Cancer survivor thanks veganism

Rita Steenberg is a cancer survivor who owes a great deal of thanks to veganism as the change of lifestyle improved her health.

She now sells vegan cupcakes at the Bunny and Bokkie park markets to help others.

The Boksburg resident was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in 2019 and had to undergo chemo.

“My children decided to be vegan for health reasons and during my treatment, my daughter showed me documentaries like What the health and we started looking at the theory behind it,” she explained.

“I discussed my health with a dietician who specialises in a variety of eating plans and she advised me that if I could eliminate animal products from my diet it would benefit my specific range of health issues, as it is richer in certain nutrients.

“I eat a lot more from home. There are not a lot of options when I have to eat out. Most restaurants only cater for vegetarians.

“Going out with my children and grandchildren is sometimes difficult if the restaurant does not have any options for me, taking into consideration that my entire family is not vegan, so they do not always want to go out to a vegan-only restaurant.

“I make a lot of smoothies and juices now also that I never did in the past. I also eat a lot of different legumes and grains and different spices that I did not necessarily try in the past.”

Talking to the City Times about her diet adjustments, Steenberg said: “I really used to love eggs, cheese and bacon. I needed to find new recipes for everything I used to eat to replace it with a vegan version.

“I also do not have a lot of friends who are vegans in my peer-group, which makes it difficult.”

The 60-year-old provided personal pros and cons of veganism:

• Pros: lower blood sugar, lower risk of heart disease and lower risk of certain cancers.

• Cons: you need to ensure you focus on consuming certain nutrients like vitamin D, zinc and Vitamin B12.

“I chose to do it under the supervision of a registered dietitian to ensure I do not damage my health,” she explained.

Steenberg is the owner and baker of Vegan Cupcakes (PTY) LTD and sometimes receives help from her daughters, Annemarie and Sonja, who assist with markets and admin when needed.

“Becoming vegan, I found it hard to obtain vegan baked goods that are delicious and reasonably priced in normal shops and markets,” she said.

“I decided I want to provide people with the option to get delicious vegan cupcakes. I also want to be part of educating people who are not vegan, to give them the opportunity to taste delicious cupcakes that are vegan.

“We would like people to support this business (based in Boksburg) to give us a platform to provide a delicious alternative product for them.

“Our success can help others who also need to make dietary changes for health reasons, to be able to still enjoy delicious cupcakes as there will be a place for them to get a cupcake made with love and quality ingredients.”

The baker said she began selling at the markets in December and hopes people will look to vegan options as a healthy treat.