ALABAMA

• JUDY W. "I discovered that poor dietary habits (including eating meat and dairy, processed and fast foods)have such a detrimental effect on health. Slowly I began changing not only the way I ate, but also the way I thought about eating. I removed harmful, poisonous foods from my diet and replaced them with nutritional whole foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and other healthy organic foods."

ARKANSAS

• JEFFREY R. " I can honestly admit that I had no idea that the foods I consumed were responsible for my poor health."

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ARIZONA

• TEHRINA B. "I realized my actions where still contributing to the suffering of others, and that wasn't acceptable to me, so I changed."

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CALIFORNIA

• TRACY C. "When we choose a vegan diet, we help the world move in the right direction, to a pure, spiritual way of looking at all living things including the Earth itself."

• SUNDARAM L. "The result to the individual is health of the body, clarity of thought, emotional harmony and upliftment of consciousness. On a global scale the Vegan diet holds the promise of a sustainable, nutritional food supply for all mankind."

• SPENCER N. "Vegetarians suffer less cancer and other degenerative disease and have longer life-spans than non-vegetarians. The Journal of the American Medical Association claimed that heart disease would be reduced by 97% if people switched to vegetarianism. Vegetarian women have a quarter of the rate of breast cancer as meat-eating women, and 1/5th the rate of osteoporosis. While 26% of meat eaters develop high blood pressure, only 2% of vegetarians do so."

• JUSTINA W. "Living vegan offers the opportunity to live from a place of mindfulness and awareness.  With clear intention, we truly can nurture and heal ourselves,our families and friends, our community, and the world."

• JUDITH W. "When information meets opportunity, we choose,and our choices, large and small, can make this world either spin madly or peacefully turn around.  The more careful our choices, the fuller life’s circle."

• JACLIN D. "Not only did my family wonder why I had become vegan, but they also listened to my reasons, and they paid attention. My mother, an amazing cook, using her own ingenuity and cookbooks such as Vegan World Fusion Cuisine, has incorporated many vegan dishes into her repertoire."

• JENNIFER P. "Transition[ing] to a sustainable vegan diet, eating organic, locally grown produce is not only healthy for you, but will severely decrease the amount of pollution and guide people in the direction of nonviolence."

• CONNIE C. "Studies of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada conclude that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. (American Dietetic Association)"

• DR. WALTER U. "I am 73 and my pushup record (on my knees) is a non-stop set of 300! How's that for energy, strength and endurance? Go vegan now and find out for yourself!"

• CYNTHIA L. "The future of our food supply depends on being vegan if we want to make positive change. As Gandhi had commented, "You can tell a lot about a nation by the way they treat their animals."  OR Almost 90 year old Grandpa Fred said 'I am still healthy as ever.  I felt a tremendous difference years ago when I came to the enlightenment of eating food grown and naturally gifted from the earth.'"

• CARMELA D. " I knew that a well-prepared vegan diet would not only have a positive effect on the patients’ weight but would also boast his morale."

• BONNIE G. "I’m meeting more and more people who see the transition to a vegan diet as the logical move to make. The choice is ours, and therein lies the power."

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COLORADO

• BECKY C. "Currently, heart disease is the number one killer in the United States, and the study shows how its cause can be summed up in four conditions that are a direct result of lifestyle choices: high cholesterol, obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes.  All of these can be lowered by veganism."

• MARK C. "If we all ate a vegan diet, there would be enough food for the 800 million people in the world who unnecessarily go hungry. Sooner or later, the future of our food supply depends on this."

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CONNECTICUT

• JOSEPH T. "We have to reclaim our health. As a physician, I talk to my patients daily about the link between their health, and the food choices they make. I want all of my patients to experience the health related and physical benefits of a vegan diet through weight reduction, cholesterol control, and improved blood pressure."

• STEPHEN G. "As a physician practicing hematology and oncology I am acutely aware of the pivotal role that lifestyle choices such as diet and exercise have on our society's health. Most of the data point to a vegetarian or near vegetarian diet as providing the greatest likelihood of remaining free of cancer"

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FLORIDA

• THERESA B. "In only 4 days of eating no Dairy and no Meat, I felt better than I had in SEVEN years.  I wasn't a prisoner to the pain and discomfort that I would have after every meal."

• ERYN P. "Vegan World Fusion Cuisine offers recipes that not only taste great, but help you feel and look your best!"

• ANGIE S. "A vegan diet is not only healthier and beneficial to the environment, but can be colorful and full of flavor."

• ELLEN J. "I returned for good to my standard vegan diet. I haven't had a hot flash or any other menopausal symptoms since. My husband was astounded."

