We had the good fortune of connecting with Barry Gaines and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Barry, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
The health and wellness industry is going to be around until the end of time, and I feel people are more curious about learning about the benefits of a plant based diet. Your health is truly your wealth, and you need good health to appreciate life.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Barry The Vegan, LLC was created to bring awareness and educate people on the benefits of a plant-based/vegan lifestyle. The ability to be able to bring art into healthy cooking and eating through the creativity within myself along with an audience of both vegans and non-vegans is what sets me apart from others. I am extremely impressed with the influx of people in todays world that are actively seeking to gain knowledge about clean eating. I’ve gotten where I am today simply by just creating a platform to share my vegan journey. It was not easy. My work was definitely cut out for me and a lot of research was involved. I’ve learned that if you put your mind to anything, you most definitely can achieve it with discipline, hardwork and dedication. In life, the most powerful thing in the world is the power of CHOICE! We all have the power to choose to say yes or no. We all have the power to choose to go backwards or move forward. We all have the power to choose to grow or not grow. We all have the power to choose to live healthy lifestyles or not. I used my power to choose life over death by becoming a vegan. And with that……my mind, body and soul developed a yearning to share this information with the world. If I can do it…….so can you!!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would start each morning off by preparing a healthy vegan breakfast. I would also incorporate visits to a few of the historical sites in the ATL area such as the King Center, Stone Mountain, Ponce City Market,& the Atlanta Beltline. During our visits to the historical sites, we would break to have either lunch or dinner at some of my favorite vegan restaurants…..namely Café Sunflower, Slutty Vegan, Tassili’s Raw Reality Cafe, and the Green Soma Vegan Café. I would throw some entertainment and nightlife in by visiting the City Winery, the Atlanta Comedy Theatre, the Fox Theatre, and Kat’s Café.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My Aunt Dorothy is responsible for me becoming vegan, she’s 76yrs old still going strong. She made a decision to be healthy until the day she transcends from this earth. So no long or short term goals, it’s just a part of her daily routine. Her mind is sharp and she looks & feels great, so if she can do it, why can’t I. Dorothy Johnson became vegan 25yrs ago when there wasn’t many options like it is now. You have a lot of brands like Gardein and So Delious that makes great dairy free products. I can remember going to visit her when I was in high school and would look in the fridge, and she would say “Barry I don’t eat like you”. Well Auntie, you was on it back then, way ahead of your time and thank you for educating and supporting me on living a Vegan Life.

Website: BarryTheVegan.com
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