Out of necessity and in order to live, change required

I’ve been vegan for 6 years and started out removing things from my diet for environmental concerns. I also had a growing concern for the well-being of animals. Through the close bond with my German Shepherd, Nikko, I started making the connection that his intelligence, his feelings, his ability to feel fear, pain, love, happiness were viscerally real and that all of the billions of animals that were killed each year for a few moments of pleasure on our plates were just like him. Still, their fate was much different for no other reason than tradition. It was then that I started on my journey.
Since then, I’ve come to realize that this was truly the greatest decision I’ve made in a life that’s been fortunate with amazing things. Today, I’m a working advocate in my small community in Raleigh, NC, and hoping to put this more into action with a new brand we created at my design studio, MRC, called Burny Wild’s. Its an adventure brand, with food being a core part of its offerings, starting with Burny Wild’s Adventure Sauce, which is literally my favorite condiment heat sauce. It’s super versatile, vegan, gluten-free, and flavor-packed. We hope to use this as an entry point to people being excited about living their best lives in harmony with love, kindness, and respect for all living beings.

I have no health issues, I've tried different diets and lifestyles. I've chose to go Vegan and adopt such lifestyle since it matches my belief system and I have no issues following a Vegan diet.

I lived across Whole Foods and found The Starch Solution book. This was the beginning of my journey.

My wife had been vegan for many years and I was starting to feel sick so I decided to give it a try. I started to feel better and lost between 50-60lbs. I noticed that I did not miss having meat and other animal products so I have continued. I am now a vegan as I believe that we are supposed to take care of the earth and all of its inhabitants and that animals are not food but they are here for their own purpose not to be food for us.

I am the founder of Lawrence KS non-profit farm sanctuary, Shy 38 Inc.
Www.shy38.com

I became vegan by reading and learning more about scientific evidence of benefits being Vegan. I can see and feel a great benefit in my body and energy. I just love it

It didn't take long for me - a switch was flipped and I was done with animal products!
That being said, lots of cylinders were firing as I became a more compassion person, listened to the right speeches, and found a growing desire to align my morals with my actions.

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 don’t really have a story. I’m not even sure why I transitioned but I do know that I feel better physically and mentally and I’m never going back.

My mission is to help grow the vegan movement by finding and implement more effective tools and strategies to inspire hopeful curiosity for a plant-based lifestyle.

I'll add my story later

I became Vegan because I believe in the ethical treatment of animals. I do not support using animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose, considering it a form of exploitation and cruelty. I then switched my career to work on similar values and ethos which gave birth to our plant-based vegan leather.

Vegan for the animals and the environment.

Vegan chef and sourdough baker looking for jobs in plant based establishments. I have a love for fresh, local ingredients, creativity in the workplace and changing people's mind about what a plant based diet has to be.

My health was very poorly till the spring of 2015. I then started to receive even more callings from my inner self telling me to do healthier changes, since i smoked for 25 years and used to have a very hedonist life. In July 2015 i decided to move again to the UK and detached from everything in my country Portugal, sold the car and moved on to a new phase and to try again some self healing. In September 2015 i was able to quit smoking completely. March 2016 was the last time i visited a doctor after a spiritual awakening that led me to study all about my neurotransmitters in order to repair them, since they were all out of order due to 13 years of chemicals medical prescriptions to treat anxiety and depression, and other ailments, it also led me to work on my chakras after i learned all about this and others related therapies, and after this i became a vegetarian on the 16 of March 2016. I had became my own ayurveda doctor and spiritual guru. In March 2016 i was diagnosed pre diabetic, so in order to overcome and controle that issue, which what i had all my life, fats metabolism and bad energy management, i became a vegan and all the remaining health issues just faded away.

