It was an overdose of cheese pizza that did it for Steven Kern. A vegetarian since high school, Kern became a vegan after having a bad reaction to pizza in college. It just did not go down well, and a decade later, Kern still hasn't touched dairy or eggs.
"After going vegan I feel a lot lighter and healthier," says Kern, 28, who now has a business supplying grocery stores with vegan meat and dairy substitutes. "Growing up, I would always feel kind of bad after eating a big meal of a steak. But I never made the connection until later."
Like others who opt to eliminate animal products from their diet, Kern wanted to improve his health. But that's not the only motivation for today's vegans. Concerned about global warming, food safety and animal welfare, more people have turned to the plant-based diet, bringing veganism from the fringes of the culinary world closer into the mainstream.
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Photo by Lacy Atkins, San Fransico Chronicle