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This is your chance to be part of Alaska’s biggest celebration of plant-powered living! Share your vegan products, eco-friendly goods, health & wellness services, or community mission with a like minded community.
Join us for the 5th Annual Anchorage VegFest
621 W Sixth AveAnchorage, AK 99501
ALASKA CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
SATURDAY
SEPTEMBER 27, 2025
10:00AM - 4:00PM
Reclaim Your Health:
How Plants Reverse Chronic Disease
This year’s topic, Reclaim Your Health: How Plants Reverse Chronic Disease, shines a light on the increasing rates of chronic illnesses such as autoimmune conditions, metabolic disorders, and heart disease that many Americans face today. These challenges can feel overwhelming, but small, intentional changes in what we eat can make a meaningful difference. This year, we invite you to explore how nourishing your body with plants can help you take steps toward feeling your best and living a healthier life
Expert Speakers
Food Samples
Vegan Cuisine
Vendors
Community Wellness Classes
What to Expect:
2025 Speakers
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Dr. Michael Klaper
Michael A. Klaper, M.D., is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. He has practiced acute care medicine in Hawaii, Canada, California, Florida, and New Zealand, and for the past 35 years, has been focusing upon health-promoting food and lifestyle choices to help reverse disease and
prevent the need for hospitalization and surgery.
Dr. Klaper is board-certified by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and has served as nutrition advisor to NASA’s programs for space colonists on the Moon and Mars. He recently joined the staff of Aroga Lifestyle Medicine Clinic in Victoria, B.C, and continues his work with the non-profit “Moving Medicine Forward” initiative ( MovingMedForward.org ) that teaches medical students about reversing chronic disease utilizing plant-predominant nutrition.
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Dr. Markian Babij
Dr. Markian Babij has dedicated his career to supporting individuals facing cancer. After completing his residency in Oncology in 2003, he earned his Board Certification in Naturopathic Oncology in 2007. In 2009, he moved to Alaska, where he has since worked closely with the cancer community.
Dr. Babij specializes in managing side effects, providing integrative support, and partnering with patients to empower them in their health journey. His philosophy centers on education—helping patients use knowledge as a driving force for positive change.
Rooted in a lifelong connection to food and nature, Dr. Babij grew up eating from his family garden and continues to forage throughout the Alaskan summer. In his practice, he integrates functional medicine with a deep respect for natural traditions, using these approaches to assess and treat patients holistically.
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Jane Esselstyn RN
and Ann Esselstyn
Jane Esselstyn, RN, is a fresh and charismatic voice on the whole food, plant-based diet. She brings her perspective and passion as a woman, nurse, researcher, and mother to creating on-ramps to the plant-based way of life. Jane is an avid and inventive designer of plant-based recipes and the co-author of the New York Times Bestseller, Be a Plant-Based Woman Warrior: Live Fierce, Stay Bold, Eat Delicious, and The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook with her next-door neighbor, mom, and human firecracker - Ann Esselstyn. Jane and Ann present their work, research, and high-energy demos around the world- and on their YouTube channel. Jane also created the recipe section of the #1 NY Times bestseller, Plant-Strong, and The Seven Day Rescue, by Rip Esselstyn. And she is co-author of The Engine 2 Cookbook.
They will be joining us live virtually to cook us through a day! This mother-daughter duo will demo delicious, whole, food, plant-based recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a dessert that will Reclaim Your Health!
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