I became vegan on July 17 2017 after watching the documentary what the health. Seeing the way the animals are treated and the impact it's having on the environment, I chose to be more environmentally cautious about my choices in food.

Powering my body through plant-based options!

Originally became vegan for better athletic performance but realized complete benefits: longevity, enviornmentalism, ethics, et.c

I am not Vegan but I am plant based

I went vegan after meeting a woman at a wedding that was being catered by a BBQ place. She wasn't eating anything so I inquired why. Over the next couple hours, she introduced me to veganism and I went vegetarian the next day. Over the following month, I researched, purchased cookbooks and generally became informed. That was 4 years ago and it was the best decision I've ever made.

I want to grow older healthy and prevent deceases by eating a raw plant based way of living.

Hi everyone! My name is Aida Rejzovic and I am a founder of Sassy Organics, an e-commerce vegan store based in Melbourne. I have been vegetarian for 22 years now, but I guess I did not realise the impact the egg and diary industry was having on animals. About 3 years ago, I became aware of this and turned vegan. Since then I have been helping others transition to vegan lifestyle.

I've been vegan for over a decade now, and I'm not looking back!

guilt plus information fro
Doctors my colleagues
lovely Dr barnard and MG and Md
Fan of animals and science

I am a new vegan and I realize how important it is to get support from the community.

Every winter I traveled to Venezuela for 5 months I was getting healthier. Coming back to Canadian DIET, I was getting sick,

A life long vegetarian who saw the truth and switched overnight.

I would love to. Don't have time now.

I'd been vegetarian since 1999, but when I realized that the dairy and egg industries are just as cruel (perhaps even more cruel) as the meat industry I went vegan. I've been involved in animal rights and climate activism since the end of 2018 and urge every vegan to become an activist making activists too!

I decided to go vegan due to my acne. I thought taking out animal products from my diet would heal my skin, and it did! But as I got more involved with the vegan community, I realized I only cared about the animals. I would never not be vegan because I want to save every animal from the fate of the plate.

My husband and I watched What The Health and immediately we were plant based. We had our three young teens watch it the next morning. We homeschool so this was educational and we told them to do research after watching it and then they can make the choice of whether a plant base diet is the best for them. We never want them to say we forced them into anything.

After the documentary they all cleaned out our pantry, fridge, and freezer and we went grocery shopping. Four days later my husband and I watched Earthlings... that morning, my husband said he could never be vegan because he loves his leather jacket. Well after we watched Earthlings, he didn't say a word. He got up, took his jacket out of the closet and said, with tears running down his face "I will NEVER wear this again". He gave it to Good Will and he threw away his leather wallet.

Our oldest son found vegan leather wallets for them. We didn't let the kids watch Earthlings but I would try and tell them about it and every time, all I could do was cry. That was enough for them. We did buy the video so that if at any time they want to watch it they can.

Our oldest son, who is now almost 18, graduated from college 2 weeks ago. In one of his classes, the semester after becoming vegan, he did a report and presentation about it. The whole class was crying and his professor finally told him he could be done. He got an A. After class he was bombarded in the all with questions from classmates of all different ages and walks of life. That was a very proud moment for this mama.

This last semester in his ethics class, his professor knew he was vegan and for the final oral debate his group had to defend why animal testing is good. The professor is also vegan and told my son that he put him in this group on purpose. My husband and I didn't know anything about this until after the it was over. He said everyone in the class was supposed to stay quite during all speeches and not even clap. He got up there and said, in short "Without animal testing, our would would be in ruins because if the radioactive spider didn't bite Peter Parker, then the Green Goblin would have destroyed the world". He said the class erupted in clapping and laughing. The professor just looked at him, grinned and nodded his head. He received and A for that one too.

So we are vegan for the animals and we have never looked back. We owned a very successful bakery for 10 years making those big beautiful cakes that you see on TV. We were not on TV even though everyone told me I need to be. We closed down the business the day after we watched Earthlings. It was a no brainer. I wasn't going to purchase animal products anymore.

We still had orders on the schedule for the following year and I fulfilled those but I didn't take any new orders. The business was officially closed and out of business August 2018 but I still get weekly calls of people begging me to make their cakes. I politely tell them no.

