FEATURE: Rodney

I'm the CEO and part owner of my own transportation company! I also am a Vegan Chef currently looking to own my own meals on wheels vegan food service truck!  I'm going into business with my brother who is also a Chef and culinary genius! We are looking to be serving the college students at the local university!

With that being said, I have been vegan for about 2 years. I was vegetarian at first and I haven't consumed meat in about 8 years, so the change from vegetarian to vegan was not difficult!

I made the choice to go vegan because I realized that consuming another living being as food (or what they produced, like milk, honey and eggs) was not a very responsible thing to do. I felt as though I was gambling with my body, especially not knowing exactly what animals were consuming. That scared me. I wanted to take my life and health into my own hands!

I began to research and one of the first videos I can remember seeing was "If Slaughterhouses Had Glass Walls." After that video, I was done. I began to really wake up and realized what I was really doing to myself, the animals, and even the planet! Eventually I saw the documentary Cowspiracy and it really helped to educate me on the effects of what a meat-based diet was doing to the planet! 

So, I used myself as an example to teach others how a plant based diet can turn your health around! 

I have gained a following and quite a few people come to me with curious questions and sincere gratitude for introducing them to the vegan lifestyle, but I know for all those that don't say anything, I know they're watching.  I will continue to spread this vegan message. I will do my part!

I thank you for the opportunity to express to you my thoughts and opinions on this matter! Much "Vegan Love."

Please follow me on:

Facebook: Rodney Vegan Muscle

Instagram: Vegan_Muscle74

Twitter: VeganHeartBeat

YouTube: http://youtu.be/w3cZYgpUz18

FEATURE: Funso Foluso-Henry

After struggling with my weight for almost all of my life, I was initially attracted to veganism due to the weight loss aspect, as it would mean I’d inevitably increase my fruit and vegetable intake. It wasn’t until I began to research further into the movement that I realized being vegan was more than just another fad diet. I spent a week watching the videos typically associated with transitioning to the vegan lifestyle...it seemed that every single argument you could think of for eating meat could be denounced by one in favor of a plant based diet. Another fact that I could not ignore was how consuming animal products is the cause of 14 out of 15 of the leading causes of death!

Coming from a mixed race background, my Nigerian dad took my abandoning of meat pretty personally, and I felt as if making the change was the equivalent to rejecting my African roots, where meat is even hidden in the most veggie sounding dishes! However, this changed when I made the link between colonialism and the consumption of meat and dairy. The European colonizers believed changing the diet of the indigenous people (which was typically plant-based for the most part) to theirs (meat, dairy, wine, oil etc.…) was one way they could fashion the colonial body. The egocentric view of nature, that puts humans as dominant to nature and ignores the fact that animals are sentient beings, also has colonial roots. So personally, becoming vegan is one of the ways I feel I am rejecting the ongoing realities of colonialism. 

I also heard about how cows are artificially inseminated so their pregnancy will result in the production of milk; not only this but also how their babies are then snatched away from them afterwards so they don’t drink their mother’s milk. I knew that it would be hypocritical of me to say I fight for intersectional feminism but dismiss situations like this. After all, animals are fellow sentient beings and express emotions like us despite not being able to communicate in the exact same way as us, making it even more important to fight for them!

A day never goes by without the mention of veganism, and I’m glad it’s such a huge part of my life after being vegan for only half a year! It’s amazing how much eating what you actually NEED can have such an effect on your body, mental health and appearance. I can’t even remember the last time I was angry! The meat and dairy industry is so corrupt. So I won’t give up on trying to show everyone that adopting a vegan lifestyle is accessible and beneficial to all: not only the animals, but your health and the planet. It is not simply a “white” lifestyle!  

Social Media Links

Instagram: www.instagram.com/pecasyrizos

Twitter: www.twitter.com/pecasyrizos

Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010101225837

VeganSmart and John Lewis aka Bad Ass Vegan

VeganSmart is a black-owned company that creates low calorie, all-in-one nutritional protein powders made with all vegan ingredients. The plant-based protein powders are available in vanilla, chocolate, mixed berry and chai and are soy-, gluten-, and dairy- free. 

Here's a little more backstory on VeganSmart: 

VeganSmart's CMO Kareem Cook and CEO Claude Tellis have been entrepreneurs for years trying to change the face of health/wellness. Before creating VeganSmart  Kareem and Claude worked tirelessly to get junk food taken out of Los Angeles School Districts and created a healthy vending machine company as an alternative for the schools. Their passion for wellness successfully got junk foods removed from LAUSD, but their passion didn't stop with the kids. 

