Transformative Perspectives: Interview with the award-winning Author of 'Going Vegan to Save the Planet'

Today on the blog, we are delighted to feature a very special guest, Montoya Whitehead, the author of an impactful and award-winning book that examines the harmful effects of animal agriculture on our environment. 

At VCA, we think this book, "Going Vegan to Save the Planet," is crucial reading for all, as its eye-opening facts are bound to encourage every reader to adopt a vegan lifestyle. 

During our chat, Whitehead stresses that truth is our greatest tool. Her insights are incredibly motivating and enlightening, creating a conversation brimming with knowledge and inspiration that you simply can't afford to miss, so let's jump right in…

Hello Montoya and a huge welcome to the blog! To start, could you share a little about yourself, your background and what ignited your passion for veganism? 

I’m a mother to two teenage boys and wife to a wonderful man. I’m also a passionate vegan. My work background is in healthcare. As a haematologist, I worked for the NHS for more than 20 years, but with the changes that the government has made, I now work for a private company, still serving hospitals and the public. 

My vegan journey was triggered, as with so many people, by ill health. I had a prolonged period of  illness that would not respond to any treatment or lifestyle changes that I made. One day, searching the internet for answers, a page of search results loaded with almost every website recommending veganism as a cure. Not a treatment, a cure. 

In the previous weeks, I had cut back on eating meat as I had suddenly lost all desire for it. I rarely ate eggs and had no tolerance for milk, so, as a solution, going vegan was doable. 

Because it is in my nature to research everything that interests me to the nth degree, I was reading  every website, watching every YouTube video and buying as many books as I could find on eBay. I  found that, when searching for health information on veganism, you come across the animal agriculture industry. You start seeing bald chickens with broken legs, gasping in ammonia poisoned air. You see row upon row of calves, babies, in oversized plastic kennels. Chained by their  necks, drinking from a bottle, not their mother. It broke my heart. After this, the documentaries… I stopped watching them when the nightmares started. 

I was committed, both feet in. Not only that, my health improved. I started shaking off symptoms, my energy increased, and diagnoses were removed from my health record. Veganism is healing for everyone and everything. 

Absolutely, it is 100%. And, once this passion was sparked, what would you say inspired you to write this book? While your intelligence is evident, do you have a background in writing that influenced this project? 

It’s funny looking back, because it feels like the book, Going Vegan to Save the Planet, wrote itself; I just pressed the keys on the keyboard. 

It all began with my website, The Young Vegan. I started that about a year into my veganism, roughly 7 years ago. A year after that, I added a blog to the website. This meant finding topics to write about, researching the topic and then writing in a way that condensed the information while presenting it in a digestible form. I never thought I’d write a book, though. I respected those who did. I love books, but I didn’t think it was within my skill set to write one, certainly not a good book. The influence to write Going Vegan to Save the Planet came from seeing people whom I respected  writing their own books. They had all written about their field, politics, economics, etc., but I didn’t see much difference between myself and them. If they can do it, so can I. Also, there was the utter frustration from the media constantly talking about climate change, extreme weather events and natural disasters and never mentioning animal agriculture. Don’t fly, buy an electric car, recycle your plastic, yeah, great. Don’t eat meat? No, absolutely not. 

The push also came from speaking with people who, 1, don’t believe in climate change (as if it is a  religion on par with ghosts). 2, don’t believe that there is any connection between eating meat or  drinking milk and the planet warming up. I was beyond frustrated when I would see climate activists gluing themselves to roads, doors of banks, etc, but give no mention of eating meat. I wanted the truth to be out there so that people could make informed choices about how they live. 

We feel the same way, it’s beyond frustrating! We're so happy that you're putting the truth out into the world! Speaking of truth, one of the standout features of your book is the extensive scientific research it incorporates. Can you explain how you decided to take this approach and how the entire process unfolded from inception to completion? It must have been quite a journey! 

Research is my approach to everything. If I’m buying oat milk, I want one with vitamin B12, calcium  and iodine. When choosing nutritional yeast, I’ll check how much does this one cost per 100g  compared to the supermarket. Then, should I eat lentils or kidney beans with rice? So, going down the research road came naturally. Most importantly, the book had to be as objective as possible. This required science, facts and lots of statistics. It was also important to use the data that came from the animal agriculture industry itself, so that no one could accuse me of using skewed data. 

The inception of Going Vegan to Save the Planet was quick, a matter of days. I knew that I wanted to write about how animal agriculture is destroying the planet. I also knew that, for presentation,  it would be best to break it down into chapters based on each animal or product, and not the type of harm. I worked on each chapter in turn, researching each subtopic and writing before progressing to the next, so that I was saturated by that one area. I started with 2 chapters explaining the problem and its history, as a foundation for everything that was to come. I followed this with a chapter on water, as that’s a double whammy. The water use in farming animals is  extensive, but not only that, this farming poisons the water that is left, making people ill, killing animals and destroying ecosystems. After that, I organised the chapters to keep people engaged.  Following water came chickens, as most people who eat meat eat chickens; they have a connection. Fish came after chickens, as people don’t consider them when they talk about animal agriculture, and after that, the chapters were arranged to increase the emotional weight as the book continued. 

Once the book was completed and I was working through editing, I decided to include artwork for each chapter. There was only one artist I considered for this, and would have been lost if he’d said  no, that was Francisco Atencio, a vegan Argentinian artist. He created all the artwork for the book, including the front cover, and we have more collaborative projects on the way, including a vegan mindfulness journal to add to the four already available. 

Oh, so excited for that! Yes, as you mentioned, the book truly shines in exploring different sectors thoroughly. In your opinion, which industry currently  poses the greatest threat to our climate? 