I was in a downward spiral of weight and depression when my first son was born. It wasn’t until my body stopped producing milk and I was unable to feed my son that I woke up and searched for how to make sure formula wouldn’t ruin my child. I knew if I wanted him to have optimal health, I needed to lead the way. I had no idea about animal cruelty or the planet until I started down this path and I have never looked back. Everyday I wake up and feel a sense of purpose to show my family a better world through a vegan lifestyle. I am 100 pounds lighter and my kids (two now) are always remarked at for their health. I am a happy mama!

just trying to do what's feels right

I became a vegetarian in 1972 because I didn't want animals to be hurt. I didn't know how much dairy and egg industry hurt animals until about 6 years ago, in 2013. it still took me another year to go vegan. At the Comicon in San Diego, I was offered a dollar to watch a video which ended up being about how animals, including chickens and cows who produce eggs and milk, suffered so much. I went vegan on the spot. about 3 years ago, I decided I wanted to get involved in the animal rights movement, and now I am working with Vegan World 2026 to create a vegan world by 2026!

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.

I started my Whole Food Planted Based journey on August 8th 2016, my first day of the PCRM Kick Start Program through the GreenFare Organic Restuarant in Herndon, VA. I have continued a SOS (Salt, Oil, Sugar free cooking) WFPB lifestyle for the last 3+ years lost 45 lbs and go off all medication. This information is too important not to share.

Being a Vegetarian all my life, I never felt the need of eating meet or eggs but loved dairy and dairy products more than any of the plant based food. In mid 2014, while living in Seattle, I came across some talk on Internet which talked about impact of Dairy on health, environmental and the cruelty involved. It didn't believe it and started researching further, over the period of next few weeks, I found overwhelming evidence of each of these aspects and it all started to make sense. Then over the next few months I started weaning off after like 38 years of my life. It was rather a long and lonely journey in a not so conducive envirnment. By the end of the year I was 90% off it. The next 10% took considerable amount of time. In Aug 2016 I visited the only Vegan Groery Store of Seattle, to volunteer and that day onwards I can say I was offcially a Vegan. Over the last 3.5 years I have come to realization that Vegan junk food can also be as unhealth as animal products. So, I mostly try to follow a Whole Food Plant Based diet. Some day, I hope to develop as strong a repulsion for oil, refined sugar and refined grains as I have for dairy today.

I've gotten into powerliftng after college and noticed that eating too much animal protein made me sluggish. Found out why when tested blood at work. Cholesterol and triglycerides were borderline risk at 23 y.o.! I've decided to give a plant based diet a shot and never looked back.

Unlike most athletes - most of my muscle was built AFTER I've transitioned to vegan. As a natural plant based athlete, I won an Overall Novice bikini title in 2019 NPC Atlantic Coast Championships, one of the largest bodybuilding shows in North Carolina going against meat-eaters and athletes on performance enhancing drugs. Also won Open and Overall bikini champion titles in the natural OCB Colonial Open bodybuilding show in Virginia in the spring of 2019. Totaling 7 awards from both shows.

My most recent win was the 1st place in 69kg powerlifting category at USAPL Power Mountain Showdown in Asheville September 25th, 2021. in March I took 2nd in Battle on the Border NC/SC USAPL meet which was a huge event. Pretty sure I was the only vegan there.

On top of running a small coaching team - I am also writing a book on body dysmorphia and tour with VegFest Expos to speak at vegan events in NC, SC, VA, TN! Invite me to your event to engage and motivate the crowd - vegan or not!

@gorbachevae shoot me a message on IG! Especially if you have a vegan friendly business.
I am always hiring knowledgeable nutritionists and athletes too - if you know someone, please introduce.
Use code VEGAN to get 10% off your first month of coaching 🙂 All coaching is done online so it doesn't matter where in the world you live, train and eat.

For years I suffered from severe menses pain. After going to several doctors and not finding any help I started looking online for others that were experiencing similar problems. I came across a site with hundreds of women talking about dairy and how taking it out of their diet made huge changes for them. I had been an on again off again vegetarian for decades and thought I'd give it a try. After a few months my whole world changed. After taking all animal products out of my life not only did my problems dissappear, but I also learned the truth about what happens to the animals that end up on our plates. My life is now dedicated to helping others come to the same realizations by speaking up for those who have no voice.

