"I have been a nutritionist for years, and I decided to do a six-month experiment of being vegan," Marie said. "I always thought I was already such a healthy person, but it wasn't until transitioning to a vegan diet that I saw all of my allergies disappear, more energy every day, and I felt myself recovering faster from my workouts. There was no reason for me to go back after seeing that."

Unlike Marie, Ortiz was born and raised in Texas, but moved away to join the military and then play football in Miami. He always sought a challenge for his fitness endeavors. But he'd never considered going vegan until his vegetarian football coach asked him if he had ever considered a diet that wasn't based on animal byproducts.

"I dove right into the research for living out a vegan diet and how it could work with my goals," Ortiz said. "After just 30 days of cutting out meat and dairy, I was actually pretty shocked at how amazing I felt. I even tried reintroducing meat back into my diet, and it turned out that I felt horrible, so I knew being vegan made me stronger and there was no going back."

Ortiz moved back to Dallas after an injury sidelined him, and he ended up staying due to the diverse community that showed him that it had just about everything.

"Texas is like its own little country, with so much character to offer," he said. "So I knew I wouldn't be missing out on anything, even as a vegan here, since the community is just continuing to thrive."

And it doesn't stop with powerful vegan duos. MTV sensation The Naked Chef Jacques Laventure, whose JOQ Wellness Center on North Akard Street is a fitness and lifting mecca, is known for his shirtless cooking demos, but what many don't know is that the food he's making is always vegan.

"I was looking to live an abundant life and realized the sacrifice that animals were giving, so I chose to give up meat and teach people that foods are healing," Laventure said. "So being a vegan is all about living and enjoying the foods of the earth."