One of the foremost reasons why many people choose to be vegan is their love of animals. We believe that animals deserve to live in peace just as humans do. For many of us, this is where our vegan journey begins, and for our friend Michelle, it serves as the sole purpose for her vegan transition. 

Michelle started her vegan journey in 2017 and in a similar way as many of our other Vegan Life Nutrition friends; as a vegetarian! It wasn’t until she became more informed about the seriousness of animal cruelty that she decided to switch to a vegan lifestyle. She also found her voice and became a vocal member of the vegan community. 

Using her voice to educate

While living a vegetarian lifestyle, she quickly came to the realization that she wasn’t doing enough to inspire change and put a stop to harmful acts against animals. She began watching different documentaries about veganism, including What the health and Game Changers, which is what inspired her to cut out all animal products from her life. 

For Michelle, watching these documentaries opened a new door to an unknown world and allowed her to develop a new appreciation for the vegan community.  Michelle maintains an Instagram account @vegout_withme_ and her posts are not only creative and original but educate others about veganism, ethical decisions, and nutritious vegan meals. She is definitely someone that inspires others!

Any dish can be “veganized” and tasty

Michelle says that she feels amazing! She has lots of energy and keeps her body nourished with food that is grown from the Earth.  When Michelle is not working as a pediatric speech-language pathologist in her hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, she enjoys hiking, working out, running, yoga, cooking vegan food, painting and spending time with her dog. 

A common misperception that Michelle believes should be cleared up about being vegan is the idea that “vegans are depriving themselves from good food.” She wants everyone, especially those considering switching to a vegan diet, to know just how delicious vegan food actually is. If you don’t believe her, try out some of her favorite types of vegan dishes: Thai and Ethiopian. She also says that eating a vegan diet isn’t as hard as it seems and that pretty much all non-vegan recipes can be veganized. 

Family Support

Like many other life changes, having the support of your loved ones is key to positivity and success. Michelle shared with us that her boyfriend, sister, and stepmom have all embraced the vegan lifestyle.  She’s educating her dad, mom and brother about the benefits of making that switch.

Just like many of the others who have shared their vegan journey with us, Michelle says that going vegan is the best decision she’s ever made. Her only regret is not doing it sooner.

Vegan Life Nutrition is proud to be a part of so many vegan journeys.  We don’t sacrifice quality for innovation. Our products are always free of toxins, allergens, and unnecessary ingredients. How? We strictly examine raw ingredients and fully-vet each final product. Quality is our top consideration, and we adhere to the guidelines of some of the toughest regulatory authorities in the world.

Would you like to share your Vegan Journey with us?  Provide your contact information below, and we will reach out to you.  

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The post Inspiring voice: Michelle appeared first on Vegan Life Nutrition.

Vegan Life Nutrition

We’d like to introduce you to a woman who has been on quite the adventure to find her vegan journey.

Diane Yen grew up in Los Angeles and moved to San Diego shortly after college. She then moved to Japan for 5 years and to Chicago for 2 but eventually made her way back to San Diego. She just couldn’t stay away from the beach! 

It wasn’t until after she married her high school sweetheart and moved to Japan that she transitioned to a plant-based lifestyle. 

Living in Japan

Her vegan journey, like many, started as a vegetarian.  It was 1993 in Japan, and her husband was lactose intolerant and couldn’t eat dairy.  Between him giving up dairy and her giving up meat, they were almost an entirely plant-based home. 

For Diane, the switch was easy.  She told Vegan Life Nutrition, “Japan has the best tofu.” 

Smartphones didn’t exist in 1993, so learning new information about Japanese culture was not as simple as it is now.  But, she did her best to learn the necessary Kanji and Japanese phrases. She says that living in Japan also introduced her to many new vegetables and helped her really learn to love fresh vegetables. 

No Need for Meat

Diane is incredibly passionate about health, the environment, and animal cruelty and credits these three things to be what inspires her daily. In her eyes, becoming vegan was the best choice for herself, for others and the environment. It’s a decision that she cherishes. She is a huge advocate for informing others that they don’t need meat in their diet to survive and can find substitutes that taste just as good without causing harm. “Plants have protein!” 

