Being a vegan can seem challenging, especially if you're not familiar with all of the options available.
But, maintaining a vegan or raw lifestyle is totally within your reach.
Douglas McNish began cooking in his teens, and after losing 100-plus pounds, he decided to change his career and take on plant based cuisine as his profession. He is now a Certified Red Seal Professional Vegan Chef, two-time vegan iron chef winner, has been featured on national television, contributes to print magazine publications, and is a raw food consultant who is passionate about sharing his knowledge about the raw food lifestyle.
Doug joins host Lisa Davis to share some of his easy go-to options, as well as which ingredients and foods are the best for providing flavor and "mouth feel," including chia seeds and hemp seeds (provide fiber and protein) and healthy fats like avocado, olive oil, flax, and coconut.
Doug also shares some recipes from his various cookbooks.
Selected Podcast
Eat with Ease: Healthy Eating Demystified
Featured Speaker:
Cooking since the age of 15, Douglas McNish fell in love with the kitchen instantaneously. He felt a deep and sincere love for all things food related. Camaraderie, hard work, attention to detail and the constant creativity were all factors in drawing him to continue his goals and move on to Chef School. After attending George Brown Culinary Chef Program, Douglas took an apprenticeship and continued to hone his skills learning the inner workings of a busy professional kitchen.
After working for Toronto's best chefs in some of the most challenging atmospheres he found that he needed to make a change. Not realizing then how much food is a factor in all aspects of life, he found himself overweight and unhappy. It was at this point that he watched an undercover video from PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals) that his life would change forever. After witnessing such atrocities he made a choice to become vegetarian. Over the course of the next six months (while working on a grill in a steakhouse) Douglas began to transform his diet and his life forever. Slowly weight began to peel off and he began to feel a lightness he never experienced before. By taking what he already knew from his years of culinary training he began to relearn how to prepare food in a healthier light. Pairing this with a deep concern for the planet and the welfare of all its inhabitants the next most logical step was to become vegan. Since then Douglas has taken healthy, organic, plant based cuisine to a whole new level. Challenging mainstream thought on diet and ethics, he continues to create inspired dishes using the highest quality ingredients possible. Douglas lives in Toronto, ON.
Doug McNish, Chef
Cooking since the age of 15, Douglas McNish fell in love with the kitchen instantaneously. He felt a deep and sincere love for all things food related. Camaraderie, hard work, attention to detail and the constant creativity were all factors in drawing him to continue his goals and move on to Chef School. After attending George Brown Culinary Chef Program, Douglas took an apprenticeship and continued to hone his skills learning the inner workings of a busy professional kitchen. After working for Toronto's best chefs in some of the most challenging atmospheres he found that he needed to make a change. Not realizing then how much food is a factor in all aspects of life, he found himself overweight and unhappy. It was at this point that he watched an undercover video from PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals) that his life would change forever. After witnessing such atrocities he made a choice to become vegetarian. Over the course of the next six months (while working on a grill in a steakhouse) Douglas began to transform his diet and his life forever. Slowly weight began to peel off and he began to feel a lightness he never experienced before. By taking what he already knew from his years of culinary training he began to relearn how to prepare food in a healthier light. Pairing this with a deep concern for the planet and the welfare of all its inhabitants the next most logical step was to become vegan. Since then Douglas has taken healthy, organic, plant based cuisine to a whole new level. Challenging mainstream thought on diet and ethics, he continues to create inspired dishes using the highest quality ingredients possible. Douglas lives in Toronto, ON.