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An influential vegan, YouTuber and Instagram, which has nearly 3 million followers on social media, is being condemned by its greedy fans for simulating its lifestyle and getting money out of it after having been caught eating fish.
Yovana Mendoza Ayres, 29, is known for her lifestyle brand called Rawvana, which encourages plants to live through a vegan diet (which means do not ingest products of animal origin, that it's meat, dairy or egg) and skin care routines. She even sells meal plans and weight loss programs, including a 21-day raw challenge, of up to $ 99. But after making an appearance in a friend's YouTube video, eating a plate of fish and trying to hide it, the platform that she created is falling apart.
"At that time, I was beginning to desperately want my health and find a solution around the summer and it was at that time that I started to become aware of the possibility of adding an animal product to my diet, "explains Ayres in the video. "It was really difficult because I saw that food, that pet food for so long, as something fundamentally toxic to my body, something I do not need, which my body does not need. to see it as something more – it could heal me was really hard for me – it is always difficult for me to accept and admit. "
So hard to admit, in fact, not only did she keep her fish and egg consumption a secret to her vegan followers, but she also continued to make money out of it while promoting a style of plant-based life throughout its previous three months. stopped living it.
Yet she does not see it like that.
"I kept it from my followers because I was still not ready to talk about it and that I was still in my testing period for this diet. Plants for a little over 6 years, it was a difficult decision to make for me … and an even harder decision for me to communicate with everyone, "Ayres told Yahoo Lifestyle. "I've got so much hate on the video where I'm explaining my reasons, not just in this video, but on all social media platforms." I understand why the vegan community feels this way, but I did not expect this reaction from a community to family all these years ".
Answers from former Ayres fans and supporters range from those who express their anger to the influencer to those who feel hurt by their lack of transparency.
Did Rawvana really sell a weight loss plan when she was not menstruating and had health problems? This is really not okay.
– B ? (@theveganparent) March 18, 2019
Rawvana:
1. Ate and promoted a diet of 1200 kcal.
2. Did the alkaline fasts last 25 days?
3. Cut the fat from his diet.But has the courage to blame a plant-based diet for his health problems.
– (@AndresTheVegan) March 20, 2019
It is not so difficult to eat a balanced vegan diet. People like @Rawvana exploiting veganism for self-promotion then abandoning it is detrimental to the vegan movement.
– Veganalysis (@SwoleSprouts) March 16, 2019
@Rawvana I'm not mad at you eating fish. I am angry that you are lying to all your followers and making money by pretending to be a raw vegan. Eat what you want, but do not pretend to be something you are not. # pure vegan#vegan#liar
– Jessica Rodriguez (@ J7Rod29) March 14, 2019
Despite the decrease in the number of subscribers that his YouTube channels have already found, Ayres does not seem to be discouraged for the future of his business.
"At the moment, my platform is not planned," she explains to Yahoo Lifestyle, "but I would like to continue to grow and share my healing process to help keep it going. other people throughout the process. "
This article first appeared on Yahoo