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VEGANUARY M ANYONE? By Stephen Mark Kolter
y vegan journey began with a medical diagnosis back in the summer of 2017. I was visiting family in America and decided to get a health checkup. I had gained quite a bit of weight the previous year and my eating habits weren’t the best. Being from Texas, I ate more than my share of beef and hamburgers. I also never skimped on sugary treats, fast food, pizza, packaged meats and cheeses and any manor of fatty, salty “goodness!” So it wasn’t too surprising when my doctor broke the bad news to me that I was about 60 lbs (30 kg) overweight and pre-diabetic, along with having high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Knowing that others in my family were diabetic, and the seriousness of the conditions, I was quite alarmed and concerned. But this wake up call was a blessing in disguise and just what I needed to set me on a path for a healthier future. Upon returning to China, I moved from Guangzhou to my new home of Hangzhou and saw this as an opportunity for a fresh start. I decided to cut red meat out of my diet and greatly reduced my intake of junk food and sugar. I became more active as well, playing occasional sports, biking and choosing to walk more often. This served me well for a time and I was shedding pounds, but I eventually experienced a tapering off of weight loss after about three months. A bit discouraged and desperate for ways to better my results, I began researching and considering a vegetarian diet. Around this time, an old friend in Guangzhou began sharing with me how he had transitioned over to a vegan diet to combat his own weight gain and diabetes type 2 and was experiencing
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