We have learned so much in the past two years. We started a new business, vegan candles. They're 100% made in the USA, nontoxic, etc., and after 8 months of research and development we launched April of 2018. When we go to markets, shows, events etc. we get to meet and educate people about veganism, why our candles are vegan, what we stand for, and why we are vegan. And they get to see that vegans are not assholes like the world makes them out to be, lol. Well, some are but you have those in every group.

People love our product and what we stand for. Our customers keep coming back whether they find us at an event that is listed on our online calendar or by ordering on our website. We were even on a lot of Christmas lists this past Christmas so that was kind of cool. When our kids are grown and able to be on their own, in about 2 years, my husband and I are going to RV full time and travel our country going to markets, events, shows, etc. that are vegan and non vegan to meet new people, educate, and sell our candles. For right now we stick with the few states that are in a 9 hour driving distance.

This is our story. I can't wait to see how it grows over the years!

I was interested in becoming more involved in animal welfare, and when I did research, I found out that a main component of being an advocate for animals was being vegan, so I went vegan.

I have been a proud vegetarian for 20+ years now and vegan for the past few years.

Hi! I'm Ambra, a English, German and French to Italian translator, and owner of Ambra Translations, an international network of passionate, top-notch native translators from all over the world!⠀
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Since 2011, my team and I have helped European and American companies expand their business in the English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch-speaking markets, and attract new customers by providing translation, proofreading, localization and editing services. ⠀

Our focus is on vegan and sustainable companies that share the same values and respect for animals, the environment and human beings.

Ever since I was old enough to ask questions, I started asking my parents, "what is meat?" When my mom finally told me the truth I remember being heartbroken and totally rejecting it. She still snuck it into my diet, but she was just doing her best and meant well with the information she had at the time. She is now also vegan. Years later, I was working at a local restaurant. At the time I was about 16 years old, and had the PM shift during Thanksgiving. I did not eat meat at this age, but I did still eat cheese/dairy. I witnessed how many wasted plates/leftovers were being scraped into the trash can. It made me wonder about the scale on which this happens. I went home and learned about factory farming. Since that day I have removed myself of animal consumption practices to the best of my ability.

My whole life, I have been extremely connected to animals. Like magnets, we have always been drawn to one another. Even as a baby, my mom wrote in my baby book that I would not eat meat.
I wish I could say that I've been vegan since birth but, truth is I did eat meat and dairy for many years. Like so many others, I was raised in a household that said they loved and cared for animals but, sat down at the dinner table and ate others. I spite of this disconnect, I was otherwise passionate about rescuing and caring for just about every kind of small, furry fuzzy creature... mice, rats, hamsters, gerbils, bunnies, guinea pigs, ferrets, even a squirrel... you name it, I probably cared for it. My animals were my best friends and I was determined to dedicate my life to helping them.
I thought that veterinary medicine was my path and enrolled in Auburn. I was advised to go the "Animal & Dairy Science"/Vet route so I could get hands on experience with the animals faster. I had no clue what I signed up for. I learned first hand about the hormones, pesticides, antibiotics and everything that goes on behind the scenes in animal agriculture. As a sensitive, animal empath - I was horrified and immediately turned vegetarian and dropped out of school. Not long after returning home, "Diet for a New America" by John Robbins came into my awareness and as soon as I learned the truth about the dairy & egg Industry, I became vegan... March 1990. Best Decision Ever.
I became passionate about ianimal rights and for a time was President of Sarasota in Defense of Animals. I went on to become an Animal Cruelty Investigator with Manatee County Sheriff and in 2001, Founded the Non-profit Animal Resuce, Blue Heart Sanctuary.

We are passionate about living a healthy and active lifestyle.

I wanted to lift weights, but not eat so much chicken and fish. Looked for recipes, found lots of Videos and disturbing Info, 2 months later, after listening to a Reporter tell about her experience in a slaughterhouse, I told my husband I'm never eating animal products again.
I showed hin the Video, and he went Vegan the next day.

I read "Eating Animals" and my entire mindset was changed.

update later

I didn't know about veganism but was considering becoming a vegetarian and started researching online. After watching YouTubers, reading articles and watching all the documentaries, I became vegan in one week. Now I am working for a vegan marketing agency and a vegan NGO to help animals in my career 🙂

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I'm not exactly sure at what point I adopted a vegan lifestyle. It was several years ago. If I had to guess, I'd say maybe 2014? 2015? Not sure, but it is the best decision I ever made for my ethics, my health, the health of the planet and for adherence to my innate authentic self.

