Caly, AKA veganfeelsgood

Food blogger Caly (AKA @veganfeelsgood), 21 is a Political Science student from Paris.

Caly is passionate about plant-based food, food photography and staying active and runs the blog veganfeelsgood.

Why did you launch Vegan Feels Good ?

I started Vegan Feels Good without actually posting pictures. I just wanted to find some healthy and plant-based meal ideas to make for myself. I have almost always been a vegetarian and went vegan when I was 16.

veganfeelsgood

I loved how aesthetically pleasing food can look and I noticed that I never really followed a recipe and always adapted them.

After much internal debate, I started to make my own recipes, photograph them and in 2013, actually started posting them.

My feed consists of a lot of bright smoothie bowl shots(!). But you can also expect to find Buddah bowls, lunch boxes and sweet treats! I have been trying out posting more travel and lifestyle content and the response has been great so far.

What are you learning from your Instagram and blog journey?

When I look back at older pictures I only focus on the horrible lighting, weird styling choices and over-saturated editing! I eventually discovered some basic photography tips and spent more time making my pictures prettier.

I’ve learnt so much about photography, connected with wonderful people all over the world, met real life vegan friends and discovered amazing restaurants.

I’ve also tried out countless recipes and discovered so much about myself in the process.

I am a full time college student and I approach Vegan Feels Good as a job. I try to have a good work ethic as it demands a lot of organisation to prepare and shoot multiple meals a day, come up with new recipes, edit them and engage with people. More and more people are interested in eating more plant-based food and it makes me hopeful for the future!

What differences do you find between healthy eating in LA and Paris?

Healthy eating in LA is so much easier  than Paris! It’s kind of a temple of açai bowls, detox juices and buddha bowls ! You can find healthy, plant-based options in almost all restaurants and it is normal here to be a vegetarian or vegan.

The diversity of restaurants in LA allows to try many different types of vegan cuisine and so you can go from a tiny taco joint to an elaborate restaurant. I especially love all the juice bars, açai bowls and avocado toasts in LA.

But I don’t want to give the impression that eating healthy in Paris is impossible. Over the past 5 years, a myriad of vegetarian-vegan restaurants have opened and the 9th district is even nicknamed Veggie Town now.

veganfeelsgood
veganfeelsgood

I’m super excited about a fully vegan bakery which revisits typical French pastries. Overall, the main difference is the availability and the fact that the Californian mentality is more focussed on health and fitness. But I would not say that one place is essentially better than the other. They are just different!

How important was food to you growing up?

I grew up in Paris with my parents and two younger brothers (I now have more siblings !). We were raised on a healthy balanced diet. My mom would always come up with new recipes to try, made sure we ate an abundance of fruit and veggies and varied our meals.

Our parents taught us about nutrition, the importance of fresh produce, that protein does not necessarily come from animal-based ingredients and made sure we stayed involved in sports.

It does not mean that we were not allowed to have fast foods, soda or candies from time to time, but they definitely put a strong emphasis on instilling healthy habits in us. When I moved to my first apartment at 18, I had all they keys to continue to eat healthily.

What is the mission of Vegan Feels Good?

The mission of Vegan Feels Good is to show that eating plant-based does not have to be restrictive, expensive or boring.

I want to show that eating plant-based can be affordable, easy, convenient, fun, nutritious and, most importantly, delicious!

Why did you decide to collaborate with Glowcation?

Glowcation struck me as an amazing concept! I love the idea of having honest reviews, well-documented photos and getting the opinion of food bloggers. Having a central point for cool addresses on one well-designed website that shows all the amazing options in different locations further convinced me!

veganfeelsgood
veganfeelsgood

What are you excited about?

I’m ecstatic about trying new cafes, new inventive dishes, taking beautiful pictures and being able to share my opinion to our community on Glowcation!

What are the top 5 things in life that make you glow?

The top 5 things that make me glow in life would be :

• Knowing that I treat my body right with healthy plant-based food
• Exercising as much as I can
• Having an amazing support team with my family, boyfriend and friends
• The sunshine in Los Angeles!
• And taking a good hike in nature

Caly has reviewed for us in both LA and Paris.