Ashley Koff 

Ashley Koff is an internationally-renowned registered dietitian (R.D.) and advocate for healthy lifestyles.

Named among the Top 10 registered dietitians in the U.S. by Today’s Dietitian Magazine and Best of LA’s Nutritionist/Dietitians by CitySearch three years running, Koff appears regularly on national media outlets, including Dr. Oz, Good Morning America Health, The Doctors, CNN, AOL and E!, and is the lead expert for the Huffington Post Living’s ‘Total Energy Makeover’ with Ashley Koff RD. She is frequently featured in national publications such as The New York Times, InStyle, Reader’s Digest, O! The Oprah Magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Redbook, Women’s Health, Shape, is a contributing editor for Natural Health Magazine, the dietitian for espnW and presently sits on the advisory board of Fitness Magazine.

With one successful book on digestive wellness already under her belt, Koff’s latest book, Mom Energy: A Simple Plan To Live Fully Charged, written in collaboration with celebrity trainer Kathy Kaehler, launched in September 2011.

As part of her “Qualitarian” mission, Koff created The Ashley Koff Approved (AKA) Lists, a tool to help people identify products that meet a high standard of nutrition and marketing integrity. Koff routinely "goes to the source" around the world and throughout the U.S. to explore food production and cultural influences in our food system.

Koff maintains a private practice, regularly lectures, is a spokesperson for several national brands, and works to improve the quality of food choices in numerous outlets including on the sets of popular shows like ABC's Private Practice, CBS CSI: New York, HBO’s Big Love, FX’s It’s always Sunny In Philadelphia and FOX’s Bones.

 Rachel Avalon

Rachel Avalon launched her private practice in the healing arts in 2001 and continues to assist people in transforming their health and well-being every day. Her passion and focus is teaching others how to be healthy, happy and green through holistic nutrition and detoxification. As a result, Rachel leads clients straight to the core of what it takes to create short-term and long-term health that is time-tested, scientifically proven, and in harmony with the planet’s precious ecosystems. She is based in Los Angeles and works with clients nationwide focusing on losing weight, losing toxins, boosting beauty and vitality, healing chronic diseases and cancer, and adopting healthy, sustainable habits.

As an expert in vitality, balance, detoxification and green living, Rachel Avalon shares her values and recommendations through magazine articles and interviews, group lectures, local and national shows, and is a professional speaker for holistic and green events. In a 2009 nationwide contest, Rachel was selected as a new leader for sustainability, animal welfare, and humanitarian values. She is also a current ambassador for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a non-proft organization.

She is certified by the American College of Health Sciences, the CHAC, IPSP, AAR, and by additional institutes and teachers.

Talia Fuhrman

Talia Fuhrman, daughter of author Joel Fuhrman M.D., has a degree in nutritional sciences from Cornell University and is currently completing her chef’s degree in New York City. She is on a mission to help people understand that eating healthfully can be fun, delicious, and easy. A lover of cooking and journalism, she understands that disease prevention must be made tasty and easy for even the most basic aspiring chefs. As a freelance nutrition journalist, she has written for numerous websites and magazines including www.collegecandy.com, www.crazysexylife.com, www.diseaseproof.com and Positive Impact Magazine. 

Talia was taught the importance of eating healthfully before she could read or write. She has put in countless hours studying how food interacts with the body and throughout her teenage years and early twenties you could easily find her curled up on the couch with the latest health and wellness book. A health guru to her friends, Talia has always enjoyed teaching people about how to protect their health and hopes to write, lecture and cook delicious food now and into the future in order to help increasing numbers of people achieve ideal health and feel full of energy all while eating mouth-watering meals.

Need some inspiration? Want to know how people are changing their lives and why it's making a difference in their lives? Check out these amazing success stories, direct from viewers like you!

Do you have an eco and/or vegan success story you'd like to share? Fill out the form at the bottom to submit it and be featured!

