Today, Lewis is a healthy 220 pounds and champions a veganism for feeling good physically and being in shape.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 48 percent of non-Hispanic Blacks are obese, followed by 42 percent Hispanics and 34 percent whites. Also, Black men with higher incomes are more likely to be obese than those with lower income.
Lewis wants people of color to know that they can be in control of their health. Vegans are often confused with vegetarians, who don’t eat meat, fish or poultry. In addition to those foods, vegans also do not use animal products or by-products including eggs, dairy and honey.
“Vegans aren’t filling up the hospitals,” Lewis told Black Enterprise. “Nobody is coming in with a heart attack, because they had too much salad that day or too much fruit.”
To learn more about Lewis and his vegan lifestyle, check out his website at badassvegan.com.