She even had two healthy pregnancies while on a plant-based diet and exclusively nursed both of her children. Diane’s son and daughter both live out of state. She says she misses them a lot, but it is nice to know that they are still making ethical food choices while being on their own.  Although she dreams of a world that is all vegan, she says she is not the vegan police, and she herself is not perfect. She herself tries her very best to live a life that isn’t harmful to herself or to others. 

One thing she finds to be difficult about being vegan is that there are still some restaurants that do not offer vegan options. However, she is thankful that many of them do. The vegan industry has also come a very long way, which excites her and gives her hope for the future. 

We can imagine that there are many more vegan options to choose from than there were in 1993. “We only had soy milk, TVP, and cardboard veggie burgers! We typically gravitated to Asian food. Tofu for the win!” 

Her favorite vegan meal is a rice bowl with teriyaki tofu and roasted veggies. We see that even after all these years, Japan still has a large influence on her lifestyle choices. Other vegan meals that she enjoys are a savory breakfast for dinner with a tofu scramble with avocado toast and lots of veggies. She is also a lover of matcha lattes with almond milk and can’t resist a good plant-based ice cream.  

Advice for Vegans

Because Diane has been vegan for such a long time, she definitely has vast knowledge on the topic and a great deal of advice to give. She says one way that she helps share advice throughout the vegan community is by constantly recommending restaurants and new products to try and spark interest, as well as inform others of just how many options there are for vegans. She also helps by providing the vegan community information about greenhouse gases, zoonotic diseases, pandemics, heart disease, slaughterhouses, and many other important topics.  However, she does so cautiously so as not to turn people away from the idea of being vegan or to scare them. She thinks that the best way to turn people onto switching to a plant-based lifestyle is with kindness. 

Diane wants everyone considering a vegan diet to keep in mind that plants have protein and that animals are not the only source of getting it. She says that there is a very common misconception that plants cannot provide the body with the right nutrients or enough protein, which she says is just not true. The best advice she has for anyone looking to switch to being vegan is, “It’s OK to start small. Allow yourself to progress. Try things out. See what’s important to you. If it’s important to you, you will be motivated to find a way to make it work.”

Vegan Life Nutrition is proud to be a part of so many vegan journeys.  We don’t sacrifice quality for innovation. Our products are always free of toxins, allergens, and unnecessary ingredients. How? We strictly examine raw ingredients and fully-vet each final product. Quality is our top consideration, and we adhere to the guidelines of some of the toughest regulatory authorities in the world.

Would you like to share your Vegan Journey with us?  Provide your contact information below, and we will reach out to you.  

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The post Starting Small Leads to Big Vegan Journey: Diane Yen appeared first on Vegan Life Nutrition.

During pregnancy, there are many limits to which medications and supplements can be taken to ensure that no harm is being done to you or the baby. The one must-have that doctors recommend during pregnancy is a prenatal vitamin. 

Taking a good prenatal vitamin is one of the simplest ways to help encourage a healthy pregnancy for both you and your baby. In addition to a healthy diet, they can help provide both you and your baby with the vital nutrients needed throughout each pregnancy stage. 

Weeks Before Pregnancy

Believe it or not, many healthcare providers recommend starting prenatal vitamins months prior to the pregnancy.

Healthline says the ideal time to start a prenatal supplement is actually weeks or even  months prior to conception. If you are thinking about having a baby, this may be the time to consider taking a prenatal vitamin. 

The Benefits of Prenatal Vitamins

Here are some of the great benefits of taking a prenatal supplement before pregnancy:

1. May reduce the risk of preterm birth
2. Folate supports the earliest and most critical fetal development stages
3. DHA may affect your baby’s health immediately at time of conception
4. DHA may promote an ideal balance of reproductive hormones and help improve egg quality
5. May reduce the chance of birth irregularities
6. Provide adequate sources of iron, vitamin D, and calcium
7. Reduces the risk of preterm delivery, low birth weight, and infant mortality 
8. Provide necessary nutrients for a healthy pregnancy

Pregnancy is not easy and takes a lot out of you as the baby receives all of its nutrients directly from you, which can be very draining on your body. This is why you may experience various issues with physical pain as your body is depleted. Making sure that your body gets what it needs is easier to accomplish before the pregnancy begins and reduces your chances of nutrient deficiencies. If you have enough of the vitamins that you need to thrive, then you are able to adequately share those nutrients with your baby to help them grow.