Sailingtranquilitybay.com
Youtube @ChangingTheTide

Became vegan over night after binge watching documentaries and love every bit of being vegan!

Concerned for my 22 year old daughters change to a vegan diet I looked into it and changed within 3 days. Health Planet Animal Rights. I have to be a part of this movement

As soon as I watched cowspiracy that is when my vegan journey began and then I continued to learn more and improve my diet.

I have secondary progressive MS, Fibromyalgia and Crohn's. My husband lost his job, we had no access to medical care. I watched Forks Over Knives. It saved my life. Crohn's is reversed and MS is on the run!!

I went vegan for ethical reasons and plant-based for my health. Having grown up with dogs, I eventually got dogs myself. It was the amazing bond I formed with my pooches as an adult that opened up my empathetic eyes to the complex and beautiful spectrum of emotions that animals possess, and ultimately, provided me with the conduit to vegetarianism in 2014. After watching Earthlings, and resonating so profoundly with the message of activists like Gary Yourofsky, James Aspey and Earthling Ed, I went vegan in 2016.

I went vegan for ethical reasons and plant-based for my health. Having grown up with dogs, I eventually got dogs myself. It was the amazing bond I formed with my pooches as an adult that opened up my empathetic eyes to the complex and beautiful spectrum of emotions that animals possess, and ultimately, provided me with the conduit to vegetarianism in 2014. After watching Earthlings, and resonating so profoundly with the message of activists like Gary Yourofsky, James Aspey and Earthling Ed, I went vegan in 2016. During this period, I had transitioned fairly seamlessly from an omnivorous junk food diet, to highly processed, vegan junk so I was a poor candidate to discuss, let alone showcase the health benefits of whole food, plant-based veganism. Documentaries like What the Health and Forks over Knives along with compelling literature such as The China Study and How Not to Die were pivotal influences in my decision to give up junk food, take control of my health and become a “poster boy” for plant-based eating.

Became vegan for the animals on my birthday 2016.

I became vegan for the environmental reasons and quickly chose to stay vegan forever for the animals.

I grew up thinking that animal products in general were such a part of "normal" everyday life. I never challenged any of it. Mid 2016, a friend started sharing information with me and I began to learn what I felt I already knew. It was difficult, realizing how long I had my back turned to the truth. I decided no more, I confronted the truth and learned to be a more compassionate and empathetic person. I believe in the movement so much, its also what I do for a living! Veganism is the future!

For the animals

Been on and off vegan diet for many years, started with vegetarian diet. Want to go total vegan, married to doctor who was brought up mostly vegetarian, had a severe mucus problem and sinus infection, have reneged a bit and eaten some dairy, some meat& fish (a few times a year) only for many decades now. Finally getting message about IGF-1, watch and following many advocates such as Dr. Vincent Longo, Dr. Milton Mills, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Dr. Michael Greger, Dr. Neil Barnard, Dr. DeanOrnish, Dr. T. Colin Campbell of "The China Study", Dr. Esselstyn and his son Rip, author of "Engine 2 Diet", Dr. John Mc Dougall and many others. Am trying to go total vegan, may be using too much soymilk (according to Dr. Mills), want to get the balance better, overcome my "cultural" way of eating, digging into a "total" switch, which is a monumental task for anyone taking cues from wrong sources, such as the USDA food pyramid model. That's about it.

Followed vegetarianism for years in Adventist Church. Then ate very little for many years after not attending this church anymore. Somewhere in last decade, went 99% vegan (as opposed to vegetarian). Rarely eat any meat, fish, shellfish or dairy, with occasional exception of parmesan cheese on soup. Pretty much either vegetarian or vegan for last 30 yrs. at least.

Cured myself from Crohns disease through a whole foods plant based diet.

I don’t have time right now

Vegetarian since childhood, realised through reading and films its not enough so changed to Vegan at the start of 2017. The main reason for my diet choice is avoiding harm to animals, although the benefits of minimising harm to the environment and my health are also important.

