Success Stories
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Success StoriesSee articleAt 78, I Ditched Multiple Meds and Health Problems With a Plant-Based Diet
Seven years ago, I lost my wife to breast cancer after 49 years of marriage. Besides being a 71-year-old grieving widower, I was overweight and on medications for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and depression. I also suffered from gout, chronic headaches, back pain, and GERD (reflux). I assumed that all these things were just […] -
Success StoriesSee articleHow I Cured My Chronic Pain with a Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet
For most of my life, I ate the standard American diet and meals that were heavy in meat and processed foods. About four years ago, I decided to go vegan for the animals. I stopped eating meat and dairy products for ethical reasons, but my lifelong allergies went away soon after I went vegan! It […] -
Success StoriesSee articleFrom Battling a Fibroid and Facing Surgery to Fit and Thriving on a Plant-Based Diet
One day in 2011, I found myself discussing a hysterectomy with my doctor. I was 54 years old and had been struggling unsuccessfully with health problems for some time. Suddenly a light went off inside me. I thought to myself, “This is not my story. I’m not going to be a victim to this thing […] -
Success StoriesSee articleFrom Recreational Athlete to International Ultra-Athlete on a Plant-Based Diet
For about 30 years, I dreamed of finishing the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. Once I decided to actually do it, I knew I had to step up my training and performance. I had been doing triathlons recreationally for some time, but the Ironman World Championship (140.6-mile triathlon) is not for the amateur athlete. […] -
Success StoriesSee articleSaying Goodbye to Type 2 Diabetes and Meds After Going on a Plant-Based Diet
When I started my plant-based journey almost two years ago, I did it to improve my health. The weight loss that everyone notices was just a happy side effect—it was never the original goal. However, I was overweight for most of my adult life. I was part of the population that wanted a quick fix […] -
Success StoriesSee articleMeet Dr. Heather Shenkman, Ironman Triathlete and Vegan Cardiologist
I haven’t always been an athlete, but I’ve been a vegetarian since I was about 16 years old. My brother was the first vegetarian of our family, which was an ethical decision he made at 10 years old after seeing chicken wings “dissected” in science class. He did everything he could do to convince the […] -
Success StoriesSee articleHow I Lost 260 Pounds, Heart Disease, Constant Joint Pain and Gained My Life Back
For most of my life, I was either overweight or obese. I was an outcast in school and was teased because of my weight. I never had a boyfriend as a teenager and didn’t get invited to my prom. While my friends meant well, I was tired of hearing “but you have such a pretty […] -
Success StoriesSee articleFrom Sick, Disabled, and on Multiple Meds to Thriving on a Plant-Based Diet
Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2016. Scroll to the end for an inspiring 2025 update from Tim on how his health and life have continued to improve. When I was 38 years old, my doctor told me that I was on my way to an early death. He also threatened to hospitalize […] -
Success StoriesSee articleAfter a Lifetime of Poor Health, I Lost 120 Pounds and Regained My Life
As a child, I was diagnosed with a chronic autoimmune liver disease. Doctors told me that I would probably not live past the age of 10, and would certainly not live longer than 20 years. They told my parents to begin preparing for my funeral. I was so sick that I was even gifted a […] -
Success StoriesSee articleUltra Recovery: From Depressed Addict to Pro Ultrarunner on a Plant-Based Diet
Editor’s Note: David Clark passed away on May 21, 2020, after suffering from complications due to herniated disc surgery. David was a beloved husband and father, a three-time author, and an accomplished ultra athlete. In 2016, we published Dave’s inspiring account of his journey to plant-based eating, which you can read below. In 2005, I was […] -
Success StoriesSee articleFrom Tired, Unhealthy Fortysomething to Fit Competitive Cyclist
I turned 40 years old in June 2011, and was struggling to find enough energy to make it through the day, despite the multiple cups of coffee and refined “sugar fixes” I would consume. My mental clarity was nonexistent. On top of that, my cholesterol numbers were often high—one doctor even wanted me to start […] -
Success StoriesSee articleFrom Rock Bottom With Ulcerative Colitis to Pain-Free in One Year on a Plant-Based Diet
Rock Bottom: 2013 I can safely say that 2013 was the worst year of my life. At the beginning of the year, pregnant with twin girls, I was put on strict bed rest for extreme symptoms of ulcerative colitis (UC). My doctors were monitoring my UC and high-risk pregnancy closely, and had put me on […]
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