From Cancer To Compassion

I had the opportunity to speak with Miriam Baur who lives in Munich, Germany, from my home in South Carolina, USA. She is a social worker and chose a vegan lifestyle about two years ago. Miriam is an activist who is very interested in and committed to the rights of all animals.

Carla: What happened two years ago that prompted you to become vegan?

Miriam: When I was 33 I went to the doctor because I had a lot of spots on my body. The dermatologist sent me to a specialist to have my lymph nodes screened. It was discovered that my thyroid gland had a tumor which was found to be an incurable cancer. I was given the option of surgery. At the same time a friend introduced me to a film What the Health and that was my first step into veganism and self-healing.

After my surgery and diet change, my doctor changed my diagnosis and gave me a much more positive prognosis than previously. The cancer that was once thought incurable is now all gone.

Carla: That’s fantastic! How did you figure out how to go vegan?

Miriam: A lot of reading! I also have a lot of friends who are vegan who introduced me to new products and how to cook. Social networking helped me tremendously as did very good documentaries.

Carla: Was it difficult for you to make these changes?

Miriam: Yes, very much. I was someone who relied on fast, quick food like a big slice of pizza from the pizzeria without much thought or effort. Now I had to think ahead, shop, read labels, and prepare the food. The creative demand was a big change for me and I had to learn to dedicate much more time to my food and nutrition. It’s much easier for me now that I’m familiar with the food and recipes, I have a routine, I know where and how to shop, and I use some wonderful recipe websites. I used to never cook lentils and now I cook them often.

Carla: Is it easy to be vegan in Munich?

Miriam: Yes. It can be expensive here in Munich but in a city like Leipzig you can live a perfect vegan lifestyle. In Munich we have 5 or 6 vegan restaurants and I can buy vegan food in every supermarket.

Carla: How long after you went vegan for your health did you become active for animal rights?

Miriam: What the Health introduced me a bit to the rights of animals and after that I tried watching Dominion. So it was probably just a few weeks after I changed my food that I became an activist. I volunteer at an animal shelter and help take care of the rabbits, rats, degus, and chinchillas. Before the COVID19 shutdown I would help with the book stall fundraisers and I have also lead petitions.

On New Year’s Eve a fire started by fireworks burned down an ape house at a zoo near Dusseldorf which resulted in the deaths of 30 chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans, as well as fruit bats, birds and other animals. The zoo intends to build a new ape house and I was totally against that so I collected 10,000 signatures and presented it to the government. Now we have to wait for a decision which is taking longer than normal due to the pandemic.

I also go around to the local shops and I talk to the shopkeepers about not hanging posters that promote the Circus Krone. We have a popular circus that sets up every year and has become a big family tradition. The animals are trained to do unnatural tricks like an elephant who is made to stand on his head. Once I share photos and inform the shopkeepers of how horribly these circus animals are trained and treated, they are happy to take down the circus poster in their shop.

Carla: That is noble work. Do you have local friends who are vegan?

Miriam: One of my house neighbors has been vegan for at least 10 years. Another friend who is also an animal activist has been vegan for 13 years. Her boyfriend who was not vegan when they met seven years ago is now vegan also. Also I have an elderly friend who is 70 years old, from Chicago, Illinois, USA, has a vegan daughter in Barcelona, and who is almost vegan. So, yes, I have vegan friends which is great.

Carla: How did your family respond to you becoming vegan?

Miriam: It’s been very difficult. My family is originally from Poland and they love their sausages and cheese and can’t imagine living without them. Every time I visit, I discuss it and sometimes it ends in a fight. They avoid the reality of how factory farms actually work and want to believe it’s not so bad. I encourage them to watch Dominion to see the reality of how these animals are treated. They don’t want to know and I think they are afraid of giving up the illusion and then having to change their lifestyle.

Carla: Do they believe with you that your lifestyle change helped heal you from cancer?

Miriam: I am convinced that my improved health is in part due to my veganism but they are not so convinced. They accept that I think so but they don’t believe it themselves. They think it was just fate and good fortune.

Carla: Have you been able to influence any of your friends with your health and/or animal testimonials?

