We had the chance to talk to Venus about her diet, her life, and her exciting new ventures.

Q: When you were diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome, you switched to a plant-based diet. How did this help you manage the autoimmune disorder?

VW: The vegan diet was a big change for me and I am still adjusting. It is especially a challenge as I am constantly travelling and eating on the run. However, I believe it is the most sustainable way to eat and it really renews your body. The thing that has helped me most is high iron intake, along with eliminating cane sugar and corn syrup.

Q: How did you feel physically after changing your diet? Have you noticed other benefits?

VW: Amazing skin! Also low body fat but I am not really looking for any other results.

Q: It’s been reported you train for five hours a day—what foods keep you fueled and going before, during, and after your workouts?

VW: I am not a big eater. In the morning I mainly eat fruit. That gets me through my tennis practice. Lunchtime is normally my biggest meal, something like rice or carbs that will get me through my gym workout.

Q: What are your favorite foods to eat?

VW: I eat to live, not live to eat. At the moment I love anything that involves potatoes. ­­

Q: Most people don’t know that you’ve also become an entrepreneur—you are part owner of the Miami Dolphins and founded a clothing line. Why and how did you decide to create a clothing line called EleVen?

VW: I studied fashion design, so this was a natural progression. Every design student dreams of having their own clothing line! EleVen represents going past a ten, so its all ’bout turning it up to EleVen!

Q: What was the hardest thing about creating a clothing line? The most exciting thing?

VW: It’s definitely an adventure! What I love most is building an amazing team, collaborating with them, and then seeing them shine. The hardest part is all the risks you take as an entrepreneur—it can be a daunting experience but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Q: Which famous people would you love to see wearing your clothes?

VW: Let’s see, Serena Williams! Rita Ora and Lewis Hamilton when we launch the men’s line. Misty Copeland would be amazing too!

Q: You’re an inspiration to millions of kids, entrepreneurs, and people struggling with their health. Is there anything you’d like to encourage in the next generation?

VW: Yes, look into natural remedies as well as conventional, because they go hand and hand. Always continue to search for the solution that makes you feel better. It’s different for everyone! Most of all, chronic health conditions can be demoralizing and limiting. However, you have to see the glass as half full and always focus on what you can accomplish and not what you can’t.

Q: Do you have a personal mantra or motto?

VW: Better than a 10!

Q: I was in the stands at your first US Open appearance where you shocked everyone at 17 years old. At 36, you’re still shocking everyone now by the length and success of your career. Most people retire by their early 30s. What is the secret to your long career?

VW: You know, I’m asking myself that! It’s the love of the game that still lights my fire. I know I still have a lot to give. I also love a challenge, and last but not least, I love wearing EleVen on the court! I don’t know if I can give up walking out on center court in our cool gear!

Learn more about Venus Williams and about Eleven by Venus.

The post Food, Fashion, and the Future: Exclusive Interview With Tennis Great Venus Williams appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Over the next six years, Matt started running more and improving the way he ate. After five marathons, he still hadn’t qualified for the Boston Marathon. In early 2009, he decided he was going to go vegetarian for ethical reasons. Although he was scared the change would affect his running performance, he couldn’t deny his feelings on the subject. He started a blog to document his progress.

Matt immediately saw results: “I got faster immediately, and six months later, I qualified for Boston. Once that happened, I went vegan. I kept getting faster, and after that, I started to run longer distances of 50 and 100 miles.”

He’s still racing and doing ultras, and about two years after he started his blog, it became a job. (He was in graduate school studying applied math when he first started No Meat Athlete.) The website now has hundreds of thousands of readers and has a very popular podcast and newsletter.

(May, 2017 Update: Matt and yoga teacher and health coach Stepfanie Romine just published The No Meat Athlete Cookbook: Whole Food, Plant-Based Recipes to Fuel Your Workouts and the Rest of Your Life. It’s chock-full of delicious plant-based recipes, all with oil-free options, like this Quinoa Primavera.)

We caught up with Matt to chat:

Forks Over Knives: What do your readers ask you about most?

Matt Frazier: The protein question is the most-asked question, of course. I also get asked about supplements and if I take any. I do take a multivitamin and B12 supplement, but I don’t take any protein powder or anything like that. I also get some running form questions.

FOK: What are some of the most popular things on your site?

