Plant-Powered People Podcast

Vegan athletes are competing at the highest level in virtually every sport — and winning! Robert Cheeke, longtime vegan bodybuilder and NYT bestselling co-author of The Plant-Based Athlete, shares why plant-based athletes have a competitive advantage. He also shares his experiences thriving as an athlete long-term on a plant-based diet.

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:

• Growing up in an animal farming environment
• Pursuing a plant-based lifestyle despite concerns of coaches, friends, & family
• Bodybuilding on a vegan diet & putting on 100lbs of healthy weight
• Some famous professional athletes who are plant-based
• Inflammation & how food choices impact recovery for athletes
• The ANDY score and ranking foods on nutrient density
• Why an athlete can look healthy on the outside but be sick on the inside
• Athletes who continue competing at a high level later in life thanks to a vegan diet
• Why some animal protein powders can be dangerous & the benefits of vegan protein
• Why you don't need protein powder to build muscle
• Energy levels & getting enough calories on a plant-based diet
• Top supplements for vegans that are actually helpful
• The importance of community

Resources:

• Book: The Plant-Based Athlete by Robert Cheeke and Matt Frazier
• Robert Cheeke's website

Meat-loving Italian New Yorker, Danny Costanzo, saves his own life by going plant-based. And then... guess what he did? He went on to open a 100% Vegan Italian Restaurant — Plant-Based Mafia. Growing up in an Italian family in New York, Danny Costanzo grew up enjoying delicious comforting food and the way it brought his loved ones together. His dietary habits have shifted many times throughout his life — from eating everything, to becoming a raw foodist, to a diet which led him to 3 clogged arteries, and to where he is now with a vegan diet.

When you think of Italian food, you probably think of cheesy pizza, parmesan on everything, and deliciously creamy cannolis. Vegan may be the last word that comes to mind. That's why we're so excited to have him on the show to talk about how he got started on a plant-based lifestyle and how it led to the creation of his wildly successful Italian restaurant. Danny shares what led him to change his diet a number of times, and how food has had such a huge impact on his cardiovascular health. You'll definitely want to listen to this if you want to know how a vegan diet can help improve and even reverse heart disease! He also shares his experience of growing up in an Italian family where food is central to bringing everyone together, and how he carried that welcoming philosophy into his restaurant. By the end of the episode, you'll want to find your way to Florida to eat at Plant-Based Mafia sometime soon! Happy listening, ♡ Michelle & Toni

SHOW NOTES

• Growing up in a food-centric Italian family with rich & decadent recipes
• Creating delicious vegan versions of popular Italian dishes and making vegan Italian food cool!
• How a long recovery from a leg injury led to adopting a vegan diet
• Dealing with grief and stress & how it can affect the body
• The importance of listening to your body's symptoms and cues
• How a plant-based diet can help reverse clogged arteries and help heart disease
• Bringing people together and creating community around plant-based food
• Real Italian culture vs. Italian portrayal in films
• The history of the name "Plant-Based Mafia & reclaiming the true meaning of the word "mafia"
• The importance of being your own health advocate
• Getting through a tough time by dedicating yourself to a cause
• The exciting next steps for the vegan Italian restaurant Plant-Based Mafia
• Thank you to our sponsor, Caraway Home

VEGAN ITALIAN FOOD RECIPES & GUIDES

• 30+ Awesome Vegan Pasta Recipes
• Vegan Pizza Recipes
• Homemade Italian Pasta Sauce
• Spicy Tomato Basil Pasta
• Caprese Salad
• Vegan Cheese Guide

RELATED EPISODES

• Ep. 65: Mastering Diabetes
• Ep. 53: 100 Pound Weight Loss Journey to Conquering Disease

RESOURCES

• Dr. Esselstyn - Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease
• Dr. Greger - nutritionfacts.org
• The End of Heart Disease - Dr. Joe Fuhrman
• The Plant-Based Athlete - Matt Frazier & Robert Cheeke
• The Game Changers
• What the Health
• Guide to Vegan Nutrition

Do you live with diabetes, or know someone who does? This episode is a must-listen. NYT bestselling author Dr. Cyrus Khambatta shares his research on how a whole foods, plant-based diet can help Type 1 diabetes, Type 1.5 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, and gestational diabetes.

