Being a cast member on Vanderpump Rules requires a certain obligation to creating booze-fueled drama, which Kristen Doute balances out by living a mostly holistic but fully vegetarian lifestyle.

The reality star, who recently launched her vegetarian lifestyle blog Vegiholic, is now dedicated to teaching others her healthy cooking secrets — which she tests out on her cast mates. “They like to eat whatever I make for them. That’s the rule,” she says. “My whole mantra is just to be open-minded and try new things. You can train your own brain to like the things you thought you wouldn’t.”

It’s a move that’s been 22 years in the making for Doute, who gave up meat at age 11. Though she ultimately followed a quite different career trajectory, she originally wanted to be a marine biologist. “I loved animals so much; I couldn’t imagine eating one,” she says. “It broke my heart. I couldn’t do it anymore.”