E020: Easy Steps to Vegan - Tips and Trix from Plant-Based NYC Chef Leonid Rusanov

Want to learn how to make chocolate ice-cream out of sweet potatoes? Then tune into this fun episode with New York model and Vegan Chef Leo Rusanov. As we share the floor in his Harlem apartment we talk about both of our journeys to a plant-based life; how they started, what changes we went through and how it made us feel. We kill some typical "vegan myths" and Leo shares why he at first was afraid of the term "vegan". Are you curious about changing to a plant-based diet but don't really know how? Then I hope this episode can help you get that journey started! And as Leo says - be easy on yourself and make it fun! Play around in the kitchen and don't be afraid to make mistakes, and take on some of Leo's advice on easy vegan cooking that YOU, and anyone, really, can do. Who is Leo? Leo is a Russian guy who moved to New York six years ago. Since then he's been working in the city as a model and when he about 16 months ago (by accident, almost) got introduced to the plant-based kitchen when assisting a chef, he found himself introduced to a whole new world. He got to eat all she prepared and was amazed by how good vegan food could be, and he thought to himself "why should I ever need to eat anything else?" In other words, Leo became vegan simply because he loved the food so much! But being a model and a man, of course, he struggled with some of the doubt that everyone asks themselves. Will I get enough protein? Will I lose a lot of weight? Will I be able to find enough things to eat? Well, listen to find out... Follow Leo for Vegan Recipes and Inspo: Personal: https://www.instagram.com/leorusanov/ Chef Leo: https://www.instagram.com/veganchefleo/ Facts from the Episode: One thing that vegans might be lacking is B12, and it's essential that you make sure that you get enough. Most groceries of lifestyle stores carry B12 supplements and one pill a day usually makes it (be careful not to buy the ones with gelatine in them though - NOT VEGAN!) There's also one other life-saver out there and it's called Nutritional Yeast - cheesy in its flavor and goes with lot's of food! (Listen to recipes for directions) Leo's Retruth: My thoughts about animal protein. I was thinking for 27 years that you need to eat animals to survive but of course, now being vegan, I've changed my mind about that. I'm still alive, I can still walk, and breath and talk and all that, so basically my retruth is "You can survive without animal protein." Website: http://heychange.net