Carleigh Bodrug didn't always have a plant-based lifestyle and she didn't always know how to cook.
The Canadian food blogger studied journalism before completely shifting to focus on nutrition seven years ago. Since then she has created an online community of over 7 million followers between her Instagram, TikTok and YouTube accounts.
Her plant-based recipes have blown up online and her innovation around preventing food waste with creative techniques continues to impress a lot of her followers.
The 31-year-old YouTuber is the founder of the blog called PlantYou and has written a cookbook as well, which includes over 140 plant-based recipes.
So what made Bodrug overhaul her lifestyle to one that was fully plant-based and how has it impacted her?
The Ontario content creator spoke with Narcity about what sparked the big changes, to her cooking tips for beginners and her innovative ways to prevent food from ending up in the landfill.
What made you decide to go plant-based?
Bodrug grew up on a hobby farm in Innisfil, Ontario and says animal-based products like meat were a staple in her household.
The food blogger tells Narcity that changed in 2015 when red and processed meat became classified as Group 1 and Group 1 carcinogens by the World Health Organization. She says her dad was also a colon cancer survivor and nobody ever told her family about the effects diet could have on a person's health.
Bodrug then did her own research and enrolled in a holistic health coach course to learn more about nutrition.
"I was actually working in North Bay at the time living in a tiny bachelor apartment had no idea how to cook and started teaching myself how to cook plant based and sharing the journey online and kind of was off to the races from there," she said.
What kinds of health changes did you notice once you ate a plant-based diet?
The Ontario YouTuber says once she started eating a plant-based diet, one immediate change she noticed was her digestion issues, which she had struggled with since childhood, went away.
"This is a really common issue among people, we're so, as a society, focused on protein," she explained.
"Protein deficiency is extremely rare barring a unique health condition whereas over 90% of the population in North America does not meet the daily recommended intake of fibre."
What do you recommend for someone who wants to eat more plant-based meals but doesn't know where to start?
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If you've been wanting to add more plant-based meals into your diet, or perhaps go fully plant-based, Bodrug recommends starting slow with a meatless Monday or a plant-based breakfast.
"What I suggest to people who are really motivated to switch to a plant predominant lifestyle is to take note if they have a healthy relationship with food, of what they're eating in a day in a week," she told Narcity.
"Writing down what you have for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and then building off of those meals they already love and they're already familiar with to make some plant-based swaps."
Love to eat cereal in the morning? Swap cow's milk for plant-based milk. Enjoy a burger for dinner? Try a black bean patty instead of beef.
Another tough aspect for people who are transitioning to a plant-based lifestyle is the social aspect.
Bodrug advises eating what you want when you go out to put your mind at ease.
"If you're gonna switch the food in your home, 90% of the time to plant based, you're going to reap all of the health benefits while still being able to enjoy animal products if you want [while going] out," she added.
"So it doesn't have to be all or nothing. One meal at a time, one step at a time and you'll notice a lot of benefits from it."
Which plant-based recipe would you recommend for beginners?
If you're unsure of where to start and plant-based cooking seems overwhelming , the cookbook author suggests making her vegan version of the baked feta paste recipe that went viral on TikTok.
Bodrug substitutes the feta for tofu mixed with nutritional yeast, garlic powder and apple cider vinegar.
"Everybody who's tried it just tells me they love it. They share it with their non-vegan friends," she says.
"I think it's a really great showcase of how versatile something like tofu can be, which is really high in protein and great for you."
What are your tips when it comes to preventing food waste in the kitchen?
Bodrug's creativity and innovation really comes through in a series she started on her social media channels called "scrappy cooking."
The idea behind it is to help people understand how they can use up a lot of food items they toss out, including vegetables that are going bad, broccoli stems which can be enjoyed in several ways, leftover rice and even pomegranate and onion peels.
"We've become very paranoid about best before dates, which are not necessarily always reflective of when something can be eaten until, especially if it's not meat, cheese or egg, it's a vegetable. We throw it a lot of food out of fear."
She says the idea behind the "scrappy cooking" series came to her a couple of years ago when she a dish she was making called for a bunch of oranges and she was left with plenty of the orange peels.
"I ended up making candied orange peels and I didn't think much of it, but I threw it up on Instagram and the reaction was just crazy," she said.
"I think I left my phone for a couple of hours came back and had like over a million views which was crazy at the time."
Is eating plant-based meals more expensive?
Not only are groceries super expensive in Canada these days, but Bodrug says a lot of people have the misconception that eating plant-based is pricey when in fact meat and cheese used to be the most expensive thing on her grocery bill.
"When you replace those things with whole foods like beans, tofu, maybe bean pastas and whole grains like rice and quinoa, I only think that you will see your grocery bill reduced."
She does admit that where people run into trouble is when they're opting for heavily processed plant-based products like Beyond Meat burgers, which can be pricey.
Bodrug is so keen on showing others that eating plant-based doesn't have to be expensive that she's started a "recession recipes" series on Instagram. In her first episode she made a super green pasta for $9.40.
What are your favourite go-to spots in Ontario?
When it comes to her go-to spots in Ontario, Bodrug, says she is obsessed with a Mexican restaurant called Mexhico in Barrie. She and her husband love it so much they had the business cater their wedding which happened a few weeks ago.
"It's a 100% plant-based, authentic Mexican restaurant. It's absolutely unbelievable," she says.
She also loves a place called Mmm Donuts, which is also in Barrie.
"I know people come down to the city just to have [it]. It's completely vegan. Surprisingly, we have a pretty good vegan scene in Barrie of all places."
When she's in Toronto, Bodrug loves to visit a Fresh Kitchen + Juice Bar, which is full of plant-based options.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
A Canadian Food Blogger Dished On Her Plant-Based Lifestyle & Her Fav Ontario Restaurants
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