Karen M's Vegan Anniversary

By Karen M

After having my second child I weighed over 270 pounds. I knew I had to do something. I started a diet and exercise. I journal-ed every calorie that I ate. I took off over 130 pounds and I kept it off by watching what I ate. Last year I met my boyfriend, Brody. He had been vegan for over 5 years. He thought it was very silly that I watched my diet so closely but actually ate food that was not good for me. He explained that people are mislead by only looking at calories, fat, and fiber...He showed me food labels and I was shocked! I started doing some research and found it disgusting that the FDA allows blood and puss to be in the milk I was giving my children. I learned about gelatin being made from animals. BUT, my main concern as I began the journey was the chemicals that I do not need to consume. Half of the things on food labels, I could not even pronounce!

So, it has been over a year now. I can not even begin to explain how GREAT I feel. I have kept all of my weight off without even looking at calories and fat!!! There are soooo many wonderful products on the market that make going vegan easy. Sunshine burgers are wonderful, and are not filled with soy.

It is funny that my only challenges have come from other people. "What do you eat?" "Aren't you starving?" "Don't you miss cheese?" "How do you get your protein?" I have 2 children and believe me, I have to be able to please them at dinner time as well! We enjoy pizza, but with Daiya cheese. No one ever goes hungry at our house! We are so lucky to live in Columbus OH, where the vegan community is supported. We have a bar that serves an all vegan bar menu! Have you ever had deep-fried avocados? Hal and Al's Bar on Parsons Ave has everything from Vegan corn-dogs to sushi---ALL VEGAN! I love that I can go to a vegan salon and not worry about all the nasty chemicals being dumped in my water supply. Thanks Virtue Salon on High Street!

I hope that my story inspires others to take a look at their food labels. Research where your food comes from. I hope that people explore their community to find other people passionate about the environment, who are saying they aren't too small to make a difference! You can make a difference and it feels so AWESOME! Thank you for challenging people Bolder!

Challenge: Eat only plant-based whole foods for a weekend

Sponsor: Sunshine Burgers [ See Challenge Here ]

Action: "2011 is my anniversary of going VEGAN... ONE year down, and a lifetime ahead! Goal this year is to start cutting SOY!"