Name: Teddi Thornhill
Age: 23
Location: Nashville, TN
Occupation: Third Year Medical Student

How long have you been vegan? And what inspired your journey?
I have been vegetarian since the start of my senior year of high school (seven years ago) and vegan since the summer of 2010. I became vegetarian, because I realized that I did not truly enjoy the taste of meat and only ate meat because it was the “normal” thing to do. Once I cut meat out of my diet, I have never returned to eating meat. Now that I am vegan, I enjoy my mostly raw foods diet to the fullest. I recently began sprouting my own beans and love it!

Has veganism enhanced your health? Why or why not?
Yes, veganism has definitely enhanced my health. The largest proportion of my diet includes raw vegetables and fruits. Also, since I am vegan, I know that I must actively include protein in my diet. For this reason, I make sure to eat protein, such as beans or a protein shake, with every meal.

In retrospect, how do you feel about meat? Or do you have any thoughts on America’s meat industry?
I feel that meat is a dispensable part of our diet. If more Americans would be willing to commit to a diet without meat, I feel that our nation’s problems with obesity and hypertension would be improved.

Was there a community of black women that helped you along your meatless journey? And if not, what are you doing to change this for others?
No, there wasn’t a community of black women that helped me along this journey. Being from the south, most women that I knew loved meat and incorporated meat in many foods, even as seasoning in vegetables. To change this, I love to cook vegan meals for others and show them how tasty meals can be without any meat.

Are you a vegan, vegetarian, or pescatarian? Email arielle@frugivoremag.com if you’d like to be featured in the Black Female Vegetarian Series. Check back every Tuesday and Friday for a new profile! Click to read past profiles here.


 

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