The Marietta Times, September 2, 2006

Joan Coffey

Joan Coffey has been a devoted vegan for more than 30 years, but did not raise her son that way or insist that her husband join her.

"A lot of vegans won't even cook meat, but I cook meat for my family," Coffey, 64, of Marietta, said. "My dogs and cats eat meat and wear leather collars. I don't."

Her 6-year-old grandson is no stranger to veganism.

"At least he knows what a vegetarian is," she said.

Her own lifestyle began quite by accident.

"It was gradual," she said. "I first gave up red meat, then fowl, then fish. A long time later, I became a vegan. It was all gradual."

Recently Coffey revisited dairy -- cheese, milk, eggs -- and soon her weight began to increase.

"On May 1, I quit all dairy products. I've lost 10 pounds already just by giving up cheese," she said. "I feel better, have more energy and more of everything."

In addition to not having any desire to eat animals, Coffey has a wider concern for the world. Most of the livestock that is consumed by humans is grain fed.

"The grain we feed animals could feed a lot of humans all over the world," she said. "And you can buy a lot of black beans for what you would spend on meat."

Veganism is easier to practice today than ever before, according to this convert.

"I used to go into a restaurant and ask for a vegetarian menu and they would often ask, 'Are you from California?'" Coffey said. "I used to get a lot of that, but nobody bats an eye anymore."

Grocery stores cater more to vegetarians today.

"It's so much easier than 30 years ago," she said. "I used to have to make my own burgers from beans. Today we have Boca burgers in lots of variety."

In matters of health, there is no substitute for the vegan/vegetarian lifestyle, she said.

"I'm healthier than my parents were at this age," she said.