During this quarantine, Keister Elementary School kindergarten teacher Nicole Rath plans on making her family’s favorite recipes with her family after recently changing her lifestyle to vegan. 

“Personally, [this quarantine] is a nice mental break, and a nice time to spend with family and do things we usually don’t have time to do. We’re working every day full-time. I don’t think we’ve tried new recipes [during this quarantine], but we’ve tried recipes that we haven’t made in a while,” Rath said.

Rath decided to become vegan after her son first made the change. Rath thought it was a good decision due to her family’s medical history. 

“My son became interested first [to go vegan], and we were wondering what caused him to change. He recommended watching a video, and we realized that it was actually a good fit for us with the health issues, energy and some of the [other] benefits from eating that way,” Rath said. “[I chose to become vegan] because there’s a history of diabetes, Parkinson’s, and heart disease in my family. [Being vegan is] also a healthier lifestyle.”

After Rath became vegan, it helped her pay more attention to what she was eating and to eat healthier. Rath’s children also had the choice to become vegan.

“I would prefer [my kids to be vegan], but I understand if they don’t want to because it’s a big change,” Rath said.

Since Rath is always working full time, she has the opportunity during this quarantine to try out new vegan recipes.

“[I plan on trying new recipes during this quarantine] because I have a little bit more time and I have time to look at this new vegan cookbook that I bought,” Rath said. “[My favorite vegan recipe is] one called chickpea curry stew with kale. It’s become one of my favorites.”