Linda Frangenberg: Vegan Nutritionist and Lecturer

Table of Contents

Linda, how long have you been vegan and what were your motivations for this decision?

Since July 16, 2016, I have been eating a 100 % vegan diet. Initially, I made this decision entirely for myself and purely for health reasons. I used to eat an omnivorous diet and then changed my diet from one day to the next. It was a pretty blatant move and I would never recommend it to any of my clients. However, I am a very disciplined person and rarely do things halfway. If I believe in something, I live and act on that belief.

The decision to switch to a whole-food, plant-based diet has been by far the best decision of my life and also was the biggest positive change in my life.
Veganism has opened my eyes to so many things. Today, I have a completely different view of the world, have grown personally, found my calling, and am currently building my own business. A healthy diet, combined with an overall healthier lifestyle consisting of a positive mindset, exercise in the form of yoga or long walks with my dog through nature, and daily meditation are now an integral part of my everyday life.

Overall, I lead a completely different life than I did 3 to 4 years ago. In addition, my family has gone vegan with me. At that time, my husband had agreed to do the 30-day challenge with me, and from then on, topics like animal welfare, environmental protection, sustainability, zero waste, organic farming, etc. were part of our everyday life and influenced our conversations and our actions. Our son (6 years old at the time) gradually integrated. Today, with very few exceptions (at school or with friends), he also eats vegan. We have found alternatives for all meals and he speaks openly in favor of a plant-based, animal-free diet.

Feeling Better With a Vegan Diet

I don’t think it lasted 14 days and we knew there was no going back. The fresh, whole foods were so good for us! We felt better and better, became leaner, more efficient, needed fewer breaks overall. We no longer have the familiar “lunchtime down” or the unattractive feeling of being stuffed after eating. I have always suffered from skin imperfections and in a relatively short period of time I had beautiful clear skin. My husband, who suffered from chronic gastritis for years, was able to stop taking his medication completely.

Now we were trying to get other family members and friends interested in the vegan idea. We were also constantly approached by people in our community who noticed our positive change and wanted to know “our secret”. In the meantime, some family members, friends, and even interested neighbors have actually changed their diets and are enjoying the variety of plant-based cuisine. Of course, there are also people in our inner circle who are very critical of our decision, they do accept our decision, but cannot imagine going in this direction themselves.

I am also absolutely against “missionizing”. My experience is that people come to me on their own when they are interested or have questions. I try to exemplify the vegan lifestyle as best I can and share my experiences, tips & tricks for everyday life as well as the knowledge from my distance learning course on my blog and via social media.

You have successfully completed ecodemy’s Vegan Nutritionist Course. What is your personal conclusion?

I had been wanting to do a distance learning course to become a nutritionist for a long time and was still looking for a suitable distance learning school. When I discovered ecodemy, I was totally excited! At first I just watched, but then I could not wait to start studying and become part of the ecodemy Family. ecodemy has given me the opportunity to turn my hobby into a profession.
I am very happy to have the opportunity to share my knowledge with other people and especially with my clients. This has become a true project of my heart! Today I see it as my mission to bring people closer to the vegan idea, to help them to be healthier and to do something good for the animals and our environment.

I especially liked the fact that I could do the course completely online from home. Thanks to ecodemy, I was able to balance my education, my family and my part-time job. The modern website with many great features, the clear course books, the informative instructional videos for each lesson and, last but not least, the great team that is always available with advice and support have made the learning time sweeter and have always motivated me to stay on the ball.
Honestly, I can only warmly recommend the training at ecodemy and recommend it to everyone! The course has added value for everyone, even if you only want to use the knowledge privately, i.e. for yourself, your own health and that of your family.

Now You Are Really Taking Off With Your Business?

Since the birth of my son, I have been a full-time and passionate housewife and mother, and worked part-time as a saleswoman in an old-established village store near us in Oberbergisch. But my big dream is to make my heart project my profession.

In spring 2017 I started the blog welivegan.com. I am especially proud of that. My husband has supported me technically – I have provided appropriate content, cooked and photographed. I also have a social media presence on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and even YouTube. I love showing that a whole-food, plant-based diet doesn’t have to be complicated, and most importantly, how delicious the food looks and, of course, tastes! That’s how it all started.

This year I am really starting out on my own and I now offer consultations as a certified Vegan Nutritionist. These can take place locally in my region. I like to visit my clients at home or we can meet at the attractive premises of the Gründer- und TechnologieCentrum in Gummersbach, which also offers co-working spaces.
You can also book me as a “shopping coach” and, if you wish, I can check the content of your fridge and stocks at your home.

