switching to cruelty-free living
Samantha Hill, aka Priti Yogi, is a Brisbane based Yoga teacher and blogger. Sam started practicing Yoga in 2015 and her passion for Yoga led her to complete her YTT in 2016.
Sam likes spending her spare time exploring nature, reading, and trying out fresh new Vegan food. Sam is passionate about animal welfare and empowering others to overcome fear and self-doubt so that they can start creating a life of their dreams.
“About 5 years ago, my lifestyle changed in a big way. I made the decision to start living in a way that was not only good for my body, mind, and soul but also good for the animals. This was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Since changing my lifestyle I am the healthiest I have ever been. I rarely get sick, I am happier, healthier & I have more energy.
I no longer eat food from a box or any processed food and I do not eat meat, dairy or any other animal products. I eat organic and natural foods.
Some of the benefits of switching to a natural vegan lifestyle include
◦ Helps with weight loss & weight management
◦ Removes toxins from the body
◦ Improves kidney function
◦ Lowers the risk of heart disease
◦ Lowers the risk of cancer
◦ Protects against chronic disease
◦ Lowers cholesterol
◦ Increased energy
◦ Reduces bad breath & body odor
◦ Increased life span
◦ Healthier hair, skin and nails
◦ Reduces allergies
◦ Improves digestion
Living a natural cruelty free lifestyle goes a little bit further than just the food that we eat. If you look around your house you may see unnatural chemical filled products everywhere, ranging from cleaning products to cosmetics that may either contain animal products or have been tested on animals and contain nasty chemicals.
Switching to a natural cruelty free lifestyle may seem a little overwhelming to begin with but I assure you it is much easier than it sounds and well worth it.
You can find natural vegan friendly cosmetics and cleaning products online and at your natural grocer & health store. There are a few websites that are great for finding natural cruelty free products and tips such as Peta, The Cruelty Free Shop, and Vegan.com.
My personal favourite natural vegan friendly makeup range is Ere Perez and Inika Organic. I have tried many different brands over the years and these are by far my favourite.
As for facemasks, lotions, body oils, and soaps my go to is an organic vegan brand called Wild Healing. As for shampoo and conditioner I recently started using Perfect Potion which i’m loving! I have also just tried their lotions which I love as well so I will be trying out some more of their Vegan products in the future ( Most of Perfect Potions products are Vegan, some products contain beeswax).
Keep in mind everyone is different so different products will work differently for each person so do your research and know that you may have to try a few different brands before you find one that works well for you.
As for cleaning products there are tons available that are all pretty good at your local health stores but cleaning with bi carb soda, eucalyptus oil and tee tree oil works well too. Some good brands that I have come across are Earth Choice and Organic Clean.
As for eating out, don’t worry there are plenty of vegan restaurants around now and most restaurants if they are not vegan will have a vegan option on their menu and if they don’t they are usually willing to help and make something up for you if you ask nicely.
As for all you chocolate lovers…Yes there is Vegan chocolate! There are a lot of Vegan friendly chocolate brands out there but my personal favorites are Vego, Pana Chocolate, BSKT, and Loving Earths Nutty Mr Maple and Salted Caramel Swayzee.
An awesome app for tracking down vegan restaurants and cafes in your area and around the world is Happy Cow.
There are also a lot of good websites for Vegan recipes. Some of my favorites are Eh Vegan, Oh She Glows, RawVana, and Fully Raw.
If you are interested in learning a little more I have listed some documentaries below. Keep in mind these may be a little graphic but they are very informative.
Photo care of www.ehvegan.ca. Article by Priti Yogi. @pritiyogi
To learn more about Ere Perez, click here.
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