A former vegan has decided to raise her children flexitarian, hoping to promote healthy attitudes to food in her LA home kitchen.
Let’s admit it; we’re a generation obsessed with food. Sophie Jaffe understands this truly modern affliction better than most, having made a career out of so-called intuitive eating.
Sophie, who’s pregnant with her third child, told UNILAD how she plans to raise her baby in an environment where her passion for healthy food isn’t hampered by dietary restrictions.
Sophie told UNILAD:
I’ve passed on healthy eating habits and wellness practices to my kids by teaching them the value of food and the importance of their health.
Instead of creating a ‘healthy diet’ based on limitations and rules, show them how to eat, move, and breathe from a place of love: love for themselves, their communities, and their larger world.
I make smoothies with the boys or superfood waffles. I don’t limit their diets because I show them how to love whole, nutritious and vibrant food.
After all, healthy ‘no junk’ food can be as delicious as chicken nuggets:
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There’s a lot of divisive stuff online about food and lifestyle choices, and Sophie herself has been called a ‘liar’, an ‘awful’ mum, and accused of ‘cognitive dissonance’ for her choice.
She understands why flexitarianism gets a bad rep, but says:
Flexitarianism has a bad rep because it’s seen as ‘lazy’ or ‘fake’ but if it’s what works best for you and only for you then it’s absolutely perfect.
Actually, the concept has been around for ages, according to registered dietician and nutritionist, Dawn Jackson Blatner, who claims flexitarians have a lower rate of heart disease, diabetes and cancer, and live 3.6 years longer than their carnivorous counterparts.
In case you missed it, a semi-vegetarian or flexitarian diet is one which is plant-based with the occasional inclusion of meat. In 2003, the American Dialect Society voted flexitarian as the year’s most useful word.
But some flexitarians have started referring to themselves as ‘meat reducers’ so as not to trigger the Internet Jury, despite the whole concept centring around freedom of choice.
Sophie was raised by her mum, a holistic nurse practitioner.
She grew up appreciating ‘healthy is a state of mind’ and tries to apply the principle to her children’s diets.
Like any mum, Sophie plays by her own rules too, she explains:
And the same goes for me! I do everything from a place of love — which means working out because I actually love the movements that I’m having my body do, or eating because I love how the food tastes and how it makes me feel.
Sophie became vegan at the age of 18 when she discovered she had ‘extremely high cholesterol and it freaked [her] [her].
However, ‘after going completely plant-based for several years’ Sophie’s cholesterol didn’t change at all and she found out she suffers with a hereditary condition which remains unaffected by diet or exercise.
She added:
I became a flexitarian after getting pregnant with my first son, Kai, because I was so highly anemic and needed more from my food.
Becoming a mum changed everything for Sophie. As soon as the cravings kicked in and she was eating for two, her attitude towards what was the ‘best’ or ‘right’ diet altered.
Sophie told UNILAD about the ‘balancing act’, saying:
Most definitely. As soon as I was pregnant with my first I had serious cravings and everything became about paying attention to my and baby’s needs instead of listening to the ‘rules’ everyone else was trying to shove in my face.
But her decisions as a mum are often criticised, living her life in the public eye online, as Sophie does.
She recalled:
The second I announced I was pregnant with my third, the comments have been non-stop.
If you’re not living a ‘perfect’ lifestyle for you and the baby then someone has something to say.
Sharing her advice for other expectant mums, Sophie added:
During this pregnancy especially, I’ve learned to really tune in to my body and baby girl’s needs. The important thing is to remember it’s just you and your little one on this journey together.
You’re riding the same ride and that’s all that matters. It’s also time to tune into your own intuition as a mother, right here and now. This is when it begins, with the little bub in your womb.
Embrace being a woman; never stop being ambitious, strong, and compassionate. Ask questions, seek guidance, and don’t see this as a weakness.
Sophie explained why flexitarianism has ‘served’ her for the past eight years:
A large part of it came from looking at who I was and where I wanted to be in life, then deciding restricting myself wasn’t meant for me.
In the end it’s all about what works for you. If you’re vegan then all power to you, but I knew it wasn’t my path. I strive for balance and if that means having some chicken for dinner then I’ll do it.
Becoming a flexitarian and eating intuitively means having freedom with your food. It’s putting yourself into consideration anytime you enter the kitchen.
The businesswoman shared her unique attitude towards her own cravings:
I try to listen to my bodies natural cues while still making sure I stick to a consistent schedule so I don’t become starving.
I usually check in with myself when I’m munching a ton [of sa[of salad]could eat a bite of salmon.
If I’m not hungry for salmon, then I’m aware I’m eating out of boredom, loneliness, emptiness, distraction, pleasure or something else. Then I make a decision consciously to continue down that path without regrets, or not.
Sophie founded Philosophie, a health and wellness company inspired by her own wish to have ‘an amazing blend of superfoods and proteins together in one convenient jar’, after becoming sick of incomplete smoothies.
But she has been accused of ‘cognitive dissonance’ when promoting her business, by sharing her food choices with the brand followers on Instagram and via YouTube.
You can watch one such video below:
It’s not always easy to put yourself out there when people are so quick to judge how mothers raise their children.
Sophie is grateful for success social media has brought, but adds:
We live in a society that’s overpowered by technology and yes, while I’m so glad social media was brought into my life to really bring Philosophie into the success it is today, there have definitely been drawbacks.
Everyday we’re comparing ourselves to others and trying to prove to this space we’re the best, living perfect lives and doing everything correct.
She thinks it’s because ‘humans are easily threatened’ and ‘social media creates a platform for bullying without any consequences’.
But Sophie has learned to ‘let negative comments wash over’ her ‘with the help of a lot of meditation and self love rituals’.
Watch UNILAD investigate the damaging global effects of the meat industry below:
Meanwhile, she’s doing what she can to live and eat consciously.
As variety is the spice of life, they say, flexitarianism by any name can’t be a bad thing.
If you have a story to tell, contact UNILAD via stories@unilad.co.uk
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.