Eaters' Choice: MP’s vegan lifestyle rooted in firm convictions

Lifestyle changes are often rooted in firm convictions.

For Joe Peschisolido, the newly minted Liberal MP for the riding of Steveston-Richmond East, his switch to become a vegan came right from his case notes.

A lawyer, Peschisolido represented clients whose pair of Rottweilers, named Axle and Paris, were scheduled to be euthanized when they were involved in a biting incident a couple of years ago.

He eventually got the dogs released back into the custody of their owners. But the experience left the second-time MP with a profound feeling that made him forgo animal meat and eventually go vegan — cutting out all animal products from his diet.

While it was a measured, transitional shift, Peschisolido said it’s one he is glad he’s taken. During his journey towards becoming a vegan, Peschilsolido visited a number of animal shelters that eventually stopped him from seeing animals as a source of food.

“I saw them as living, sentient creatures with families and feelings,” he said.

He also started doing research and found that, for one, pigs are extremely intelligent animals.

“They are actually much more so than dogs,” he said. “And I could never eat my dogs.”

He started his diet change by cutting out beef and pork, then chicken.

Later, when he learned how poorly some dairy cows and egg-laying chickens are treated, Peschisolido decided to take the next step and become a vegan — although  he occasionally adds milk products and eggs to meals if they come from humanely treated sources.

“Before that, I was a vigorous carnivore,” he said. “And that (Rottweiler) case changed my life in a series of ways. I got exposed to a new way of thinking and to animal rights and welfare groups.

“There came a point where I said, ‘no.’ It took a while, and I relapsed at the beginning, particularly when I’d smell the cooking grease from a burger and what not,” he said. “But for the last eight or nine months, (being vegan) has become easier.”

As someone who has a busy schedule, as a lawyer and now MP, Peschisolido often has to dine away from home, whether it’s here in Richmond or Ottawa. But even with his new eating regime, that usually doesn’t pose a problem as most restaurants provide vegetarian selections.

And when it comes to being vegan, Peschisolido just asks for certain ingredients to be left out.

“It’s actually quite easy,” he said. “There are wonderful buffets in Ottawa, and if you go to any major restaurant, there’s always vegetarian dishes. I’ve also started eating 99 per cent cocoa. It’s very bitter, but I’ve acquired a taste for it.”

His daily ritual is to scoop up an assortment into containers and take them on his day.

“I buy big, Costco-sized bags of hemp, chia, flax and sesame seeds and a lot of cashews and almonds. I also grab some vegetables, olives and onions. If you actually plan, it’s quite easy to live a vegan existence.”

When at home, his favourite vegan meal is a melange of vegetables, nuts and fruit (blueberries, strawberries and raspberries are favourites.)

When he’s out, one of his top choices is the vegetarian skillet at Cora.

“It’s the way they cook the vegetables, especially the broccoli. I’ve really grown to like it,” he said. “I ask them to take away the cheese and I also asked them to remove the potatoes and peppers — I don’t like peppers. And they add extra mushrooms, onions, broccoli and cauliflower.

“It’s just a phenomenal dish.”

Previously, Peschisolido said he’d order the “usual stuff.”

“I used to got to Whitespot where my usual fare was a burger and a beer, or milkshake and fries,” he said. “Now, I have green tea, a quinoa salad, a side bowl of berries and Greek yogurt.”

Despite the big shift in eating habits, Peschisolido said he doesn’t crave his old ways.

“I just enjoy eating the stuff I do now. It’s a good balance,” adding he’s noticed health benefits since the change.

He’s lost weight and had an increase in energy levels — something that is vital, given his hectic schedule flying back and forth from Richmond to Ottawa.

So, with Christmas just around the corner, what’s on the dining table for him?

“It will be vegetables and nuts and pretty well most of what I eat now, all done in a nice way — with nice company.”