The idea of going vegan is something I had thought about for some time, but did not commit to 100% until Sept 2018.

During the summer of 2018, I experienced increasingly painful inflammation in my right hand as well as other joints.

My right leg grew increasingly painful on even a short run of a couple miles.

As a writer, it was impacting my ability to type for more than a few minutes at a time never mind, my overall joy of movement.

Other things I grew accustomed to were afternoon energy dips. My focus was not as good as it had been in the past. I didn’t feel as creative as I desired to be and my passion for life was waning.

Not wanting to depend on medication to get rid of the pain, I hopped on the Internet to research natural remedies to minimize the inflammation.

I found YouTube videos, books, blog posts and articles all touting the miracle results people were experience with a whole food, plant-based eating protocol. Although some of it seemed too good to be true, I was desperate to feel better.

Figuring I had nothing to lose, I decided test out a 100% plant-based eating protocol for seven days.

According to many “real” people who were plant based, seven days would be more than enough time to notice a slight improvement. Actually, some people were making claims that plant-based eating was more like a miracle cure than anything they had done.

When I say “real” people, these were average men and women who were easily found on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Men and women who had given this way of eating a shot and not only got rid of inflammation, but they also reversed heart disease, diabetes, lost weight without dieting, had more energy and found a new lease on life.

Anxious to minimize my pain, I committed 100% for the seven-day period. Within two days, the inflammation all but disappeared. Additionally, I felt a lot better, dropped four pounds and slept great for the first time in ages.

Not completely convinced this wasn’t a fluke and the inflammation might not return, I gave it another seven days. Then another. It only took a few weeks to decide this was my eating choice from that point forward. I have been 100% plant-based since then.

Since the day the inflammation disappeared, it has not returned. As if that weren’t enough, in the time I’ve been eating plant based, the results have been nothing short of amazing. Not only have I dropped unwanted weight without dieting, my energy and concentration have improved substantially.

Regarding my running, my endurance has substantially increased, my joints don’t ache during, or after, a run and recovery time is incredibly fast.

I’ve also noticed my stress is almost nonexistent as well as my creativity and intuition improving. I no longer feel the afternoon energy dip I had grown to expect as well as my moods are often near euphoric.

I Feel Very Aligned

Another important aspect of a plant-based lifestyle is being much more in alignment with my claim that I care about animal welfare. Truth be told, I have to wonder how I could have consumed animal products for most of my life.

The more research I do on what it takes to get meat on a consumer’s plate, the more committed I am to never again eat any type of meat or dairy product. As I have gone further and further into being vegan, I realize I will never, ever again eat meat and I want to do all I can to be a voice for the voiceless.

I received my certificate of completion from eCornell University for Plant Based Nutrition in March, 2020. I am a founding member of the Plant Powered Women's Network: A global ethical leadership community for vegan and plant-powered women.

I have two podcast shows dedicated to the plant based and vegan lifestyles. Plant Based Eating for Health Podcast and Vegan Visibility Podcast