I went vegetarian as a teenager, and have been evolving on my plant based journey since then, which was age 15. It has now been 31 years since I’ve eaten meat. The unfortunate part of this story, is that I found my way to being vegan only 4 years ago. Being vegan is the best phase of my existence. Nothing tastes as good as vegan feels. And, the only thing I regret about being vegan, is that I did not do it sooner. Way sooner! I’ve cried many years over this. And, kicked myself. But, I’m up and dusted off now. And, I’m fighting the good fight for all creatures great and small from here on out.

I have been vegan since 1989. I discovered I was allergic to several animal-derived foods including dairy & egg yolks, & I never cared for beef, chicken or turkey, so I started cutting them out of my diet & learned about vegetarianism in order to make my diet more healthy. From there I learned about veganism & was so impressed by a vegan presentation at the 1989 NAVS Sumemrfest that in 1993 I went to a culinary institute in NY where I was trained as a vegan chef (the now defunct Natural Gourmet Institute). My husband & I ate mostly vegan (organic, locally raised turkey on Thanksgiving & Christmas) until 1999. In 1999 I became ill & disabled with multiple autoimmune illnesses & since recovering in 2012 I've used a whole foods plant-based diet to remain healed & also keep my health stable. My husband is now also completely vegan & we're both also gluten-free & entirely sugar-free.

I went veg in 1991 when pregnant with my 4th child and I realized that eating dead animals was disgusting. After that I would eat eggs maybe once a month, cheese on occasion, and a tablespoon of plain yogurt almost every day. Finally I stopped the yogurt and realized that I felt less sleepy after eating. More recently I've realized that I feel better eating raw food but seem to be still addicted to cooked.

I have been eating meat all my life and have health issues I want to try a vegan lifestyle but don’t know if I can or where to began

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Viewed Forks Over Knives and What the Health

I had my tonsils removed and out later the reason my tonsils was infected because of meat, dairy and other chemicals I was putting in my body.

Animals rule

Hi, I’m Andy Liu, the founder of HZCORK. I met with Portugal cork on the year 2015. I went on an exclusive tour to Portugal and found there is cork shop in every streets and alleys. I was astonished by how cork can be used to do. Every cork item looks so beautiful and unique, like a piece of art. I decided to bring them to my homeland. So I create my own cork fabric manufacturing factory.

Cork is one of the most sustainable products and cork is very resistant, impermeable, vegan, eco-friendly, 100% natural, lightweight, recyclable, renewable waterproof, wear-resistant, biodegradable, does not absorb dust, thus preventing allergies. No animal products are used and no tests are made to animals.

Cork is also sustainably harvested-- the trees are not harmed in the cork removal process.

I became vegan for life after hearing one of the founders of Gentle World talk about her own personal realizations about veganism.

My sister shared a video with me by Gary Yourofsky and I dropped everything the next day 😀 I'm an now 80% raw vegan and going to100%!

After getting educated about the effects of animal food in our health, one day I decided to stop eating it. It has been 30 years already, I own a holistic healing center in Miami and I educate my clients and staff of the importance of not eating animals and they by-products.

I have wanted to be vegan for as long as I can remember. There are still some things I'm struggling with. I am trying to learn as much as I can.

I became vegetarian ten years prior to becoming vegan. I became vegan for ethical reasons.

I met a family of Vegans when I was 16 & stopped buying any animal products but a year later went on Shell Tankers & ate whatever was on the menu.
I met Vegans again when I was 24 and again stopped buying animal products but when my 1st daughter was born my partner wanted 'normal food' & I had no idea how to transition to a vegan diet.
Age 50 I found myself alone, 4 grown up children & at liberty to educate myself & decide my diet.
I began with 'What the Health' & immediately had an epiphany! I realised my dad died of prostate cancer & heart disease because he ate a high cholesterol saturated animal fat diet...& I had never heard any doctor warnings!
I began watching lots of films; 'Cowspiracy', Earthlings', 'Dominion', slaughterhouse footage & activism.
I have been a 'keyboard warrior' since 2016 when I started sharing Vegan memes, posts & msgs 2 as many people as possible. I do this thru instagram, twitter, FaceBook, SnapChat & now Linkdn... My mission is to unite all vegans to #preventyearzero #VeganWorld2026

My dad took me to a veggie restaurant by mistake which turned me vegetarian. A few years on living in Brighton I went vegan, which was a basic requirement in the activist community. It really helped that vegan food, even in those days, was accessible in a way you couldn't dream of in my country of origin Sweden. Empathy and imagining what it is like to be the animal has always been the driving force for me.

