By: Lucy Mazzucco

Many of you may remember Lauren Toyota from Much Music and MTV, where she hosted programs such as New.Music.Live, MTV News and After Degrassi. This week, I got to sit down and chat with the television personality, host and producer about hot for food; her food blog developed alongside boyfriend John Diemer, which consists of exciting and innovative vegan recipes.

On January 1^st, 2010, Lauren made the decision to become vegan after having been a vegetarian for most of her life. “Before I became full vegan, I used the blog to document my experience on the transition. It was fun talking about the struggle with food and not feeling well sometimes along the way,” said Lauren. “Back then, I just enjoyed taking pictures and talking about my experience, while getting feedback from others who were going through the same thing.”

Although the blog generally targets the health and wellness community, it is beginning to attract viewers who use hot for food as a resource that inspires, educates and explores curiosity for those wanting to become vegan, but don’t know where to start. “John and I usually like to recreate the things we eat at restaurants. We think about how we’d be able to make the dishes ourselves, but ultimately, we think about what we could do to improve them,” said Lauren. “We like to think outside the box and challenge ourselves to transform regular food into vegan food.”

As far as favorite foods go, Lauren was able to narrow her favorite hot for food recipes down to her mac and cheese along with her cauliflower buffalo wings. “I like a lot of the recipes we’ve made. John and I come up with new ideas all the time and constantly think of ways we can grow while having fun along the way,” said Lauren.

When asking Lauren if she had any advice for individuals aspiring to become vegan, she suggested to take it one step at a time and to listen to your body. “It’s something you can’t keep over-thinking. Take it one meal at a time. Find the animal products in that meal and think about what you can replace them with,” said Lauren. “There are tons of resources out there that are readily available. It’s important not to get overwhelmed because it’s an evolution and a step-by-step process. Start where your heart is.”

So what’s next for hot for food?  “We want to continue developing recipes,” said Lauren. “We don’t exactly know what’s next for us, but it could be anything. We’re open-minded to any possibilities.”

For more info, visit hotforfoodblog.com or ‘like’ them on Facebook!
For updates from hot for food, follow them on Twitter and Instagram!
For updates from Lauren Toyota, follow her on Twitter and Instagram