MF: We have some nutrition articles that are always popular, like “Protein—A Primer for Vegetarians,” but we also have some unique posts like “Why Vegans and Paleos Should Stop Hating Each Other” that readers really like. For podcasts, “Live to be 100—Lessons from the Blue Zones” and “21 Weird Things We Do Now That We’re Vegan” are popular.

FOK: What does your diet normally look like?

MF: I usually start my days with smoothies made of fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Very simple. I like pita and hummus for snacks. For meals we do a lot of ethnic dishes like beans and rice, Thai, Indian, Italian, and things like that. Every day I also have one big salad with a meal.

I never count calories, but I probably eat more on workout days because I’m hungrier. Fresh whole dates are my favorite running snacks. For really long runs or races where I have to actually bring food along, I like refried beans on corn tortillas or hummus and pita.

FOK: Who are your inspirations?

MF: I am inspired by a lot of people, but I especially look up to Rich Roll, Robert Cheeke, Brendan Brazier, Michael Arnstein, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, and Dr. Joel Fuhrman.

FOK: What’s your favorite thing about your website? Anything exciting coming up?

MF: I love doing the podcast and interacting with people on social media, but I especially am proud of the “No Meat” running groups that have popped up all around the country and all around the world, from Virginia Beach to Oklahoma City to Sydney, Australia. For me, it’s all about people making connections.

I’m also excited for my new book, written with Stepfanie Romine, coming out next year in 2017. [Matt’s first book was 2013’s No Meat Athlete.]

FOK: Why do you think your blog became so big?

MF: One thing that makes me unique is that I don’t do a lot of preaching. I’m more into helping people than lecturing. For example, some people might need to learn to be vegetarian until noon before they can go on. Sometimes it’s about baby steps. I tend to be allergic to vegan preaching. One of the reasons that I didn’t go meat-free earlier was because I didn’t want to one of those judgmental vegans or vegetarians.

I try to just be a good example in my life. I think that’s part of the reason people find me and stick around.

_{Above: The No Meat Athlete Miami running group. Photo courtesy of No Meat Athlete.}

The post Meet Matt Frazier, the Vegan Ultrarunner Behind “No Meat Athlete” appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

After I moved away from home, I became much more body conscious. Many years of fad diets, exercise binges, and yo-yo dieting began. I now know that I was a normal girl who decided she was fat.

Eventually I married and had a daughter. After the marriage failed, some of the bad habits I had developed became extreme, and I developed an eating disorder, which I battled for the next eight years. During this time, because of my interest in the aging process and health studies, I worked as a nursing home administrator. I watched people age every day. I knew I was doing it all wrong, but I was young, time was on my side, and I considered myself healthy because, in my mind, healthy equaled skinny. As long as I didn’t go above a certain number on the scale, I thought I was “healthy.”

When I remarried, my husband wanted me to be healthy (instead of just thin) and encouraged me to make some real changes to break free of my eating disorder. I was no longer able to fall back on my old tricks, and my weight soon ballooned. My favorite breakfast food was chocolate doughnuts, which meant that I’d then skip lunch. I drank soda all day long. Dinner was usually a microwaved low-calorie meal. And, of course, there was always room for dessert!

My husband and I both steadily gained weight. We really had no of idea the power of food, for good or bad. My mother had been a diabetic and died at an early age from complications of the disease. I knew my risk of developing diabetes was higher than average, but I felt like I had no ability to control that outcome. One day, I took my daughter to an appointment with her pediatrician. She told me afterward that the doctor had asked if her mom had always been fat. That was motivation enough to get me to join a gym, and I eventually purchased the business. I loved learning about fitness, and I was anxious to help others! However, I still didn’t have the food piece of the puzzle, so keeping my weight within normal limits was a constant battle, and one that I consistently lost.

My real education started with a bout of pancreatitis. While researching how to heal myself and the best diet to eat to prevent a recurrence, I stumbled onto the Forks Over Knives documentary.

Everything in the film struck a chord with me. It all made sense. It was the missing piece!

I stopped buying so many foods that had labels. I started buying real, whole food. I discovered farmers markets and the produce aisle! I started drinking water. I looked for opportunities to move throughout the day. I listened to my body. I sought out ways to nourish it and use food as fuel. I gradually cut out processed foods and learned to crowd out meat with extra vegetables, fruits, and grains. I learned that in order to reach and maintain a healthy weight—something that had always been just out of my grasp—I didn’t have to eat a grilled chicken salad or yogurt for every meal. Hallelujah! After a lifetime of struggling with food, I was finally enjoying what I ate, and feeling great. I was amazed to have so much energy throughout the day, to wake up feeling refreshed and rested, and to not suffer from the headaches, mood swings, and cravings that I often had before.