I tried veganuary and carried on from there. I love animals, I wanted to get healthy and that turned into environmental impacts and becoming a more sustainable consumer.

I went vegan 6 years ago, after opening my eyes to the horrors of all animal farming, not just killing animals for meat. Every animal is a sentient being with all of the feelings that we experience! They mustn't be milked, or imprisoned for their eggs, or plucked, or sheared, etc. Becoming vegan was an awakening, even after 24 years of vegetarianism. The benefits to the animals and my own health were clear, but another thing I learned so much about was the benefit to the environment. If everyone went vegan, we'd be well on our way to saving the planet!

I went whole food plant-based, SOS-free for health reasons.

i became vegan for the health benifits and became passionate after learning about the horrors of animal curelty

One of our beautiful Beagles had an accident and I was coming back from the vets at 1am in the morning after having spent so much money on care and I went to get some chicken out of the freezer for dinner the next day and it was like a light switch went on. Something flicked and changed for me.

The next day I started looking in to veganism more. I had friends that were vegans and I had thought about making the change for health reasons but not for animals reasons.

Someone suggested watching What The Health, so my husband and I watched that at lunchtime of the same day and we were both completely vegan immediately.

I was vegan from the minute I took the chicken out of the freezer and made the connection and him from such a short time later.

We are both now very focused animal rescue and welfare advocates and set up VEGAN Happy Clothing to help raise money for animal sanctuaries and vegan causes.

VEGAN Happy is our form of vegan activism, helping to spread the vegan love and message as much as possible.

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Whole food plant based and toxic chemical free. Our family is healthier and happier than we have ever been! Want to help others do the same. 🙂

Vegetarian since 1971 after learning about the horrors of slaughter houses. Fully vegan since 2017 .

Became vegan to heal from RA

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

later

☀️ We are cleaning up sunscreen ☀️
Natural, vegan sun protection, and the best part? Zero plastic waste.

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Protect your Skin | Protect your World

I was a vegetarian for 7+ years before I found out about the horrors of dairy, eggs, and honey.

Once I found out about these industries, I became vegan and an activist.

Our mission is to provide men the option of high-quality, pure, loose leaf tea -- without the stigma, the embarrassment, or the feeling that you’re less of a man.

We want to give men the tools they need to be their best selves.

To inspire them to buck the standards of society that tells them what a man should do.

I was off & on vegetarian most of my adult life but it wasn't until I discovered the dairy industry that I become vegan overnight. I am a mother so Veganism was a simple choice for me. I am vegan for love.

Went Vegan cold turkey because I was curious and wanted to see whether I could live healthier without consuming animal products. Never looked back.

I am passionate about plant-based nutrition for sustainability, health, and athletic performance.

I could no longer ignore that loving animals and eating them was not the same thing, I followed my values and become vegan.

On April 18, 2017, I saw an article by Marc Bekoff called "Human Behavior Toward Animals Hasn’t Caught Up to the Science" shared in my Facebook news feed by Science of Us (now called The Cut). As soon as I saw it, I thought, "Nope! I'm not gonna read that because I know if I do I'll never be able to eat meat again." But by April 20, my curiosity got the best of me. I read the article, and stopped eating animal products immediately.

Animals rule

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.

After surviving bone cancer in 2009, I started making major changes to my lifestyle. One of the first things I did was drop beef from my diet. A little while later let go of pork. Then I gave up chicken and turkey, and finally fish. I was a vegetarian for a few years and loved it. But then I watched Cowspiracy and What the Health? and went vegan. I never forced my kids to go to vegan but it wasn't long before both of them stopped eating meat. My eldest has been vegan for 6 months. My younger one is a vegetarian but mostly eats what I do--a fully vegan and gluten-free diet. I feel great (and, yes, I'm still cancer-free)! I do my best to bring veganism into mainstream situations and conversations, at work and elsewhere.

Keto diet not working...

