Nutrition consultant, bestselling author, and radio show host Nancy Addison—who was featured in the recent documentary Eating You Alive—has helped thousands of people improve their lives by going plant-based. In this exclusive interview, she tells PETA Prime why she stopped eating animals and what motivates her to help others do the same.

When and why did you go vegetarian?

I went vegetarian in 1988 because I was watching people in my family die of heart disease, cancer, strokes, etc., and I began to think very seriously about health. It made sense to me that diet was likely related to these illnesses.

At the time, I was also reading about the new “concentrated farming” methods being used: I read that animals are being fed hormones to fatten them up and that their living conditions are so unhealthy that farmers give them antibiotics just to keep them alive. A Life magazine article showed graphic photos of the cruel treatment. I was horrified. I quite literally put down that article, turned to my husband, and told him I was going to be a vegetarian and that I was going to raise my children that way. Since becoming a vegetarian, I have come to understand more fully the positive implications of this decision for my health and the environment, in addition to the benefits of making an ethical choice not to eat meat.

What prompted you to write your bestselling book Diabetes and Your Diet?

I was pre-diabetic beginning in high school, and when I became a vegetarian, my diabetic condition disappeared almost immediately. I had also struggled with acute anemia since the age of 2, and this condition disappeared as well. My health improved dramatically in all ways.

As a nutrition expert, I am continually researching the connection between health, nutrition, and disease, and I have found that type 2 diabetes is one of the diseases that can be reversed with diet and lifestyle changes. I have seen evidence for this in the lives of my clients, and I wanted to share this information with everyone else.

Your book Raising Healthy Children received the prestigious Mom’s Choice Award. Did your children inspire you to write it?

My children did inspire me. It really is the story of their young lives and upbringing. I discuss issues ranging from raising socially conscious children to handling peer pressure and ensuring that children get high-quality food. The book also contains a lot of my kids’ favorite recipes!

Can you tell us a bit about your other books?

I wrote How to Be a Healthy Vegetarian because I often met people who told me they used to be a vegetarian but just couldn’t stick with this lifestyle change. Around the same time, my children were in college, and many of their friends decided to try a vegetarian diet. Their friends thought that if they just cut out red meat, chicken, and fish that they were eating well. Alas, they were eating processed foods, and their health was not improving. I knew I had figured out a lot of components to eating a healthy vegetarian diet and thriving. I decided to share my information with others by writing this very comprehensive book.

Lose Weight, Get Healthy … and NEVER Have to Be on a Diet Again! is a short, concise book on eating healthier. Because obesity is a major health concern, I wanted to address weight and health specifically in a way that’s accessible and helps people take control of their weight in a positive way. This book offers a healthy alternative to the typical fad yo-yo dieting in which people bounce between unsustainable diets and instead provides simple lifestyle adjustments that people can make to improve their health in lasting and dramatic ways. At the core of these changes is embracing a plant-based diet.

You have a radio show as well. What’s it about?

My radio show is called Organic Healthy Lifestyle. I discuss food, nutrition, reversing health conditions, gardening, and the importance of going organic. You can find the show on iHeartRadio and also on my website, OrganicHealthyLifestyle.com.