Eating a whole foods, plant-based diet can help prevent and treat (perhaps even reverse) chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Furthermore, a plant-based diet is widely accepted as the most sustainable and climate-friendly.
If you’re undertaking Veganuary and need some additional motivation to stay on course or you’ve committed to eating more plants this year as part of your new year’s resolution, below is a list of influencers who’ve embraced a plant-based diet that we recommend you follow for daily food and lifestyle inspiration.
1. Elsa’s Wholesome Life
“The best investment you can make right now is in your health.” – Ellie Bullen
Ellie Bullen is the founder of blog and food business, Elsa’s Wholesome Life. At just 25-years-old, her list of accomplishments are long: she has served in the Australian army, is a qualified nutritionist and dietitian having completed a Bachelor (with honours) in Nutrition & Dietetics, is a published author of numerous vegan cookbooks, and has created a plant-based empire known as Elsa’s Wholesome Life where followers can find vegan recipes, follow her travel blogs and even buy products from her e-commerce store.
Ellie explains that during her time in the army, she had no choice but to eat meat-heavy meals but often craved the fresh, light and healthy meals she grew up eating. This experience propelled her to pursue a degree in nutrition. Posting salacious shots of her plant-based creations while studying at uni, she didn’t expect to garner a social media following but five years on and 600,000+ Instagram followers later, Ellie is proof that if you follow your plant-based interests and persevere, anything is possible.
2. Deliciously Ella
Ella Mills is the genius behind Deliciously Ella. Her plant-based journey began when she was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS) back in 2012. She found that clean eating and following a plant-based diet was what helped ease her suffering; so Ella began tracking her journey through her blog. The rest, as they say, is history. With 1.6 million Instagram followers, a string of plant-based recipe books, an app, a podcast and launching a range of food products featuring her own recipes, Deliciously Ella offers visual and practical plant-based inspiration to vegans and non-vegans alike.
3. Minimalist Baker
If you’re time poor and looking for easy, healthy recipes that feature 10 ingredients or less; one-pot cooking or plant-based meals that can be prepped in under half an hour, you should follow Dana Schultz aka @minimalistbaker. Her approach to plant-based cooking is relaxed, unpretentious and affordable; and while her recipes aren’t all vegan, most of the recipes on her website are.
4. Oh She Glows
Oh She Glows is an award-winning vegan recipe website created by Angela Liddon, who is the perfect plant-based guru to follow when you’ve just gone plant-based and feeling a little overwhelmed with having to change your eating and cooking habits. Her plant-based recipes are great for meat-eaters and picky kids as they focus on providing healthier, plant-based alternatives to comfort foods and traditional meals. And after flicking through her drool-worthy food photography, you’ll understand why so many of her followed her footsteps and are living a confident plant-based lifestyle.
5. Rainbow Nourishments
It was her love of baking and creating vegan cakes which lead Australian-based Anthea Cheng to launch Rainbow Nourishments a cake business and plant-based desserts brand where she shares fun recipes of colorful plant-based sweets including cakes, vegan ice-cream and even donuts. If you’ve got a sweet tooth, this is the vegan influencer to follow.
6. Yes It’s All Vegan
London-based Tsouni Cooper an 11-year vegan veteran is the brains behind Instagram account Yes It’s All Vegan. Her mission is to provide followers with food recommendations, helpful tips and honest reviews on restaurants, food stalls and other plant-based products she comes across. If you’re based in the UK and want local advice, she’s a vegan to follow.
7. Feed Me Vegan
The gorgeous Made In Chelsea star, Lucy Watson, is the co-founder of Feed Me Vegan a UK-based plant-based food business that specializes in pre-prepared comfort food and vegan desserts, with all recipes created by Lucy herself.
Lucy also launched her first vegan cookbook in September 2017 and was named Best Vegan Cookbook by PETA in their 2017 Vegan Food Awards.
8. Sweet Simple Vegan
Sweet Simple Vegan is the brainchild of Jasmine Briones who ventured into a vegan lifestyle in 2013 and began chronicling her plant-based journey and yummy vegan recipes via her blog. Amassing hundreds of thousands of followers across social media, her conscious lifestyle is not only inspirational but seems highly attainable too. Check her out on Instagram and her YouTube channel.
9. The Little Plantation
London-based food stylist and food photographer Kimberly Espinel is passionate about plant-based food, teaching and food photography. In mid-2014 she launched her blog The Little Plantation where she shares everything she loves and what’s important to her – but it’s her amazing plant-based recipes and food photography skills that got us really playing attention. Drooling over her Insta pics? She also holds photography and Instagram workshops, just check out her website for more details.
10. RG Enriquez-Diez
RG Enriquez-Diez aka @astigvegan is a Filipina cook who shifted to a vegan diet when she migrated to San Francisco a decade ago. For someone who grew up in a meat-mad island nation, embracing a vegan lifestyle was without its challenges but to her, worth it for the health benefits. After refusing to let go of her love of Filipino food, she began ‘veganizing’ Filipino favorites without losing its soul and she has inspired plant-based Filipinos in the process. You can get her vegan Filipino-inspired recipes here.
Recommending reading:
- 40+ Facts and Statistics About the Meat Industry to Inspire You to Eat Less Meat (or Go Vegetarian/Vegan)
- Crying Over Plant-Based Milk: Neither Science Nor History Favours a Dairy Monopoly
- 15 Celebrities and Famous People on Plant-Based Food, Veganism and Cruelty-Free Living
- A Guide to High-Performance Vegan Running Shoes
- 8 Ethical Eateries in Sydney for a Lovely Sunday Brunch
- 3 Ways to Embrace Unbusyness and Live a Greener, Intentional Life
- Top 10 Films and Documentaries on the Subject of Fairtrade
Feature image of Ella Mills aka Deliciously Ella via her website.