Prenatal vitamins are important for your health and the health of your baby. Consult with your doctor about taking prenatal supplements if you are planning to conceive.

Vegan Life Nutrition is proud to be a part of so many women’s vegan journeys.  We are excited to bring vegan prenatal vitamins to women who are planning their pregnancies, pregnant, or have just delivered to meet their vegan nutritional desires.

Keep on the lookout for our newest 100% vegan prenatal vitamins. Pre and Postnatal Basic and Pre and Postnatal Focus launching soon. 

The post When Should Women Consider Prenatal Vitamins? appeared first on Vegan Life Nutrition.

Mychael’s Vegan Journey

“It feels wonderful to be vegan,” says Mychael, “It’s like my heart, mind, and actions are aligned. It feels like coming home.”

Mychael went vegan in August of 2012 and just recently celebrated his 9th vegan anniversary. Mychael chose to become vegan because any alternative choice did not seem ethical, compassionate, or necessary. 

His vegan journey is one that truly feels meant to be. He feels strongly about living a life that protects animals and betters the world. He says that his ethical mindset matches his actions, and each day he works towards improving the planet.

Lending a Helping Hand

Mychael helps out the vegan community by asking questions that allow individuals to make the decision to become vegan on their own. He is not forceful with his efforts or aggressive and instead, approaches people with kindness and in a way that is truly helpful for them. 

Although he aims for a world where everyone is vegan, Mychael believes that they should decide for themselves that veganism is the way to go. 

It’s less about doing it because it’s right and everyone else is doing it and much more about doing it because it makes your heart happy. He also highly encourages others to become vegan and welcomes them into the community with open arms and heaps of helpful knowledge. Mychael’s wisdom and vast knowledge of the topic of being vegan make him a great source of information.

Mychael is well known within the local San Diego community of vegans and is constantly providing other vegans with helpful answers to questions they may have. Because he is an expert in horticulture, his knowledge of fruits and veggies definitely comes in handy within the vegan community. In his free time, Mychael makes it a mission to volunteer at animal sanctuaries as much as possible. Doing so not only lowers the consumption and exploitation of animals but also allows him to gain new information that he is able to share with other vegans.

Being Vegan

Mychael has been married to his wife for 14 years and has a son who lives with them. Together they live in a vegan household and make conscious choices. He says that he does not force his son to be vegan; however,  when he is able to make his own food choices, he usually opts for vegan options. Mychael says that the biggest misconception about being vegan is that the food is limited. 

“Being vegan has opened me up to new foods, new ways of seeing things, and compassion/empathy that were blocked before. It is not restrictive, but rather, expansive.”

His favorite vegan food is vegan bowls, full of his favorite veggies, fruits, grains, etc, because of how easy they are to get the nutrients you need and that they are customizable! You can have bowls for any meal of the day; Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even dessert! Although Mychael is able to get all of his required nutrients through plant-based meals, he takes B12 and vitamin D supplements for added assurance. 

Mychael’s passion for bettering the world stems from his realization that the world is struggling. He says that the biggest challenge he faces as a vegan is witnessing the immense suffering in the world and realizing that most humans willingly continue to contribute to it. 

He wants to do better not just for his community but for the world. Mychael continues to encourage others to become vegan by suggesting that they start with a vegan challenge! “There are so many out there, and you will be very surprised about just how great it feels.” You may even turn a challenge into a life-long vegan journey.

Vegan Life Nutrition is proud to be a part of so many vegan journeys.  We don’t sacrifice quality for innovation. Our products are always free of toxins, allergens, and unnecessary ingredients. How? We strictly examine raw ingredients and fully-vet each final product. Quality is our top consideration, and we adhere to the guidelines of some of the toughest regulatory authorities in the world.

Would you like to share your Vegan Journey with us?  Provide your contact information below, and we will reach out to you.  

The post Working Towards a Vegan World: Mychael McNeeley appeared first on Vegan Life Nutrition.