Caroline Huard went vegan overnight.
It was 10 years ago, after returning from a trip to France where she had abused good things (ah, cheese and foie gras!). She had a disappointing time in the half marathon she had trained for. She was not feeling well. After reading a book on veganism, Caroline found the solution she was looking for. His readings on the exploitation of animals came to solidify his decision.
Today, Caroline Huard, alias Loounie, earns her living with vegetable cuisine. She is a self-taught chef, columnist and author of two books on the subject (Loounie Kitchen and Loounie Kitchen 2). She also just launched the podcast Face Down: Diet Culture Explained by Loounie on the Ohdio platform.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Caroline Huard
You would expect her to say that it’s easy to go vegan. She doesn’t believe it. Not for everyone, at least. “I think that a weak point in the vegan argument is precisely to say that it is easy, to become vegan,” says Caroline Huard on the phone. It can be – for me it was – but I don’t think it can apply to everyone. ”
Caroline had the “winning conditions” to easily learn a new paradigm in the kitchen. She lived alone, childless, had time and lived in a neighborhood where fresh food was available. She has no allergy or aversion to food. And at the time, she was looking for a new challenge, a new passion.
“I often have this discussion with friends who are parents and who really have their hands full,” says Caroline. If they had to relearn all these things that are automatic for them in the kitchen – picking up a chicken for the week, buying cold meats for lunch – where would they find the time? For them, that is often not an option at the moment. ”
Go at your own pace
Formerly an occupational therapist in mental health, Caroline Huard advocates a benevolent approach to those who want to make a dietary shift, whether partial or complete. It’s important to go at your own pace, she says, depending on your individual reality. This way, she says, will lead to more lasting changes for the majority of people.
“There are a lot of former vegans,” says Caroline Huard. This is something I am often told: “I was vegan for three months.” ”
What I’m hearing in there is probably someone who has made a complete change in their diet with a restrictive mindset – because you’re so conditioned by the diet culture – and without having the basics. solid.
Caroline Huard
This is also his golden rule: build a solid foundation by adding new foods rather than removing them. For example, you can tame a baked tofu recipe that is served with rice and vegetables, a stir-fried tempeh recipe that you can eat in tacos or as a garnish on pizza, a lentil soup recipe … (Caroline does not brag about it, but his recipe for “magic tofu” has become a classic all-purpose in many cottages in Quebec.)
“During the week, there will be a tofu meal that will not be a chicken meal, illustrates Caroline Huard. And then we can explore something else. As long as we don’t have these bases, it won’t be automatic, but we want it to become so. ”
Improve your routine
After 10 years of veganism, Caroline Huard does not have the impression of depriving herself, although the mourning of the eggs, for her, has taken longer to do. But she realizes that people who want to stop eating meat or eat less of it are doing so for the planet, for animal welfare, or for their health. Not because they don’t like meat, let alone cheese!
We can very well continue to honor these culinary traditions for which we have strong envy while eating vegan, assures Caroline Huard, who is thinking of a tourtière recipe with mushrooms, lentils and nuts, or even ice cream. Vegan Häagen-Dazs. In her latest book, moreover, she explores textures, flavors and this “umami” that we associate with meat and cheese, but that we can look for differently, especially in mushrooms.
For the New Year, instead of aiming for results, Caroline encourages people to do concrete things to spruce up their kitchen routine. Clean the fridge, reorganize the kitchen, afford containers to keep your vegetables, a good knife, a good oil. “We know that there is not much better for our health than to cook a lot of fresh food ourselves”, she concludes.
The five episodes of the podcast Face Down: Diet Culture Explained by Loounie are available on the Ohdio platform.