- Hey everybody, this is Klaus from Plant Based News.
And today we're gonna be looking at
10 amazing transformations on a plant-based diet.
Not just on the outside and the physical
but also on the inside.
So let's get right into the video.
I hope you enjoy.
Number 10 is a bit of a unique one
as it's filled by two people, Nina and Randa,
despite being vegan since birth,
the pair underwent significant emotional
and physical changes on a vegan diet
as a result of the problems they had with their skin.
- I had horrible, severe cystic acne
and I tried everything to get rid of it.
And the only thing that worked was changing my diet.
My sister and I shared our story
and people wanted to know what we ate
and other people started following our advice.
We'd get comments and emails
all the time saying, "wow, I took your advice.
My skin is clear, thank you so much."
- Coming in at number nine is the lesser known
but equally amazing Josh Lajaunie.
This guy has perhaps the most shocking weight loss story
of anybody in the list.
My name's Josh Lajaunie I'm from Thibodaux, Louisiana
and over the last say, two and a half, three years or so,
I've lost about between 200 and 220 pounds.
I was actually going back to school
as a nontraditional student.
Senior year, I knew that I was gonna to have to
get on a stage in front of people and give this
business presentation with a suit on.
And not only was I 10 years older than everyone
but I was also 200 pounds heavier than everyone.
And so that's really the last sort of spark
that just kind of sent me over the edge.
I've got to do something, stop worrying
and let's start doing.
- Josh switched to a plant-based diet
and found his way into becoming an athlete.
- [Host] And there he is on the cover of Runner's World.
Think about that, he used to be 400 pounds.
Look at him.
- [Josh] Change can be made
and if it can be made in one person,
it can be made in an army of people.
- Josh even started a Facebook group
which has inspired countless other obesity sufferers
and is a very outspoken advocate for the animals.
At spot number eight is a hip hop superstar,
I'm sure you all know, musician, actor
and newly initiated Vgang member, Will.I.am.
- What made me switch was I went to the doctor
and he said I had high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
He told me he was gonna give me some pills
to bring it down.
I'm like, why pills though?
Why can't you like give me a regimen on what to eat
and what not to eat.
And then he says, "well you can't really trust
the nutrition world"
As if I'm supposed to trust the FDA.
And so I was like, you know what?
I'm gonna get control of my life.
And I don't want to have to take medicine
for something that I could self-medicate.
There's a difference between how I feel now
and how I felt 12 months ago.
I like how I feel.
I like that both nostrils work.
I like that I don't have to do that every time I speak.
I have nasal drip.
I like the fact that I don't have acid reflux
and I don't feel bloated all the time.
I like my life right now.
- The Black Eyed Peas member made headlines early this year
when he took to social media with
rapid fire promotion of veganism hasn't stopped since.
- [Will.I.am] I'm militant vegan, which is like Vgang.
- Coming in at number seven is social media icon
and partner to pro bodybuilding, Nimai Delgado.
Her name is Bianca Taylor.
- They're such peaceful creatures
and like, I love them so much.
I felt guilty.
I was just like, how much meat and chicken am I gonna eat?
When there's other countries that are starving?
- Well, she got into fitness before she went vegan.
Her transformation and her plant-based diet
has been amazing.
- You're gonna be surprised at the positive effects
on your body that's gonna give you more energy,
it's going to help a lot with your skin.
I felt like my hair became a lot thicker.
And another thing that you may notice that happened to me
and happens to a lot of my clients is that you'll start to
lose cravings for junk food and soda and things
that are really unnecessary because you're gonna be
getting all the nutrients that your body needs.
- Before long, she transformed into an outspoken
animal rights advocate and fitness star.
If you haven't checked her out on social media,
you really need to.
Next on our list in spot number six is
another remarkable vegan woman in fitness,
marathon runner Fiona Oakes.
- Before my teenage years,
I developed a problem with my knee.
I was in and out of hospital.
17 operations. I eventually lost my knee cap.
I was told I wouldn't walk again properly,
let alone be able to do sporting activities.
Especially things like running.
I was gonna be registered disabled at one point
'cause it looked so hopeless.
That was an incredibly challenging time.
Definitely know what it's like to suffer myself,
so I can relate to it with other beings,
whether they be human or not.
I know how far I can push myself
and I'm prepared to take it for myself
but not for anything else.
I am trying to do something positive with my running.
I'm not just out eyeing up a trophy or thinking
I need to get my time down.
I'm doing this with a reason
and it isn't any of those things.
- Well, Fiona has been vegan since she was a child.
She experienced an extraordinary transformation,
fueled by a drive to help animals.
On top of all of this,
Fiona now owns her own animal sanctuary,
where she works tirelessly every day to help the 400 animals
in her care.
And in spot number five, is a person
nearly impossible to miss in the vegan YouTube scene.
Hannah Howlett of high carb Hannah.
