Amelie Tahiti

Amelie is a vegan blogger and YouTuber from Tahiti, now living in France. She calls her vegan transition a health, ethical and environmental awakening, and loves to share her healthy vegan lifestyle and passion for nutrition, fitness and helping others! We chatted to Amelie about how she got started blogging, vegan life in Paris and more!

Tell us a bit about yourself!

I never know where to start with this question! Do you want the full novel or the summary? haha! So basically, I’m 24 years old, born in France, grew up in Tahiti (hence my name!), studied business and graduated in financial accounting in Canada, lived in Portugal & Australia and currently in Paris! We’ll see for how long, it seems I can’t stay in one place too much lol! After working shortly both in accounting/audit & communication for a few companies, I realised it’s not what made me happy, so I’ve decided to dedicate myself full time to producing content on social media (that is: Instagram, YouTube and my blog), selling my recipe & tips ebook and inspiring people transition to a healthier - plant-based or even vegan lifestyle and encourage people to be more in tuned with their body & mind! 

When did you start food blogging on Instagram and what inspired you to start?

I first started Instagram in 2014 but it was just for me, to find inspiration. I followed a well known fitness/diet program back then and I started connecting with other people that were also doing it! From there I got interested in all that healthy lifestyle, although at first, I was more into the ‘clean eating thing’ aka ‘eggs, chicken & green beans!!! Mid 2015 is when I went vegan but I started blogging more seriously in 2016 when I started my blog & YouTube channel!

You are such a positive advocate for plant-based living. What led you to this lifestyle choice?

Thank you!! I’ve always said I was an animal & planet lover but somehow kept eating animal products! I was never the biggest meat eater (sometimes chicken and mostly fish in Tahiti), I didn’t like the taste of honey, of eggs and of most yogurts, so I guess I had a ‘lucky’ starting point! I loved cheese though, especially french cheese and never imagined drinking hot chocolate without cow’s milk or ‘giving up on my favourite recipes’! I remember when I was younger I had asked my mom why we ate animals and that it seemed weird, but never gave it second thoughts! 

Later in 2014, when I started being super interested in health and nutrition, I got my diet to what I believed ‘super clean’- aka no processed food but still eating animal products. It gave me a lot of food anxiety, especially when going to eat out or when I was invited, I would be so picky and often ‘hangry’!

In 2015 I lived in Bondi Beach (pretty much vegan paradise!) so I started eating more & more plant-based, until a point where I saw great benefits on my health and fitness performance! I also saw the amount of food vegan people could eat and I got a bit jealous I must say! haha!

I then followed and met a bunch of vegan people (not just bloggers!) and they’ve inspired me to watch documentaries and read books about it (nutrition, health, ethics & environment). One day it just made sense: my thoughts (veganism is awesome) and my actions (not being vegan) weren’t aligned and I couldn’t live with that paradox anymore! I wanted to show how great veganism/plant-based eating was and the only way to do it, in my opinion, was to live it! 

Where do you get your recipe inspiration from?

It’s a happy mix of family recipes that I try to veganize, restaurant dishes that inspire me (especially from when I travel!), creating a meal from seasonal fresh fruits & veggies or what’s in my fridge at that time! Whether unconscious or not, I’m also definitely inspired by the awesome community on social media -  to name a few, I love following Andrea from Earthy Andy, Loni Jane, Ellie from ElsasWholesomeLife, Angela from OhSheGlows, Ellen Fisher, Tess Begg, Christina from AddictedToDates, Bonny Rebecca - i think we have similar taste! 

You are a talented yogi! Tell us about how you got into yoga and why you love it?

Thank you !! In my opinion, anyone who’s doing yoga is a talented yogi!! I was an avid fitness person (sometimes working out twice a day!) and unfortunately injured my spine in November 2016: I got 3 herniated discs. That kinda put me off from any type of exercise for about 2 months. The only way to get back into moving was a more ‘gentle’ workout (less impact): that’s what pushed me to start yoga! I also got very inspired by all those crazy poses on instagram, let’s be honest, I wanted to do the same! haha.

I started yoga by myself for a few weeks but eventually gave up. A few months later a friend visited me and told me to come to a yoga class with her (may 2017), and that was love at first sight! I’ve been practicing regularly ever since, and even started a Yoga Teacher Training! Now I’ve reintroduced some fitness into my routine and yoga really improved my mobility, core strength, and breathing (especially for running!). It’s amazing to see how the poses can progress by simply showing up on your mat regularly! I’m applying this concept to life now! Practice makes perfect!!!

You are lucky to live in the beautiful city of Paris! Do you find it difficult being vegan in a place that is renowned for its meat and dairy? Tell us about the vegan community there?

You’d be surprised but Paris is actually awesome for vegans! There are new vegan restaurants opening every month! French Brasserie, Chinese, Thai, Indian, Healthy, Boulangerie (bakery), Crèmerie (where ‘cheese’ is done).. we’ve got it all! I’ve never been missing out of anything and even when I eat at ‘regular’ restaurants, I always find something to accommodate (big salad, veggie pizza or pasta etc) and it never surprised/annoyed anyone!

Veganism is becoming more and more popular here, and in a cosmopolitan city like Paris, it’d be horrible business not to have vegan options! What’s good in France is people are very aware of seasonal and fresh, quality produce and some amazing dishes can be done plant-based in any place, even some Palaces have vegan HighTea! 

What's your go-to breakfast?

Smoothie bowl in hot season, acai or a good PB/banana one; and oatmeal in winter for sure! 

You serve up some pretty amazing dishes in our Coconut Bowls! What has been your favourite so far?

Thanks!! I’ve done so many I can’t even remember which I’ve preferred! Probably the Tahitian Raw ‘Fish’ Salad (from my ebook) because it literally felt like eating in Paradise, and was so stoked about how my veganised raw fish turned out too! 

What is your favourite thing about your Coconut Bowls?

They make all the dishes super Instaworthy and always get tons of compliments! It also helps me to feel more grounded (helpful in Paris!) because I’m eating plants out of a plant material!

We are so excited to have one of your recipes included in our new cookbook ‘Vegan Bowls for Vegan Souls’. Tell us about the recipe you chose and what it means for you to be apart of the book?

I’m so excited too! The recipe I’ve made is the «tropical lilikoi with protein peanut butter cookie dough smoothie bowl» that’s a long name but tells lots about me! 
Tropical because it gives a sense of Tahiti, protein kick because i’m a gym junkie and active person and this is a perfect post-workout meal, and peanut butter because I’m a big foodie and I love my food to taste bomb and healthy!