Over the next year, I closed my gym, was hired as a flight attendant, and became a personal trainer. Now I train clients online about clean eating, plant-based diets, using food as fuel, and learning what their bodies can do when they are focused on nourishing it appropriately.

A plant-based diet is helping me to be my best self, and I’m doing my best to spread the love!

The post How I Took Back My Health After a Lifetime of Crash Diets and an Eating Disorder appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

When we shared Eric’s health transformation story last year, many readers asked to hear more about his dog. So we’re happy to share this moving short film about Eric and Peety by the Humane Society of Silicon Valley.

The post Eric & Peety: A Story of Mutual Rescue appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

A Crushing Pain in My Chest … Which I Mistook for Acid Reflux
At 3:30 in the afternoon, while I was sitting with a patient, a burning sensation began in the center of my chest. Within five minutes, it was a crushing pain in my chest, down both arms, and into my jaw. In a moment of extraordinary denial, I convinced myself I was having a horrible episode of reflux. I proceeded to take some medication for that. I also took eight baby aspirin, in the “unlikely” event that I was having a heart attack. The pain was 90 percent gone in thirty minutes. I finished my day, went home, and had dinner. My wife urged me to contact my doctor since I was still clammy and had mild discomfort in my chest. I finally did and was encouraged by him to go to the emergency room. I drove myself there at 10 p.m. and was told I had an abnormal EKG with elevated troponin levels. In short, I was having a heart attack. This was no ordinary Monday!

My angiogram findings revealed 40 to 50 percent stenosis in my right coronary artery and 20 to 30 percent stenosis in my left anterior descending artery. Fortunately, my heart did not suffer any damage and a stent was not needed. While in the hospital, I researched heart disease treatments and quickly became aware of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, a pioneer in treating heart disease with diet and the director of the cardiovascular prevention and reversal program at the Cleveland Clinic. By the time I was discharged from the hospital, I had finished his book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, and it was clear to me what I needed to do. I knew that our lives would never be the same. For me, the easy part was eating a whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) diet. I loved the food and was convinced by the evidence that it was curative. The hard part was for my wonderful wife, who was willing to completely scrap or heavily modify every recipe she has ever made for our family and learn an entirely new menu and way of cooking. The learning curve was steep and she rose to the occasion. She became an extraordinary WFPB chef in the process and also follows the diet pretty closely herself.

After I left the hospital, I made contact with Dr. Esselstyn. He has been so kind and supportive and has even contacted me by phone on several occasions to answer questions and offer encouragement and support. Forks Over Knives was also a great source of inspiration to me as I moved through this process.

Post-Heart Attack
Soon after my heart attack, I had a very detailed lipid panel which showed a significant elevation in Lipoprotein(a), suggesting that my heart disease had a hereditary component. That elevation has remained high in my lipid panel and had no effect in undermining my progress.

Twenty-seven months after my heart attack, my primary care physician (Dr. Miguel Trevino) and my cardiologist (Dr. Ronald Walsh) ordered a CT of my coronary arteries to evaluate my progress. They were both very supportive and played an integral role in caring for me in my recovery. We had been monitoring my lipids every three to four months and I had consistently achieved total cholesterol readings from 90 to 110 and LDL from 48 to 55 without statins. My weight has been stable at 172 pounds, almost exactly my weight in high school. The findings of this latest CT scan were startling. There was no evidence of stenosis in my arteries. My right coronary artery (RCA) and left anterior descending artery (LAD) were 100 percent open. In short, my disease had completely reversed in just over two years. My cardiologist, Dr. Walsh, was amazed and essentially told me that I could return for a follow-up a year later if I “wanted to brag.”

What has been most compelling to me, a medical professional, was the effectiveness of using a whole-food, plant-based diet to reverse my “hereditary” heart disease. My success in reversing this disease is proof-positive that, in the words of Dr Esselstyn, heart disease is a “food borne illness that need not ever exist or ever progress…”

The post From Heart Attack to Healthy Heart in Two Years With No Meds appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

It wasn’t easy at the start—no one in my family was vegan, or even vegetarian, and (with the exception of my mother) they discouraged me from following a plant-based lifestyle. This was over forty years ago, and since that time things have changed a great deal, with much more veg-friendly information available in the popular press to support my vision of plant-based living for all.

