Nairobi, June 3 -- For nearly 15 years, Stella Auka lived with a condition she struggled to name but could never ignore: chronic constipation that slowly eroded her well-being. Doctors advised more water and more vegetables. She tried, but nothing changed.

Looking back, Stella traces part of the problem to a shift in diet that once felt aspirational. Raised in a household where vegetables were the norm and meat was a rare Christmas privilege, adulthood brought a different idea of "better living": meat almost daily, full-fat milk tea brewed the Kenyan way, and vegetables cooked in milk for richness.

It was indulgence that felt deserved. But her body disagreed.At 52, she made a decision that would reset her life. She eliminated animal pro...