'How I overcame bulimia' Kiwi model talks veganism

At 15-years-old, Sarah Lemkus was spotted at a mall and began a modelling career which included a spot on New Zealand's Next Top Model.

Lemkus, now 24, has opened up about the modelling industry and her battle with bulimia.

"I'm going to start throwing up which is awful. Yeah it happened and a few months down the track I thought 'okay this is a habit now'," she told TVNZ.

When Lemkus found out she was pregnant, she decided to overhaul her poor diet habits and become vegan.

The Kiwi was inspired by people like Loni Jane Anthony, an Australian who followed a plant-based diet during pregnancy.

"What I'd learnt from them was mind-boggling. Not only was it completely safe, it is much healthier for the baby and the mother," she said.

"Vegan pregnancies create healthier babies and have overall less complications.

"Falling pregnant was the best thing that had happened to me, my husband as well as my health.

"I pursued a vegan diet in the beginning to get thin, not for the cruelty of the animals or the nutritional and environmental aspects that come with it.

"But, as soon as my body became my baby's also, my mindset changed. It was all about nutrition. I would constantly ask myself 'what can I eat that will give my body and my baby the most nutrients?' "

Lemkus uploads weekly videos about her family and veganism to YouTube and wants to "touch as many people's lives as possible".