Even though I am an elite marathon runner and triple Guinness World Record holder, I am primarily an animal advocate and caregiver. If I don’t think an animal will benefit either directly or indirectly from my actions, I reconsider them. Almost every day of my life is spent caring and providing for rescued animals at the Tower Hill Stables Animal Sanctuary, a facility I founded more than two decades ago, just outside London in the UK. Currently it is home to over four hundred rescued animals, both domestic and farmed, who have come into my care from various desperate situations. All are welcome, all are treated equally with the respect and dignity that is their birthright, and each life is precious.

My days are long and filled with work and worry—I rise at 3:30 am and finish when all are cared for and comfortable, usually around 9 pm. It’s a grueling regimen, one that continues daily, regardless of weather, season, or circumstances. Some see living this way to be a sacrifice; I see it as an honor and a privilege to be able to provide a haven to so many vulnerable victims, often of human violence.

Starting the Sanctuary

The sanctuary was an enormous undertaking, something I could not possibly have envisioned those twenty-plus years ago when I started it. I had always rescued animals in a small and simple way, but when one of my horses had a terrible accident due to the negligence of a stable owner, I decided to create a home for the animals I loved. After that, frantic preparations began and the mammoth process of raising the necessary funds to buy land commenced. It was huge; it seemed insurmountable. We sold everything we possessed of any value, and somehow we did it.

On the 5th December, 1996, my partner Martin and I moved to the sanctuary, with our family of animal friends. The next day, our injured horse Oscar came “home,” living happily for another four years, until old age eventually took him from us.

Since that time, the sanctuary has just grown and grown, out of the desperate need of so many animals who require help. Currently we have horses, sheep, cattle, pigs, goats, turkeys, chickens, ducks, peacocks, dogs, cats, and rabbits—many rescued from the exploitative farming, meat, and dairy industries … some simply “thrown out” because they are elderly, infirm, ill, or just unwanted. We don’t discriminate or question the reasons for their plight, we just attempt to find the answer and end to it.

After several years, I realized that running the sanctuary was not enough—not for me and certainly not for the animals. Yes, I could deliver care and comfort to a select few, but what about the millions and millions who are suffering and beyond my reach? I had to do more. The problem weighed on my mind for week, months, and years until I came up with a plan: I needed to become good at something tough, really tough, that would prove emphatically the viability—or, in my view, the superiority—of a plant based diet.

Becoming a Runner

I was always good at sports, and at some point I hit upon the idea of running. I wanted to demonstrate to the world that a plant-based diet was good for performance. How would I become a good runner?  Dedication, discipline, determination, and drive were the answer. I knew I wasn’t in the best physical condition to achieve this goal, as multiple knee surgeries as a teenager had left me partially disabled and without the pivotal fulcrum of a right kneecap. I had a disability but I also had a strength: I wasn’t doing it for me; I was doing it for the animals, and to prove that I could achieve results as a lifelong plant eater that others could only dream of. When the training got hard, I remembered why I was doing it: my pain was voluntary; theirs was not—that thought was all I needed to drive myself on, and that is exactly what I have been doing ever since.

This drive has taken me to multiple marathon victories, a personal best time of 2 hours 38 minutes, and top-twenty placement in two of the World Marathon Major series (Berlin and London). Having achieved all this, I began to look at my results and wonder if they were making the difference for the animals I desired.

Marathon des Sables, a 150-Mile Race Across the Sahara Desert

In 2011, someone suggested I try something completely different, something physically and mentally challenging in other ways. They mentioned the Marathon des Sables, known as “the toughest footrace on the planet,” a 150-mile ultrarun across the Sahara Desert, in which you carry all your supplies on your back for five or six days. In addition to the actual running, the hazards include daytime temperatures of over 54°C (129°F). and freezing temperatures at night, 800-foot sand dunes, blisters, dehydration, and primitive living with absolutely no daily comforts—just basic tent facilities at the end of each stage and very limited rationed water.

I was desperate to prove I could do it, even with the added challenges of an ultraheavy pack due to my ethically sourced kit, limited availability of dehydrated foods, and recovery drinks that made my pack heavier than normally acceptable. I just had to prove it possible: if I could do this as a vegan, then who could argue any reason, either dietary or otherwise, for not following suit?