• Reversing or controlling diabetes through a plant-based diet
• Why restricting carbs isn't enough to effectively manage blood glucose
• How eating lots of fruits & veggies can decrease insulin requirements
• The differences between the 6 types of diabetes
• How cognitive decline is related to insulin resistance
• Saturated fats & the creation of type 2 diabetes
• Our organs & how they digest food
• Insulin and how it works in the body
• Foods to include and stay away from to control or reverse diabetes
• The side effects of diabetes & how they can be prevented with plant-based foods
• Defining your WHY to stay inspired to keep lifestyle changes
• The importance of community that is aligned with your goals
• Chronic disease reversal as a emerging branch of medicine

Resources:

• Mastering Diabetes by Cyrus Khambatta

Do you have kids? Are you thinking of raising vegan kids in the future? If so, this episode is for you!

From school lunches to kids' birthday parties and every meal and snack in between, having plant-based kids can be a challenge. That's why we had the Vegucated documentary creator, The Vegucated Family Table co-author, and plant-based mom, Marisa Miller Wolfson on the show!

We talk all about how to navigate the challenges and wins of having kids with a vegan lifestyle. You'll get lots of advice on how you can make the transition to a plant-based lifestyle easier for your family, and tips to keep it going long-term! We also talk about the power of vegan documentaries and what got us onto the vegan path.

Enjoy!

♡ Michelle & Toni

Show Notes:

• Thank you to our sponsors, Caraway Home and Gaiam.
• Special discount code for our listeners: use the code PLANTPOWEREDKITCHEN for 10% off of your Caraway pans.
• Vegan lifestyle as a parent
• Growing up eating meat and transitioning into plant-based
• The power of documentaries on the vegan path
• Navigating the non-vegan food systems at schools
• Helping your kids to understand why their food is different
• How to explain veganism and where meat comes from to children
• Talking about compassion and respect for other peoples' choices with your kids
• Advice for parents who want to transition their family's lifestyle
• Planning for a plant-based halloween
• How to navigate when your kid is invited to a non-vegan party
• How being involved in your kids social life can be helpful
• Being part of a community that is making the world a better place

Links:

• Ep. #57 Plant-Based Pediatrician On Raising Vegan Children
• Ep. #6 When Your Loved One Is An Omnivore
• Ep. #34 Eating Vegan in Social Situations
• Ep #19 Going Vegan When Your Family Isn't On Board
• The vegucated family table

Jami Gerke is a midwesterner who is used to buying a whole cow and splitting it with her whole family. When she decided to transition to vegan living (which is still a work in progress), her family had to make a huge adjustment to support her decision.

• Our Sponsors: Better Than Bouillon, a Life-changer for Soup Lovers
• Veestro, an Exciting Vegan Meal Delivery Service
• Living plant based in a community without many vegan options
• The challenge of being vegan somewhere where it's politicized
• Growing up in midwest USA farm culture & switching to plant-based
• Reversing pre-diabetes with diet changes
• Joint health & eating plant-based
• Leading by example to address judgments & challenges about the vegan lifestyle
• Navigating the restaurants and grocery stores that aren't vegan friendly
• How keeping it simple helps the transition to plant-based living
• Switching to a plant-based lifestyle with kids
• Tips to clear out your home from non vegan ingredients without wasting
• Advice on choosing healthy, whole vegan food over pre-packed & processed
• Using willpower & preparing for non-vegan cravings
• Armoring yourself with knowledge to stand up for your food choices
• How to practice strong & respectful communication about plant-based decisions

Ollie and Liam are two friends who love meat and never imagined they would one day try dropping meat, dairy, and eggs from their diet.

But here they are.

After trying vegan for one month during Veganuary, we brought them on the show to check in about how things are going during this period of big sudden change.

What did their friends think?

How have they handled learning to cook?

What's been the hardest part?

And the question we're ALL asking... are they going to stick with it?

Listen and find out in our latest episode!

Show Notes:

• Thank you to our sponsors, Caraway Home and Gaiam.
• Special discount code for our listeners: use the code PLANTPOWEREDKITCHEN for 10% off of your Caraway pans
• The biggest reasons to live a vegan lifestyle (or at least try for a month!)
• Steps to ease your way into a plant-based diet
• Making the process of becoming vegan easier
• Why inclusion and respect are so important when transitioning into a vegan lifestyle
• Dealing with others' judgments when you transition to a plant-based diet
• Navigating events and holidays with your new vegan food requirements
• The importance of your "why" during moments of temptation
• Starting small or diving right into vegan lifestyle
• Expanding a vegan diet to a vegan lifestyle
• Getting your family on board with a vegan lifestyle

Links:

• How to Go Vegan
• Two Guys One Topic Podcast on Apple and Spotify
• Resources for vegan lifestyle:
• World of Vegan
• Plant Based on a Budget
• The Vegan Society website
• The friendly vegan cookbook

Episodes to help you respond to judgments:

• Ep. #34 Eating Vegan in Social Situations
• Ep #19 Going Vegan When Your Family Isn't On Board
• Ep. #31 Antagonistic Anti-Vegan Goes Vegan!
• Ep. #6 When Your Loved One Is An Omnivore

• Resources for vegan lifestyle:
• World of Vegan
• Plant Based on a Budget
• The Vegan Society website
• The friendly vegan cookbook

Oliver Wright and Liam Stacey join Toni and Michelle on the podcast to talk about their journey as newly minted vegans with just a little over a month under their belts. They share how much they've learned, how their families are handling the change, and if they'll be able to stick to it in the longrun.