From diabetes to hypertension, the African American community is overwhelmed with poor eating choices thus resulting in higher risks of disease and death. Both Kareem and Claude experienced first-hand what the effects of food-related illnesses can have on a family and decided to create something that can make an impact in not only their lives, but in the lives of their community. 

VeganSmart is all about showing that there's more than one way to approach a plant-based lifestyle. Introducing veganism or the transition to veganism as an option through VeganSmart products has had such a positive effect on the way healthier eating patterns are viewed. Through hosting vegan brunches, attending green-focused conventions/expos and making appearances at local events, VeganSmart has shown that being vegan can be cool and isn't as difficult as one may think. 

Here's our interview with Kareem and Claude, the founders of Vegan Smart, as well as John Lewis from Bad Ass Vegan (who is a VeganSmart ambassador).

KAREEM & CLAUDE:

A) Why the decision to offer a vegan product? What inspired you to create VeganSmart?

Kareem and I both have multiple family members with diabetes and pre-diabetes. Once we did research, we learned that over 80mm people are pre-diabetic. This can be all solved if people eat more fruits, vegetables as well as eating a high protein, low sugar diet.

We therefore decided to offer a vegan product because it is the cleanest way to eat with the lowest amount of sugar. And since our product is less than $3/meal, it's affordable. We are like a Lexus...aspirational, but attainable...

B) What obstacles have you faced during your entrepreneurial journey with VeganSmart?

Everything...raising capital, hiring the right sales people and now marketing. Our current challenge is getting the word out on our product, and engaging the community. We are giving a $10k reward for the funniest/coolest 30 second cell phone video on our product. Please have your readers support us at www.areyouvegansmart.com.

C) What advice would you give to black people who are interested in the diet/lifestyle, but think it's a "white person's" thing?

Advice to black people: Diabetes is killing us at a faster pace than gun violence. Eating healthy isn't a white thing, it's the only thing. In the words of Tupac: "Let's change the way we eat, let's change the way we live,  and change the way we treat each other.The old way wasn't working, so we gotta do what we gotta do to survive!"

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Black Vegans Rock also interviewed John Lewis from Bad Ass Vegan. He is an ambassador for the VeganSmart brand. 

JOHN LEWIS: 

(A) Why did you decide to go vegan and what has their vegan journey been like?

I decided to go vegan when my mother was diagnosed with colon cancer. After talking to her doctor and doing my own research I learned that  most cancer is related to the ingestion of animal protein and isn't hereditary like what we have been taught in the past, but more of a result of our lifestyle habits. 

(B) How did their friends and family react when they decided to go vegan? 

Oh boy, my friends and family still think I am a tad bit "crazy" and not normal, but I am a firm believer that just because something is "normal" doesn't make it right.  

(C) What advice would they give to black people who are interested in the diet/lifestyle, but think it's a "white person's" thing?

I would tell them that the diseases that are related to eating animal protein doesn't care what color you are. It doesn't care if you are from the suburbs or from the projects. It's not a black or white thing... Cancer never cared what your race was, neither has heart disease or hypertension or the countless other diseases. No one else is responsible for our well being. It's time to take control of our own health.

FEATURE: Mark Blake

Mark aka "Mr.VeggieMan" has been vegan for approximately 19 years. He's been a raw vegan for 15 years. Currently, he does wellness coaching, nutritional counseling, international healing retreats, and he's creating a sustainable community in Nicaragua. He's also a DJ.

My journey to being a vegan is a byproduct of my search to answers for health challenges. At the age of 38 I was keenly aware of the rapid increase in grey hair, balding, low energy, and frequency of getting colds and flu. Doctors told me those were the result of normal aging, even though I had surpassed the aging of people who had started balding years before me. I picked up a book Back to Eden that was a gift for my 35th birthday and I finally read it. My eyes lit up.

Over the course of the next year I did a process of eliminating unhealthy and adding healthy to my life, especially my diet. I increasingly felt better and after a year I was a pescatarian, and looking and feeling much better. I still had some energy and emotional issues. I sought alternative treatment.. It was there that I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia, candida (severe), parasites, stagnant liver, pre-diabetes, and a host of other ailments. I changed my diet and eliminated most of those symptoms in less than a week.

After six months of eating fish as the only animal product, I simply lost the taste.

I became a high raw vegan about 15 years ago. At age 57, I feel incredible inside and out. I have enormous energy and feel rested with 5 to 6 hours of sleep.

