Plant-Powered People Podcast

How can you make sure you always have delicious, healthy, plant-based food ready for you to eat when you need it, without spending hours meal prepping every week? Danielle Brown, AKA the creator of Healthy Girl Kitchen, is on the show today to tell us, and share all her healthy eating tips!

Show Notes:

• How Danielle became a full-time vegan food blogger
• Danielle's journey to becoming plant-based
• The amazing benefits Danielle experienced from going plant-based & focusing on healthy food
• Why Danielle decided to become a health coach
• The importance of understanding your WHY for going plant-based
• How having answers to the most common questions about your lifestyle change can help you build confidence
• How to make healthy lifestyle changes that last
• The power of not being too restrictive when trying to make diet and lifestyle changes
• Top recommendations for when you want to make healthy meals quick
• How to be prepared with healthy food without necessarily meal prepping
• Navigating the becoming plant-based when your household isn't on board
• What a day of healthy girl eating looks like
• Plant-based meal and snack ideas for the on-the-go lifestyle
• How to make healthy swaps for the treats you want
• How to build a salad that you'll be excited to eat
• Advice for anyone wanting to get started with a healthy plant-based lifestyle
• Thank you to our sponsors Maxine's Heavenly (use discount code PLANTS25) and Karviva Beverages

Resources:

• Danielle's Instagram
• Danielle's Website

How can fiber, fermented foods, and sprouts improve your gut health? Dr. Will Bulsiewicz is back for another gut health episode to get into all the details that we didn't cover last week! Get ready for some practical and actionable gut health tips from one of the USA's top gastroenterologists.

Show Notes:

• The microbiome & why it matters so much for our health, energy, & wellbeing
• A practical application of HOW to empower your microbiome to be its best
• How fiber can reduce the risk of 6 of the top causes of death
• The biggest misconception of fiber
• How our gut microbes are supporting us more than we are supporting them
• The power of short-chain fatty acids and how fiber produces them
• How much fiber do we actually need, & is there such a thing as too much?
• Why increasing fiber intake too fast can cause gut issues & how to ease into more fiber in your diet
• Can juice cleansing impact your microbiome?
• Which are most important: prebiotics, probiotics, or postbiotics?
• The surprising truth about taking probiotics after antibiotics
• How to properly support your gut before, during, & after taking antibiotics with plant-based food
• How a plant-based diet can be better than restrictive diets like keto for weight loss
• Raw vs cooked food & why it's important to vary how you prepare your food
• The power of fermented foods & sprouts
• The impact of alcohol on our gut health
• Part 2 of last week's gut health challenge!
• Thank you to our sponsors karviva and maxine's heavenly

Resources:

• The Fiber Fueled Cookbook by Dr. Will Bulsiewicz
• Fiber Fueled by Dr. Will Bulsiewicz
• Dr. Bulsiewicz's Instagram
• Dr. Bulsiewicz's Website

What does fiber have to do with disease prevention? Turns out, a lot! Dr. Will Bulsiewicz is an award-winning gastroenterologist, internationally recognized gut health expert, and the New York Times bestselling author of Fiber Fueled. He joins us on the podcast to help you optimize your gut health with simple, practical, and potentially life-saving tips.

SHOW NOTES

• How Will got started on the path of practicing & sharing healthy plant-based eating
• From being an proud fast-food eater in a multi-year health crisis to a proud and healthy vegan
• Overcoming the struggles of becoming overweight & anxious while meeting the demands of med school
• The gap in medical education & how nutrition helps
• What exactly is gastroenterology?
• What makes Dr. B's practice different & innovative
• How Dr. B grew his Instagram to over 414K followers with purpose-driven content
• How to empower yourself with health knowledge for free
• Empowerment to take control of the choices that can unveil the best part of yourself
• Why we were not educated about our gut health
• How our gut microorganisms are connected to our health, our mood, etc
• The benefits of good gut health and the effects of bad gut health
• What ulcerative colitis and crohn's are and why they are not considered autoimmune diseases anymore
• What your bowel movements say about your health & what healthy bowel movements look like
• How emotional disturbance is affecting your gut health
• The power of belly breathing & a breathing exercise you should do everyday
• How do create a diverse, resilient microbiome by eating more fiber
• What happens down the line when we eat more fiber
• How eating more fiber is linked to reduced risk of heart attack, cancer, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and more
• How many different vegetables you should be eating in a week
• Thank you to our sponsor's Maxine's Heavenly (use discount code PLANTS25) and Karviva Beverages

