Strength Fueled by Passion and Dedication
Colton brian, 26, of Camp Hill, says he “ate a ton of meat” as a body builder. Despite his young age, he had “super high blood pressure and a lot of health issues including cardiovascular. For me, the biggest turning point was my doctor telling me I’d be dead by the time I was 35,” he says.
In March of 2020, he made his first of two major life-altering decisions: He quit powerlifting and poured his energy into running, completing his first marathon in April and a 50-mile ultramarathon in May.
Struggling to recover, Brian was inspired by his girlfriend—a vegan—to switch to a vegan diet comprised of nearly all fruit, plus some vegetables and tofu. He enjoys smoothies every day—whirling together bananas, mango, pineapple, flaxseed, spinach, and kale.
By four weeks, he noticed “big changes—a ton of energy and clearer thinking.” Even his boss noticed an increase in his productivity. By September, he completed his first 100-mile endurance race, and by the end of 2018, he lost of total of 50 pounds and saw his blood pressure drop from 195/110 to 110/50.
“Even my doctor can’t believe it’s all due to running and diet,” Brian says. His 2026 goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon.
A Vision for Compassion and Creativity
Photographer Sarah Benn, 28, of Longlestown, says her gradual progression to a vegan diet has been “absolutely incredible, [coming] with so much more clarity and energy.”
About six years ago, she cut all red meat out of her diet. That was the first step. “I wasn’t able to digest red meat anymore—when I ate burgers or steak, I was sick for two days afterwards.”
As a traveling wedding photographer, with her Sarah Benn Photography studios located in York, “my job involved being creative, speaking with people 24/7, but I wasn’t able to apply myself 100 percent, with my job or with my family,” Ben says. After watching the documentary What the Health, she decided to cut out all dairy and additional meat. By January 1, 2018, she struck eggs from her diet, going completely vegan.
“Being vegan has made me feel so healthy; my body is squeaky clean now,” she says.
Benner says the switch to a vegan diet was fairly easy in her household, which includes her husband and two sons. “My husband cooks, which is awesome and a blessing—and he cooks very fresh anyway. So it was fairly simply for him to do quinoa with vegetables, vegan pasta, and other vegan dishes.