Miriam: I think they think about the issues of animals a lot more because of me and they will try some vegan products like oat milk, but they’re not willing to fully commit. Sometimes they’ll go without cheese or buy more vegetables. I have the impression that they think about it a lot more since I’ve been vegan. They say “if you can do that and if you’re so consumed with the lifestyle, it must be a good thing. You would not do that if you were not so sure about the health benefits.” They are conditioned to meat and cheese, like so many people. But if they had any health issues like I did, I think they’d go vegan.

Carla: If you were vegan only for health, do you think you’d have returned to some of your old foods after your cancer was gone?

Miriam: No. The first thing that improved was my energy level. I feel like I have more strength. Before veganism I struggled with depression. I rarely struggle with that anymore. I think that if we eat meat then depression is more common. It’s my opinion. I think it has something to do with the protein molecules that affect brain health.

Carla: Are there any old foods that you miss?

Miriam: Pudding! There’s a special German vanilla pudding that I can’t find vegan. Also Nutella which has milk and whey in it. The vegan versions are just not as good. That’s it but it’s okay. Vegan products and recipes are very satisfying and I tend toward more whole plant nutrition over any of the vegan substitutes. I’ve also tried to eliminate sugar because it gives me headaches and it’s so bad for cancer.

Carla: What are some of your favorite ingredients, meals, and foods now?

Miriam: In the morning I start with bread with vegan cheese and fruit. I love bananas, apples, noodles, rice, lentils, beans, vegetables, and mushrooms. Soups like carrot or mushroom are wonderful and easy to make. I try to cook every day. It’s very important to me that I get all the nutrients I need to stay healthy.

Carla: The people who have watched you change your lifestyle, are they surprised by how you eat now?

Miriam: Yes. I lost weight. I was already thin but I lost weight anyway when I went vegan. I eat more calories now to maintain my weight and energy level. My nonvegan friends were skeptical thinking it was a trend but my vegan friends supported me.

Carla: What foods do you eat to increase your calories? Do you eat avocados and nuts?

Miriam: I don’t like avocados. Everyone I know does. I eat nuts and I love pasta. Italian food is my favorite.

Carla: Do you consider yourself self-disciplined person and what does that mean to you?

Miriam: Yes. To me it means that I know where to go, I know what I want, and I know what I don’t want. Before I went vegan, it seemed like something was missing. I didn’t know who I was for sure. I had to find myself and now I know who I am and veganism has helped me establish a self-concept. I feel that I know myself 85% and I’m still seeking the remaining 15% which may take time, even perhaps a lifetime.

Carla: I believe that will come with age and experience. I relate to your statements strongly. Before I was vegan, I struggled. When I committed 100% to veganism, it’s as though I woke up to myself. It give me confidence, clarity, and purpose. I see the world so differently than I used to, so much so that sometimes I don’t want to be “out there” in the world because it’s so upsetting. There is a steady undercurrent of violence in the world that has been so normalized that most people, as I was, are desensitized and oblivious to it.

Miriam: I was blind before becoming vegan and now I see people in a different way. I respect people more. I was more aggressive before I was vegan. Now if someone is doing something wrong or if someone is having a bad day, I don’t take it personally. I respect individual people. On the other hand when I see people buying or eating animals, I have a hard time. Like when I was in the hospital, they served meals with meat, bacon, cheese, and high doses of sugar in cakes to the cancer patients. But I was already vegan so I didn’t take any of that. How can people think this is okay?

Carla: If someone came to you knowing that you are vegan and they were curious for health, animal, or environmental reasons, how would you encourage them?

Miriam: I would talk to them and find out what really motivates them. Individuals choose this path for different reasons that are important to them. Once I know this about them, I would offer some pertinent facts and build a relationship by sharing my story. I would make some suggestions for small changes and be available for questions and support.

I’d definitely recommend watching What the Health, The Game Changers, and Dominion. I’d recommend exploring James Aspey, the Medical Medium, Dr. William Li, and Joey Carbstrong. And I would recommend PubMed. Eat-This.org is a wonderful recipe website.

Carla: Those are excellent resources. Thank you so much Miriam. It’s been wonderful spending this time with you. Stay well and best of luck with your petition!

Readers, to access all the posts in this interview series, please click HERE.