I was born vegan and grew up with American Vegan Society.

Born vegan. Force fed the belief that eating animals was normal. Fixed it.

Been vegan 6 weeks now.havent taken any drugs for my hip pain since

Date is approximate - it's been a long time. :). I originally went vegan after being vegetarian for about a year. I went vegetarian for health reasons based on my sister's example. Then while researching veg recipes in the very early days of the internet, I came across info. on factory farming of chickens and cows. After reading that and seeing some pictures, I immediately stopped eating dairy and eggs. I shared the info. with my sister and she did the same. I don't know if I would have been successful if we hadn't found Tofutti ice cream - the only non-dairy option at the time. Since then I have leaned towards whole food, plant-based eating as research became available. Eventually, my sister and I launched our own vegan meal prep business in 2014.

I was vegan curious for many years, but it wasn’t until I began experiencing serious health problems that I dedicated myself to a vegan lifestyle. Although health was my initial driving force, I now find that animal cruelty is my chief motivation for continuing on this path. I’m very nearly obsessed with vegan. And I like it that way.

Since I left my parents' house, at eighteen, I started being vegetarian, until I found the truth about diaries, in 2007, and felt ashamed by my stupidity in believing that as long as I was buying organic nothing bad happened to the animals.
From then I am now a proud and happy vegan and I am looking for new job opportunities with like-minded people and companies.

I'm a beginner vegan

My sister has been plant based for 8 years. I always knew in the back of my mind that she was right. In 2019, I had a health scare and an ultrasound showed sludge on my gallbladder. My PCP sent me to a surgeon who told me that she could put me on medications or removed my gallbladder. She told me that the sludge was caused from meat, dairy and eggs, but didn't tell me about changing my lifestyle or nutrition. My sister recommended that I watch Forks Over Knives. I took the week off work and binge watched FOK, The Game Changers, What The Health, Cowspiracy, Earthlings and Dominion. I went vegan overnight. I've not slipped once and now I'm oil free. I'm also a certified personal trainer, a clinical plant based nutritionist, coach lifestyle medicine and a yoga instructor. I am making a huge impact.

I was raised vegetarian thinking that I wasn’t harming animals. When I found out what happens in the dairy and egg industries I decided I could not support that cruelty.

!!!! Only vegan

Vegetarian since birth (thanks to parents) and become vegan after watching documentary on Dairy Industry practices in 2006.

I heard about Dr. Gregor and his grandmothers amazing story about going plant based and not only getting herself out of a wheel chair, beating death, but she was walking ten miles a day from eating plant based for about a month. After diving in, I watched documentaries and podcasts, and audio books. I am also a huge animal lover and I felt like a hypocrite most of my life eating meat/dairy/etc knowing where it came from. Educating myself and taking off the blinders really helped me take the leap and now I am focused on trying to eat healthier and help support others to make the change.

Start the dr Brooke Goldners protocol for health reasons

This will come later...

I don't remember the exact date, but I just remember eventually something clicked. I had had good friends in college who were vegans, but I had never really ultimately thought it was important to take the plunge, or rationalized not doing it for one reason or another. But eventually, I just couldn't deny that it was what felt right. My inclinations were substantiated over time by learning more data about the ethical and environmental negative impacts of the meat industry.

