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A father of three has shed 100lb after adopting a plant-based diet and has now set up a vegan smoothie and juice restaurant.
James McGee, from Desoto, Texas, has also reversed health complications from ‘years of heavy drinking’ – and no longer needs the 22 different types of medication he had to take daily to manage his liver and kidney issues.
‘We went home and got rid of everything’
McGee, who was told he ‘probably wouldn’t live another year’ by his doctors, adopted an animal-free diet after one of his daughters was diagnosed with multiple food allergies, as well as eczema and psoriasis.
“We went home and got rid of everything,” Dallas News reports. “We didn’t want her doing it by herself.”
Since then, McGee opened up Peace Love Eatz, creating plant-based meals such as mushroom burgers, jackfruit tacos, and smoothies, after noticing how limited vegan options in the area were.
“After fully switching over to a plant-based lifestyle, my wife and I realized there was nothing for us to eat in the area. From then on the seed was planted (get it?),” the company’s website states.
‘Learning the wrong things’
McGee also wants to tackle the health disparities prominent in the black community, by making plant-based foods more familiar in DeSoto.
He said: “In the black community there’s a lot of diabetes. So a lot of people are starting to look at it, like, now I’ve got to do something.
“It’s sad that we are more reactive than proactive, but that comes from a long time of learning the wrong things. I want to be able to teach people about [veganism] at the same time.”
Peace Love Eatz is located inside the Grow DeSoto Market Place