RESOURCES

• Fiber Fueled (the book)
• The Fiber Fueled Cookbook
• Dr. B's Instagram
• Dr. B's Website

What do you do when you need help from a dietician but you're on a tight budget? Anna Rios is a registered dietician at the FQHC, and she helps low-income Americans to make accessible healthy diet changes that help reverse hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and more! She's on the show today to discuss the challenges associated with accessing a healthy plant-based lifestyle, and how to make affordable changes.

Show Notes:

• How Anna provides professional nutrition counseling to farm workers, factory workers, and more who have health issues like high blood pressure, diabetes, and more
• Busting the myth "it's too expensive to eat vegan"
• The importance of empowering people with the knowledge, resources, and access to eat healthier and reclaim their lives
• How Anna's goals shifted from wanting to be a doctor to becoming a registered dietician
• Navigating becoming plant-based in a family that is set in their ways & dietary habits
• How plant-based living helped lower blood pressure, help energy levels, and helps improve mood disorders
• What is the FQHC and how does it help the low income population?
• How Anna makes dietary changes seem attainable and less scary using SMART goals
• How to find and access FQHC clinics with or without insurance in almost every US county
• How to talk to patients who are uneasy about seeking healthcare
• Why restrictive and unrealistic diets don't work long term
• How Anna's patient regulated his cholesterol levels and reversed type 2 diabetes
• The connection between nutrition and mental health
• The importance of Intuitive & mindful eating
• The connection between food & culture, family, wellbeing, & happiness
• How to participate in cultural dishes in a healthier way
• Thank you to our sponsor's Maxine's Heavenly (use discount code PLANTS25) and Karviva Beverages

Resources:

• Anna's Instagram
• Anna's Tik Tok
• Anna's Pinterest
• Anna's Website: healthysimpleyum.com
• Free plant-based meal plans on plantbasedonabudget.com

How much does veganism have to do with Jewish values? Turns out, a lot! Rabbi Shmuly is one of the most influential Rabbis in the USA, and he is here to talk about his plant-based journey, the intersection between vegan and Jewish values, and how to stay plant-based at traditional Jewish meals.

Show Notes:

• How Rabbi Shmuly went from no interest in veganism at all to living the plant-based lifestyle
• Raising plant-based children
• How Rabbi Shmuly embraces transformation and compassion
• Why a plant-based lifestyle complements Jewish values
• The difficulty of being in jewish spaces that don't understand/embrace vegan sensibilities
• How religion can challenge us to not accept the world as it is, but instead to help us envision and work towards what it should be
• How religion can help people to support each other and build community
• How the current food system & factory farming conflicts with Jewish morals
• Why a Kosher label doesn't always mean the food was produced ethically
• How people are becoming more aware of the suffering of other beings, creating new pathways for change
• Jewish ethos & rejecting dogma
• How the systems of oppression and technologies of destruction towards people compare to the mass slaughter of animals
• Being an advocate for those who aren't seen or heard
• Tips for using kosher labels to figure out what's vegan
• How to politely navigate Jewish holidays and traditions as the only vegan in the room
• Feel empowered as a vegan at a traditional meal by hosting the event
• Tips for creating your own vegan traditions
• Vegan ingredient replacements for traditional Jewish dishes
• Vegan Jewish recipe suggestions
• The importance of deepening our inner world in order to create change in the outer world
• Thank you to our sponsors Maxine's Heavenly & Natreve

Resources:

• Rabbi Shmuly's books
• Vegan Passover guide
• Vegan Hanukkah guide
• Vegan challah bread recipe
• Vegan noodle kugel recipe
• Carrot lox recipe
• Vegan latke recipe
• Vegan matzo ball soup recipe

How can you veganize your culture's dishes that traditionally contain many animal products? It can sometimes be a challenge to maintain the flavors, but there is a way! Alexa Soto specializes in bringing her Mexican culture to the world through plant-based food, and she's here to give us her best tips on cooking plant-based versions of our culture's favorite dishes!