I'm a certified raw food chef, I host a quarterly 21 day friends and family fast, and I'm in the renovation stages of a sustainable community in Nicaragua. I do Wellness and Nutritional counseling, and I host events on food preparation, sustainability, and breakthroughs. I travel across the globe tasting the most delicious fruits and vegetables, and the experiencing amazing people.

Website

www.spiritualmindandbody.com

FEATURE: Shannaire

It seemed like it was by accident that I stumbled across veganism. I truly dislike to box myself in when using the word "vegan." I am a free spirit so I dislike titles, however, it is what it is! My journey to veganism started with my hair. I was going natural and wanted natural remedies to maintain healthier hair. I was amazed that certain foods that I was consuming could either aid in healthy hair or aid in really unhealthy hair, and I prefer hair growth! I had to be honest with myself as well: I didn't have good eating habits, nor was I taught any. 

Anyways, I kept asking myself question after question. The biggest question I asked myself was: If food affects my hair, then how is it affecting me period? I started down the rabbit hole. I started off vegetarian first, researched some more information and was like "ewwww" no more animal byproducts like cheese and eggs. What really took the cake for me was when I watched a documentary called Vegucated. How the industry treated animals was horrible and inhumane. I wanted to cry and tears had begun to form. I was like hell naw!! That's it. I'm done. Vegan it is!!

It wasn't hard at all. You get the occasional jokes from friends and family about why you chose not to consume meat, especially chicken. It's really not a laughing matter when it comes to my health. I do believe the most challenging part of my journey was: what to eat now? I have conquered through that. My journey went from being health conscious to transforming into a spiritual journey. If someone would have told me about being vegan, and what it consists of, I would have transitioned a long time ago. I'm open-minded, so I know for sure I would have changed. 

So, now I have a blog at www.inhertherapy.com that informs people about health awareness, empowerment, etc. I also go into more detail on why I chose a vegan lifestyle. I've decided to enroll in school to obtain my Holistic Nutrition certification to further my growth. I also want to assist people with transitioning to a healthier lifestyle. I sometimes volunteer as a nutritionist at a women's shelter and have decided to teach classes on health, especially food and how it plays a major role in death and disease. If you would like to follow me or reach out to me please check out the information below:

Social Media Links

Facebook: InHer Therapy

Subscribe at: www.inhertherapy.com

Instagram: inher_Therapy

Email: Lotihlotih@gmail.com

FEATURE: Jamila Anahata

My name is Jamila Anahata and I have been a super happy vegan for three years now! It all started when I went on a corny health kick, one that resembled the ever-so-popular starvation diets where my staples were “lean proteins” and “healthy” TV dinners. Although I was losing the weight and seeing somewhat of a difference in my body, I just knew that something was not right about my diet. I always had constipation, acne, weight fluctuation, borderline insomnia, poor digestion, and other nasty ailments for as long as I could remember, so I tried to make a connection with these health issues and my dietary habits. Lo and behold, the extensive research I did completely supported that theory which prompted me to look deeper into what I was putting on my plate.

What I discovered shocked me. “You mean, meat and dairy aren't healthy? But that goes against everything I've ever learned!,” I thought to myself as I clicked through site after site telling me of the detriment of animal flesh and their secretions. This is when I made the most important connection: that I was eating someone who was once alive and wanted to live. Shortly after that, I followed my gut to watch slaughterhouse videos so I would no longer remain ignorant about the consequences of animal agriculture. Obviously, I couldn't stomach what I was unconsciously supporting and knew that enough was enough; My options were: continue to eat animals, feel like crud, contribute to animal suffering, and destroy the planet or do the opposite and receive a clean conscience and a possible clear bill of health.

I'm sure you know what path I chose! And the journey was a cinch; knowing what meat, dairy, and eggs truly were was enough for me to quit cold Tofurky with no cravings at all. It was difficult to be social and explain to people about my new lifestyle, but it was worth the inconvenience to support a positive cause. It's not always easy to transition, but doing a bunch of research helped motivate me to stay away from animal products and exploitations at all costs. Now, I dedicate my time to speaking out against animal cruelty and other social injustices on my blog and other social media networks because it's the least I can do in a backwards world. Going vegan was the best thing I've ever done, and if I can do it, you can do it!

