06 Mar Vegan Bodybuilding: Deni Kirkova’s Speech at Vegfest

Vegan Bodybuilding: Deni Kirkova’s Speech at Vegfest

Deni speaking at Vegfest (Picture: Deni Kirkova)

Speaking up about my biggest passions at Vegfest London 2016 was one of the most important moments of my life so far.

I spoke about Vegan Fitness and the speech was titled How to Craft Your Dream Body and Achieve Optimum Health on a Vegan Diet. This is something I am an expert in.

People were spilling out of the room to hear what I had to say, which was a true honour and meant so much. In fact, it means more to me than most things in this life to promote veganism, and plant-based health and fitness.

What greatly frustrates me is the notion that we need to torture and kill animals in order for our brains, muscles, and other parts of our physiology to work their best.

Deni two days after winning her MGU trophy (Picture:: Deni Kirkova / Bikini Girls Diary)

We seem to think we’re ‘supposed’ to mess around with other creatures, use and abuse them, ignore their free will and inflict unknown pain and suffering upon them because we may benefit from ingesting parts of their bodies or excretions.

Of course, no-one is going to stand up and admit they believe in animal abuse. People work hard, mentally, to create emotional dissonance around this. It is unthinkable. And so we distance ourselves from the true and blatant fact.

Drink milk? I’d say you contribute to child murder, the breaking of a new mother’s heart and abuse of the miracle of bearing children. Rearing cattle for dairy is the most unfeminist practice I can imagine.

There are simply no two ways about it. And I’m not sitting her hating on all non-vegans pointing the finger. I just see it as a fact – and I was one of those ‘animal abusers’ before July 2015 when I went vegan. Less than two years later, I gave my speech.

Being a non-vegan is simply a case of accepting the world as it is presented to us by society and our families – who, by the way, had been exposed to the same stuff we are now. So why do we think they somehow know better than us? Why should we learn how things are and should be through them?

We allow ourselves to question so many things once we become teens, but due to heavy advertising campaigns around animal agriculture industries, we never question this practice. This was me completely, then everything changed.

Deni, shortly after she went vegan, with Lester the bullock at his home, Hugletts Wood Farm Animal Sanctuary

Deni, on World Animal Day in October 2016, with Radhe Priya. She was born without eyes and lives at Hugletts

My newly-vegan pal Chris Hines would drop little truth nuggets each time we hung out, including me how you get dairy. I just want to apologise in advance to sensitive people who read the stuff on that link. It’s all true but really horrible, so, I’m sorry.

After accepting what Chris was saying and researching the topics heavily, I pretty much spent a fortnight crying, then I decided to commit to veganism.

Rare steak was my favourite food before, and now I eat tofu, seitan and pulses for protein. I managed to drop 10% body fat and 10 kilos, going on to win first place Beach Body at the Miss Galaxy Universe European Championships 2016. This was all on a vegan diet, and you can do it too.

Here’s how:

This is the way I see my activism: I am an example in myself as to what a vegan looks like, how healthy a vegan can be or how healthy veganism can make you, and how ‘normal’ you can remain. Plus of course, how easy and pleasant it is to be vegan. This was my point during my speech at Vegfest.

Look, ingesting bits of animal is unarguably, at the very least, INESSENTIAL. Just LOOK at me ^^^ up there, with the abs, with the brain with the functioning physiology. Vegan two years. Not dead. Ergo, ingesting bits of animal: Inessential for good health.

Deni: strong, fit and healthy after going vegan (by SNH Foto)

So, now we have to think about what we’re doing in the context of preference rather than need. And so the onion begins to peel.

Peel it further, take off your blinders, please. Be free of this cognitive conditioning around animal agriculture, a billion-dollar industry tightly involved with government.

On the mentality side of things, if there is ONE THING I can recommend it is:

Read: Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs And Wear Cows by Dr Melanie Joy.

It’s brutally truthful, educational and impenetrably informed. It will make you cry.

Also:

Watch: The following speeches, factual documentaries and educational movies.

For more on vegan food and fitness click the links.

Read more about Deni right here.