Taryn's Story

My name is Taryn and I am 29 years old. Vegetaryn is my business that I started in 2014. I have had quite the journey learning how to build a website and brand. I've taught myself photography, graphic design, food styling, and marketing. I style and shoot all of the content, as well as, create the designs for the merch and products sold on Vegetaryn.

I am an animal loving, veggie eating, big kid for life, living in the PNW with my fiancé, Alex, our boston terrier, Cudi, and rescue pig, Penny.

Family photo couple pig and dog

Growing up, I've always had an affinity for food, often opting for unhealthy choices like McDonald's, In N' Out and Taco Bell. When I would eat at Chipotle I would order double meat burritos. At In N Out, I would regularly order 2 double-double cheeseburgers. Yes, that's 4 hamburger patties & 2 buns...WITH a side of animal style french fries. I was able to eat like this because I was a competitive cheerleader in high school and working out 30+ hours/week.

As you can see in the picture below, since day one, I have always loved to eat. (Please excuse the creepy doll #photobomb).

 

When I got to college, I stopped exercising, started drinking, and continued my unhealthy eating habits. It wasn’t until I studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain that I started to take the time to think before I ate. In Spain, Jamón (jam) hangs from the ceilings in many restaurants & shops, it grossed me out - especially when a pig's thigh was hanging right above my head with the most foul smell. This led me to eat many vegetarian meals during my time in Europe.

When I returned from Barcelona, I was eager and excited to get back to my “normal” foods: Taco Bell, In N Out, Chipotle, etc. However, once I started eating all these foods again I started feeling really sick and getting horrible stomach aches. Surely enough, I got sick of feeling sick, I started learning about food and making conscious decisions about what I was eating. I began to eat only whole, plant-based foods. The outcome was incredible and extremely unexpected. Not only did I feel better and get rid of my stomach aches, all of the sudden, my eczema went away & my asthma disappeared! It was “normal” for me to carry an inhaler with me everywhere I went, now I don’t even own an inhaler. Additionally, my acne was no longer an issue for me and I even lost 20 pounds. I didn’t mean to lose weight, nor did I ever think I was overweight; my body just became healthier overall. Now, every time I eat I am not just eating for myself, I know I am helping animals and the environment too. I feel as though each time I sit down at the table, my choices have a greater impact on the world. The pictures below clearly show you the difference the role my eating habits played on me:

vegan before and after*Please Note - I never thought and still don't think I was overweight, my body just became healthier overall. I use these pictures to show you the changes I personally experienced.

 

I share my story with hopes that you can learn a little about me, understand where I am coming from, and why I hope to inspire others to make healthier food choices while still experiencing full satisfaction and enjoyment out of life!

Let's change the world one shirt at a time!

Peas Out!

-Taryn