Isn't it wonderful how our Earth can take in our food waste and grow new life and so much beauty? When we treat our Earth with care it provides us with an abundance of wonderful things.

Sadly, these days humans are getting into some pretty awful habits of trampling all over our planet and completely neglecting the natural flow of its ecosystems.

In this episode, we are so excited to welcome back Colleen Patrick-Goudreau to discuss composting: a beautiful way of making sure our food waste doesn't go to waste!

From turning food scraps into a homemade fertilizer, to identifying materials that would benefit our compost, we cover the relevance of composting in its most interesting form.

And what about worm composting? Is that even vegan? We'll answer that and more.

We love maximizing food as vegans, so if you're ready to learn more about how you can do that, dive in with us!

♡ Michelle & Toni

SHOW NOTES

00:30 Introducing Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

02:15 This episode's sponsors: Better Than Bouillon, provides major flavor to your dishes

04:15 This episode's sponsors: Petal Sparkling water, organic, low sugar, caffeine free

06:50 What is composting? Let's simplify the concept.

07:40 Misconceptions of throwing compostable materials in the landfills

07:10 How biodegradable materials actually compost

10:50 Tips and Benefits of composting

15:25 Types of Compost (what compost system is best for you?)

18:30 Benefits of making your own compost

20:54 Composting with Worms

27:00 Toni's first composting experience – worm bin

32:55 Finding people who share the same practice

35:00 Colleen's secret composting tool

36:00 When to know if its composting

37:40 Where you can dispose your biodegradable waste to turn into compost

43:25 compostnow.org

47:29 Colleen's website

47:39 Colleen's Instagram: @joyfulvegan

49:12 This episode's first sponsor: Better Than Bouillon, provides major flavor to your dishes

49:18 This episode's second sponsor: Petal Sparkling water, organic, low sugar, caffeine free

50:15 Support this show on Patreon

SHOW SYNOPSIS: Michelle and Toni welcome back Colleen Patrick-Goudreau to discuss the ways you can turn your food scraps into a homemade fertilizer for your garden. In the episode, they discuss tumbler composting, vermiculure, and even how to compost when you don't have a yard.

The Plant-Based RD, Catherine Perez, is taking Instagram by storm with her quick and easy nutrient-rich dishes and her casual way of explaining nutrition information. Toni and Michelle had her on as a guest to discuss nutrition 101 to help people get started down their plant-based journeys. On this episode, we talk about:

• What is a registered dietician?
• Eating vegan without giving up you culture's food
• The difference between an RD and a nutritionist
• The growing amount of plant based RDs
• The signs that you might need more protein
• How common is protein deficiency, really?
• Getting enough calories
• Why vegan vitamin B12 is important to supplement.
• What to look for in a supplement
• Health and nutrition resources on a budget
• Omega 3s: where to get it from
• The reality of Calcium
• Why do we need iron?
• Vitamins A, D, and C
• Zinc and Iodine

Registered Dietician Resources:

• Vegan Nutrition 101 (How to Get All Your Nutrients on a Plant-Based Diet)
• Vegan Vitamin B12 Guide
• Vegan Vitamin D
• Vegan Omega3 / DHA
• I'm vegan...do I really need to take vitamins?
• Is Soy Healthy?
• Debunking Health Myths witht Dr. Matthew Nagra
• Best Plant-Based Protein Sources

There are so many vegan cookbooks, it can be hard to choose. But a great plant-based cookbook can absolutely change the game and make you love living vegan and cooking plant-based meals. So this episode is all about: Cookbooks! Your guide to starting a beautiful, colorful, delicious, fun relationship with cooking food.

In this episode, we interview Dustin Harder to talk about the hard work that comes with everything cookbook-related. Finding good cookbooks is a beginner vegans' entryway into the lifestyle, and yet this kind of gold is difficult to find. Dustin talks about how to find the best cookbooks for you, as well as how to leave good reviews to raise the cookbook author up.