Going vegan was one of the best decisions of my life. ❤️

I was fat sick & dying of heart disease, pre-diabectic, 6 yrs Insomnia. I could barely stand, my feet were so painful. Everything hurt. I had arthritis. I was Vegetarian for 18 years at the time. When I first went vegetarian I became very healthy but now I realise I was mostly Vegan then I got a job and more money started coming in so I started buying heaps of chocolate, cakes, cheese, Eggs, dairy milk. I was 55 yrs old & believed we get old, fat & sick, live on pharmaceutical drugs then Die... I was ! My mother died of a brain tumour, my uncle - diabetes, aunty - 3 strokes & she died before 55. Another aunty - cancer.
...Then a Vegan came into my life...I learned what happens to cows & chickens... I decided I cannot be a part of such horrific Cruelty!
My daughter rang me at the precise moment...her first words were "mum, I'm going Vegan" to which I replied "so am I...Little did we know the dramatic, miraculous change going Vegan would have.

My daughter is now a well known animal activists...In America her nick name is "thunder from down under" - someone else calls her "The perfect storm."

Within a very short time after going Vegan my body healed - COMPLETELY!! MY doctors reaction to my before & after Vegan blood tests was unbelievable... he just sat there staring from the before to after results & couldn't speak except to finally say "How?"
I needed the answers to that question so I went on a journey to find out WHY.... I found Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Michael Greger & so many more doctors that turned from traditional medicines to studying Nutrition.

I'm now 8 years Vegan & I'm 64 - I can run, climb, move my furniture myself... I'm stronger, healthier, faster than I've ever been in my life. My brain absorbs more information faster. I'm so Grateful!
11 people at my dog park have gone Vegan.
My 6 year old Granddaughter has become a Vegan activist but she pronounces Vegan as Began 😆. My sister & brother are Vegan.

After going Vegan to Stop Cruelty to farm animals - ones whole mind set changes and we find ourselves thinking ethically on every subject. I'm now also an environmentalist.

I would like to live to see a Vegan world in which Kindness motivates us - animal farmers grow crops & greedy polititicians have to start listening...this is when we Take back our Power ! With KINDESS💚🌳🐥

I had been a vegan from 2006 (previously vegetarian in 2000) when according to my primary care physician, my body needed animal protein and instead of disagreeing, I went along with his suggestion. After the next few years of experiencing major stomach pain, I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in 2018. My primary care suggested becoming a vegan once again in 2019, as the stomach issues worsened, and immediately upon going vegan, the stomach paind=s diminished and I have never flet better.

Watched What The Health and became vegan for better health, prevent animal abuse and for a better environment.

I went vegan for animals and to save our planet! A vegan lifestyle prevents a tremendous amount of animal slaughter and suffering. It offers a potent way to shrink our environmental footprint, especially in regard to climate change. And a well-planned vegan diet can fuel the highest levels of fitness while reducing our risk of various chronic diseases.

My mom told me so 😉

HAD-THE-AIM-OF-PURIFYING-MY-CONSCIOUSNESS-TO-SUSTAIN-HIGHER-LEVELS-OF-SENTIENT-AWARENESS-&-I-WAS-LED-TO-VEGANISM

Looking for info on osteoporosis and being vegan

Wow! What a journey went from mental lillness and poor health to feeling great and making a positive change to the world through health authentic food and eco friendly deliveries. Here is a little about my baby V-Giyan
We are Oxfordshire's only Vegan Punjabi meal delivery service. All of our food is prepared to the highest level combining traditional Punjabi home cooking with modern gastronomy. Our menu is full of healthy and tasty food ranging from traditional home cooked samosas, tofu spring rolls and bhajis to lavish curries which have that homemade authenticity yet focused on fresh and local produce. We deliver daily across the county and you can order directly via the website and choose a suitable slot which works for you. We also offer "The Planet Happy Meal" which is a pre-defined selection for those trying our food for the first time. We are big on looking after mother Earth so all of our packaging is fully biodegradable and we are mindful of our carbon footprint in every possible instance.

Family history of heart disease. Have had cancer twice. Can’t eat dairy and meat without feeling lousy in addition to all the environmental and humanitarian reasons.

I've alway had a deep love for animals, but it took me way too long to make the connection about the food on my plate and the animals I claimed to love were the same. I took a long discussion and a couple of artistic photos to flip that switch. I went vegetarian in 2010, but that wasn't enough for me. In 2013 went Vegan and never looked back. I'm not perfect and have slipped up at times (mostly because I didn't read a label close enough), but this is the lifestyle that not only feeds my body, it feeds my soul.

I was a mom and I wanted to do right by my family! Started children's eco-food education organization, Lean and Green Kids to support the movement!

