Tampa Bay Veg Fest is Bringing Back the Ask a Vegan Booth!
It’ll be in Zone C next to the Free Food Samples.
Our experts have plenty of experience to share with non-vegans and vegans alike.
- Different experts throughout the day!
- They will answer questions and give information about the plant-based lifestyle
- Tips for getting started
- An exchange of experience
| Ask a Vegan Expert | TIme |
|---|---|
| Truddie Reif, MS, RDN, LDN | 9:30 AM - 1:00 PM |
| Bryan Bell, Certified Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach | 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM |
| Christina Cherian, MD, DipABLM | 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM |
| Nadia Tenouri, PhD, USF Professor, Certified Personal Trainer | 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM |
| Ellen Jaffe Jones, Athlete and Author |
Truddie Reif, MS, RDN, LDN
9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Ask a Vegan Expert
Truddie is a Registered Dietitian specializing in plant-based nutrition, Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT), and clinical education. She serves as the Florida State Coordinator for the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group (VN DPG), advocating for evidence-based, plant-forward healthcare initiatives across the state. Alongside client care, Truddie actively teaches and mentors nutrition students and dietetic interns, translating complex medical nutrition science into practical application. She is passionate about helping individuals build sustainable, science-backed habits tailored to their health goals. Outside of her work, she enjoys exploring new foods and volunteering as a Master Gardener.
Coach Bryan Bell
10:00 am to 1:30 pm
Ask a Vegan Expert
Coach Bryan Bell is the founder of Conscious Fitness, where he helps vegans & plant-based eaters lose weight, build muscle, and transform their bodies while thriving on a plant-based lifestyle. He is a Certified Personal Trainer (NASM) and holds a Nutrition Coaching Certification from the Nutritional Coaching Institute (NCI), bringing both expertise and lived experience as a vegan athlete.
Through his one-on-one coaching, Bryan empowers clients to overcome struggles like hitting protein goals, breaking through plateaus, and staying consistent—proving you don’t need meat or dairy to achieve lasting results.
At Tampa Bay Veg Fest, you’ll find him at the Ask a Vegan booth answering your fitness and nutrition questions.
Christina Cherian, MD, dipABLM
1:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Ask a Vegan Expert
Dr. Christina Cherian is a double board-certified Family Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine physician turned health coach with a passion for helping people reverse disease through plant-based nutrition. She is the founder of Lotus Lifestyle Medicine, a fully virtual coaching practice that empowers women to become the best versions of themselves through plant based nutrition and mindfulness. She also hosts the podcast Bloom into Health, where she motivates and inspires individuals on their own plant-based journeys.
In addition to her medical background, Dr. Cherian holds a certification in yoga teacher training and is a long-time practitioner of mindfulness and meditation. Her vision is a world where no one suffers with a preventable, reversible disease. She will share the power of a whole food plant based diet to treat, and even reverse, chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
Nadia Tenouri, PhD, USF Professor, Certified Personal Trainer
11:00 am to 1:30 pm
Ask a Vegan Expert
Dr. Nadia Tenouri has been an active member of the Tampa vegan community since 2007. She has an educational background in Biology (BSc) and Environmental Management (PhD), and is a Certified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor (in addition to real estate, teaching at USF, and more). Dr. Tenouri lived abroad in New Zealand for 3 years before returning back home to Tampa, and can comment on her experiences there as well. She is very active across various disciplines and has a broad range of knowledge for Ask-A-Vegan, from environmental and nutritional sciences to fitness to philosophy.
Ellen Jaffe Jones, Athlete and Author
Ask a Vegan Expert
Ellen Jaffe Jones is a versatile, inspirational keynote speaker and 6-time health, fitness, and cookbook author. She has placed in an unheard of number, vegan or not…337 5K or longer races for her age group since 2006—powered “just” by plants. At the 2022 and 2023 US National Senior Games, she was the only W70-74 athlete to run all 7 track events, earning silver in the 4×100 and bronze in the 800. She also won gold in the 4×100 in 2019 and 2023 and was NSG’s April 2020 “Athlete of the Month,” the first vegan featured.
Ellen has eaten a plant-based diet for most of 45 years, avoiding the breast cancer that claimed her mother, aunt, and sisters. A two-time Emmy-winning investigative reporter, she spent 18 years in TV news before becoming a personal trainer, running coach, and corporate speaker. She’s reversed Graves’ disease and psoriatic arthritis and often hears, “I want to be you when I grow up.”
Her books include Eat Vegan on $4 a Day, Kitchen Divided, Paleo Vegan, Vegan Fitness for Mortals, Vegan Sex and Vegan for One.
Ellen’s keynote, Finding Your Start Line: 5 Hacks to Improve Longevity, helps audiences set attainable goals and make fast, lasting lifestyle changes. She’s inspired weight loss up to 120 pounds through her cooking classes for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
A popular speaker at vegfests since 2010, Ellen has also worked as a Smith Barney financial consultant specializing in socially responsible investing, a media consultant for nonprofits and agencies, and a top-selling Florida realtor. She’s finished 2 marathons, 13 half marathons, and has often swept all 6 Florida state track events in her age group.
Great Vegan Athletes of the Year: 2019, 2020, 2022. Featured in Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Bradenton Herald, Longboat Observer, Plant Based News and much more.
Visit vegcoach.com or vegcoach1@gmail.com or all social media.