Veggie Teen: Elyse May
Elyse May, author of Veggie Teens: A Cookbook and Guide for Teenage Vegetarians, became a vegetarian when she was 12 years old. She'd always been an animal lover but seeing pictures of dozens of pigs crammed into a small pen was the final straw.
No one else in Elyse's immediate family is vegetarian but they supported her decision fully. Her mom, Michelle May MD, a family doctor and mindful eating expert, helped her figure out how to eat to stay healthy. Her dad Owen May, a professional chef, taught her how to make vegetarian foods that her whole family loves, including her older brother Tyler. Together they developed Veggie Teens to help other teenagers learn how to cook delicious, nutritious vegetarian foods too.
According to Elyse, it wasn't always easy to be a vegetarian in high school--but it was worth it. Many of her friends were curious; some even decided to become vegetarians too. She feels healthy and happy knowing that no animals lose their lives to feed her.
Elyse shares more life-lessons in an inspiring article and 10-minute interview with InspireMeToday.
Elyse also loves to bake so you'll find some of her cupcake creations on her blog too!
Elyse's Co-Authors
Elyse had a lot of help from her parents in putting this book together:
Michelle May M.D.: Elyse's mom is a family physician and expert in
mindful eating. She is the author of the book series, Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat, and the founder of Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Programs and Training. Michelle believes that being healthy doesn't mean you have to eat perfectly. She helped with the nutrition and health information included in Veggie Teens and took most of the new photographs for the second edition.
Chef Owen May: Elyse's dad is a professional spa chef. He knows how to make food that is both nutritious and delicious. He and Elyse spent many hours in the kitchen testing and tweaking these recipes until they were perfect. Owen believes that everyone should know how to cook so he and Elyse teach you many basic culinary techniques throughout Veggie Teens.
