Topic: Herbies

I received this email from Andrea a few months ago and wanted to share it as part of our Herbies of the Week series. It's a little different than what we normally have on this column each week — not just that Andrea wrote me a letter (as opposed to me interviewing her) — but I loved her honest perspective about her personal journey. 

[Editorial note: Andrea has since married, hence her beautiful wedding "after" picture]

I know Ruth through a mutual friend and former Herbie of the Week, Pam. Pam sent me this article about Ruth and her husband, Francis, that appeared in the local paper. (Pam and Ruth live in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where I lived all last winter to snowboard while writing Happy Herbivore Abroad.

At the beginning of the summer, Ruth and Francis set a goal for themselves that intimidates even me: They decided they would complete their first triathalon …

Chris sent me the following email titled "How I became a 'Happy Herbivore' :)" The story of his journey is one that will inspire us all. In his previous life, Chris gorged himself on junk food and weighed 320 lbs. (with high blood pressure and high cholesterol tagging along). Today, Chris runs half marathons!

"This is my summarized tale of physical self-abuse.

I entered this world as a small child — My grandma still recalls how hard it was to …

I'd like to give a very warm welcome back to our HOW this week, Michelle! Michelle guest blogged on Happy Herbivore last November, sharing how she stayed healthy on a mostly plant-based diet while attending high school, participating in several extracurricular activities, and having cooking to cook all her meals herself (since age 14!). She was quite the inspiration!

Before and after her post, Michelle and I had corresponded a few times via email, mostly about how she could …

I received this email from Sue and it was so heartfelt that I wanted to share it as part of our Herbies of the Week series.It's a little different than what we normally have on this column each week — not just that Sue wrote me a letter (as opposed to me interviewing her). So often, we hear that people made a change when ill health struck (that's my story, after all, and my parents' story!), but a …