fortified plant-based milk or tofu for calcium and vitamin B12.

Avoid processed plant-based products like faux meats, vegan cheeses and packaged snacks, which Klints says can be high in salt, sugar and unhealthy fats.

Do not underestimate the importance of portion sizes - eat too little and you will constantly feel hungry; consume too many high-calorie plant foods and you may gain unwanted weight.

Divya Butani, a Hong Kong-based private chef who focuses on vegetarian and vegan food, says plant-based meals can be tasty and exciting if you are willing to explore the different ways to prepare them.

"There's a misconception that being vegan means eating 'rabbit food' like carrots and celery, but most vegans do not eat this way," she says.

"You can replace meat or fish with veggies, lentils and beans, and seasonings like fish sauce and shrimp paste with coconut aminos, tamari - wheat-free soy sauce - and miso paste."

Butani recommends using herbs and spices to add flavour to your food. For example, flavour popular stir-fried Chinese pea shoots, known as dau miu, with Shaoxing wine and mushroom powder instead of chicken powder.

For Vongdara, being vegan in Paris was difficult at first. Her meat-eating family did not support her and she could find few people to enjoy plant-based meals with. The transition cost her many relationships, she says, but she has no regrets.

"It was certainly a lonely time, as I felt cut off from many people, but I've come to understand that eating this way isn't about the food. It's about supporting my physical and mental health, being more conscious about what I consume, and enjoying a more balanced life."

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This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com), the leading news media reporting on China and Asia.

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2025-01-04T00:08:32Z