Stephanie Rice will work to increase awareness of the benefits of a plant-based diet.
Life Health Foods (LHF), a Seventh-day Adventist-owned food company in Australia, has teamed up with former Olympian Stephanie Rice to increase awareness of the benefits of following a plant-based diet, and to encourage Australians to eat more plant-based foods.
Since partnering with Rice in 2018, LHF brand Vegie Delights has launched a number of marketing campaigns and activities that promote a plant-based diet as being not only good for health but also for animal welfare and the environment.
Rice, 30, who won three gold medals for swimming at the 2008 Olympics, became a vegan after suffering bouts of bloating, skin outbreaks, and stomach aches. “Since cutting out meat I’ve never felt better,” she said. “First, I cut out red meat, then dairy milk, cheese, and then chicken. Making changes doesn’t have to be hard; if you have a little knowledge, you’ll get there.”
The former Olympian and LHF want people to know that by adopting a plant-based diet they’re also contributing to the welfare of animals and the environment. “I think it’s sometimes hard for people to feel they can make a difference as one person. However, anything proactive is worthwhile, and we need to keep the conversation going,” Rice said.
Plant-based diets are increasing in popularity — it’s estimated that in 2010, one and a half billion people around the world and 2.1 million people in Australia (in 2016) were vegan or vegetarian. Australia is now the third-fastest-growing vegan market in the world.
LHF general manager Dean Epps said, “We are delighted to be working with Rice. She’s just as passionate about the vegan lifestyle as we are.”
Rice has created a range of nutritious vegan recipes in collaboration with Vegie Delights to produce an eCookbook that can be downloaded for free, the company said.
About Life Health Foods
Life Health Foods sells food plant-based food products and began operations in February 2015. The company acquired the Vegie Delights brand from Sanitarium Health & Wellbeing, a Seventh-day Adventist food company in Australia. The Vegie Delights brand traces its origins back to 1912.
The original version of this story was posted by Adventist Record.
