Health & Life Magazine April 2017

DISEASE PREVENTION
TURNING TO VEGANISM:
AN INTERVIEW WITH QATAR’S
FIRST VEGAN CAFÉ
The benefits of cutting back on processed meat and refined sugar are well
documented, and many are now turning to veganism and raw food to stay lean
and healthy, and to help the planet. We spoke with the owner of Qatar’s first
vegan café, Ghanim Al Sulaiti, about what inspired him to go vegan.
What got your started on your vegan
journey?
I’d say it was consciousness, a desire to
understand my diet and its effect on me.
My journey began with questions. I wanted
to know why food can have such an effect
on us. I started to read books on nutrition,
educating myself, and experimenting with
a plant-based diet. I felt better than when I
ate a “normal” diet, which made me want to
explore this lifestyle further.
How did you come up with the concept of
Evergreen Organics?
When I became vegan four years ago, I
became aware of how much healthier I
felt, and I wanted to share that with others
– Evergreen Organics seemed the perfect
platform from which to share my love of
vegan food, my experiences and my travels.
The café is like a collection of all the bits and
pieces that inspire me and I hope that it can
inspire others to enjoy vegan food and think
about adapting their diet to be more plantbased.
In your opinion, why is eating vegetables
more healing for our bodies and the
planet?
Eating vegetables is mentioned in the Holy
Quran. People have been eating vegetables
since the beginning of time. Ancient medicine
was always based around plants. Let’s face it,
fruits, vegetables, herbs and plants contain
a whole range of healing and rejuvenating
compounds—they are the source of life.
Unfortunately there’s been a huge increase in
demand for meat and junk foods in general,
which goes hand in hand with the use of
growth hormones and chemicals. That’s one
reason why going vegan or plant-based is
healthier for the environment, because you’re
no longer investing in an industry that creates
such damage on an individual and ecological
scale.
Plants have always been known to heal.
You never hear anyone say “Eat your meat,
it’s your medicine”. It’s always “Eat your
vegetables.” And many scientific studies have
proven the healing properties of plants. For
example they all contain chlorophyll, which
is the source of life—plants use chlorophyll to
convert the energy from the sun into energy
they use to grow. I think that’s where their
healing power comes from.
I also think the more you believe in the
healing nature of plants and vegetables, the
more this healing can act on you. It’s all
about your mindset. You can eat healthily
for the rest of your life and still get sick, if
your mindset is stuck in negative patterns.
But if you focus on a plant based diet, with
the full conscious belief that it will help you
heal, you will eventually get better. A pill
will make you feel better quickly, but plants
will make you healthier in the long term. I’ve
witnessed this in my own life. Since I added
more vegetables, vitamins and minerals, I
simply don’t get sick any more. I haven’t been
ill in years so I know I’m doing something
right. I eat foods that are natural, real, and
from the Earth—the foods God intended us
to eat. That’s why when Janna (Paradise) is
described in the Quran, fruits and vegetables
are always mentioned; it is not mentioned
that you’re going to eat meat and chicken.
Plants are always linked to heaven, and in a
way this means that you can live in heaven on
earth by eating fruits and vegetables.
If you go back 100 years, Qataris didn’t eat
that much meat because it was expensive
and there wasn’t much money. So while
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HEALTH AND LIFE