The most obvious part of her transformation
is her weight loss but Hannah's changed in many ways,
for example, she switched
to an ultra sustainable off-grid lifestyle
with her husband Derek.
- I also live in a tiny house that is 200 square feet.
We're not connected to city electrical, city sewer
or city water.
So we have rainwater catchment,
solar energy, and we compost everything.
- In at spot number four is ultra fit YouTuber,
Derek Simnett
of Simnett Nutrition.
Similarly to hugely popular vegan bodybuilders,
such as John Venus and Nimai Delgado,
Derek has been able to build serious muscle on a vegan diet.
This story is a bit of a unique one.
- I've been vegan for a few years.
I was a runner.
I love doing trail running.
I was really lean
and I kept getting the same feedback from people.
They were like, "hey, this might work for you.
I get that.
I'm sure there's some benefits to the vegan diet
but I like to have some muscle.
I need those gains.
I like to look a little bit more manly."
So I quickly realized if I want to change some opinions.
I'm definitely gonna have to put on some muscle.
- In just two short years, he transformed
from a super lean cardio athlete
to the ultra muscular strength trainer
we see promoting the vegan lifestyle today.
- So I kept the momentum going and here we are
a few years later, a year ago, I started adding more weights
to my workouts and I've reached a potential
that I didn't think was possible for me.
- In the spot number three, we have the extraordinary
and highly unique vegan maven known to most simply as
chef AJ.
- For over 50 years, I was either overweight or obese,
suffered from emotional eating and severe food addiction.
I had been starving myself for so long,
that once I started eating, I literally could not stop.
I became so depressed that I attempted suicide.
- But hope wasn't lost for chef AJ
and she eventually transformed her life.
Having completely transformed her life,
chef AJ has gone on to inspire countless others
to do the same and is a very outspoken vegan activist.
- I don't know how you do it.
I can't sleep at night knowing the amount of animals
that are being tortured and abused
and until every cage in every animal laboratory,
until every factory farm is shut down,
I'm gonna keep doing this because
for every delicious recipe I create,
if one person eats one vegan meal,
it's one less animal that's being killed
and that's why I do it.
- In spot number two, is a massively popular person.
I'm sure you're all aware of.
Ultra endurance athlete, Rich Roll,
a recovering alcoholic,
Rich found himself hitting rock bottom
in his early thirties.
- I mean, not only did I become alienated
from my friends and family and unemployable and, you know,
one step away from homeless, really just disconnected
from who I was as a person.
I woke up one day and I was like, I've had enough.
I'm ready to go to rehab.
I ended up staying for a hundred days.
- Unhappy and overweight,
Rich began an incredible transformation at the age of 40.
In spot number one is someone who may be
a little bit unexpected
but he's shown perhaps the most amazing transformation
of them all.
A passionate, ethical vegan, animal activist
and friend to many, Joey Carbstrong.
- So there was the longest time,
in the last 12 years that I've been sober for.
When I got out, I was on parole.
I was forced to be sober.
About a month of being out.
I always had this seed planted in my head about veganism.
I was having a conversation with my mum about smoking.
You shouldn't be smoking.
You know, I thought I was this beacon of light
since I'd been forced to be sober and I was criticizing her.
And she said, you know, there's a lot of biases
people have that they don't change.
And when she said that I reflected
and when I reflected, I thought, you know,
I've always known that it's hypocritical of me
to say that I care about animals, but you know,
there's this cow, piece of a cow who'd probably suffered
greatly been bolt under the head on my plate.
And I changed right there and then, I changed spontaneously.
The next day I went full vegan and that was the beginning
of my activist journey.
When I found out the truth, I had to say something about it.
I had to say like, look, what's happening to these animals.
You know, I couldn't stay silent while
this injustice was happening, it's just not me.
It's not me.
There's no humane or right way of doing it.
That just shouldn't be done whatsoever.
Every animal should just be free to live a happy life.
And that's it.
They should just exist for the reason of existing.
The good thing to know is
that we have power in what happens to these animals
in our lives.
So you can stop the cruelty in your life.
And the only way to do that is by going vegan.
It's not about animal cruelty, It's about animal use.
They're slaves at the end of the day.
We use them for our pleasure and we don't need to,
it's unnecessary.
We're just trying to show compassion, you know, and
in a world that doesn't care about animals, you know?
Animals would save themselves, if they could.
If you eat suffering and death, it becomes you.
If everyone does what they can, then we will slowly
create a movement.
And once we get a movement, right,
once the ball starts rolling,
it will start snowballing and we'll reach a tipping point
sooner or later, it might not be in my lifetime
but the groundwork will be done.
- Anyway. Thank you for watching.
Let us know who you wish you'd seen
on the list in the comments below.
If you're wondering what this is behind me,
it's obviously a green screen.
Thanks to Las Vegan Productions, they've got a channel.
I'll link it down below.
I was actually on their show,
talking about Plant Based News and showing them stuff.
Subscribe for more.
I'll see you soon.