Have you ever stopped to think about what you are putting in your mouth? Could that fried patty drenched with grease really be healthy for your body? Have you ever thought about how the food choices you make can effect your lifestyle?

“Beef, what a relief, When will this poisonous product cease? This is another public service announcement, You can believe it, or you can doubt it.”

These lyrics from KRS-One’s song, “Beef,” changed eco chef and food justice activist Bryant Terry’s world view in politics, food and well being.

After giving into high school peer pressure of eating junk food and other unhealthy, processed foods, Terry started to notice a change in his weight, an increase in acne, and a decrease in energy.

“I didn’t want to be the one with hippy food,” said Terry.

“Beef” helped motivate Terry to change his lifestyle and go back to his roots of eating healthy foods fresh from his relative’s home gardens.

Terry’s grandparents and their green living through loving the Earth and eating homegrown food inspired him to continue their message.

As an activist, Terry is committed to building power for the right to healthy food and transforming communities with sharing his knowledge through lectures and visits to different college campuses, such as his visit to De Anza College last Wednesday.

The Black Panthers movement inspired Terry to create his own organization, Build Healthy

Eating and Lifestyles To Help Youth. Better known as B-Healthy, Terry created the organization to help raise awareness about different food Justice issues and to engage youth to healthier lifestyles.

He believes that it is up to students to advocate for change and wants to help make their voices be heard.

Terry decided to write his cookbook, “Vegan Soul Kitchen,” to show people that soul food was not all about animal fat and other greasy unhealthy food.

The added flavor idea of making his book about “soul food” comes from Terry wanting to change people’s ideas of what eating vegan is about.

“People continue to have negative perceptions of what vegan is. I want to show that healthy eating is not bland, boring and disgusting, but can be beautiful and tasty. It can be more bright and more bold,” said Terry.