Summyr Sheppard

By Kanisha Parks

Meet Summyr, a 25-year-old multi-talented beauty who has been natural all her life! She acts, models, trains, and recently became vegan. Find out how she juggles her many interests, all while keeping it naturally glam!

If you've ever seen the popular web series 'An African City' then you're no stranger to ‘Ngozi,’ a character so sweet you can gain 5 lbs. just looking at her. She's that girlfriend that hasn't been jaded who’s there to remind us of how we used to be. And while people have come to know and love Ngozi, they're only beginning to discover Esosa E., the New York City born actress, author and holistic lifestyle advocate who so convincingly plays her. Get to know Esosa and you'll discover that she's passionate about health and beauty and has authored two books, 'The Acne-Free Diet' and 'Parasites Be Gone' to help others on their journey to a more holistic life. Her third book, 'Got Veg? How to Thrive on a Plant-Based Diet’ came about as a way to answer the many questions she received from readers of her blog about the basics of a vegan lifestyle. So if you've ever wondered what it would take to become a vegan, but had serious questions, wonder no more. Like a true girlfriend, Esosa's got everything you need to know. Read on!

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@brihallofficial

By Ashley Renee

As a woman who has been addicted to YouTube for the past several years, I must give credit to the amazing youtube gurus for teaching me how to do my own box braids, faux locs, search and destroy trim method, a wide array of makeup looks and giving me a ton of vegan and vegetarian meal ideas. Not to mention teaching me how to make some bomb vegan nacho cheese!

While I've always looked to YouTube for hair and makeup styling tips, I must say there are hundreds and thousands of YouTubers out there that have amazing content, we just probably haven't heard of them. With YouTube often offering suggestions to watch beauty bloggers with well over 50K views per video, it's no wonder why so many talented, quirky, and informal beauty bloggers go unnoticed.

Angela Means aka 'Bye Felicia' from the movie 'Friday'

Via TheGrio 

Photo via Mwabi's instagram

By Mwabi Kaira

I was listening to an interview about the importance of eliminating what we consume and how what we don’t eliminate becomes disease.  I had been practicing meatless Mondays on-and-off and would do a week of being meat free here, a month of it there, and always saw it as a reset before I went back to meat.  This particular interview got me to thinking and I realized elimination was always easiest when I consumed more fruits and vegetables.  I decided to start with a week of being meat free and I felt so much better after the 7 days that I just decided to keep on going.  That was 5 months ago.  My taste buds have adjusted and I don’t miss meat.  Eventually, I’ll go vegan but for now I’m happy.

Being vegetarian or vegan is easy in your own home where you can prepare your meals.  There are not as many choices once you venture out for meals outside the home, but there are choices that just require some research.  The hardest part has to be family gatherings and the holidays.  There will be vegetables at the gathering but they’ll probably have meat in them and for the vegans, it will be hard to find dishes not cooked with eggs, milk and butter.  Fret not, you can still enjoy your holidays and be meat free by doing these things...

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By Nicole Bourn

There's nothing like a home cooked Holiday Meal and nothing has to change just because you're vegan this year.  The holidays are always a tricky time when you're on some type of special diet. No matter if you're eating low carb, low fat, gluten free or vegan - it's a challenge to navigate the family gatherings and get something on the dinner table that you can enjoy. In order to help you out with that, I've compiled a list of the 12 Best Vegan Thanksgiving recipes that you need to try this year.

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 By Nicole Bourn

The mantra that we hear most often is we should “eat less and move more.” But if this caused sustainable weight loss we would never struggle while being on restrictive diets and already be thin by now. The truth is we need to eat enough food to get through the day. Most people are surprised to learn that I lost 92 lbs as a result of eating more \ (of the right food). Here's how you can eat a lot and still lose weight?

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By Nicole Bourn

Whether you know it or not there are some pretty amazing reasons to become a vegan. Becoming vegan is not only great for your personal health but the health of the world. I believe that we all have a moral obligation to be our best. That best in my opinion is making a conscious decision to eat wiser and live better. Here are 14 amazing reasons to become vegan!

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Via Nicolebourn.com

By  Nicole Bourn
Carefully choosing what to buy is something almost everyone has been through at some stage of their life. We all need to find a way of eating healthy and vegan on a budget until we have enough money to not care as much.
There's a very common misunderstanding of healthy, plant-based food being exceptionally expensive. This might stem from the idea that we have to buy expensive supplements, powders, superfoods or vegan meat and dairy substitutes in order to sustain this lifestyle.
These things can be nice to have but aren't really necessary to thrive and be healthy. If you strip it down to the basics, you will find that the whole food plant based lifestyle can actually be dirt cheap and easily affordable for anyone. With a little bit of knowledge, a healthy diet bursting with taste and nutrients will fit your budget even if you have to count every penny. The following 14 tips will get you the most bang for your buck!

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