My task was made none the easier as I broke two toes trying to assist an elderly horse, Charity, to her feet the week before the race. I was advised not to race, but I had to try. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. The broken toes caused me all sorts of added problems—the scarring to my feet, blisters, and swelling caused the bone in one of my toes to show through, but despite all this I finished the race … because when things became bad and I felt darkest, I clung on to my reasons for being there and what this accomplishment might achieve.

The Polar Marathons

Having completed Marathon des Sables, I decided to attempt the polar (North Pole and Antarctic Ice) marathons, simply because they were at the other end of the spectrum. I didn’t know how, or if, I would cope with the brutality of the icy conditions. I think I shocked myself even more than the other competitors when I won the first race at the North Pole by a massive margin, setting a new course record!

After this victory, fellow competitors who were more specialized in this sort of running suggested that I consider tackling the world record by attempting to become the fastest woman to run a marathon on every continent plus the North Pole. Since I was entered in the Antarctic race seven months later, this was an option. However the reality of obtaining funding for such a venture did make it seem less viable as time ticked by. It was only at the last minute, in August, that I decided I had to go.

The publicity I would gain as a vegan successfully completing this challenge was something I could not afford to miss in my efforts to promote ethical plant-based living to the masses. At the time, the only potential source of money on my horizon was to re-mortgage my parent’s house. But fortunately, at the very last minute, a private sponsor stepped in and offered help. Then the frenzy of the challenge began.  

Becoming the Fastest Woman to Run a Marathon on Every Continent

Every week or two I was off for a couple of days to a different continent, dashing off the plane, running the marathon, and then returning straight home to care for the animals. I made the journey from the UK to Australia and back in less than four days with no jet lag—and grabbed a podium place in the marathon, to boot!

Those few weeks were so hectic and stressful. Trying to stay well and injury-free, and to physically make the start of all the races, was an enormous challenge on many levels. It nearly all fell apart in the penultimate race—the highest average altitude marathon ever held—in the Atacama Desert. In order to save the money and time required for two costly trips to South America (one to race there and one in transit to Antarctica), I combined the trips. But I injured my knee in the Atacama race, so severely that doctors told me I would not run again that year, let alone five days later in Antarctica. I was desperate and disappointed.

By now, because I had been running each race so quickly, three potential world records were on the line. I had to go; I had to try and complete the race in Antarctica. Even if I were to walk ’round, I had to finish. As I stood on the start line of that race I felt nervous, frightened, and demoralized, but not defeated—never defeated, until I draw my last breath. I can’t remember much about the race other than that it was hard and cold. I set a new marathon world record by running 7 marathons on 7 continents in 23 hours and 27 minutes. How I won it, how I broke the course record, again I do not know. All I know is that in 2013 this is what I did—not for me, but for the animals.

(Above: Fiona running the Antarctic Ice Marathon in minus 20 degrees. She won and broke the course record.)

What’s Next 

Now it’s time to wake up and look forward. This year I will attempt to break my own world records in the London Marathon in April where I have an elite place. There, amongst some of the best runners in the world, I will be particularly proud to sport my Vegan Runner vest, as an honorary member of the club after having been instrumental in starting it some eleven years ago.

Then, three weeks later, I will attempt to become one of only a handful of women to complete the 4 Deserts Grand Slam—an ultra endurance event consisting of a week each in the Sahara, Gobi, Atacama, and Antarctic deserts. These races are mentally, physically, spiritually, and logistically challenging alike—but they certainly serve to prove that veganism is a viable and valid option for all.

After that, who knows? All I do know is that for me the animals will always come first.

WATCH For the Animals, a documentary about Fiona.

The post Vegan Ultra Athlete for the Animals: How I Became a Triple Guinness World Record Holder appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Kappel believes that timing was instrumental in his own transition to a plant-powered diet. “When I met Brian Wendel [founder of Forks Over Knives], he was still producing the film. I wasn’t a huge meat eater and had already been working to decrease the amount of meat in my system and my diet, but I did have one vice, which was drinking gigantic 32-ounce milkshakes at night. Physically I looked like I was at my peak, but my numbers told a different story. My cholesterol test had just come back high, and I was researching and reading up on how to fix that. So my conversation with Brian came at just the right time. Then I read The China Study and was amazed.”

