Thriving Emotionally with a Plant-Powered, Vegan Lifestyle
From Comfort Food to Conscious Living: My Journey into The Vegan Transformation
Going vegan was a transformation I didn’t see coming. I grew up in small-town Iowa, in the heart of farm country. I was aware of the farms around me – but had very little awareness of how my food was produced, or the realities of animal agriculture. Plus, I had personal issues that blocked me…
A Compassionate Vegan Thanksgiving
What does Thanksgiving Day mean to you? Is it about time with family, expressing gratitude, or enjoying certain foods and traditions? How has the meaning of Thanksgiving changed for you over the years? During my growing up years – perhaps you can relate – Thanksgiving was primarily a feast shared with loved ones, in which…
The Courage to Live Your Values
When I went vegan, I discovered surprising inner shifts that accompanied this journey, including a greater sense of peace, freedom, meaning, fulfillment, and authenticity. Being vegan aligned me with core values I had always held: compassion and kindness, wanting to lessen suffering, and caring for animals and our natural world. The peace and freedom that…
The Emotional and Spiritual Benefits of Going Vegan
Mindfully choosing to eat plant-based, as an expression of care for animals, the environment, and our own health, creates a massive internal shift. As we eat more compassionately and leave animals off our plates, we may discover transformations in heart, mind, and spirit that we never expected. We encounter a sense of peace, fulfillment, and…
Support on Your Vegan Path
One of the most important – but often overlooked – aspects of thriving with a plant-powered, vegan lifestyle is having a strong support network. Research suggests that social challenges are among the most common reasons for straying from a plant-based lifestyle. Many find it hard to eat differently than those in their social circle, to…
Plant-Empowered Lifestyle for Heart Health
Chronic illness takes a huge toll. I have witnessed its impact on the lives of many of my clients, my parents, and numerous friends and family. For those afflicted with a chronic medical condition, it often takes a toll on their very quality of life—impacting everything from daily activities, to work, to relationships, to finances,…
Discovering the Vegan Transformation
“Have you ever felt pulled to make some kind of life change, maybe even a change that surprised you? Maybe it was an inner knowing that it was time to start down a new career path, end a relationship, or finally take charge of your health. You may have felt an inner call, a sense…
Emotional Self-Care for Vegans through the Holidays
While holidays are often a beautiful time of celebration and connection, they can also be rife with family expectations, unhealthy dynamics, and old emotional baggage. These “normal” holiday challenges can be intensified and magnified for those of us living a vegan lifestyle. We may feel like we are walking a delicate tightrope, surrounded by family…
Vegan Thanksgiving 2024
What does Thanksgiving Day mean to you? During my growing up years, Thanksgiving was centered around a feast shared with loved ones, in which a turkey was the central part of the meal. When I became vegetarian several years ago (and vegan in 2019), it changed how I viewed Thanksgiving and what this holiday means…
Coping and Thriving Through Difficult Emotions
How do we cope with challenging emotions, especially in the face of suffering in the world around us? As we watch the news or scan social media, it seems that the problems that face us are ever-growing: climate change and natural disasters, hunger and food insecurity, wars, disease, polarization, and violence. Not to mention our…
Navigating Social Situations on Your Vegan Path
Early on my vegan journey, I discovered many powerful reasons for eating plant-based. First and foremost was becoming more at peace with myself through making more compassionate choices and leaving animals off my plate. Before becoming plant-based, I couldn’t understand how anyone could be vegetarian or vegan – or what they would eat. But once…
Plant-Powered Journaling: Unleash Your Healthiest, Most Authentic Self
One of the most transformative experiences of my life was becoming vegan. I started on this path after seeing a program about injured workers in a meat processing plant. This raised my awareness of the devastating impacts of factory farming – on animals, humans, and the planet – and led me to read every book…
Enjoying Vegan Summer Cuisine
One of the joys of getting my Vegan Transformation book ready for publication is trying out the recipes that my interviewees submitted – wonderful meals like Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burgers, Couscous Summer Salad, Not Tuna Salad, Sweet Potato Enchiladas, Cauliflower Tabouleh, Basil and Celery Leaf Pesto, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies and many more –…
Three Tips for Inspiring Healthy Lifestyle Change
Have you experienced the healing power of a plant-based diet? If so, you are part of a growing movement of people who have discovered the personal and global benefits of eating healthfully, compassionately, and sustainably. Eating plant-based (and excluding animal products) is compassionate to animals AND supports our health and well-being. A simple dietary change…
The Healing Power of Compassion
Recently I was asked in an interview what value most strongly guides my life. My response? COMPASSION. Specifically, expanding my circle of compassion to include myself, others, all sentient beings, and our planet. Compassion guided my decision to become a clinical psychologist and to empower others’ healing journeys. It guided me to become vegetarian and…
