Welcome to Vantastic Vegan

Hey! I’m Vantashan and I just want to say thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy lives to spend some time with me by reading my blog. I am extremely thankful to have the opportunity to share my new experience with you all. My prayer is that my blog becomes a safe place for you to come and unwind, be inspired and also get a great laugh!

So let’s get into it! I know the most important question that many of you are asking while you’re reading is “what is the purpose of this blog?” Am I right? Well my overall purpose is to share my vegan journey, some lifestyle tips, recipes, product reviews, be an inspiration and so much more! And let me add, even if you aren’t a vegan, I know that there will be plenty of topics that will still interest you. I have future plans for this platform that I know will be an awesome addition but we can chat about that at a later time.

Now that you know the purpose, let me give you all the “why.” To give you all a quick back story, I have been intrigued with veganism for about 3 ½ years, I was honestly clueless on what a life without animal products would look like. My initial trial at being vegan happened in the winter of 2018. I was amazed at my results but didn’t have a solid reason to hold on to the lifestyle, and let me add the horrible influence of others not understanding why I was choosing this lifestyle. I very quickly gave into temptation. My second attempt was actually the winter of 2021. I joined the “Veganuary” challenge. This challenge was global and consisted of going through the month of January without consuming any animal products. I felt better prepared and in my opinion I gave it more effort, but I honestly lacked DISCIPLINE. As soon as life felt hard, I fell off the darn wagon! (Anyone else fall off the wagon of something they started? It’s rhetorical, because even if you won’t admit it, it know you did and that’s okay because we all have or eventually will. As my grandmother used to tell me, “keep living.”) Moving on, let’s fast forward to August 23rd, 2021. The date is at the front of my memory because I received some medical news that was devastating for me. I had been experiencing sharp abdominal pains and my cycles were heavy and the pain was almost unbearable (and I have had 2 c-sections so my pain tolerance is kinda high to me *shrugs*.) With the amount of pain I was feeling, I knew something was not right because it was also familiar to me. After visiting the doctor, there was a large ovarian cyst found on my right ovary. Y’all I was crushed! I know it may seem like a small issue to some, but it was HUGE to me! Not even a year ago I was being rushed into emergency surgery for the removal of an ovarian cyst that ruptured on my left ovary. I knew that I needed to make a change and I did not want to continue living my life with the interruptions of ovarian cyst popping up all the time. I had already done research that suggested the removal of animal products from my diet and I even talked to a good friend of mine who happens to be a bomb nurse practitioner (shouts out to you sis *winks*), who also suggested I become a vegan. It has been suspected that the hormones in the food we eat increases the hormone levels in our body as well and my consumption was basically feeding the cyst. After my recent surgery for removal I knew it was time to get serious about me. I had to be disciplined, committed and dedicated! Like they say “a third times a charm.”

As of today, I have been sticking with my lifestyle change. My vision is different. I have been vegan for 2 months and also incorporated exercising (I have a whole blog post for that because it DESERVES IT!) My body feels amazing and I am so proud. I now care about what I put into my body. So you know I must be real, this by NO means is easy and some days are harder than others, but I now think back to my “why.” I want to encourage you to accomplish the goal you have set for yourself and find your “why” whatever it may be. I’m rooting for you!

Once again, I am so glad you stopped by. I can’t wait to share and inspire you all and to also be inspired by you all! We all can use some inspiration. My plan is to bring you a new read 1-2 times a week, especially when I discover a new yummy recipe. Make sure you share your thoughts with me. I would love to read your testimonials and your point of view. Have you ever wanted to try out a vegan lifestyle? Why or why not? What are your thoughts on it? Have you ever researched the benefits?

Pssstttt….before you leave, make sure you subscribe so that you are in the know. You are now a part of the “Vantastic Family” and we should definitely stay connected! In the words of my mother in love “It’s not goodbye, so I’ll talk to you later.”