Eco Successes

I'm a teenager and going through phases is something people my age are known for doing. However, what my family and friends do not realize is that this whole eco-friendly movement I'm undergoing is not a phase. It's a lifestyle adjustment that I'm hoping to be involved in for the rest of my like. I hope to become an environmental scientist and raise awareness of some of the very topics that Whitney discusses! From underwire free bras, aluminum free deodorant, Toms toothpaste and mouthwash and floss, recycled toothbrushes, paraben free and biodegradable hair care, solar powered night lights, plants in my room, aluminum waterbottles (BPA free, of course!), spending time outside, I LOVE OUR ENVIRONMENT. And there is absolutely no way of stressing that enough. I bring a Mason Jar to school everyday and force my friends to put fruit scraps in it, then I bring it home and compost! Whitney, you probably won't read this...ever...but you truly are an inspiration to girls like me. I'm so happy to know that noone is in this alone and that even though being green isn't exactly the "cool" thing to do in most people's eyes, folks like us are making a change. And when I become a renound environmental scientist, I will meet you and we will open so many people's eyes. Thank you for all you do and stay green! ~ Sam (age 15, WA)

Vegan Successes

"I decided around 10 months ago now to challenge myself at being vegan for one week after being vegetarian for over 25 years. After 7 days, I felt alive again. I felt light and refreshed. It was like I took on a whole new energy at knowing that my food didn't cause any animals to be harmed. I then made the decision that I was going to stay with the vegan lifestyle and have never looked back. Not only have I lost weight, my skin has cleared up, I have met a ton of new friends, I have so much energy and I just feel fantastic." ~ Monica Kelly (Toronto, Canada)

I became a vegan because I never liked to eat animals, but when you're small and have never heard of veganism you eat whats in front of you. Before that I was not a very healthy person and did not know about nutrition, what's better to eat or drink, it was just all junk that I ate or drank. And I was not a very out going person - I would shy away from everyone; in a way, I still do, but it's getting better. Before I became a vegan my weight was 340 pounds and now that I am vegan it's down to 210, and I didn't even work out - the pounds were just coming off. I feel so much better and more comfortable around people and I think to that I am getting smarter, because before i could not read or write, and i was in my 40's. My friend helped me get a PC and that helping me get better into reading and writing. I could not cook but I wanted to learn - I got much better at that too, so now I make my own vegan foods that I post on my own blog. Seeing my life getting much better is all thanks to being a vegan. Getting involved in veganism has helped me become a better me - animals are friend now not food. Because of you I have now become eco - no more plastic for me, it's glass all the way. You made a video about side effect about soy and wheat and gluten things that can puff up parts of a body - I was having trouble with that, and I could not put together why that was happening til i saw your video; I stopped eating things that have those things and now WOW what a difference! Chubby checks are gone, much better all around, thank you so much for the info. ~ Fredrick (age 50, Scarorough Ont. Canada)

Health Successes

"At the age of 25 I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. At 27 I decided to give being vegan a try after reading Vegan Freak and also being introduced to veganism by my friend who has been a vegan for over 5 years. Three months into my vegan lifestyle the doctor took me off my diabetic and cholesterol medications. My vegan lifestyle had bought both my blood sugar and cholesterol down. Also I use to suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome but no longer suffer symptoms." ~ Amanda (Adelaide, South Australia)

"I became vegan by an accident when I was a senior in high school. I've always had sensitive stomach since baby. However, it was the summer of sr year in school that I got very sick. I didn't know what to do because I got stomachache every time I ate. So I eliminated everything. I only ate plain oatmeals, vegetables, and fruits. I didn't eat protein (not on purpose, didn't know what it was back then) which made me severely weak. But this diet helped me with the stomach pain. I was FREE of pain. I was so happy but at the same time I lost a lot of weight. I was already skinny to begin with. So I looked like a skeleton (literally). I went into Collge and couldn't enjoy "life". I was scared of eating and of food. Food equaled pain in my eyes. But through research, I gradually learned more about different types of food. I visited Whole Foods almost everyday and saw that there were so many food I could enjoy! It took almost 5 years, but I gradually gained not only health but LIFE back! Now, I fully enjoy life and food on Veganism. I love food :) I love to walk and practice yoga daily. Working out makes me feel fresh and energetic. I love the awesome fresh green juices in the morning and also many green smoothies! Quinoa, Kabocha, Kale, and Kombucha are my favorite foods (I call it my Q3K's!)" (Junghwa, CA)