Show Notes:

• Mexican culture & mexican food
• How to enjoy & love your culture without sacrificing your plant-based lifestyle
• Dealing with pushback from family about being vegan
• Vegan swaps for items that are culturally significant
• Veganizing Mexican, American, and Jewish dishes
• How to tie your cultural identity into your plant-based food
• Tips for those trying to veganize their culture's family recipes
• Plant-based, wholefood swaps for animal products in our culture's dishes
• Learning to enjoy the flavors & textures of vegan ingredients
• Resources for vegan cultural dishes
• Tips for ordering a vegan dish at a traditional cultural restaurant
• Thank you to our sponsors, Maxine's Heavenly and Natreve

Resources:

• Alexa's Instagram
• Alexa's Tik Tok
• The Korean Vegan

How do you discuss the uncomfortable reality of why it's bad to eat animals without shaming anyone or causing hard feelings? Gene Baur, author of two books, founder of Farm Sanctuary, and expert on the reality of the animal product industry is on the podcast today to help us navigate the conversation!

Show Notes:

• About Gene's books & the Farm Sanctuary
• How to effectively answer the question "What's wrong with eating animals?"
• The harm that factory farming causes to animals & the environment
• How & why Farm Sanctuary started
• How to make the conversation about slaughterhouses less uncomfortable
• What it was like being vegan in the 80s when it was more rare
• Why being making plant-based choices isn't about being perfect
• The power of making the conscious choice to avoid unnecessary harm
• The extremely unsanitary nature of factory farms & the risks they carry
• The community & environmental impact of the mass production of animal products
• Why cows being raised for dairy might just be worse than being raised for beef
• The sad reality of free-range/cage-free/free-roaming egg production
• Thank you to our sponsors Maxine's Heavenly & Natreve

Resources:

• Farm Sanctuary Website
• Gene's books
• The Friendly Vegan cookbook
• Plant-Based on a Budget
• World of Vegan
• Find a farm sanctuary near you!

How do we shift the outlook on the plant-based lifestyle from extreme to mainstream? Kristie Middleton, vice president of business development at Rebellyous Foods is here on the show to tell us how she's been doing exactly that for the last 20 years! She's the author of MeatLess--Transform the Way You Eat and Live--One Meal at a Time. During her time at Rebellyous, she has launched the successful rebrand of Seattle Food Tech to Rebellyous Foods and commercialized three SKUs for retail and four for foodservice. She and her team have now launched our products from coast to coast.

Her work has been covered by national media, including The Los Angeles Times, Civil Eats, San Francisco Chronicle, and Politico. She's a co-founder and board member of East Bay Animal Political Action Committee and serves as an advisor to Clear Current Capital. She holds a certificate in plant-based nutrition from T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies.

Show notes:

• The impact that people & their communities can have when they commit to meatless Mondays
• The process of implementing meatless Mondays across school food programs
• Kristie's work at Rebellyous foods & animal welfare initiatives
• How vegan food samples on the street make a huge impact
• What it's like to work in the vegan food industry
• The importance of shifting away from the commonly dogmatic way of veganism
• Meatless Mondays' WWI roots
• Kristie's work at the humane society
• The popularization of meatless Mondays in school districts
• How to have a more pragmatic approach to veganism & seeing people as allies
• How bringing a vegan dish to an event can trigger a positive impact
• The power of not demanding perfection from those around us
• Meatless Mondays as a way to explore foods from around the world
• How meatless Mondays have impacted students & staff to make healthy food choices
• Advice for people considering going plant-based
• The positive health impacts of a plant-based lifestyle
• Giving yourself permission to be flexible in your food choices
• Advice for proposing meatless Mondays to your community centers
• The obstacles of large-scale food service programs & being a positive resource/problem solver
• Tips and tricks the help meatless Mondays stick
• Practical tips for making vegan food choices simpler
• The impact of sharing vegan dishes & recipes
• Words of encouragement for vegan activists when encountering negative pushback
• Tips to encourage a vegan lifestyle & being active within your communities
• Thank you to our sponsors Caraway Home & Maxine's Heavenly