That was six years ago. Kappel is known for putting his own body through rigorous physical training and testing, and he watched closely to see how cutting out the daily milkshakes and adopting a plant-based diet affected his performance. “My cholesterol came down and I was still strong and performing at the highest level. I had to address all the fitness myths out there, including the idea that you need meat. But when you look at gorillas, who essentially eat plant-based diets, then you don’t worry as much about strength.” Kappel, who is famous for his cutting-edge fitness techniques, is never afraid to improvise. “I now make a plant-based milkshake with bananas, almond milk, dates, and some peanut butter when I want that smooth and creamy dessert. And it’s great.”

For Keera, a junior in high school, the plant-based diet was a solution as well. “When my dad started to cut meat out and we became more plant-based, I just went along with it for convenience. When I decided to try and go back to eating more meat after a while, my body couldn’t handle it. I got very sick with stomach issues and started having allergies, and I knew it was related. I became plant-based and it really fixed those health problems.” Like her dad, Keera also performs at a high level. She has been playing with the nationally recognized Mizuno club volleyball program for the last two years. She says pasta with greens, quinoa, and couscous, plus fruit and spinach smoothies, are her staples. Her team and coach are very supportive of her diet: “They’ll often base restaurant choices around me, because they can eat everything, but I can’t.”

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A post shared by Kappel LeRoy Clarke (@kappelleroyclarke)

Training and Performance

Kappel has trained people ranging from everyday folks to Olympians and professional athletes for 26 years, and he’s known for his focus on functional fitness. Brian [Wendel] first noticed his training style on the beach: “I was on the beach near my house and I saw him training [former professional football player] Eddie George. I was really impressed with the bodyweight exercises and dynamic aspect of the workout, which were very different from sitting and lifting weights at the gym. We’ve been training together ever since.”

Keera trains hard with her dad three to five times per week, depending on where she is in the volleyball season, and he has her working hard with kettlebells, sprints, launchpad workouts, and different volleyball-focused moves and exercises. It sounds like a teenage nightmare to be trained by a father who is well known for working out people like Reggie Bush, but Keera says it’s a “blessing,” and credits him for her confidence. Kappel comments that his training is “not just about working out; it’s also about learning to be a strong, confident woman who is able to survive this crazy world. I like the upside of organized team sports for children, from the social element to the teamwork to learning to deal with winning and losing. Those are some the same goals that my wife and I have always had for her and her sister before her—including a strong work ethic, courage, and bravery.”

Talking to Kappel, it seems like he might be most proud of her mental toughness. “When I work with athletes, whether they are my daughter or professionals, I address both the mental and physical aspects of performance. And Keera amazes me. She’s calm and focused under pressure, and coaches love that. That’s a harder thing to develop than physical fitness.”

Keera glows when she talks about her last club season with Mizuno, and her story is about her journey rather than a single success. After moving up to a higher division last season, she found herself as the fifth-best libero (defensive specialist) on a team that had four other liberos. Most teams have two. “Everyone was so good—I felt like a deer in headlights. But I put my head down, hustled, and worked hard.” Full of grit and underdog determination, Keera finished a strong season and received the “most improved” award. Toward the end of the season, the coaches had the liberos rank themselves from the best to the least contributing. “They told me that every single libero had ranked me at the top. That’s the best feeling of accomplishment, to be recognized by my own teammates and people who play the same position as I do. It was wonderful.”

What’s Next

Keera is currently in the recruitment process with a handful of elite East Coast schools. She went to the Harvard University volleyball camp, and visited other schools including Princeton and Columbia universities. She is excited and happy about the process and says, “It is all so surreal that this happening. I’ve had so much fun playing with the different teams and visiting these amazing campuses. And I’m so excited to be talking to these schools, because academics has always been as important as athletics.”

The post Father-Daughter Team: Living Examples of Plant-Fueled Fitness and Success appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

I had a lot of physical issues, including edema in my left leg, which was massively swollen and purple and so sensitive that even a blanket couldn’t touch it. I couldn’t breathe well, couldn’t sleep well, and I suffered from constant headaches and depression. I also had to have emergency gallbladder removal surgery. I was a cheese and dairy addict. I ate a lot of processed food, fast food, turkey, and bacon, and I guzzled Dr. Pepper and coffee.

I was only 36 years old and feared that I was close to death. My health made it hard to be the mother I wanted to be to my three children, so I knew that I needed to get myself together. I left the abusive relationship and moved back to Colorado to be closer to my family. With their help and support, I changed my life. My father was a hunter and had grown up a big meat eater. His mother had died from diabetic complications, and he was quite sick himself, having been recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. He was also obese and and on multiple meds. We met a nutritionist who advised him that eliminating meat and dairy would improve his health significantly, whereas his meds weren’t helping much at all. Just as predicted, as soon as he cut out the meat and dairy, all his risk factors started dropping.