Successful With Online Coaching

But the trend is clearly towards online coaching. Here, for example, the client and I are connected via Skype, so we can see and hear each other. Of course, this more modern variant significantly increases the reach. It means that my clients can get advice and help from me at any time, even if they are on the other side of the world.

I am currently working on an attractive consulting offer that will soon be available on my website. There will be several individual packages to meet different needs.

This is my passion and I am full of energy and drive every day and the ideas come to me all by themselves. However, the best ones come to me when I’m walking my dog in the woods, during meditation, and often while cooking!

In Which Other Areas Are You Active?

I feel that I have found my calling. So it is easy for me to speak to a group of people, even if they are (still) critical of a plant-based diet. I simply tell my story, talk about my positive experiences, and provide solid facts.
When I feel that people are moved and maybe even flood me with questions at the end, I am in my element. That makes me happy! This was the case, for example, with my presentation on “Sugar in our Diet”. I was able to really open people’s eyes.

Recently, I baked vegan cookies with elementary school students using organic ingredients. It was so nice to see how the kids absorbed the new information and were open to new things. Sometimes all that’s missing is the right role models, inspiration, or simply information.

You Also Give Lectures. What Exactly Do You Do?

Starting this year, I will be working as a lecturer at the Volkshochschule Gummersbach (Adult Education Center), where I will be giving practical seminars on all aspects of a whole-food, plant-based diet and a healthy lifestyle. In the first half of the year, workshops on “Vegan Nutrition” (beginners course), “Interval Fasting” and “Sugar in our Diet” are on the agenda. These are some of my favorite topics. The workshops are a combination of lectures and cooking classes. I combine theoretical knowledge with practical experience. Nothing is more convincing than to get right into it and feel the benefits of vegan cooking on your tongue. In this way, I hope to be able to gently introduce many people to the vegan diet and perhaps take some of them on an adventurous culinary journey.

Your Website Is Also a Great Place to Get Recipe Ideas. What Is Your Favorite Dish?

If you ask me if I have a favorite recipe, it is not easy for me to answer. Today, I listen very carefully to my body, and depending on what it needs at the moment, my natural instinct or appetite tells me what to buy and what to cook.
Meals make me really happy and satisfied when they contain lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. This could be a vegetable curry with millet or rice, a smoothie bowl, vegan sushi, or summer rolls.

What Do You See as the Biggest Challenges for the Vegan Idea in the Next 10 Years?

A blessing and a curse are certainly the many vegan substitutes and convenience products now available in supermarkets. Companies are really competing to see who can come up with the best vegan ground beef or the best vegan cheese. Of course I think it’s great that vegan food is now everywhere and being discussed in many different ways. I also think it’s okay to use alternative products from time to time. They can just make the transition to a plant-based diet a lot easier. Plus, it saves lives!

But a vegan diet does not automatically is healthy diet. Sweets and chips can be vegan. We all know what happens when we eat too much of it. So what to do?
The biggest challenge for most people will be to implement a vegan diet that is also healthy. A diet that covers all the essential nutrients, is good for our bodies, and gives us a long and healthy life. That’s where I come in as a nutritionist. I see it as my mission to be there for people and to support them when help is needed and wanted!

What Are Your Personal Plans for the Next 5 Years?

I am very excited about what is going to happen in the next few years and I am looking forward to everything that is to come!
I have a lot of plans, visions and dreams. For example, I definitely want to do some editorial work in addition to giving personalized nutritional advice in coaching sessions and workshops, because I love to write! It has always been a dream of mine to write and publish a book one day.
I would also like to continue my training, because you never stop learning. In addition to various additional trainings and other qualifications, I can imagine training to become a yoga teacher. I also find the profession of an naturopath very interesting.

Over the next few years, I would like to reach as many people as possible and guide them on their personal path to a plant-based, whole-food diet. I look forward to celebrating their health successes with my clients! There is so much more to a vegan diet than “just” a healthy, slim body. It is very important to me to look at people holistically. Because a healthy diet alone does not give us perfect health. The human being is a very complex being. Our psyche plays an equally important role.

Therefore, for me, a whole-food, plant-based diet is closely linked to exercise and relaxation. In this way, over time, we can achieve a positive attitude, combined with a clear, alert mind, the feeling of being in harmony with oneself and the world, and so much more happiness & joy of life. I would like to work on these goals together with interested people. For the people, animals and the environment.