Food for Thought with Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Latest Episodes:

Summer is Coming: A Food for Thought Update Apr 25, 2019

Show notes

Just coming up for air as I finish re-writes and edits on The Joyful Vegan: How to Stay Vegan in a World That Wants You to Eat Meat, Dairy, and Eggs. Here are some updates with light at the end of the tunnel.

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Lethal Gifts of Livestock (REBROADCAST) Apr 19, 2019

Show notes

Being animals ourselves, it makes sense that we share many of the same diseases as our non-human cousins. We aren’t – after all – plants. We aren’t at risk for catching aphids or sooty mold or downy mildew.

In fact, many of the major killer pandemics we’ve been plagued with were acquired from non-human animals.

Here are just a few: we got tuberculosis from cattle, influenza from pigs and birds, whooping cough from pigs and dogs, smallpox from cattle, and of course cowpox from cows.

Even HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is believed to have been first transmitted to humans through the butchering and consumption of infected chimpanzees.

It is our very consumption of animals and their products that has bestowed upon us what Guns, Germs, and Steel author Jared Diamond calls the “lethal gifts of livestock.” Our abuse of nature comes full-circle and at a heavy price for both the consumer and the consumed.

Listen.

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I’m Not Evil, and Neither Are You: Tribalism, Ideology, and a Call for Compassion Mar 14, 2019

Show notes

There’s a presumption among some vegans that if you’re vegan, you’re also liberal, socialist, atheist, feminist, intersectionalist, progressive, and leftist, that you’re pro-choice, anti-vaccine, anti-GMO’s — and that if you’re not any or all of these things and everything that they entail, you’re unwelcome — or at least you don’t belong. Or that you’re an imposter. Or that you welcome oppression.

We are living in a time when group loyalty and identity politics are valued more than reason, critical thinking, tolerance for another point of view, and compassion. And it scares the bejesus out of me.

Today's episode is (yet another) call for compassion. Listen to Food for Thought Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or JoyfulVegan.com⁣⠀

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

The Taming of the Cattle (REBROADCAST) Feb 27, 2019

Show notes

Though we tend to forget, cattle (cows, bulls, and steers) did exist first as wild animals before humans began domesticating them for our own purposes. Before we got our hands on them and turned them into a commodity for human gain, what was their history? What was their background? What is their ancestry? Today I explore the answers to these questions, trace their fateful encounter with humans (leading to the extinction of their ancestors), document our use of them as instruments of cruel entertainment, and draw the connections between our contact with cattle and the many deadly diseases that continue to plague humans today.

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Are Avocados, Almonds, and Figs Vegan? Jan 24, 2019

Show notes

The world lit up on fire with stories (from vegans and non-vegans, including on the BBC TV show QI) that these plants — and more — are "not vegan" because of the way they're pollinated. Listen to this episode for my thoughts. (JoyfulVegan.com)

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Vegan in France (+ Switzerland, too!) Jan 08, 2019

Show notes

Starting in Paris, then moving onto Alsace (which included day trips to Germany and Switzerland), then back to France to the Normandy region and a stop-over in the Swiss Alps, our recent travels is the focus of this travel edition, giving you ideas of enjoying your own European vegan vacation, whether you go on your own or as part of a CPG Vegan Trip.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Vegan Travel Around the World Nov 23, 2018

Show notes

CPG Vegan Trips creates one-of-a-kind travel experiences with a focus on the interest and needs of adventurous and compassionate vegans and their vegan-friendly friends and family members. It's all about the food, the animals, the wildlife, the sanctuaries, and the small details and experiences that shape life-long memories. Here's what's coming up in 2019, 2020, and 2021, so start packing!

www.CPGVeganTrips.com

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

The Vegan Police Oct 28, 2018

Show notes

A small subset of opinionated, passionate, well-intentioned people perpetuate the stereotype of the angry, self-righteous, perfection-focused animal rights vegan when they spew invective at anyone who is not "vegan enough" in their eyes. They are otherwise known as The Vegan Police. Listen to today's episode for my perspective on how we can speak up for animals — online and in person — without alienating people who are trying to make compassionate choices.

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Is Palm Oil Vegan? Should Vegans Eat Palm Oil? (REBROADCAST) Oct 19, 2018

Show notes

Raising cattle for beef is the number one cause of the destruction of rainforests and global warming, but today we're going to talk about palm oil. Grown in tropical regions, palm plantations are displacing rainforests, destroying orangutan habitats and wreaking havoc on the ecosystem. With good intentions, some vegans have called for a boycott of Earth Balance, a vegan butter that uses palm oil as its primary fat, even though it doesn't source its palm from native orangutan habitats. Is it possible to source palm oil sustainably? For that matter, is it possible to source any historically unsustainable crop in a sustainable way? In today's episode, I weigh in on this issue and offer some food for thought.

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Vegan at Work: When Your Job Conflicts with Your Ethics (REBROADCAST) Oct 09, 2018

Show notes

It’s one thing to opt out of eating animal products at home and in our personal lives, but what about adhering to our values in the trickier, grayer areas of our lives, such as in the workplace? What if you work for a software company and you’re put on a project to build a website for a fishing company? What if you work in a restaurant and have to serve meat? What if you work in a job that requires you to cook meat? These are real scenarios for many people, and the answer isn’t to “stop being vegan” because things are complicated. Take a listen to my thoughts in today’s episode of Food for Thought.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe