I watched a series of things throughout the beginning of quarantine, which included topics about baking, food re-creations, style tips, and lifestyle videos but, the ones that I really enjoyed were the vegan/vegetarian “what I eat in a day”.
I have this fascination with watching videos about “what I eat in a day” and “how to make” type videos, and if they’re vegan — even better. But no, I am not vegan, and I probably could use more vegetables in my diet.
I really enjoy watching the innovative ways that people use plant-based ingredients to make meals and how they can make a dish healthier by swapping in different ingredients. I think my inner-self admires these people for their lifestyle changes and envies their love of all things green.
- ABETWEENE
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One of my all-time favourite channels is Ariane and her “What I Eat in A Week” series. She usually makes a lot of smoothies and soups. The recipes that she creates really encourages me to try adding some of the stuff she uses in her meals, like agave to sweeten things. Another thing I love about her channel is that it’s a lifestyle channel and you get to watch videos about interior decorating or even how to make sugar wax.
- Hitomi Mochizuk
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Hitomi Mochizuki is another lifestyle type channel but I love her videos on her veganism. She posts videos about vegan breakfast recipes, some of the quarantine cravings that she’s been having and her experience with veganism. She also talks about her spirituality and if you’re into yoga, she has videos that viewers can watch and follow along with.
- TheChicNatural
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Kim’s channel is a new channel that I have discovered during this quarantine period. I really enjoy the ability to watch her cook and how she explains why she adds the food and spices she does. Not only does she make food videos but she also posts tutorials on her natural hair.
- Cheyenne Hayden
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Cheyenne Hayden’s videos focus on the food that she eats, whether this is in the span of seven days, as a college student, or during quarantine. She also tells her viewers where they can find the ingredients to the meals she makes. I think this is so helpful for people that may be trying to include more vegan type meals into their diets or people that are vegan and looking for new meals to try.
- Kera Ariyel
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Kera is a new vegan and her latest videos show her experience with this new stage in her life. Her viewers get to see her trying new restaurants, going grocery shopping and trying new recipes at her home. She also gives tips on some of the things she learned throughout her on-going journey like, enjoying the meal for what it is and trying not to compare it to food that isn’t vegan. Things like vegan cheese are most likely not going to taste like dairy cheese so, eating it and expecting that taste will only lead to disappointment.
These are just some of my favourite content creators that produce videos around eating green and living a more sustainable lifestyle. I also love how there are more and more Black people and people of colour making videos about being vegan or vegetarian. This makes the vegan/vegetarian lifestyle more achievable to everyone, especially because in mainstream media certain types of lifestyles can become white-washed.
Just like in any form of media, representation is important so that people can feel a sense of identity in the people they watch. When I watch these channels, I feel more connected to the creators because they either physically look like me or at least grew up in an environment that is similar to mine.
I hope more and more BIPOC produce videos like this to help educate people like me who aren’t vegetarian/vegan and also to share their own personal experiences and journeys.