Today we’d like to introduce you to Koda McDowell.
Koda, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I made the decision to transition to a plant-based diet on December 1, 2017. It all began with a challenge from someone to stop eating chicken, beef, and pork for 60 days! At first, I was like nah, nope…CAN’T do it! Lol. I had no idea where to start and I definitely had no plans to be completely vegan. I never thought I would give up seafood but I decided to give it a try.
I’ve always had a passion for cooking. I have literally been in the kitchen helping my mom since I was seven years old. I loved creating new recipes, so I decided to challenge myself and get creative with vegan dishes.
I wanted to document my journey, so initially I created an IG page as a personal blog to share my vegan journey with the world. Within five weeks of transitioning, I had shed 18 pounds and the ovarian cysts that I had found out about just two months prior were completely gone!
I was really shocked and I felt amazing. This 60-day challenge turned into a lifestyle. And in just six months, I was fully vegan!! (Yes, I know that was pretty aggressive and maybe a little crazy!)
Nonetheless, it was a change that I desperately needed. My beginning weight in Dec 2017 was 204 and by June 2018, I lost a total of 52 pounds!! Believe it or not it wasn’t hard. The weight loss was a byproduct to how amazing I felt going vegan.
Now, I hope to inspire others who may be curious about becoming vegan or just anyone who wants to create better eating habits!! This has been an amazing adventure. My goal now is to inspire and help others on their journey to a healthier lifestyle by providing amazingly delicious vegan dishes with only the very best of organic and non gmo ingredients.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This journey has been a challenge. Making the decision to change my entire lifestyle was my choice but there were many people who felt the need to give me their 2 cents. I was teased and made fun of by co-workers. Never did I let that bother me. I was on a mission to be a better me.
Please tell us about The Vegan Vybe.
I began selling meal preps April 2019 but then I wanted to get out and meet people. So I stepped out of my comfort zone and started doing pop up’s. I was selling my food at different events around the city of Houston and even had an opportunity in Beaumont Oct 2019.
I also provide private chef and catering services for any occasion.
The Vegan Vybe is dedicated to providing amazingly delicious vegan dishes with only the very best of organic and non gmo ingredients. Even our seasoning are organic and ordered from a farm in Oregon. I will only serve top of the line or nothing at all. Peace, love, and good vybez go into everything we do and that alone sets us apart from the rest.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite memory would be standing on a stool next to my mom learning how to make pancakes from scratch. I would ask for pancakes every morning so I wanted to learn how to make them myself. I’m sure my mom was happy to teach me so I would give her a break. Lol.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theveganvybe.com
- Phone: 832-778-1703
- Email: theveganvybe@gmail.com
- Instagram: the_vegan_vybe
- Facebook: The Vegan Vybe
- Twitter: The Vegan Vybe
Image Credit:
Liz Cortez
Suggest a story: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