Social Media Links

My blog: www.thesoulfulveganista.com

Instagram: instagram.com/thesoulfulveganista

Tumblr: thesoulfulveganista.tumblr.com

Facebook: facebook.com/thesoulfulveganista

Snapchat: jamila_anahata" 

FEATURE: Karl Henderson

My name is Karl Henderson and I am a 17 year old vegan. I went vegan in October of 2014 after watching a documentary titled Earthings. After watching the documentary and crying my eyes out, I decided that taking animal products out of my diet, as well as protesting against wearing leather, fur, wool suede, and silk, was the right thing to do.

My initial reason for pursuing a vegan lifestyle was the animals, but as time went by, I learned more information. The environmental and health aspects of veganism reinforced my passion for this lifestyle. Being the only vegan in the history of my family, my family members had trouble understanding the way that I ate at first, but I am happy to say that they understand now and are in complete support of me.

My journey so far has made my real, it has brought me clarity and assurance as to who I truly am, and all that I am meant to be. I've helped people transition into a vegan lifestyle and I enjoy informing people of the many wonderful benefits of eliminating animal products. I've encountered lots of love as well as hate along my vegan journey, but those experiences have made me a stronger advocate. 

Check out Karl's YouTube channel Karl With a K. 

FEATURE: Kaylenne "Kay" Brown

I'm Kaylenne "Kay" Brown, and I've been sweating, teaching, dancing, training and motivating others in the fitness industry for 15 years. I'm an expert in the area of weight loss, strength and conditioning,  exercise, and dance.  I'm also the proud  owner of Sweat N Swag Fitness, LLC. 

I became a vegan back in 2013. My transition was an interesting one. You see, eating meat has always been tricky for me. When I was a little girl, born and raised in South Carolina, I was surrounded by meat. I wasn't fond of the texture and I LOVED (still do) animals. Growing up with southern roots along with everything southern fried and smothered to the side...I had to literally be forced to eat everything on my plate. The funny thing was I would always "pick around" the meat on my plate, but would gorge myself on vegetables. 

However, as I got older, I didn't feel the need to consume a lot of meat. Of course this was considered "weird" because that's how we were all raised...Eat meat and more meat! It wasn't until I started noticing how many of my loved ones began to suffer from lifestyle diseases. Mentions of my family members having heart attacks, high blood pressure, Type II Diabetes, and hypertension were things that I knew to be diet associated and I wanted no part of that lifestyle.

It wasn't until 2004 I decided to experiment with being a vegetarian. Majority of the time, I ate meat and animal by-products in social settings. Occasionally I would prepare meat for a family meal, but I usually opted for a bowl of veggies or fruit. I was loving the way I felt when I didn't eat meat, but it proved difficult at times because of the training environment while on active duty in the Marine Corps. I would ask health professionals how to "survive" the training while not eating meat...I was told that it wasn't possible that in order for me to maintain a "constant state of readiness" for training, that one must consume animal protein because it is "good for you." This occasional vegetarian status went on for years until 2013 when I decided that I had enough.

The year 2013 was a year of culminating events. I had surgery on my achilles and I was under a lot of stress from my job, not to mention being mentally and physically drained from trying to "recover" from my injury. I was told that my training was going to be delayed by 9 months and that my mobility in my foot would never be the same again. This was devastating as a dancer and as a Marine. I wasn't really sure how to cope from being on the move and "healthy" to sitting around waiting to heal. So, I used my time wisely and began to read more books and articles on how to heal my body in a more natural holistic way.

In my healing process, I adopted yoga, among other aspects of fitness, and began to phase out animal products completely. I began to feel better, had more energy, not to mention more flexibility. Before I knew it, I was vegan! I haven't looked back. I love the way I feel and how I have the energy to go above and beyond previous levels of training. Because I believe in helping others become the best versions of themselves, I became the living example for my family (my husband and daughter) and they are also vegan. It's like a dream come true! We are living each day with true purpose and are physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy. I've always been a veggie lover and had my sentiments when it come to eating "meat." I love animals. I've always been active and after reading many articles and books on plant-based living, I felt that I could take that knowledge and help others.

Prior to Sweat N Swag™ Kay was an active duty Marine was an active duty Marine officer and fitness enthusiast. She has a bachelor's degree in Dance, and is a certified Flexistretcher Strength and Conditioning Coach. These days, she spends her time dancing and helping others become the "true version" of themselves while staying true to her mission of "Making the world better, ONE healthy body at a time!" She loves her veggies, loves hanging out with her family and might have a Pinterest obsession with all things fitness, wonder woman, and vegan recipes. 

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VOTE FOR KAY BROWN!

Vote for Kay's business to her her win one of ten small business grants from FedEx, including the $25,000 grand prize. Vote HERE.