Los Alamitos, CA

President and CEO of Frieda’s Inc., Karen Caplan, recently took readers of her blog “What’s on Karen’s Plate,” through a well- documented journey on becoming a vegan.

After watching the documentary “Forks over Knives,” Caplan decided to challenge herself to go vegan for 30 days. Caplan’s first post was launched August 1 and spent the next month blogging daily on her experience with the transition following her mantra, “I can do anything for a month.”

Caplan gave advice on dining out, traveling when vegan, grocery shopping, how her relationship with food changed and the way she physically felt after a few weeks of eating a strictly plant-based diet.

“From what I can reckon, I’m eating about 70% raw foods, made up mostly of fruits and veggies. Since I made these diet changes, not only do I not crave sugar, I also don’t crave processed foods.” –From What’s on Karen’s Plate, August, 9 2012

Caplan found herself answering dozens of emails a week from readers who were inspired by her Vegan Journey, which initially started as a month-long experiment, but has now become a way of life. “When I first started this, I couldn’t imagine giving up chocolate, meat or cheese. But when I began to feel good I realized it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be,” Caplan said. “I feel amazing and after continuing my research on what it means to be a vegan, it just makes sense that this is a lifestyle rather than an experiment.”

The biggest surprise for Caplan has been the effect her journey has had on those around her—from colleagues she’s known for years to people who stumbled upon her blog. Miriam Miller Wolk, staff member of United Fresh, and Connie Stukenberg, of the California Avocado Commission, both have joined Karen’s vegan journey.

“People want to talk about their own health journeys. At the most recent PMA Fresh Summit, I had colleagues and members of the media approach me about how my journey has helped them create their own healthy lifestyles.”

To read more about Karen Caplan’s Vegan Journey, visit http://whatsonkarensplate.blogspot.com/