• JENNY M. "My creative cooking process begins with a basket and my garden. I pick whatever is ripe and arrange it in the basket: This is a beautiful thing; a basket full of fresh ripe vegetables ready to become whatever I have the time and imagination to turn it into."
  

• JAIMIE J. "In Japan as an English teacher, I have the incredible opportunity to exchange cultural learning with my students and teachers. With food as a great expression of the culture, mealtimes have provided an open forum to discuss our lifestyles."

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GEORGIA

• CATHERINE C. "I began to suspect that my healthy diet might not be so healthy. I began to take a good honest look at my eating habits. I discovered that by eliminating animal foods and adopting a plant based diet I could reduce the risk of many degenerative illnesses."

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HAWAII

• PAMELA D. "I began to lose weight and feel better, more energetic.  I started educating myself, learned about the disastrous effects of a meat-based diet, and realized that veganism is the answer."

• ERIN M. "Being vegetarian has not been a challenge but rather a blessing.  I still get to eat my favorites from every type of international cuisine, from pasta to pad thai to sushi to stirfrys to burritos and curries."

• ROBERT I. " Dr. Demas of Cornell University had found a powerful recipe for nurturing healthy eating behaviors, reversing childhood obesity trends and transforming our world. When students are empowered to prepare and eat unfamiliar healthy vegan foods in their classrooms, they are much more likely to choose those same healthy foods when they are offered in the school cafeteria as part of the school lunch program."

• MATTHEW K. "In the last few years I've awoken everyday feeling inspired to inspire. I smile more. I care more. I try more. I know more. I feel each day is an opportunity to reach out to others, an opportunity to give."

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INDIANA

• SUSAN C. "I also have become aware of how the personal matter of one's diet is intertwined with issues such as environmentalism, economic equity, human and animal welfare, obesity and other health issues and the peace movement.  A vegan diet, practiced by more if not all people, would go far in addressing many of the problems and concerns of the world."

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MASSACHUSETTS

• JASON E. "The vegan lifestyle is one of adoration and respect for nature. To be vegan is to understand the interconnectedness of nature and human society. We are dependent on nature for our very existence and must treat it accordingly."

• CARLY S. "Since going vegan, I have never been in better health. My mild anemia has subsided, I run six miles a day and practice yoga, and at 26 I am in the best shape of my life. I have endless energy and rarely succumb to the yearly rounds of colds and flues."

• BENJAMIN M. "Veganism is not simply an abstinence from eating meat, or the elimination of animal products from one’s life. It is a quest to draw upon the virtues within ourselves in order to make the world a better place for both humans and nonhumans."

• BLAKELY S. "If learning about the effects of meat eating on the planet helped open my eyes, becoming a vegan opened my soul.  Once I stopped eating all animal products I realized that I actually could care about animals." 

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MARYLAND

• ERIKA H. "Vegan dishes can be found in the traditional cuisines of most cultures, hearkening back to a pre-factory-farming time when animal products comprised a small portion of the diet. Borrowing dishes from various cultures, one can create a diet which is as delicious as it is healthful and environmentally sound."

• SHELLEY J. "Doing my one month vegan experiment turned out to be a life altering experience and I hope others who are thinking about trying out the vegan lifestyle will do so and feel as good as I do. My skin was clearer, I had more energy, and everything was just feeling better."

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MICHIGAN

• SARAH H. "After much soul-searching and self-discovery, I made the decision to go Vegan out of respect for animal suffering, the environment and my health, both physical and spiritual. The extra weight (40 pounds!) melted off, and I began to really taste the food I was putting into my body, now appreciating it as food for the soul as well."

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MINNISOTA

• JILL N. "I am a person who likes to commit myself. I've kept a promise to be a better person in ways that I can and this is one of the small ways I do that."

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MONTANA

• MELISSA S. "I have received calls from numerous people all over the country who have either found out they are battling illness or someone that they love is, and want information on how they can get healthier."

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NEBRASKA

• RICHARD H. "Today, cultural diversity and spiritual wisdom have helped to provide a wondrous variety of natural, meat free food that is physically nourishing and can be spiritually liberating."

• MARC M. "We now are able to live in youthful vigor, creativity, and fulfillment as an everyday experience."

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NEW MEXICO

• SHADY S. "Eating fresh wholesome fruits, legumes and vegetables - food that is full of vital life force, full of enzymes and nutrition, will promote vitality and health for us. It is the bounty of the earth, and is designed to be our food."

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NEVADA

• TY J. "From the day I modified my diet, I felt better.Not just physically either.  My cholesterol dropped from 230 to 140 since the only dietary source of cholesterol comes from animals.  I also lost 30 pounds in two months.  More than that, though, I felt fulfilled."

