‘FRESH’ DEMYSTIFIES VEGANISM IN UG

Fresh UG is carving out a space in a market lacking in specialised vegan food vendors. The business is a passion project by 2 Ugandan sisters, Sandrah Asiimwe, a foodprenuer and business woman and Esther Mbaine, a part time chef and part time radio presenter on 97fm Radio city. With an environmentally focused approach, the founders are pioneers in their field.

Sandrah answered some questions on the business, their hunger inducing pictures and why being vegan is good for both you and the earth.

1. Why the choice to open a Vegan food business?

There are a number of reasons; we wanted to not just serve delicious homemade meals, we wanted to give fresh family food that was positively impactful not only on people’s health but on our planet too. We wanted to share that healthy food doesn’t have to be boring.

We wanted to take advantage of, and show off the fresh organic foods that our country has been so blessed to grow.

In addition, it made business sense. The market had many fast food restaurants offering Ugandan food, Chinese, Japanese, Indian but fully vegan restaurants were impossible to come by. Vegan food was the obvious choice.

You find that with time, people choose to go completely vegan on their own as they learn and enjoy the lifestyle. Progress over perfection.

Avocado stuffed with rainbow rice, topped with garlic mayo and corriander

2. Do you consider a meat based diet to be unhealthy? What do you say about people who have some meat meals and some vegan ones?

A meat based diet isn’t unhealthy. The basic rule of nutrition is balance and that’s what we abide by. We encourage our patrons to include more plants in their diet; whether that’s one vegan meal a week or replacing some carbs with veggies at meal time, or a plant based day a week, whatever works for you. Our motto is the more plants you eat the better, both for you and our planet.

A huge part of the vegan movement that isn’t as talked about is the environmental benefits. Let me expound. Fish and animal farming negatively contribute to disruptions in the ocean’s eco system, damage the ocean floor and pollute the seas with waste and plastic fishing equipment. Animal farming affects the ozone layer more than cars due to the high greenhouse emissions. Animal farming at the current rate is just not sustainable for our environment and the sooner we act, the better. By opting out, we do our part to help.

NB: (Here is more reading on livestock farming and the environment if interested.)

A lot of people imagine vegan meals are just leafy greens but that’s not true. For example Fries are vegan.

3. You have very interesting dishes; Pink beet hummus, Buttered sweet corn and tomato dip. I see colour plays a big role in your dishes, is this one of the guiding forces?

Thank you. Colour, texture and balancing flavours are our 3 cardinal rules. Food must look good before it tastes good.

4. Tell me something about the combos. (FreshUG offers a combo pack at 55k)

Due to popular demand we recently created a juicing combo of 3 drinks and 1 soup. A green juice, a protein smoothie, a yellow juice for vitamin C and a soup of choice for anyone in need of a system reboot of sorts. We plan to introduce Vegan Mondays. Look out for that.

5. How long will the juices/smoothies keep in the fridge?

2 days in the refrigerator and 5 in the freezer though we advise immediate consumption to enjoy all the nutrients available in the juice.

6. Being Vegan is usually a lifestyle, does Fresh UG encourage this lifestyle or do the customers get there by themselves?

We believe in creating sustainable habits. Extreme diets are hard to maintain and seldom have lasting results. It’s hard to motivate yourself to continue to do something you dislike. They also lead to feelings of guilt when you ‘indulge.’

Instead, we encourage our family to add as many plants (fruits or veggies) to their diet gradually while figuring out what they like. It’s unreasonable to ask anyone to completely stop eating something they’ve eaten all their lives. You find that with time, people choose to go completely vegan on their own as they learn and enjoy the lifestyle. Progress over perfection.

7. When one switches from meat to a veggie diet, might there be need for some supplements?

Yes upon changing to a completely vegan diet it’s advisable to take vitamin B12 supplements as its almost exclusively found in fish, dairy, meat and eggs. Nori sea weed is the only plant with B12, but it’s insufficient.

8. Can a vegan meal actually be filling enough?

Yes, vegan meals can be quite filling. A lot of people imagine vegan meals are just leafy greens but that’s not true. For example fries are vegan. See? There are various vegan sources of protein like legumes, broccoli, couscous, nuts and carbohydrate sources like potatoes, pumpkin, yam, cassava, rice, bread.

Find Fresh UG at Fresh on Instagram or call 0708000075/0787744766 to order.