About
Vegan Girl
I went vegan in the winter of 1995, almost entirely for ethical reasons, but I was happy about the incidental health benefits that went along with it. Nearly 15 years after going vegan, I now realize that “just go vegan” isn’t the answer to every problem. Over the years, vegan food has become so popular that vegan junk food companies have popped up left and right, making it easier than ever to be sick on a vegan diet.
In 2003, I suddenly developed allergies to wheat and gluten, and discovered that I was afflicted with candida (yeast in the blood) that drained me of my health and energy. I was also headed down a clear path toward hypoglycemia and possibly diabetes. After finding raw food, I’m healthier than I’ve ever been. But even now, there are still so many questions with vague or conflicting answers.
I’ve also come to question the conventional wisdom of only looking at a politician’s animal and environmental record when deciding who to vote for. In this age of tyrannical administrations, maybe seeking more government control, even for the sake of ending animal cruelty, isn’t the best solution.
I grew up in upstate NY, went to college in Austin, TX where I lived for 10 years, spent 4 years in Seattle, and now reside in Asheville, NC. I have worked in the high tech industry as a software developer since 1999. In addition to vegangirl.com, I also built foodscout.org, which is essentially a cataloging of all the information about whole natural foods that I’ve collected during my journey toward good health.
![[del.icio.us]](http://www.vegangirl.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://www.vegangirl.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://www.vegangirl.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Google]](http://www.vegangirl.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[Ma.gnolia]](http://www.vegangirl.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/magnolia.png)
![[MySpace]](http://www.vegangirl.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/myspace.png)
![[Reddit]](http://www.vegangirl.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/reddit.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://www.vegangirl.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Technorati]](http://www.vegangirl.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png)
![[Twitter]](http://www.vegangirl.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://www.vegangirl.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://www.vegangirl.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
October 20th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
Wow this looks so cool!
October 26th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
Looks great, Diana! You’re doing an awesome job!
Kim
(Aunt Kathy’s friend)
November 5th, 2007 at 10:23 am
I plan to share this with my vegan friends as I think the things you have discovered might help them avoid some you the problems you have experienced. Also I hope they will wise up and support Ron Paul and the freedom message. Linda is a dear friend and I envy the time you were able to spend with her. I am sure it was educational….on many levels! Thanks for your support of Ron Paul and for the Grannies!
February 7th, 2008 at 9:57 am
I am seriously considering a vegan lifestyle, and I also have a gluten allergy. This is the 1st time I’ve been on your site and I think it’s fantastic! Thank you!
October 5th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Hey there Vegan Girl ~
Awesome site here ! Thanks for all the information ! We appreciate what you’re doing and the message you’re spreading…
The more people wake up – the more we’ll have a society in harmony with the people ~
Keep it up ~
With love, health and abundance !
Mico & Coco
Coco & Mico
February 1st, 2009 at 9:13 pm
It is nice to find a site that is vegan and gluten free. I’ll enjoy reading your new posts as they come. It seems rare to find people that eat that way. I’m getting a blog going that will be all vegan and gluten free recipes. Stop by if you’d like.
August 21st, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Hello,
This is time first visit on your site and I just wanted to say thank you. I am happy that Asheville is so supportive of whole foods. I am the living foods chef at Greenlife an I am so pleased that there are people like you helping others enjoy life through nutrition.
Thanks again,
Misty
August 23rd, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Misty,
Thanks so much for dropping by vegangirl.com! I absolutely love the raw food that Greenlife offers. I hope you saw my recent post about Greenlife and the amazing selection of living food. You’re doing a fantastic job over there!
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:23 am
Hello Diana,
It was nice to read about all the great stuff you have been doing and about your life journey to understand things.
take care,
Steve Kenney
May 15th, 2010 at 11:25 pm
Great site!!! =]
July 6th, 2010 at 11:18 am
Hey there! What a wonderful site.
I completely sympathize. It’s just as hard to be healthy on a vegan diet now as on a “regular” (omnivorous) diet.
July 19th, 2010 at 7:25 pm
What years were you at WA WA Segowea?
August 1st, 2010 at 6:42 pm
So after 8 years of veganism you develope health issues and you’re still a vegan?
I eat beef and chicken that’s locally and organically grown. They also grow their own hay for winter feeding. That means that most of my diet takes all of 1 acre (land that one cow requires) I know this because my mother in law raises cattle,and the general rule is 1 cow per acre. I also drink locally raised goat milk.
All this to say that much of my diet is had from little mnore than an acre for much of the year. What vegan can claim that kind of “green” impact on the earth. It’s so self-sustaining. And when winter comes, I still eat. The vegans rely on food shipped in from across the globe. Just think of the carbon footprint…
Oh, and I’m 50 and run cirlces around people 20 years my junior, and in fact was mistaken for being 30 just the other day.
Not only that, my son has a very good friend who is a vegan. Her dad is too, for many years. He just had his first heart attack. His triglycerides were an astounding 450. That’s what wheat will do to you.
Veganism: not what you think it is…
August 13th, 2010 at 6:54 am
David, I have been vegan for over 15 years and am very happy with it. I feel great. It works well for me. Yes, my health situation has changed as I’ve gotten older since I used to be a “junk food vegan” and I’ve changed to a healthy vegan diet with a large “raw/living food” component.
I’m glad to hear you are healthy and feel good about your lifestyle. As I’ve said on this blog before, good health is about a lot more than meat vs. no meat. There are a lot of ways to be healthy and a lot of ways to be unhealthy. Sounds like we have both found different ways to be healthy.
There are many reasons to go vegan, but for most people it is a philosophical choice that we make.
September 2nd, 2010 at 6:46 am
Dave,
I don’t know how I missed this comment. I went there in the mid- to late-80s. When did you go?
March 6th, 2013 at 3:58 pm
David is missing the most IMPORTANT point about veganism. It promotes a cruel free world – there is absolutely NO justification for eating animal products or exploiting animals when we can live a healthy sustainable life without cruelty. There is no such thing as “green meat” unless its sitting spoiled in a grocery.
April 11th, 2013 at 3:58 am
A pleasant surprise, it occurs seldom, but the following we can speak of a real bonus value towards person who reads.