Been veggie since 2001 and vegan for past 3 or so years

I watched “What the Health” with my wife and we decided to become vegan to be more healthy.

I’m allergic to dairy and eggs and my sister is vegan. I moved down here and lived with her for a bit so I became vegan too.

i went on a 20 hour road/camping trip with my girlfriend and had seen a few vegan documentaries and watched a bunch of youtube videos beforehand and decided for the trip i won't eat meat just to see what it's like. I think i ended up eating completely vegan for the trip by default. the trip lasted 10 days and it was easy and i felt great. I never declared myself vegetarian after that, i just naturally continued not eating meat. (i actually had a bunch of chicken in my freezer that i just left there for months, that i eventually gave away to a friend who visited me ). That lasted for about a year before i decided to fully take the plunge and completely take out eggs and dairy from my diet and make a conscious effort to no longer support anything associated with animal abuse.

I did a research project for school on anti-veganism and through research I changed my opinion and was unable to ever use animal products again.

Been Vegan for the animals for 5 years, wish I had known sooner 🙁

I am from Indiana, every meal is based around meat. I never thought I would ever become Vegan. Last May I went on a trip with a friend and she pointed out how I had went a whole 5 days without meat. I felt great. I decided to eliminate meat from my diet. A month later I watched Dr Rao’s ‘What the Health’, it changed the game for me. I decided at that moment that I was done with animal products. I realize how deep the program runs. I am now Vegan for the Animals and I feel a deep connection to their pain. I am a guardian of the Earth. We are all part of this gift.

Hello! “Vegan Community Kitchen” is a vegan restaurant located in Apex, North Carolina. For potential job offerings contact us

Viewed Forks Over Knives and What the Health

Been vegan for two years!

I had gone through a rough period in my life where I would get little sleep, no exercise, and ate fast food every day (McDonald’s what is the only place open at 1 AM). In late 2010, I decided I needed to make major changes having just tip the scale at 195 (only being 5’7”). One of the decisions I made was to change the way I ate. That let me to read book after book about various diet … and I read a lot of them. There were two books that I read that pointed me to a vegan or whole food plant-based diet: the China Study by T: Campbell and How to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Dr. Caldwell Eccelstyn. So I adopted a plant-based diet in early 2011. I also decided to take running back up and began running marathons. I was quickly back down to my normal weight of 150.

While I see I adopted a vegan diet, I wasn’t very good vegan and consistently fell off the wagon. Cheese pizza was the usual meal that let me down the dark path; I guess you could say cheese pizza was my gateway drug. I would go off the wagon for 46 weeks at a stretch, which start feeling lousy, and then jump right back on.

I see my vegan story begins on June 27, 2017, because that’s the day that while I was riding the New York subway, I had my heart attack. Fortunately, it was an extremely mild heart attack … I walked to my office from the subway … after several doctors visits, one doctor sent me down and said the plaque on my arteries was better than most people, my age, but given my diet lifestyle, weight and cholesterol (175 at the time), I shouldn’t have any plaque. He suggested that I get tested for LPa. I tested positive for high levels of LPa and the doctor recommended. I keep my cholesterol as low as possible. That’s when I became a serious vegan.

I had discovered during my vegan apprenticeship, that it’s easy to cheat when you’re just eating for yourself. I then studied the effects that the meat, dairy and eggs industries have on the planet and more importantly, on the animals. It was, then I decided that I was going to eat not only for myself, but for the planet and my furry, feather and finned friends. I haven’t touched an animal product since.

I have been Vegan for roughly two years. Since then I have revamped by business and today I have the honor of working with vegan businesses only. Helping them to get more customers online!

I watched What the Health documentary on Netflix. 20 minutes I was fully and completely committed to aWFPB life style. I’ve never looked back.

I first went vegan for health reasons, but now feel equally passionate about the environment, human rights, pandemic potential, and animal rights!

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.

Sprouts Cafe

I changed to a whole foods plant based diet for health reasons. Discovered the environmental benefits which strengthen my resolve.

Currently studying to be a Registered Dietitian. I became vegan when I came across the vast literature of how plant based diets improve disease risk and reverse Cardiovascular disease

Eczema from head to toe is difficult, embarrassing, and devastating. I could not get a diagnosis or a solution. I had inflammation throughout my body due to an acidic diet, I was eating fish and chicken and cheese and drinking wine. My plant based foods were less than 30% of my diet. I was eating saturated fat from fried foods and animals Now I am invested in the plant based healing. I am a vegan chef and a walking encyclopedia about nutrition - it is a magic bullet and I am thrilled to join the community! My spirit is relieved that I don't contribute to the killing of 70 B animals in our food system (pork, chicken, beet, fish, etc). Thanks you to Dr. Michael McGregor for your research on evidence based nutrition! I have many doctors mentors "on line" and they each make a difference for my raw vegan journey.

This is the easiest way to share my story as it's been quite a journey!

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/from-activist-farmer-back-again-jackie-norman-she-her-/?trackingId=runpMwJRGuIlDDrJtc91Q

I have so much compassion for those who are unable to speak. I love helping people same as my current job. The reason I became vegan was one watching "What the Health", two health reasons and last animals. Going vegan was the best thing that I could have done and also another way to help make a difference in the world. I wish I would've done it sooner than over a year ago.

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 vegetarian for about a year because I became aware, and saw how animals were treated whether that be the food system, testing, or in products. I had heard animals were also treated like crap in the production of milk, eggs, cheese etc. And around this point I had not seen videos but decided to go vegan because animal exploitation is wrong, my mom and dad looked at me like a was crazy, and the only way I could prove to her that this was valid was through showing her validated statistics regarding the food system, and videos of the animal abuse, by the point I had watched one video it was enough to convince me to become straight vegan, it was hard at first but thankfully to the bounteous options Publix and Kroger have I was more than fine. And vegan lifestyle fits me well, for about a year it was hard however now I no longer crave meat or dairy products and my horrible allergies have disappeared, thanks for reading (:

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.

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

ey! I’m Rebecca the creator of Veggies Abroad. During the pandemic, like so many people, I took time to re-evaluate my career — I wanted to find a way to align it with my ethics in hopes of making this world a tiny bit kinder.

But I struggled to find a fit.

So, what does any college-educated person do during a global pandemic? Well, they leave their full-time career of 15 years and start a vegan travel blog, of course!

Initially, I thought this would just help me pivot my career, but it's turned into much more. The blog focuses on showcasing mouthwatering lineups of vegan food, action-packed travel guides, tips, and everything else a veggie-traveler would need!

On top of that, it has forced me to learn many new skills — SEO, digital marketing, Word Press — and improve others — writing, communication, and PR. All of which helped me launch an array of consulting services. I hope to use my skills to amplify the voices of ethical businesses and organizations making a difference in the world. Maybe that could be yours?

I turned vegan because I finally watched a documentary called “Cowspiracy”. I had avoided this documentary and all the rest, because I was afraid of the truth. I pledge to be vegan as well as raise my two children vegan proudly, and I wish that soon the rest of my family will too.

In the summer of 2017 I was encouraged by my mom to start a candy company. At the same time my sister began a plant based journey and asked that I craft treats that she could also enjoy. From there I tested several recipes to find just the right combination of ingredients to craft delicious confections without any animal products.

I had been vegetarian for about 5+ years & my younger sister took me to a Cube of Truth. There was no turning back for me. That changed me forever. I choose to be vegan for ethical & compassion reasons.

I was vegetarian for about 6 years and started watching documentaries and once you know you know. So I have given up all animal products for just over 2 years. This year I am really trying to go whole food plant based!

I was an animal science major in college and visited many slaughterhouses which really disturbed me. I was such a hypocrite though because I would tell people how disturbing these facilities are, yet I was still occasionally eating animal products. After my seemingly healthy mother passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2017, I made the decision to live a healthy vegan lifestyle. Ever since I adopted this way of living I have felt the need to share everything I now know about how this way of living improves your health and outlook on life. I believe that one of my callings in life is to help convert the planet to veganism for the animals, the planet, and our health.