If you're interested in expanding your knowledge in vegan recipes through cookbooks, this podcast episode will definitely help you.

2:03 - Sponsors: Better Than Bouillon, making your food extra delicious; Cariloha, comfortable bamboo clothing

5:50 - A Glimpse of Dustin Harder

7:00 - Celebrate Small Wins, Peer Pressure is Overrated

10:01 - Let Them Be Weirded Out and Curious About You

13:20 - Cookbooks: Your Friend in the Kitchen

21:13 - The Success of Recipes is Relative To One's Taste

27:19 - Look for A Cookbook That is A Good Fit For You

28:38 - Good Reviews Are Heads-Ups to The Author

30:12 - Hard Work Births the Best Cookbooks

32:09 - Find the Gold, Avoid The Not-So Good

34:26 - Be Smart! Check Recipe Samples Before Getting the Book

35:24 - Do Your Research in the Cookbook World

37:11 - What To Look For in a Cookbook

40:13 - Dustin's Highly Recommended Cookbooks

45:11 - Find Justin on Social Media!

Awesome Vegan Cookbooks:

• The Friendly Vegan Cookbook (Our Cookbook!)
• Dustin's Cookbooks
• Toni's Other Cookbooks
• Top 10 Best Vegan Cookbooks that Every Herbivore Needs (World of Vegan)
• 10 Vegan Dessert Cookbooks to Add To Your Shelf (World of Vegan)
• Favorite Cookbooks from Plant-Based on a Budget

Does compassion actually fade? In this episode, Whitney Lauritsen will help us explore compassion and tackle its different facets: including how and why it diminishes. There's a whole theory behind that and we're excited to uncover it with you! If you're interested in knowing more about it, this episode is for you! SHOW NOTES

01:11 This Episode's Sponsors: Better Than Bouillon, provides major flavor to your dishes and Veestro, plant-based meal delivery we love.

06:01 Introducing Whitney Lauritsen: A healthy living crusader, content creator, and host of the popular This Might Get Uncomfortable podcast!

06:33 Michelle and Whitney's Friendship

09:06 Reminiscing Michelle and Whitney's Good Ol' Youtube Days

10:36 Youtube: A Time Capsule

10:59 Perseverance Leads to Growth

12:38 Whitney's Introduction

13:24 How to make people remember your name

15:49 Whitney's Passion Projects

16:37 Puppy Love and Vegan Life

19:36 Earthlings Documentary: Films that Change Your Lifestyle

21:35 Discussing the Compassion Fade

23:18 Unending Societal Problems: Start of Compassion Fatigue and Fade

23:41 Seeing the Bigger Picture to be Compassionate

25:10 Taking Action: Connecting with an Individual Suffering

26:23 One Death is a Tragedy, Thousands is a Statistic

29:33 Putting Help That Has a Greater Impact In Reducing Suffering

30:23 Peter Singer and Effective Altruism

30:43 One vs Many: Choosing Where to Help

31:33 Choosing to Make the Greatest Impact

32:24 Urgency of the Situation vs Will to Help

34:50 Money Matters: Not the Be all and End all

35:00 The Dark Side of Help Dependency

38:25 Decision Fatigue: Donation

38:55 Peter Singer's website to send donation: thelifeyoucansave.org

39:15 Donate What You Can

40:30 Unpacking the Reason: A Person's Lack of Compassion

42:38 Being Compassionate is Not a Race nor a Contest

43:30 Understanding Your Self-limits

45:49 Activism and Volunteerism that Work for You

51:17 Compassion Growth

52:46 Passion Projects that Work for You

53:48 Whitney's Podcast

56:06 Whitney's Website

58:02 Check out our sponsors Better Than Bouillon, provides major flavor to your dishes and Veestro, plant based meal delivery.

THANK YOU TO OUR PODCAST SPONSORS

We are so grateful to have the support of some of our favorite vegan-friendly brands this season. Many thanks to the sponsors of this episode, Better than Bouillon and Veestro.

Better Than Bouillon is one of our all-time favorite vegan pantry staples, and we turn to it all the time for soups, stews, and beyond. The "No Chicken Base" and "Seasoned Vegetable Base" are always in our kitchens. Get free shipping in the US with the code PLANTPOWERED at checkout.

Veestro is an awesome plant-based meal delivery service that can help support you in healthy eating for the new year and beyond. They cook and deliver fresh, organic meals to your door, frozen and ready to heat-and-eat. You can choose your favorite vegan meals from their extensive a la carte menu crafted by professional gourmet chefs with an expertise in healthy vegan cooking. Let the healthy eating begin!