I believe that cattle farming is the most destructive, as the processes are insidious. Forests are  cleared to grow feed crops, releasing carbon into the atmosphere and preventing it from being captured again. The mass farming of monocrops of soya, corn and other grains leads to overuse of fertilisers and pesticides, poisoning the soil and natural water sources. The soil becomes depleted and barren so that, when abandoned to clear more wildland, the area does not recover. This all happens before cows are even involved. After cattle come chickens, simply due to the scale of their farming.

Every 40 days, the birds are collected and killed, and new chicks are tipped out of crates in their place. The rate is beyond imagining; 2,400 chickens are killed every second, according to Our World in Data, and this is set to increase. 

It truly is devastating in every way imaginable, which is why it's crucial for people to engage with your book. How do you suggest we present its content to meat-eaters in a way that encourages them to embrace its powerful message? 

As with the premise of the book, it’s facts. Give people the facts. 

If PETA had used farm or slaughterhouse footage for their Christmas advert, a lot of people would go vegan instantly. If milk bottles showed pictures of cows on turntables being milked by machines, people wouldn’t buy it. If pork products had an image of a man collecting semen on them, with his collection tube and rubber glove, they’d never eat pork again. The truth is the most powerful tool  that we have. 

Sidenote: I have nothing against PETA’s Christmas advert. If they made an advert using the footage I suggested, it wouldn’t make it to television. It’s unfortunate, but we have to make the truth palatable. 

So well put. The truth is certainly the most powerful tool  that we have, but it can also be tough to confront at times. Writing such an emotionally charged book must have been quite challenging. How did you manage the emotional toll throughout the writing process? 

I didn’t cope overly well. At times I cried, I had nightmares; while writing, I would have to pause to collect myself. As the writing continued, I worried about how the book was impacting my thought processes. For example, driving down the motorway, I would keep an eye out for animal transport vehicles with a plan to follow them and steal as many animals as possible when it stopped. I wasn’t in a good place. 

There were two things that I held in mind though. 1, the people who would go undercover to  expose these truths, how they risk their mental health and their freedom. 2, the animals. I feel that I owe it to them because I have the power, the ability, to do something. When I was upset because of the footage, the statistics, the harm, I knew that I was on to something, so it had to be included. The book isn’t as graphic as it could have been, I had to choose my words carefully, but I hope the impact wasn’t lost. 

You are such a source of inspiration! Even though it’s tough to hear about the negative effects it had, we are so appreciative of your perseverance because your book is set to save lives. The impact definitely wasn't lost. You share the truth with power and expertise, all while keeping a strong shock value. Tell us, during your research, was there anything that particularly shocked or surprised you? 

What surprised me was the scale. It blows my mind how huge this is, yet no one talks about it. This  industry has enough money and power, globally, to keep this hidden. People compare the situation to what happened with tobacco, with doctors recommending certain brands of cigarettes to pregnant women. Today, doctors recommend eating liver and kidneys to increase iron levels.  Hopefully, this is a positive sign for the future, that one day, people who eat meat will be viewed  the same as those who smoke.

Two things that stay with me are the slaughterhouse workers included in the South African study and, I’ll call it, the pig video. The line “I need to hit, especially my girlfriend”, haunts me. This came from someone who did not commit domestic abuse before starting work in a slaughterhouse. With the pig video, I made the mistake of getting myself a snack before sitting down to watch a video of someone training a pig for semen collection. I managed to not lose my snack all over my laptop, but that video has made itself at home in a corner of my mind. 

Wow, it really is the worst industry on the planet, and books like yours play a crucial role in spreading the truth and fighting the evil. We are fortunate there are individuals like yourself who are dedicated to making a difference. At the end of the book, you mention a website called  The Young Vegan. Can you tell us more about that initiative? 

TheYoungVegan.co.uk started as a resource for vegan kids, but over the years, I’ve had more  feedback on content aimed at an older audience, and so have shifted in that direction. 

Most of the value in the website comes from the blog. There are posts on pretty much everything,  from getting protein, to egg hatching projects in school, whether organic plant milks are better, to the argument about figs not being vegan. There are also some guest writers, so it’s not all my work. 

Since the release of Going Vegan to Save the Planet, I have added a downloads page. This offers free printables, such as resources about food and puzzles and colouring in for kids. These are available to anyone who wants them at no cost; you don’t even need an email address. 

Amazing! What a great platform. Finally, what guidance would you offer to someone thinking about adopting a vegan lifestyle after being inspired by your impactful book, yet feels unsure about how to begin? 

I would say don’t think, just do it. You don’t have to go vegan overnight because everything that you do matters. Every time you decide to have scrambled tofu over scrambled eggs, you feed yourself while preventing suffering. Every time you buy a bottle of plant milk over dairy, you prevent so, so many harms. Every time you decide to eat vegan for a day, you save one animal. That’s powerful, you’re saving a life, and by doing this, you reduce demand, which cuts the number of animals being artificially inseminated. It cuts the number of animals suffering. It cuts the pollution that is killing our planet, our home. 

If you don’t know where to start, if it feels overwhelming, choose one thing, I always suggest dairy, and swap that. Soya, almond, rice, coconut, hemp, oat (my favourite for everything, including cheesy sauces), there is so much choice. Especially when you compare this to skimmed, semi skimmed or full-fat. 

I have a book on its way that covers this point, 75 Questions: The Vegan Rebuttal, but that’s about a month away. It’ll be out in time for Veganuary, so watch this space.

We will definitely be keeping an eye out for this! Thank you for being such an inspiring guest; your insights have honestly had a huge impact. 

Below, you’ll find all the links to stay updated on the remarkable work of this activist. Don’t forget to grab a copy of the book and share it widely - spreading the truth is essential. 

Find the book on Amazon

The Young Vegan

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Thanks for reading, friends!