The Power of True Connection
I was at Starbucks with a friend from my church, a devoted vegan. It was 2007, early on my veg journey. I had just stayed up much of the night reading The Food Revolution by John Robbins. I was haunted by the stories and statistics – about immense animal suffering, human health crises, and the…
The Authentic Fulfillment of Vegan Living
Becoming vegan was part of my journey to greater emotional fulfillment. Once I became fully aware of the injustices and cruelty to animals in animal agriculture, I could no longer participate in eating animal-based foods. As I realized how much was at stake through what we eat, I became committed to living my vegan values—of…
6 Keys to Living Your Purpose
Becoming vegan has been a path of personal transformation for me. When I learned about factory farming and awoke to the immense suffering of farmed animals, I became determined to make changes in my own life to reflect compassion for all sentient beings. I also wanted to help others move toward and sustain a healthy…
Awakening Compassion
We are wired for compassion and empathy. In spite of all the news stories that display the seemingly uncaring aspects of humanity, compassion for others is part of our biological and psychological wiring. Indeed, most of us are deeply concerned when others are suffering – and when possible, want to lessen their suffering. This includes…
The Healing Power of Vegan Values
Like many of us, I have always loved animals. As a child, I adored my pet cat, and I had a family of stuffed dogs that I took with me everywhere. I also didn’t like to see any animal (or insect) suffering – I remember once rescuing a grasshopper that was floating in the lake…
Speaking from the Heart: Keys to Effective Communication for Vegans
See if you can relate to any of these scenarios… How do we handle these challenging situations? Each situation requires us to connect with what we truly want and need…and to take actions that move us toward meeting these ends. In each situation, heartful communication is key. Communication that connects us with our selves and…
The Transforming Effects of a Plant-Powered Vegan Lifestyle
Highlights from my interview on the Healthy Lifestyle Solutions Podcast I had the honor of being interviewed on the Healthy Lifestyle Solutions Podcast with Maya Acosta. We discussed my vegan journey, the transformative effects of a plant-powered lifestyle, and how to inspire healthy lifestyle change. We also discuss definitions of vegan and plant-based, and reasons…
Key Practices for Creating a Healthful Vegan Life
“Veganism is not an elimination diet, it is a lifestyle filled with happiness, peace, and contentment.”“My health and my whole life have transformed. I feel like I got my life back.” “I’m living a life of ahimsa, doing the least harm to myself, the planet, and all beings.”“I feel lighter in body and soul.” These are…
7 Tips for Inspiring Others toward a Plant-Based Lifestyle
Note: This article contains excerpts from the e-book 7 Best Practices to Inspire Your Loved Ones to Go Plant-Based (available through WeDidIt.Health) Have you experienced the amazing healing power of a plant-based lifestyle? After celebrating your own health improvements, and learning about the extensive research supporting a whole food plant-based (WFPB) diet, it’s common to…
5 Ways Veganism Transformed My Life
I have always tended to be an introvert. I relish solitude. I prefer small groups to large crowds. I’ve lived a quiet life, not often sharing my views and opinions publicly. But then 15 years ago, I had an awakening that was so meaningful, compelling, and life-changing, it has continued to impact me and to…
Enjoying a Vegan Thanksgiving
I have to acknowledge that Thanksgiving Day is not always easy for me as a vegan. When I adopted a plant-based diet 15 years ago, it changed how I viewed Thanksgiving and what this holiday means to me. I feel sad about the lives of animals lost for this one meal, especially when there are…
Vegan Abundance
Eat Delectable Food, Improve Your Health, and Save the Planet “What do vegans eat anyway?” Before I became vegan, I viewed veganism as a lifestyle of restriction. I could not imagine what a vegan would eat, or how they would have enough to eat. It was challenging enough for me to navigate daily food choices…
Flourishing Emotionally with Plant-Powered Nutrition
Many who choose a vegan diet are aware of the benefits for improving physical health and reversing diseases. We’ve read the China Study and How Not to Die, watched Forks over Knives, and may have personally met people who reversed heart disease, diabetes, or cancer through a plant-based diet. When I became vegan, I wondered…
Going Plant-Based: A Revelation for Body, Mind, and Spirit
Going vegan was the best New Year’s resolution I ever made. To be honest, it wasn’t really a resolution. It was more of a quest that unfolded over time. I discovered that going plant-based is a transformation that leads to so much more than a surface level change in diet. It brings the joy and…
Navigating Social Challenges on the Vegan Path
I was at a birthday gathering with my husband’s family only a couple of weeks after going vegan. After several years as a vegetarian, a series of awakening experiences led me to adopt a fully vegan lifestyle. But it was still new to me. I was still coming to terms internally with all that I…
Angela Crawford, Ph.D 