Name: Onile Ngozi
Age: 44 years old
Occupation: Holistic Practitioner
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
Website: Blue Nile Spa

How long have you been vegan? And what inspired your journey?

I have been vegan for 16 years. Nature inspired my journey. We have the same anatomy as vegetarians, and it made me think why we are so diseased. The answer: consuming an unnatural diet! Disease relates to what we ingest and what we fail to release.

Has veganism enhanced your health? Why or why not? 

Becoming vegan has greatly enhanced my health. I am never sick, not even a headache. My menses comes and goes quickly without ANY discomforts. Others say my skin is beautiful and are always amazed when they find out my age.

In retrospect, how do you feel about meat? Or do you have any thoughts on America’s meat industry?

For me, consuming flesh is cannibalism; it’s eating a dead being that had the breath of life, flesh and blood. In consuming meat, my body will become a gravesite, eventually sending me to an early grave!

The American meat industry is unnecessary, deceptive, and unethical in their practices. Their cruelty toward animals, pawning their flesh as food, is inhumane.

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?

There were women around to help me transition, and I am forever grateful. I will assist anyone interested in transitioning into a truly healthy LIFEstyle. My business, Blue Nile Spa, provides internal cleansing and detoxification services.

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.