Clarissa Gannon is the Owner of the online coaching company, Vegan Fit For Life (formerly Elite Fit For Life). She is also a multiple-times certified fitness and nutrition coach.
Clarissa founded Vegan Fit For Life as a result of her expansive experience in the fitness industry and after observing just how broken it is. After making the decision to incorporate a vegan lifestyle to help some health and digestive issues, Clarissa realized how desperate the vegan community was with needing real information and real nutritional strategies.
As a result, Vegan Fit For Life has become a main source of nutritional information for not only the general population, but also for the vegan competitive athlete. Clarissa holds several specialist certifications and implements full integration of health in all nutritional protocols.
Meatless movement recently had a chance to engage in conversation with her.
Clarissa herself is an avid competitor in the NPC as well as mother to four amazing children (young adults) and wife to an entrepreneur. Residing in sunny New Mexico, she helps women around the world achieve lasting success.
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You are worthy, and you deserve to love yourself fiercely, flaws and all
vegan fit for life – Clarissa Gannon-NutritionCoach
I had been plagued by extreme digestive issues since childhood. I went vegetarian in high school and felt much better.
However, with having children and then finding myself in the bodybuilding world and began consuming meat again. All my digestive issues came back and in 2016 I went vegetarian again, despite everyone telling me I’d lose all the muscle I had worked so hard for. Then in 2017, after watching What the Health with my husband, we both went Vegan.
Interestingly enough, I met one of my best friends backstage at my first bodybuilding competition. We were the only ones that were plant based in the entire show.
Preparing to stay on track does not have to be stressful
vegan fit for life – Clarissa Gannon-NutritionCoach
Eating out can be challenging – but i feel with a little research it’s really not that hard. It’s also not hard to politely express your food preference to the waitstaff and ask about food selections that can be made vegan. I travel a lot and I find it super easy to bring most of meals with me. It ensures I stay on track with my nutrition goals and then leaves us with just one meal that needs to be eaten out.
Alternatively it can be easy to hit up a natural food store and get what you need fresh to have on hand.
I think that everyone that decides to eat vegetarian or vegan is on their own journey. And a lot of the journey includes awareness. Awareness of what you are eating, what you are wearing, what you put on your body, what you clean you home with. The extent that animals are used and abused into producing so many things for our use can be overwhelming, and I think everyone has to come to this awareness in their own time.
Our family usually hosts all the holiday events. I won’t cook meat any longer. So our holidays are always vegan. Its fun and interesting to see everyone’s response to having a vegan roast or pasta bake as the main course for the holiday dinner. Or the deserts too, a vegan cheesecake? The cake was vegan? Everyone is always surprised the meal is vegan, and they even go back for seconds.
There’s a local restaurant called Lucky Goose, and if you like a good hamburger, you must try this place. So good, and their New Mexico fries are the best.
Everyone has their own reason for why they choose to eat vegan 🌱 plant based. It’s a journey for each individual that embraces it!
vegan fit for life – Clarissa Gannon-NutritionCoach
There’s also an amazing main course that’s served in the Top of the World restaurant in Vegas that serves the most amazing stuffed peppers I have ever had. Side note…. If you are traveling to Las Vegas most of the steak houses there have amazing Vegan options.
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Embrace Change:
Clarissa Gannon-NutritionCoach
Clarissa Gannon
CEO – Vegan Fit For Life
Rio Rancho, New Mexico
all images courtesy of Clarissa Gannon-NutritionCoach