I watched a lecture by Dr Milton Mills for the first time today, 12.14.21. I don't have a Vegan story just yet!

I have been vegetarian since my early 20's. In 2020 I re-opened a mostly plant-based cafe in the Caribbean and became 100% vegan as well as the cafe. Since then we launched Be-Ve Kids, a vegan store for parents raising vegan kids.

As my interest for the environment grew, so did my desire to help in any way I could. This is also where the ethical side of veganism and my love of nature and especially animals came together and it just seemed hypocritical of me to claim loving animals when I knew how the meat on my plate had gotten there, with all the pain and suffering it entailed. It was time to stop. I was a strict vegan (no starches by the way) just raw and lightly cooked vegetables, nuts, seeds, some tofu and tempeh for 6 years. Then, for some reason, I felt I needed to be more grounded so started adding back in organic eggs and sometimes some animal flesh: for 18 months or so I would have a couple of eggs a week and perhaps 100 gr of chicken or fish and sometimes yogurt and cheese - always very small amounts and only on weekends. I ate a vegan diet during the week but could not claim to be a vegan anymore. And then it hit me again: how could I be eating animals and their byproducts again? I also came across some very good new documentaries and Podcasts about the whole food plant based way of eating and life and so the only choice for me was to revert back to complete veganism and am there to stay. I feel at peace with my food values once again and feel fantastic physically.

Been vegan for a couple of years now, want to get into activism and connect with my fellow vegans 🙂

Vegetarian for 4 years, transitioning to vegan. Feeling better every day

Great

I went vegan because I was already vegetarian (Ovo-Lacto) and I started to have headaches from eggs and diary. I stooped eating eggs and diary.

I became vegetarian in college for health reasons after living abroad and gaining excess weight. I leaned toward veganism, but wasn't fully educated on how perfidiously animals were treated. I didn't realize they were abjectly tortured until I became active in the local vegetarian society. I also had some health issues, for which the best remedy was a vegan diet. At that point, I eschewed all animal products and became active in the vegan movement, founding organizations, volunteering and coordinating activities to fight for animals' rights. In 2019, I took a position with my friend's non-profit health education intervention org, Rochester Lifestyle Medicine Institute. I began reading the studies, seeing first hand in our patients, and learning about all of the MANY health benefits of WFPB vegan nutrition and lifestyle medicine, while also protecting animals and the environment from undue, deleterious harm. It's amazing how small changes in behavior and lifestyle can have such magnanimous outcomes on health, the environment and for animals and humans.

I just became vegan in mid-July 2022. I have been mostly vegetarian since my twins were born 30 years ago. My husband has been vegan since 2011. I resisted because I didn’t really think I was causing harm. However, the more I’ve learned, the more I realized my culpability in animal suffering. So now, I am a joyful vegan (seriously whole food plant based) and I feel much more energetic and healthy. I am 67 years old and can’t imagine switching back. I’m vegan for life. BTW, your videos are fascinating and very informative. Keep ‘em coming!

BevVeg offers vegan certification and the use of the BevVeg vegan logo for all vegan products.

I became plant based after reading Eat To Live by Joel Fuhrman. An online friend asked me why I wascalled myself plant-based. After some discussion, I committed to veganism.

I've only recently turned vegan, and I'm very motivated to stay that way!

I've created a website dedicated to veganism and ethical cosmetics & fashion.

I was always an animal lover and grew up in the country near cow pastures. As a child we went to “visit the cows” and I came to understand them as the unique beings that they are. So, I haven’t eaten a cow in over 30years. Next came pigs: became aware of their intelligence and character and stopped eating pork. About 5 years ago, I started having multiple health issues and then changed from a high sweets, junk food diet to a healthy diet. As I kept learning more and more about how animals were treated, the effects on the environment , health and how the human body isn’t even designed to eat much meat I slowly changed to a vegan lifestyle. Dairy was the hardest and last to go - I loved ice cream, coffee cream, butter,… Don’t miss it now.💕

I have not had meat since 1968 Became vegan in 1998

Started for health reason and preference.

Vegan for the animals, the environment, & for health!

