Plant-Powered People Podcast

Latest Episodes:

77. Making Healthy Food Delicious with Plant-Based Food Blogger Danielle Brown Jul 15, 2022

Show notes

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:

76. Gut Health Part II with Dr. B Jul 08, 2022

Show notes

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:

75. Gut Health & Why It Matters with the Bestselling Author of Fiber Fueled Jul 04, 2022

Show notes

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

74. Being Plant-Based When Everything is Working Against You Jun 22, 2022

Show notes

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:

73. Vegan Rabbi on Being a Jewish Vegan Jun 15, 2022

Show notes

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:

72. Integrating Plant-based Living into Cultural Traditions Jun 08, 2022

Show notes

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:

71. What's Wrong With Eating Animals? Jun 01, 2022

Show notes

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:

70. The Power of Meatless Mondays May 22, 2022

Show notes

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 kristielmiddleton@gmail.com

69. Stories From a Vegan Jazz Musician & Mobster May 15, 2022

Show notes

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:

68. Heart Disease is a "Paper Tiger" — Dr. Esselstyn Shares How to Become Virtually Heart Attack Proof with Plants! May 08, 2022

Show notes

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: