I finally went vegan at 11 years old after wanting to for many years and I think it was the best decision I ever made. The philosophies and practices of veganism, animal rights, and anti-speciesism have been a catalyst that pushed me into understanding the multidimensional oppressions of our world – as well as our collective need for liberation. Now, at 16 years old (at the time of writing in 2022), I have launched and directed three organizations – two of which are animal rights related; have a published book; run courses and workshops; and regularly write, theorize and speak about the inter ..read more

I come from a huge meat-eating family. BBQs (braii) are like a religion for us. We would wake up early, drive to the Zimbabwean butcher in Southampton, and we would go home with the best quality meats. The men would huddle around the braii and the women would be making salads and other dishes to complement the meat feast. The atmosphere was just euphoric: all day drinking, listen to Oliver Mtukudzi or Jah Prayzah…It was a good time all round.  You’re probably wondering why I even turned to veganism when I was clearly so happy eating meat. Well, as with all stories of change, it begins wi ..read more

I became vegan five years ago after being a vegetarian for 17 years. I went on holiday and upon my return, I decided to have a four week vegan detox, which was also gluten-free. Being vegetarian I didn't find the diet difficult since I was a vegetarian, and enjoyed feeling more energized. At the end of the detox, I decided I would be part-time vegan - vegan and gluten free at home and eat vegetarian foods and gluten when I was out. However, when I tried this approach, I felt the difference, big time! I felt more lethargic and lacking in energy with longer recovery times and even more joint pa ..read more

Hey, my name’s Shaun Louis, I'm a father of two and the owner of Your Vegan Journey.  My own personal vegan journey was a long time coming. As someone who grew up as a vegetarian, I often questioned some aspects of that diet. For example, why is it ok to eat a chicken’s eggs when I’ve made a choice not to eat chicken?  Sure, it’s “allowed” when you look into what vegetarians can and can’t eat. And I chose to be vegetarian when I was 7 years old. But did this definition still make sense to me as a grown man?  So, I started excluding eggs for my diet, but never really went furthe ..read more

My name is Kiya. I am from Long Island, NY and December 31st will be three years since I have stopped eating meat. This journey has shaped the entire purpose of my YouTube channel and Instagram page called Vegans And Ventures. The platform’s purpose is to show all things vegan, where I can learn and teach others. This is actually my second time taking a vegan journey. The first time was in high school when my teacher (who was vegan) showed the class a video on how they make the meat we eat. Seeing the process made my heart weak and right after that class, I stopped eating meat for three mont ..read more

Hey - my name is Chantele Jones. I’m a wife, mother to three young ladies, and cookbook author. I’ve always been passionate about cooking but never thought that a business would come from it, initially.  For years, I went back and forth between eating meat and then not eating meat, but my business came about after deciding to go vegetarian and then vegan.  In 2012, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease known as Hidradenitis Suppurativa; a chronic skin disease caused by inflammation inside the body. I would describe it as small pea sized lumps under the skin that when inflamed ..read more

My skin is brown, my race is classified as black, and I’ve experienced 35 trips around the sun. Born and raised in Des Moines, my rebirth began with death. My dad died suddenly. During my sophomore year in college, I kind of hit rock bottom. I had been near rock bottom before, but I was young and did not have a child in tow at that time. This time was different. The days could be sunny, but my world remained dark. I had began a quest of eliminating processed and modified foods prior to my dad’s death in 2009. My dad did all of the cooking in the past, however, I had to learn how to feed ..read more

My name is Kenn Bo Cobb and I am the author of Cooking With Bo: Unique & Delicious Plant Based Meals (1st and 2nd editions available on Amazon). I don’t use any processed or canned good ingredients in the recipes, just fresh produce, seasonings, spice and sugars. In the first edition, I talked about how my diet went from being meat-centric to plant-based. I was challenged by roommates in college in 1993 to give up red meat for a day, and that day turned into a year. Two years later, I was completely off meat. My skin cleared, I lost over 60 pounds, and my blood pressure and cholesterol we ..read more

Veganism was one of the things that transformed my life, having become a vegan while serving 18.5 years in prison, and serving 12.5 years in prison as a vegan before my release in 2012. While incarcerated, I also became a bestselling author, NY Times Bestselling Editor, graphic designer, and college graduate. Veganism helped me develop the discipline I lacked growing up in Brooklyn, which had culminated in my incarceration at age 17. I now reside in Atlanta, do graphic design through my brand (KooziArts LLC) and co-own a boutique clothing line (uswear) with my vegan Queen  ..read more

I became vegan about eight years ago, primarily motivated by my own health and the health of my family. Growing up in Texas, everything was centered around food (as it should because we can throw down in the kitchen in the south). However, because of all of this good food, most of my family members have several diseases that are all food-related, such as diabetes, high-blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease. They are also on several medications to control these illnesses. I was pretty much resigned to the fact that I too would need medications by the time I was 35 like everyone el ..read more