Resources:

• Rebellyous Foods
• MeatLess by Kristie Middleton
• Contact Kristie at ​​[email protected]

A pacifist vegan with ties to the mob who fight-fixes, but also would never hurt a fly? Sounds like one big oxymoron, but in fact all of this (and more) is embodied in jazz musician and longtime animal advocate Charles Farrell. Charles shares how he would often take boxing and musician friends and clients to Buddha's Delight, a vegan restaurant in Boston's Chinatown, to share animal-free cooking with unlikely customers who were always won over by the delicious food. He mentions how he moved tarantulas safely out of his path while walking barefoot through the rainforests of Puerto Rico, and how he often came up against the classic "You don't eat meat?" incredulous question from hard-boiled Boston and New York mobsters. Enjoy this fascinating episode!

Visit the Plant-Powered People Podcast website and show notes at: plantpoweredpodcast.com

Find vegan recipes, guides, and resources at Plant-Based on a Budget and World of Vegan.

Show notes:

• Navigating being the only vegan/vegetarian among family & friends in Boston
• Fluctuating between being a working musician & being a gangster
• Getting out of dangerous situations
• Ethics & decision making
• Exercising empathy & connection with others
• Natural empathy vs. learned empathy
• Making conscious decisions to avoid harm towards all beings
• Tips for maintaining kindness & compassion within different social circles
• Turning bad habits into good ones
• The plant-based food industry & how it is promoted
• Dealing with a population who thought the vegan lifestyle is not healthy
• Charles' advice for new vegans & those considering the vegan lifestyle
• Thank you to our sponsors, Better Than Bouillon & Maxine's Heavenly!

Resources:

• The Friendly Vegan Cookbook
• (Low)life: A Memoir of Jazz, Fight-Fixing, and The Mob by Charles Farrell

How did heart disease become the leading cause of death in the west, and how can we prevent and reverse it? Dr. Esselstyn is here to share how we all have the power to prevent and reverse decades of abuse to our endothelial cells from eating the Standard American Diet by eating plant-based foods.

Visit the Plant-Powered People Podcast website and show notes at: plantpoweredpodcast.com

Find vegan recipes, guides, and resources at Plant-Based on a Budget and World of Vegan.

Show Notes:

• Dr. Esselstyn's story & accomplishments
• Why the prevalence of disease in the USA is higher compared to other countries
• What heart disease is & how it is caused
• How early the foundations for heart disease begin
• The importance of nitric oxide and the endothelium for cardiovascular health
• The future of heart disease treatment
• The missing pieces in typical heart disease treatment
• The foods that cause heart disease & why animal products are bad
• Whole, plant-based foods that help reverse heart disease
• Why heart disease is more prevalent as we age
• How balsamic and rice vinegar with greens can help reverse heart disease
• The importance of chewing greens vs. using them in smoothies
• How fluoride & antacids can contribute to the onset of heart disease
• Why the Standard American Diet injures our heart & bodies
• How heart attacks are caused
• How an 87 year old reversed his heart disease with plant-based food
• Advice for those recently diagnosed with heart disease
• Sample plant-based menu for preventing & reversing heart disease
• Thank you to our sponsor, Caraway Home

Resources:

• Book: Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Dr. Esselstyn
• Dr. Esselstyn's Seminar
• Dr. Esselstyn's Website
• The Plantrician Project
• The American College of Lifestyle Medicine