If you're reading this chances are you pay close attention to your lifestyle, especially when it comes to food. You're likely passionate about buying and preparing healthy and cruelty-free meals because it makes you feel good inside and out. You're being extra selective about what goes into your kitchen cabinets, but what about what's underneath and on your sink and in the laundry room? The products you use to wash your dishes, clean your clothes, and scrub your household surfaces have a big impact on your health. Their ingredients can get on your skin and into your lungs through the air, thus it's very important to use all natural, non-toxic brands. Plus, as an eco-vegan you'll want to make sure the products are plant-friendly and cruelty-free, right?

One of my favorite green companies is Earth Friendly Products because they have a toxic-free solution for every household need, from dishes to laundry to all purpose cleaners to compaion animal stuff. You won't find anything nasty or scary in this line because unlike conventional cleaning products they don't contain petrochemicals, bleach, ammonia, phosphates, formaldehyde, chlorine, petroleum, 1,4 dioxane, DEA, caustics, harsh fumes, vapors, Volatile Organic Compounds or palm oil. I also love that they're family owned and use solar power at their facility. Their products are not only as effective as the highly marketed chemical counterparts, they're also very affordable (under $10) and widely distributed in the US, Canada and online in the UK!

I'm so excited to introduce you to Kelly Lynn O'Brien. Though we've yet to meet in person (plan to in a few weeks!), she is one of those people who is obviously amazing, even through internet chatter. Her goals are vast in that she wishes to inspire those that suffer from chronic health conditions, to dig deep and realize that 100 percent restoration of health is possible. After years of abundant success in the medical sales industry, Kelly was diagnosed with a rare health condition. She is incorporating an alkalizing vegan diet and an overall Integrative approach to health with hope to heal her body. Kelly Lynn is a Blogger at girlgoneveg.com, Writer for MindBodyGreen & she has created Eco-Minded Chicago, a Chicago based community focused on eco-conscious living. She has orchestrated one of the largest Vegan Meetup groups in the city of Chicago of which she intends on expanding as she heals & finally, she is an aspiring Children's Book Author. She hopes to one day return to her position in medical sales to teach what she has learned to the masses. So yeah, she's pretty awesome. Find her on Twitter as @klyob

Here's what she has to say about EvG and being vegan (she made me blush!):

My absolute 'go to' site for any information regarding plant based nutrition, healthy living tips and eco-fashion is Eco-VeganGal.com. I literally think it is the most informative eco-vegan website available on the web, due to the quality of content, simplicity of the layout and the very obvious passionate originator behind it, Whitney Lauritsen. I have interacted w/ numerous other bloggers and I have to say that Whitney's stands far & above the rest for it's originality. In addition to the immense education you will get regarding eco-veganism, Whitney gives us a peak into her own life as well as her own eco-conscious journey, which makes her incredibly relatable to her readers! This website of hers is clearly what I would label a 'passion project'.

As for my own personal successes via going vegan, the biggest is that I am living a more compassionate & kind life. I am no longer participating in the cruelty of harming innocent animals lives and because of this my entire body, mind & spirit are all much more vibrant & healthy. While it's easy to get overwhelmed with the transition into veganism, the bottom line is that my 'success' came the day I decided to no longer participate in the slaughter. Between Eco-Vegan Gal's new website, newsletter and her plethora of videos, she takes 'challenging' out of the equation of going vegan. While It's too hard to choose one favorite video she has developed, I love when she shares what she eats during the day, the series on her own weight loss journey and finally, her spirited travels w/ her sister, Mary are entertaining!