My mother had also become obese and we decided to follow Dad’s lead, starting with a 42-day juice fast. Then I went vegetarian for about a year. After that, I cut out dairy and went full vegan three years ago. I probably dropped more than 100 pounds in the first year. The weight just kept coming off, and I started to feel better quickly. So did my Dad and my mother.

Now four years later, I’ve lost over 300 pounds and I’ve never felt better! My health problems are gone, and I feel like a new person. I can walk just fine, and am even getting ready to try High Sierras backpacking with some friends that think I can do it! My Dad lost a lot of weight, his diabetes disappeared, and he got off all his medications. My mom lost 130 pounds and my older brother dropped 100+ pounds. And recently, my younger brother went plant-based and lost 30 pounds in his first month. I am thrilled to watch the ripple effect, as my children, too, are now choosing health. Having witnessed the power of food and good nutrition firsthand, my 13-year-old wants to be a vegan athlete, and my 16-year-old wants to be a vegan chef!

A whole-food, vegan diet has changed my family’s lives so profoundly that we just can’t stop talking about it! I feel like I’ve gotten a second chance at life. It’s wonderful and exciting, and I hope my story will inspire others that it’s possible to take control at any stage, and change the course of your life. As long as you are breathing and your heart is beating, it is never too late to restore your health, your life, and your hope!

The post I Lost 300 Pounds and Regained My Life … And My Entire Family Joined Me! appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

I was born and raised in the Italian restaurant that my grandparents opened on Lake Michigan in 1957. In the Italian culture, food equals love! We ate homemade meatballs, sausage, pizza, and pasta for just about every meal. There was always a salad, but it was filled with fattening dressing, cheese, and often more meat on top. Antipasto salad was a big favorite as well.

Big family dinners were served family style—large bowls of food were placed in the middle of the table, and everyone helped themselves to as much as they liked, as often as they liked. We would eat a big dinner, relax on the couch in front of the TV for a while, and then get up and eat seconds—and sometimes thirds.

I struggled with weight throughout my life. As a child I became very chunky … well, overweight. I was in and out of diet centers and weight-loss programs to no avail. My love for food and family mealtime was more important to me than any benefits that a “healthy” eating program could provide. I loved my red meat as rare as could be. I loved escargot, calamari, shrimp, and seafood of any kind. The more butter and cheese, the better!

When I went away to college, I realized for the first time just how heavy I had started to get. I came home for my first Christmas break and decided I wanted to make a change and lose some weight. I convinced my parents to take me to a weight-loss doctor, who prescribed me phentermine. I was one of the youngest and first patients to be prescribed the powerful weight-loss drug in the ’90s. After two years of college, I moved to NYC. I furthered my career in the hospitality industry by tending bar, serving, and eventually managing bars, restaurants, and nightclubs. I trained extensively in the culinary arts. While in Manhattan I seemed to be able to keep my weight down. Walking many miles a day certainly helped.

Getting Older, Heavier, and Sicker

After about six years, I decided to move back to Michigan to be closer to my family. I took a position as a bar/restaurant manager. I settled back into the Midwestern life and I started packing on the pounds again. I was offered a guest chef spot on a show called “Dinner & a Book” on the local PBS affiliate WNIT.

As time went on, my culinary tastes got richer and more decadent. I would look for ways to take food to the next level by adding as many rich, delicious, and fatty ingredients as I could. I lived to eat! I realize now that I loved food more than I loved myself.

As my clothing kept getting larger and larger, I didn’t think much of it. I just thought I was getting older and cooking better than ever. Unfortunately heart disease runs rampant in my family. I have watched just about every man in my family suffer heart attacks, strokes, and invasive surgeries. My father has suffered several heart attacks and has had many stents put into his heart and arteries as well.

In 2012, I came home from a devastating doctor’s visit where I was told either to lose at least 50 pounds or start a lifetime regimen of dangerous blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes medications. I decided enough was enough. I went online and started researching heart disease and weight-loss solutions. I had always struggled with weight, even as a child and had tried absolutely everything (well, everything except healthful eating). I watched Forks Over Knives and something inside me clicked: “I have to give this a chance,” I told myself … just for two weeks to start. I owed myself at least that.

