Interview: Lisa Viger, Raw On $10 A Day
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Recently, I chatted with Lisa Viger of Raw on $10 a Day about her blog, book and other projects. Here is our interview…
Vegan Soapbox: Your blog is great! How did you decide on that topic?
Lisa Viger: Once I became vegan and also started getting interested in raw foods, I would often hear that eating healthy foods – and especially, eating vegan and raw vegan foods – was prohibitively expensive. I wondered if that was actually true. So I decided to make a full day’s menu – a breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert – and see exactly how much it all cost. I set a budget of no more than $10 a day, and often it adds up to much less.
So, it was mainly a way to find out just how much it costs to eat raw vegan foods.The foods I make on my blog are actually more expensive than what I would eat on most days. On an ordinary day, I may eat a pile of apples or bananas, which doesn’t cost hardly anything, but, “Peel six bananas and eat them,” isn’t a very interesting recipe. What I try to do is come up with recipes that are easy to make and relatively inexpensive. I try to keep all my recipes less than $2 or $3 per serving. The finished dish also has to look good and photograph well. It’s been pretty easy so far since most raw foods are naturally simple, beautiful, and photogenic.
Vegan Soapbox: I hear that a lot of raw vegans eat “mono meals” such a bunch of bananas. It’s wonderful how simple it can be to eat raw food. I’m sure most of us can – and probably should – incorporate some of this type of eating into our diets. Regarding the special foods, do you have a favorite vegan restaurant?
Lisa Viger: I don’t have a favorite yet, but it’s exciting that the vegan choices are growing. I’ve been finding that it’s fairly easy to request a vegan meal, and even a raw one, in just about any restaurant. Just about any restaurant can put together a fresh salad with something filling like avocado. I’ve also seen that doing so often gives me an opportunity to talk to someone else about veganism, and they can see right there for themselves that it’s not all that difficult. A lot of times others will say they wish they’d ordered what I’m having!
Vegan Soapbox: Why did you decide to eat raw foods? Are you 100% raw?
Lisa Viger: I’m not always 100% raw. I would probably be “high raw” most days. What interested me initially was the health aspects of raw foods. I do believe that unprocessed fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds are the most healthy and that’s what I try to stick with. As I learned more about food and food preparation, it turned into a real passion on every level. Raw and vegan foods are so beautiful, easy to prepare, and delicious. And there’s such a variety, as well. This is an adventure that’s touched every part of my life and influenced nearly everything I do and I look forward to growing and experimenting in many directions. I even help grow much of what we eat, and experiment with different things both in the kitchen and in the garden. I plan on making the rest of my life about teaching others how fantastic it is to be vegan, and raw and vegan food preparation will definitely play a big part.
Vegan Soapbox: That sounds fantastic. About your upcoming projects, can you tell me about the Face of Vegan project?
Lisa Viger: It’s simple, really. I wanted to show the world what we look like. Before I was vegan, the idea seemed quite exotic and something I couldn’t do myself. I dismissed it out of hand as being unattainable or not a group I fit into naturally. But I found none of that was true. There are people of all sorts who are vegan; everyone from babies to cookie baking grandmas. And that’s what I aim to show in this video. Also, it’s just fun and will make a good video!
Anyone who would like to participate is welcomed. All they need to do is submit a photo of themselves holding some sort of sign that says, “I am vegan.” The details are at http://www.lisaviger.com/faces The deadline for photo submissions is November 1st, and the video compilation will be available online first thing Thanksgiving morning. Everyone can show it to their families during their holiday get togethers!
Vegan Soapbox: Great idea! What one piece of advice would you give someone who is aspiring to be vegan?
Lisa Viger: First, I would congratulate them. It’s a fabulous aspiration. Then I would say to be easy on themselves and others. It’s a process and they’ll find they grow and change and evolve as they go, and so will the people around them … like friends and family. I would also advise getting lots of support and information. Meetup groups can be an excellent way to connect locally, and there is a wealth of communities, recipe blogs, discussion, activism, and nutrition info online. Hmm, that was more than one!
Vegan Soapbox: That’s OK. It’s all great advice. What advice would you give someone striving to incorporate more raw foods in their diet?
Lisa Viger: I think the easiest way to start getting more raw foods is in greens drinks and green smoothies. The health impact is pretty immediate and they’re easy to make and absolutely delicious. A green drink is just juiced greens, like kale or spinach, and some fruits and vegetables. A good, quick green drink is a handful of kale, along with a cucumber, a carrot, and an apple. It’s fabulous, and much more filling than it would seem. A green soothie is basically the same, but blended rather than juiced. One of my favorites is a handful of spinach, a frozen banana, and some frozen mango chunks. It’s like a creamy, green shake. It’s not necessary to have expensive equipment, either. I’ve been using a $20 blender for years and a juicer and dehydrator I found on eBay for not much more than that. I’ll buy the good stuff as soon as these die, but they just keep chugging along.
Vegan Soapbox: Is there anything else you’d like to talk about?
Lisa Viger: I’d just offer my opinion that it’s possible to be concerned about animal rights, human health, good food, and nice shoes all at the same time. The main reason I’m vegan is I believe it’s the right thing to do and that animals have the right to their own lives and should never be owned, and certainly never kept for the purpose of killing them. I’m an abolitionist when it comes to animal rights. But being vegan is also fun and stylish and healthy and delicious and kinder to other humans and better for the environment. It’s win-win no matter from what angle it’s looked at, and it benefits all involved.
Great interview!