I read the book Eating Animals. Such powerful words. I learned about Farm Sanctuary, and the incredible Gene Baur from this book. I was trying out vegetarianism, and after reading the book, I went for it.
I was a fairly new vegetarian when I visited Farm Sanctuary in California. After spending the day there, I learned about the dairy industry. At that very moment, I, along with both of my teenage (at the time) children became vegan. In 2012, there were not as many choices, nor was it as accepted as it is now. Never ever thought of looking back. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made.

I've been a vegetarian since age 16 + a vegan since age 18. Choosing not to eat animals has been a decision that has shaped my life + is one for which I am most proud. In my financial planning practice I work almost exclusively with vegetarians.

I have been a vegetarian for 20+ years. A few year ago I watched Forks over Knives and subsequently read The China Study. I was convinced to take my lifestyle a step further and eliminate dairy.

Prior to 2018 I was Plant Based from 1994 and no red meat from 1985

For the animals

Began pescetarian 3 years earlier when I realized I loved all animals and it was not like it was a decision but rather an awakening to my love for them and stopped eating land animals that day. A year or so later I notched it down to vegetarian and then finally to vegan. I give the dog in my life full credit for making me aware of how all animals deserve to live their full lives and were not meant to die for us to eat. Also, I must credit a few documentaries that shared the truth...

Fighting body inflammation

My grandfather was a dairy farmer and, for a few years before I was born, my father took over the farm. After I was born, we had pigs until my parents started a plant nursery instead. Nevertheless, animals were always there to work for us, not be with us. I knew everything about milk production, but it didn't bother me one bit. My favorite foods were steak (rare) and cheese (blue). Still, I always considered myself a good eco-friendly citizen and in particular I was keen on cycling everywhere. Sometime in 2013, I got into an online argument with someone who told me that, if I was fueling my bike rides with steak, I might have well have been driving a Hummer. That was like a punch in the gut: I had never thought about the environmental impact of my food before. I started educating myself and decided to go plant-based at home and vegetarian when eating out. At friends' homes, I would eat anything. Then in 2015 my second child was born. Just like the first one, I breastfed him... except that now I truly felt compassion for the cows. It was in the middle of the night, while nursing him, that an awful thought hit me: what if someone came, took away my baby, and hooked me to a milk machine instead? The morning after, I decided to be vegan for life.

Long term vegan, passionate about animal protection

Long story not cut short (showing the multiple steps):

When I was under 6 years old, my parents would catch fish from the ocean. I would swim in the ocean, but didn't like the smell or taste of the ocean water. So when I saw the fish, I had a hunch, and when I tasted it, it tasted like the same bad ocean taste, just with heavy metals (which I later found out is Mercury, but I would think it's others too. Tasted like lead, bromine, tin, among others). I only had 10 meals in my life that had seafood, and almost half were just taking one bite and disliking it, having it accidentally in my food, or pushed on me (I lived in a seafood community. My parents would share the fish with the entire neighborhood). Later on in life, seafood would make me ill (I just ate a lobster bisque to see if I could many years later, but then couldn't and didn't even taste good, as it was making me too swollen to eat it).

When I was 10, I decided to learn about health and took out maybe 10 books and read 6 from front to cover and glazed the rest. One was a dummies book. I liked to learn about subjects from A -> Z. At the time there was a vegetarian in my family, but since they ate chicken and fish, I didn't think of it (turns out there was another vegetarian who made me pancakes for my birthday dinner - I didn't know they were when I was 5/6 years old).

When I was 12, my friend said she was vegan. I gave her the typical spiel: 'where do you get your protein', 'why did you go vegan', and I said it wasn't for me and got disgusted. Later, I said she had an impact on my life when I was 12, I decided to do the opposite of McDonald's double quarter pounders with cheese, fries, and soda each week: go healthy. That was a turning point. I decided to change my taste buds to like yogurt instead of ice cream (I thought it was healthy until later I found out that it had 42 grams of sugar and the first ingredient was high fructose corn syrup followed by sugar). It took me 6 months. Around 3-4 months, I decided to go back to eating Big Macs, but they tasted terrible. I never went back.

This is when I feel I became a health influencer - for the entire world. Then I believe I started the health craze of 2003 - I went healthy and asked my city to as well (I said to put in a healthy vending machine in for kids, which they did years later, because they started a health program). Back then, there was verbnow, pass the plate (maybe that came later), and other programs along with all the diet books that I just read a lot about. Then I found out what I was eating wasn't healthy: the food said no trans fat - but it had it (under 0.5g).