I had come across a group named 'vegans united' on facebook. There are came to know about Horrors of Dairy Industry. I started doing my own research and found out that being a vegan is a moral baseline. That's how I became a vegan

Hi we’re Foodnerd, and we create positively processed food with a purpose.

The current food supply is in disarray. Out of the top 25 food manufacturers, 86% of products are considered ULTRA-PROCESSED.

In addition, more than half of the Standard American Diet (SAD) consists of processed foods. As a result, the majority of Americans are not receiving the proper amount of micronutrients.

We are shaping the future of food by harnessing the power of positive processing and plant-based ingredients.

Our process allows us to maintain and/or increase the nutritional content found naturally in food - rather than degrade it. All while not sacrificing taste.

My name is Marco Knox. I am the founder of The Phytogenic Chef™ and this is the story of how I transformed my life and became a whole food plant-based chef and advocate.

The Beginning:
I have been cooking since I was 12 years old. I got my first start at my big brothers’ restaurant; ‘The Bridge’ — a large waterfront seafood restaurant at the foot of the bridge that leads you to beautiful Ft. Myers Beach, Florida. I would come down from the Great Lakes State of Michigan and spend a month or so during summer break. I earned my stripes by cleaning the parking lot, touching up the paint and other odd jobs around the property. However, my curiosity and awe of what was happening in the kitchen was always drawing me away from the ‘job’ at hand. My brother, a very successful restaurateur and chef, saw the same passion in me that he possessed and gave me my first chance to work in the kitchen. Now it wasn’t glorious, my first summer was spent washing dishes and scrubbing everything in the kitchen, I had that place shining! Eventually though, he allowed me to do some prep work and I was hooked! I instantly became a favorite amongst the kitchen staff for my quick work, willingness to do what was needed and consistency. Naive? Perhaps, but somehow I knew then that being a chef was my calling. So, I went back home after my summer break ready to get a job in the industry. One small problem — I was still under 16 years old and I couldn’t get a job like the one I had at The Bridge. I learned that the only reason my brother could allow me to work at his restaurant was because we were directly related. While I was disappointed that I couldn’t get a job yet, I knew my day would come eventually. In the meantime, I spent my free time educating myself by reading about restaurants, famous chefs and food preparation while anxiously awaiting the next summer break and my chance to go show my brother what I had learned.

I spent the next three summers working at The Bridge and learning the fundamentals of cooking. Then the summer of 1992 arrived along with my opportunity to get a real job, I was now 16! It was in New Baltimore Michigan at the ‘Green Turtle’, a family owned restaurant that served a wide array of dining options that I got my second real job. I started out in the dish tank but that didn’t last very long. The owners recognized my dedication and hard work, so they actually gave me a shot as a prep cook. I took full advantage of this opportunity with the intention of proving to the owners that I was worthy of being a line cook. After a few weeks it paid off, I was promoted. Now this is like being a freshman in high school and being called up to play varsity ball…it was a big deal to cook on the line with some industry veterans at only sixteen years old.

I continued working in restaurants into my mid to late twenties. Everything from ‘fill ’em and bill ‘em’ concepts, to 5-star dining and world class resorts. I won’t go on record by saying that I learned it all, we are all constantly learning and growing, but I learned a lot — from the five mother sauces to growing all of your own produce and creating menus from the harvest.

The restaurant industry is a hard business and like a lot of folks that work in this sector, I burned out and needed a change. So, I jumped into the fitness industry. I had always been pretty athletic and took good care of myself so it seemed like a natural fit, and it was. I loved it so much that I started my own personal training business and eventually worked my way up to a Strength and Conditioning Coach for the local Arena Football team. Life was great! But as I neared my thirties, I decided that I needed to start focusing on what I deemed as a more long-term career field.