Going Plant-Based 

The very next day, I threw away everything in my fridge and replaced all of my meats, cheeses, and dairy products with plant-based alternatives. Literally, within three days I felt like a different person. My terrible allergies started to go away, I was able to breathe and sleep more easily, and best of all I started to drop weight.

Over the last few years, I have gone from 275 pounds to my current weight of 175. My cholesterol and all bloodwork levels are now perfect! My transformation started to become evident right away, and the pounds just fell off. Early on in the process I attended a vegan/raw seminar at a local library. I met a naturopathic doctor named Karen Edwards, who helped guide me in new ways to take control of my health.

The staff at my restaurants were the first to notice. I stopped eating steaks, burgers, and seafood. I started eating things like salads with garbanzo beans, vegetables, mushrooms, and avocado. I ate veggie burgers with guacamole, and pasta with tons of fresh vegetables … but no meat, no cheese, no eggs, and no dairy. Everyone thought I was crazy. I decided I had to prove not only to myself, but also to others, that it could be done.

Working in restaurants, especially late at night, presents unique challenges to choosing a healthy plant-based lifestyle. Our guests ask me all the time “What do you eat here?” I remind them there are options on the menu; you just have to get creative! There’s a kale salad; just order it with no cheese and add some avocado and quinoa. Get a wrap, but substitute garbanzo beans and avocado for the grilled chicken! Despite the challenges, I feel very fortunate to work in restaurants, because I have just about every fresh vegetable available to me at all times!

I have literally changed and transformed my life form the brink of disaster to the healthiest I have ever been. I do yoga almost every day and am very active at work. I will be 40 next year, and I plan to be in the best shape and health of my life. I am so grateful for Forks Over Knives for helping me take my health into my own hands and control my future, rather than letting heredity (or more accurately, inherited ways of eating) make my choices for me! This documentary saved my life!

The post How This Meat- and Cheese-Loving Chef Lost 100 Pounds and Saved His Health on a Plant-Based Diet appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

My Journey to Better Health

Immediately after cutting out the junk, the oil, and the dairy products, I started losing weight. But sugar was my biggest addiction, and one bite was never enough. Before I quit for good in December of 2013, I lied to myself about moderation. I wouldn’t even read the full text of Dr Fuhrman’s emailed newsletters, and I certainly didn’t want to watch his videos telling me the truth about my sugary, maple-syrupy vegan desserts. But I was having more frequent gallbladder attacks, and on some level I knew those desserts were killing me. Cutting out oil had helped, but having sugar really activated those gallstones.

I finally read those emails and watched those short videos, prayed for strength, and vowed to stop killing myself with sugar. I cut out added sugar on December 27, 2013. Then, in January of 2015, I let go of added salt with Chef AJ’s help. Her Unprocessed DVDs have great cooking demos, and her book Unprocessed has delicious recipes! My husband can’t believe that our entire Haitian family (including three young children) has adapted without the added salt, sugar, and oil.

On August 17, 2015, I reached my initial goal of losing 100 pounds!!!! In a little less than 25 months, I went from a size 22/24 to a size 4/6. I feel wonderful and no longer have the health problems that I did before. I also started taking care of my mental and emotional self and tracking my exercise on an app called Lose It.

My Family Is Healthier Now, Too

I am so happy that my whole family is on this health journey with me. Because all three children are legally blind due to inherited congenital cataracts, we have relied a lot on audio/visual information to help us transition from a junk food vegetarian diet to a whole-food, plant-based sugar-oil-salt free program. As a family, we have watched documentaries such as Forks Over Knives, FOKs Extended Interviews, and Rip Esselstyn’s Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue several times for information and encouragement. Even our eight-year-old son (who has always been slim) has watched them multiple times and asks a lot of questions. My husband has been slowly losing weight and feeling better. Our children were not considered overweight, but our two daughters, who have polycystic ovary syndrome, have improved tremendously. This past spring, all three kids saw the pediatrician, who remarked how well they were doing and how she didn’t have to see them all fall or winter for sick visits!

At home I keep it simple, and we enjoy everything we eat, which includes a lot of veggies, fruits, sweet potatoes, red or yellow potatoes, beans, and whole grains, including brown and wild rice. A favorite family meal is bean and vegetable soup with unsalted tomato paste and salt-free seasonings and herbs.

I am so grateful to God for the chance to reclaim my health and to heal the body he gave me, which I had so abused with food, stress, and lack of exercise.

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