So it took me 3-4 years to find the truly healthy food around 16 I ran into health problems, but the internet was just building and there were no answers to what is backed by a lot of knowledge today. So it made me really look into the question I always wanted to hear, but got no straightforward answer to: where did the beef come from? It was at the Isla Vista Co-op where I would read what I normally didn't see and hear what I normally didn't hear and there I found out about where food came from and didn't like it and went vegan then. I failed 5 times until I found out that I was missing Vitamin K2 (which is different than K1 and hindered my absorption of vitamins, especially zinc).

In that time though, when I was in college, there was a meat-free Monday and I thought I wouldn't make it, because my family always said: 3 sources of protein per meal. However, it tasted better. Also, at that time, I would eat steaks to donate blood until they said the iron's too low. Turns out beef doesn't have much iron, as the food with the most iron is thyme. Now my iron is in the normal range.

Still my health wasn't doing well (like muscle aches), so I became a vegetarian in 2011 instead and got better. My body changed to have a higher metabolism but more food sensitivities, as I changed my diet and what I ate as a kid (like soy), I couldn't eat anymore. I also did it for convenience, so that I wouldn't have to create a calendar to know what to eat when (like some fish every 2 months, beef every few days, etc.).

It took me 7-8 months to transition until my sister said, just do it already if you say you are. Years later, I told my sister I was a vegetarian, and she said: you're so cool. Someone I knew said: how do I go vegetarian. I became popular from it. Then she went vegan.

My health after 7 years of that declined more (I couldn't eat milk anymore, and eggs hurt my muscles), I went to a raw vegan meetup, and they were like: do it. So as I started to go vegan, my sister went less and less that way. Now I'm transitioning to being more raw (or at least uncooked), as that's what I prefer. My grandparents used to grow their own food and that helped me shape my viewpoints towards vegan food. I actually prefer the taste of plants, because I liked fruit as a kid. I feel better, but since I was rushed, instead of eased into the transitions, it's still hard to be vegan.

Along the way, I got a health science degree and it helped out many people become healthier and I notice when they stop being vegan, they get aches, pains, and severe health issues that they blame on age, when it's never on age.

In 2020 I was graciously given the title of “PETA Prime’s Most Beautiful Vegan Over 50.” for that year. I had almost not applied. I don’t seek attention in life, but I felt it was my duty to show up and share my experiences with the world, aiming to shatter myths and advocate for animals. I sent my application to PETA at the last minute and was honored to be selected as the winner—although I believe all vegans are winners!

When I started this journey in 2011, I never would have imagined that I’d be looking back on these major milestones:

In 1996, my mother gave me a book about vegetarianism, which immediately led me to stop eating meat and move away from my unconsciously speciesist lifestyle.

I moved from Türkiye (Turkey) to the U.S. in 1998, after singing as a soloist in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in Istanbul, under the direction of American conductor William Thomas.

In 2004, I discovered my true baritone voice after training as a tenor for years at three different conservatories, which began my transformational journey.

I confidently and joyfully went vegan in 2011 after reading vegan triathlete Brendan Brazier’s Thrive. This decision dramatically fueled every aspect of my life.

It 2012, I began functional bodyweight training at home, which initiated my surprising physical transformation.

I formulated my vocal method, The Vocathletic System, in 2019 and added “athlete” to my credentials.

In 2020, shortly after the PETA Prime contest, I removed all oil from my diet and soon after started a whole food vegan diet.

In 2021, I became fully raw vegan.

And then I was the guest in three great interviews:
1- “Opera Singer Goes Vegan, Gets Massive Muscles” with Chuck Carroll on The Exam Room Podcast by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), founded by Dr. Neal Barnard.

2- “Bülent Güneralp’s Transformation Debunks Vocal, Athletic, Nutritional Myths” with Chef AJ.

3- “An Update on Food Is Climate” with Glen Merzer, hosted by Climate Healers, founded by Dr. Sailesh Rao.

Today I am an activist and an opera singer who ended up looking like a bodybuilder—solely as the result of eating plants, maintaining daily full-body functional training (no lifting weights or going to a gym), and as the byproduct of my extraordinary vocal journey.

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