I don’t regret any of the paths that I have chosen to follow, it’s what has helped shape me into the man that I am today. However, it wasn’t until recent years that I didn’t look back and wonder why I left the fitness industry. But I did, and became a multi-line road sales rep with ironically, my big brother! He was now retired from the restaurant business and had a sales agency that was booming. We traveled the eastern United States selling our lines to big box retailers and made a great living doing so. Years went on and I was working for some of the largest apparel brands in the business, life was great again..so I thought….

The fall of 2017 was a life changing time for me. It was during my annual doctor visit that I received news that frightened me to my core. A little family history — my father died at an early age from heart disease and diabetes. After his passing I had made a personal vow to myself that I wouldn’t ‘go out like the old man’. But here I was at age 40 facing hypertension, diabetes, dangerously high cholesterol, medically obese with an overall poor health grade. What did I do wrong? I mean I thought I ate healthy, I worked out regularly and I felt pretty good. The truth was I wasn’t living a healthy life at all. I had gotten pretty out of shape by drinking alcohol, eating nutrient deficient foods and succumbing to a sedentary lifestyle. It’s a strange thing that we humans do…this denial behavior, and trust me when I say, I was leading the pack when it came to denial! I just chalked it up to my age and this is just what happens. I mean come on I am 40 now, right? Wrong! I was denying my true self, my dharma and I was doing it by making extremely poor food choices. Me, a chef, a fitness professional, a person that should absolutely know better, no excuse! The truth was, I had gained over 35 lbs. of body fat and was tipping the scales at a very unhealthy 250 lbs. All my clothes were busting at the seams, I couldn’t walk up or down the stairs without feeling completely winded and I had severe back pain, I mean laying on the ground and staring at the ceiling begging for relief type of back pain. The time for change was now!

The solution didn’t come to me right away. I did the whole ride my bike and get a gym membership thing for a few months, but the results were inconsistent at best. I would lose 10 lbs. here, gain 5 lbs. back there, it wasn’t a real change and I needed a real change or else I was repeating my father’s mistakes. That’s when I discovered a whole food plant-based lifestyle. Mind you, I was a chef and I had always prided my chef skills by the wide variety of meat, poultry and seafood dishes that I could prepare. How could I cook without those ‘staples’…where would I get my protein, and how would I get enough B12? Learning comes to us in all sorts of forms — mine hit me through a few awakening documentaries which spawned into extensive studying and a new way of living.

I started out by eliminating dairy and only consuming chicken and pork, no red meat. The impact was noticeable in a couple of weeks. Inflammation that I didn’t even realize was negatively impacting my body, went away. So, I decided to go all in and eliminate all animal products from my diet. After a few months it was working, I mean really working! I had not consumed a single animal product for 8 months and I now weighed 205 lbs. and I felt better than ever! I was riding my mountain bike through trails with some of the best local riders and keeping up! My back pain —  completely gone and my clothes, well I needed new clothes because nothing fit anymore, they were all too big!

But the question still remained, was what I was doing from a food perspective actually healthy? Or was I robbing my body of essential nutrients? I had pretty much known from my own research and quite frankly, how great I felt, that what I was doing was indeed very healthy. But the numbers don’t lie. So, after one year, I went back in for my annual physical and had my blood work done — a full lab; cholesterol, glucose, everything. Not to my surprise, it all checked out! Not only did it check out, everything drastically improved. I went from all of the aforementioned health issues to all of them no longer even remotely a concern. Cholesterol was perfect, even better than perfect. Hypertension and diabetes, zero trace!

I walked out of the doctor’s office that day smiling from ear to ear and what felt like a green glow (you know, plants!) surrounding me — that day The Phytogenic Chef™ was born! It is my calling, my purpose, my dharma to share this story and help others that are in the same place that I once was. I wasn’t living a bad life, I just wasn’t living to my potential and now I am.

Marco — The Phytogenic Chef™

I watched animals suffering and realised how wrong it was to not oppose such cruelty

It became clear that it was the right thing to do. I want to make the world vegan and I try to everyday.

I watched the Yourofsky speech and the rest is history!