‘Veganism an alternative, healthier way of life’

It has been a momentous year for Ghanim al-Sulaiti just as it has been for Qatar’s vibrant food scene, buoyed up with the opening of Evergreen Organics, the nation’s very first vegan café, at The Pearl-Qatar, earlier in September.
The man who can effortlessly stake a claim to the title of ‘The Qatari Vegan’ beams at the mere mention of what all he has been up to. “Evergreen Organics is doing great, and 2017 will be a huge year for us. I am so excited to announce that VIBE Cafe, another project I am part of, will open its second branch in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in Spring 2017. I am currently working on my vegan well-being brand BOTANY which will launch in January 2017. I am also helping in setting up The Good Vibe Foundation which aims to provide 10,000 school children with healthy vegan food in Cambodia,” he tells Community.
A tunnel engineer for Qatar Rail and a spirited marathon runner, al-Sulaiti, along with Joujou al-Fardan, founded Evergreen Organics, which has earned the two young and innovative Qatari entrepreneurs the distinction of presenting to Qatar’s people a most unique proposition – a completely plant-based menu that screams variety, guarantees rejuvenation, and is a stickler for taste.
With the World Vegan Month behind him and a lush green New Year ahead, Community caught up with 24-year-old al-Sulaiti for a chat.

All your ideas and initiatives revolve around veganism. What does being vegan mean to you?
Veganism is a lifestyle. It’s a broad term that defines a way of conscious living, as someone deeply aware of one’s surroundings, of the choices one makes every day, of what goes into our bodies, and of how these choices impact the environment. For me, personally, veganism means a lot more than just not eating animals.

You are vegan mostly for the sake of health or for your love for animals, or both?
Well, it’s quite weird. This journey started off as a health-conscious choice. Around three years ago, I turned vegan because I learnt it was healthy and better for our bodies. But eventually I started really realising that it’s much bigger than food or how I feel inside, because becoming a vegan is all about how other people will feel about my choice, or how my choice can impact the environment, and so on. That’s because I really care about how these small decisions we make on a daily basis can help reduce the carbon footprint or animal cruelty. You get to know all these things while you are on this diet and then you realise how big an impact you make with your food choices.

Briefly tell us how difficult was it for you to turn vegan?
Turning vegan was a shock for me. When I learnt that such an option existed, an alternative that you could actually take up without feeling that you are sacrificing something, was a big surprise for me. What struck me was that I could eat foods that are not meat or dairy and still feel satisfied, healthy, survive, and thrive. When I learnt about veganism, I wanted to know more. So I kept reading, travelling, and talking to other vegans wherever I went. I realised that there’s something here that I had to experiment so as to know and feel and thereby see the difference. And that’s exactly what happened. Day by day, I began cutting out dairy and meat from my diet. It took me one year to go fully vegan. But I think what made me stick to the plan was feeling great and feeling the impact I was making every time I chose a plant-based diet.

How did that decision change your life?
Veganism changed my life drastically. Now my interests are more oriented towards living consciously and being aware. Thanks to my lifestyle, I am now running a big vegan cafe, which is something that never occurred to me, say, five years ago. I just opened another vegan cafe in Cambodia, and have also launched my new vegan skin-care line. So I am more focussed on sharing this knowledge that I have learned, and sharing the things that I feel make me appreciate the value of plants and life on this planet. I am more aware about what we are using and consuming, which drives me to ensure that we are consuming the right things. I hear of all these frightening statistics about the rise of those affected by diabetes, blood pressure, heart issues, and through the prism of veganism, I explore how can I share knowledge that may or will help the community to be healthier. Even if one person becomes healthier due to what I share, I will be very happy.

Since becoming vegan, how do you feel internally?
When you go vegan, the first thing you will experience is ease of digestion. You won’t feel bloated anymore. The bowel system becomes much more efficient. You start feeling cleaner inside. And the first change I felt when I went vegan was this storehouse of energy. You wake up with energy, you go to sleep with energy, and I feel this energy has to do with consuming the right kinds of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, which all have so much of vitamins, minerals, protein, and anti-oxidants. With so much energy at my disposal, I started doing marathon, running, kick-boxing, and a lot of activities that maybe require more physical energy. I learnt that when you eat lots of fruits and vegetables, your skin gets clearer, your eyes get brighter, and you have a healthier body in general. You don’t feel tired after a meal. Your craving for sugar and junk food is gone; all you crave for are fruits and vegetables. As my body got rid of toxins, I didn’t even feel the need for caffeine anymore.

How have your family and friends taken to your decision?
Initially, I wasn’t really public about it. I was keeping it to myself. Whenever somebody would ask me why I’m not eating, I would say I wasn’t hungry. At that time, I didn’t know if I was doing the right thing or if I could keep up with it. So I was only seeing how it goes and how it feels. I had to learn more and read more and be educated about this lifestyle so as to face people and speak my mind. Sometimes, I have been forced to eat something and I have felt embarrassed when people are offering meat or diary. But I refuse because you have to be strong about your beliefs. My common refrain, which seems to work well, is to tell them ‘I will be sick if I eat this’ (laughs). Today, everybody knows I am vegan. So nobody even offers me such food anymore.

As a vegan, what message would you like to leave with our readers?
Let’s be more conscious and more aware of where our food is coming from, and what goes into our bodies. Let’s appreciate the real food and connect with the earth by visiting farms. Let’s educate people around us about where our food is coming from, and how our food choices affect the environment. As for my vision, it is to present an alternative. To show people that we don’t have to eat meat and that plant-based food can be
extremely delicious and filling.
In fact, it changes your taste buds because you start tasting real food.