Famous Vegans - Kenneth G. Williams

Kenneth G. Williams

Born Kenneth Gogen Williams on September 6, 1967. He is an American professional vegan bodybuilder, personal trainer, financial advisor and model. He has been vegan since 2000. He won the World Natural Bodybuilding Championships in Sacramento in 2003. He finished 3rd out of more than 200 competitors from 37 nations at the 2004 Natural Olympia in Las Vegas. His website is Vegan Muscle Power.

He is a vegan and animal rights activist and a campaign coordinator for In Defense of Animals. He made the following public service announcement for them:

Quotes by Kenneth G. Williams:

"I always felt drawn to the Vegan alternative dietary lifestyle. My thoughts and feelings were Vegan-oriented even before I began living the vegan lifestyle."

"I got up early one morning to get some chicken, rice and salad. I looked at my chicken and something hit me—I saw death. So, I scraped it off my plate, ate my rice and salad and went back to bed. Later, I woke up crying and I didn’t know why. And then it hit me—it was humility. And with the humility, responsibility kicked in. Now I see that my road is to let people know it is okay to be strong, compassionate and vegan."

"I found my calling, and I found it in a most unusual way."

"When I decided to be a vegan bodybuilder my workout friends kind of laughed at me saying, "You can’t do that diet!" I told my wife, a holistic health teacher, the guys said I couldn’t build muscle on a vegan diet, and we got busy on some vegan foods. I just feel better in general. My recovery time got quicker. I sleep less. I’m more alert. And knowing that I don’t have to kill anything to eat is like going through different levels to get to the ultimate plane."

"I am now more energized. I sleep a lot better and my rest has definitely improved. I am able to build stronger muscle and over-all my body feels great. I am better able to obtain the muscle shape, tone, and size needed to compete successfully."

"It’s not instant energy, because your body has to clean out, but after a week or two, you feel the energy—and from then on you’ll always have energy because of all the nutritious food. Your body is now saying "thank you" and will know what to do with the food, instead of just storing it somewhere where it’ll turn to fat."

"I found it easy to get all the nutrients and protein I need as an athlete with help from my vegan wife, Evelyn. Through reading books and other nutritional sources, I am able to obtain all of the needed supplementation. As a vegan, I rely on soy protein powders, soy products, and vegetables and needed essential omega-3 fatty acids from products such as hemp seeds (Manitoba Harvest). I also take Earthrise Spirulina, vitamins and minerals from whole foods."

"I love Boca burgers—they’re so good! I also love Indian food and this stuff that Evelyn and I cook called Vegan Muscle-Power Enchiladas. Love ’em—love ’em to death!"

"A lot of people think it’s expensive to be a vegan, but it’s really not. You know, there’re no limitations on the vegan lifestyle, because you can eat all this organic stuff all day, every day—there’s no limit. It’s easy to cook too. Drop in your vegetables, put some tofu in there or some pad Thai or tempeh, and just stir it up."

"I would rather get my protein firsthand, through veggies, than secondhand, from animals. Animals eat the same things we eat, so if we kill and eat the animal, then we are getting the nutrients secondhand."

"My health is worth the payoff. Knowing my immune system is just as strong as my muscle is something worth striving for."

"You have to get up and exercise, and you have to eat healthy!"

"Go vegan and no body gets hurt!"

Quotes are from his 2005 interview with PETA2, his 2004 interview with SBS and his 2006 interview with Satya.