After reading Dr. Campbell's research outlined in the China Study, and watching documentaries such as Vegucated and Food Matters, I decided to become plant-based in 2011. Until then, I was uninformed about the treatment of animals and how animal protein is unhealthy and unnecessary. I have become healthier, more fit and stronger since adopting a plant-based diet. When I first made changes to my diet, I began losing weight. I needed to eat more food than I had as an omnivore since the foods I choose to eat are not very calorically dense. I am constantly revisiting my meal plan to try new things and see how my physique and performance responds.

As a member of PlantBuilt, I help raise money for different animal rights organizations. As a team, it is our mission to live, train, compete and educated in our communities, showing the success of compassionate Veganism. In July 2014, I visited New York City and spoke at an event for The Seed Experience with several of my teammates. We presented the For the Animals Sanctuary with a check donation. Later that weekend, I visited For the Animals Sanctuary in New Jersey and had the opportunity to meet some of the animals we were helping.

Mercy for Animals is a great organization that runs many campaigns educating the public on animal protection issues in addition to urging them to adopt a vegan diet. The undercover investigations they run are extremely eye opening. Whenever I tell someone about the cruelty animals face in slaughterhouses or egg farms and cite their investigations, they are often shocked. I am especially interested in helping raise awareness about the cruelty animals face when used for entertainment. We see this in Texas, especially, with the rodeo.

Choosveg.org is a great resource for people looking to transition to a vegan diet. In addition to health tips, it offers up recipes, tips for family members, baking substitutions and more! I tell people to take it one day at a time. Ease into it and don't give up everything at once. Set yourself up for success by taking out food items slowly and replacing them with plant-based options. Continue to do this until most of your diet is plant-based. You will feel the difference and probably won't miss anything. Once I discovered the benefits of eating a plant-based diet and learned more about how animals are treated there was no alternative. I could never go back to eating/using animal products. Try it for yourself and see!