Liv Unni Sødem

1. What can you tell us about yourself?

I’m passionate about inspiring people to make changes – small or big, vegan food and nutrition, animal rights, photography, our beautiful nature on this planet and how we can make less destructive impact as humans. How we can travel experiences – without having to travel far. To me travel can also mean exploring your own village, island or mountains.

I’ve been lucky to live in Cyprus and also have the opportunityto do some tour leader jobs for a Norwegian travel company sending groups to Cyprus. I also have a photography and teaching degree, and a couple of months ago after the Corona lockdown in Cyprus, I finished a Vegan Nutrition Course because I wanted to learn more about plant based nutrition and also be able to share that knowledge.

Especially because so many people don’t know that you can thrive on plant based diet, you just have to learn (or un-learn the myths or propaganda) a few things, like which plant foods to eat to make sure you get f.x your omega 3´s (both ALA and EPA), iodine and take b-12 (as most farmed animals are supplemented with), and make sure to get D-vitamin from the sun. I love to learn, and I think knowledge does not only make your life richer, but the more you learn, the more your brain changes, and with practice we can become a better version of ourselves. It all starts with us. Knowledge is the best weapon against prejudice and fear.

2. What does Veganism mean to you? 

To me veganism means to cause as little harm as possible to animals. It includes supporting any exploitation and cruelty to animals as far as it is possible of course. I think here is where non-vegans misunderstand veganism and interpret wrong when it comes to the very definition which is that we try to avoid cruelty as far as possible. It doesn’t mean that we are perfect, it means that we are trying to do better than before. I also believe the more knowledge we have, the better choices we can make.

3. What led you to follow the vegan way of life? 

I’ve often wondered why no one questioned my beliefs as an animal lover. All my life I’ve said I’m an animal lover, worked as a volunteer on projects saving wildlife and endangered species abroad, and animal shelters, while eating meat and never really questioning the why and the process behind, or researched the impacts on the environment caused by the meat and dairy industry, or even what is being done to animals in industrial animal agriculture. I think it all started years ago with the first few questions I started to ask; “How can I know what life this animal has lived before it ended up in the supermarket?” Long story short; You can never know, so it all boiled down to my values – can I be an animal lover and pay for animals to be exploited in horrible ways and violently killed? It was a long process of un-learning lies we’ve been fed from a young age f.x you need cows milk for strong bones or the hidden truths behind the products we buy. The process sparked a change after reading about animal agriculture, watching «The secret reason why we eat meat» by psychologist Melanie Joy, documentaries about the destruction and horrible conditions in animal agriculture both to the animals in factory farms, the environment and to our health as well. For example «Cowspiracy» and «Forks over knives». I started researching more and decided eventually that if I were to support this, I at least should know what I’m supporting and dare to watch the process, the undercover footage, the videos we refuse to watch as meat eaters. So I did. And as many before me, I also said «I could never be vegan». But, that was before I gained knowledge, and made the connection between what I eat and what I support through my actions, and how I´m either aligned with my values of ahimsa – non-violence, or not. We become more ethical as society as time passes, but it always starts with a few opposing the crowd. We also need a food revolution in many ways.