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NEW YORK

• HeeWon K. "Our journey into veganism had begun as an urgent necessity Dad's need to minimize pain. In time, through practice, a vegan lifestyle became a necessity for the family, to help us all to maximize life to help us truly realize the immigrants' dream of a happier and healthier life."
  
  
• SUSAN K. "My faith has grown from all I had seen, experienced, read and tasted.  And Jane Goodall’s [vegetarian] life and example reminded me how individual decisions affect, not only the wholeness of one’s own  life, but the world our children will inherit and their children."

• CATHERINE F. "I felt better than ever, and looked better too! My skin, which was red and irritated, suddenly became clear and glowing. My menstrual cramps faded away and I got sick less often. Without dieting, or exercising more than usual, thirty pounds simply vanished into the air."

• MARNI F. "There is no better time than right now to become a vegan. Restaurants and health stores all over the world are offering vegan options. Medical journals are touting a well-balanced vegan diet as the right choice for weight maintenance, lower risk of heart disease, and lower risks of cancer, showing that being vegan may be the alternative to all of the limiting fad diets that promise results, but which cannot be sustained long-term."

• LISA S. "As a personal trainer, I hope to be able to show clients and other professionals that vegans can have the energy to do intense workouts,that they can easily get enough protein to build muscle, and that vegan foods can be undeniably scrumptious."

• KERI B. "Becoming a vegan was a personal statement of love and compassion to the world.  It was my way of expressing the unity I felt with other living beings."

• HEEWON K. "Ultimately, Dad was our best teacher. His positive attitude and determination taught us that essential lesson: to live consciously, deliberately, and in harmony with yourself and the world."

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OHIO

• JEAN W. "As a person of deep faith, family is a basic core value. Food, and the sharing that comes with great food, good music and caring conversation are so much a part of the definition of family."

OREGON

• DONNA N. "I have been a vegetarian for 48 years. By eating only foods that grow out of the earth and by committing to love and care for my fellow creatures a profound love for humanity and the earth has been cultivated."

• STACEY S. "We have the choice to make wise decisions, to support sustainable methods of production, to buy locally, to encourage the manufacture and use of alternatives to animal products and to promote peace with each and every action we take. It is not our beliefs, but our actions that make us vegans."

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TENNESSEE

• ANN B. "My children have adopted my [VEGAN] lifestyle: my son, the high school football player; and my daughter, the “A” student.  We are all healthier and happier that we are not only doing the best that we can for our bodies but, also, for our environment and our animal friends."

TEXAS

• JUSTIN W. "Veganism is something an individual who eats animal products can consider at many levels; spiritual, health, political, even common sense."

WASHINGTON

• KIRSTEN C. "My mom and grandma have already seen improvements in their health. Less than a year of a vegan diet has taken forty points off my mom and grandma's Cholesterol. My grandma no longer has arthritis pains and has more energy then I do at age twenty!"

• CRYSTINE G. "This path we have chosen is not lonely. Our path and passion is growing food, but we are repeatedly inspired by friends and peers who have taken that same commitment to a compassionate lifestyle in other directions."

• DOH D. "Here was the proof of the promise. I’m not alone, I’m doing something worthwhile, and my small acts are indeed contributing toward a global cure."

• BOB D. "It was becoming apparent to me that a diet containing meat was the cause of many human diseases but I never thought about it from the perspective of the affects to the planet and to the cow."
  
• PEMBERLY L. "The ability to incorporate an earth friendly existence lies within every person on the planet."

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WISCONSIN

• AMBER F. "Veganism supports the concept of sustainable living, defined as preserving resources so future generations can still meet their needs, particularly with regard to use and waste of natural resources."

CANADA

• ROBERT M. "Vegan World Fusion Cuisine serves as a joining place where we can feed ourselves and each other, literally and figuratively, to keep hopes of a vegan world alive and thriving."
  
• ETHAN S. "I, like the vast majority of people in this world, am able to make choices that not only benefit me but also benefit life all around me. And that’s what being vegan is all about."

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UNITED KINGDOM

• SARAH M. "Even this week, the Prostate Cancer Charity have published a link to eating a vegan diet and halting or even reversal of the illness. Other cancer a vegan diet and halting or even reversal of the illness. Other cancer patients often convert to vegan diets and many far outlive their 'given' times."

• FRANCES M. "My charity work is full time and still growing, and as I approach my sixties my life has never been busier or more rewarding.Let's work together to become more peaceful within ourselves, more creative in the world and more human to those with whom we share this beautiful planet."

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NORWAY

• GERARD T. "Little did I know that my quest to overcome the problems of one guy and his family would lead me into a world that I never dreamed existed"

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For more information on any of these essays, please email us at info@veganfusion.com.