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Food Blogger Interview: Daphne Populiers of Veggiestyle with Daphne

DaphnePopuliers-VeggieStyleWithDaphne-portrait Dishfolio is a wonderful place for food bloggers to convene and share their wisdom and experiences to all food enthusiasts out there. We always jump at the chance to talk to them one-on-one! Today we are joined by Daphne Populiers of Veggiestyle with Daphne, This Dutch food blogger shows us fun and practical ways to enjoy clean, green veggies in her food blog featuring vegetarian and vegan food!

Tell us about your food blogging goals: What are they? How are you accomplishing them?

I would like to inspire people to eat a cleaner diet, based on natural ingredients. It's something I'm trying to do myself for a number of years now and I love to share my story about it. The subtitle of my blog's name is 'a fun and practical approach to green, clean eating'. And that really says it all. I'm not a saint, nor do I want other people to be. I indulge in chocolate and cookies every now and then as well, and I know very well that leading a healthy lifestyle doesn't always mix that well with living with and taking care of a family. So I keep my recipes simple and practical by showing pictures of the process leading up to the end result. I also share my honest stories of how difficult it can be to maintain a healthy diet in today's world and how I mess up big time every now and then. That's often the fun part of the blog of course.

Who is your foodie hero and how do they inspire you?

I've read so many books and have so many go-to websites for inspiration, but so far the three most inspiring women when it comes to food are Kris Carr - keeping her cancer under control for over 10 years now with a green, clean diet. Angela Liddon from the blog Oh She Glows - a vegan food blogger with a history of an eating disorder. And Dara Dubinet - who has her own
YouTube channel with videos on raw food. I'm not a raw foodist by far, but her stories keep me motivated to get the best out of myself.

What's your go-to literary tool and how does it make your food blog successful?

A green, clean diet and lifestyle can be a serious subject, so I try to keep it light and bring it with a lot of humor and self reflection. In between the recipe posts I like to do posts on related subjects as well. Super foods, food supplements, herbs, natural healing and just every day life stories provide the literary sauce for my recipes.

What ethical food issues get you talking with your friends and family?

I have been a vegetarian for quite some time, only recently switched to a mainly vegetarian diet with some meat and fish (a couple of times a month). The vegetarian thing sure was a subject on many occasions. And most of the time I didn't even bring it up myself.

Are you making money with your food blog? If so, what's your secret blog monetization ingredient?

Not yet. I'm still way too small for that. Of course I won't say no to the opportunity of earning money with my blog. I even joined some affiliate programs, but only with companies that are in line with my vision. They have to contribute to a more sustainable world.

Describe your all-time favorite recipe.

This might sound funny, but I don't have a favourite recipe on my blog. I like some more than others, but if I would really have to pick an all-time favourite it would be some kind of cake recipe, preferably with lots of chocolat! Although I eat these things from time to time, these recipes don't make it to my blog. Not green and clean enough I'm afraid. But there are plenty of great baking blogs out there to get a recipe from when I feel the urge to indulge!

How many cookbooks do you own and which do you reach for most often?

I think I have about 20 cookbooks, but in the end most of the inspiration often comes from food blogs and my own imagination. Next to the cookbooks I have a whole shelf filled with health food books. Very interesting to read, but also very confusing at the same time. When you dive into the green, clean eating scene it can be quite overwhelming. One author will state that we should all join the macrobiotic diet, while another might promote a raw vegan diet. Personally, I think that we are all unique and that we all have different needs when it comes to food. And no one should ever judge us for that.

If you had to choose a kitchen tool you couldn't live without, what would it be and why?

My blender. The one thing I make every day is a big fruit smoothie, yummy!

What's next? How will you make yours the best food blog in town?

I hope to do so by just being me. Sharing my green, clean recipes with the world. My goal is to inspire people to eat a little bit greener and cleaner, for their health and wellbeing and for the health and wellbeing of our planet. I hope to do so without judgement, nobody is perfect, including myself.

I came to realize that even when you have the knowledge it's not always easy to bring it into practise. On my blog I share some stories about my autistic teenage son who's always had trouble with food. Eating didn't come natural for him. He has been underweight most of his life and still struggles with food on a daily basis. Right now I'm just happy when he eats, even if that's a sugar laden chocolate cookie and not my homemade green, clean muffins….

Those are the kind of stories I want to share with my readers. We don't have to be perfect to make improvements in our lives. So whether you're already a hardcore vegan or you're using the fast food drive thru multiple times a week, you're all more than welcome to read my stories and share yours and try out my recipes!

What keywords or cooking types would you like to be best known for?

Vegetarian, vegan, clean eating, practical, fun and loving. Especially the last one. Isn't that even more important than striving for a clean, green diet?