Plant-Powered People Podcast

Latest Episodes:

67. Plant-Based Athletes Are Winning The Game May 01, 2022

Show notes

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:

66. Italian New Yorker Goes Vegan & Opens Plant-Based Italian Restaurant Apr 22, 2022

Show notes

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

RELATED EPISODES

RESOURCES

65. Prevent & Reverse Diabetes: How to Reverse Insulin Resistance Permanently in Type 1, 1.5, 2, Prediabetes, and Gestational Diabetes With Dr. Cyrus Khambatta Apr 15, 2022

Show notes

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

64. Parenting Plant-Based Kids With Vegan Mama Marisa Miller Wolfson Apr 08, 2022

Show notes

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:

63. Rural Vegan Living Challenges & How to Overcome Them Apr 01, 2022

Show notes

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

Rural Vegan Apr 01, 2022

Show notes

62. Two Meat-Loving Guys Go Vegan for One Month Mar 22, 2022

Show notes

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:

Episodes to help you respond to judgments:

Resources for vegan lifestyle:

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.

61. Composting 101 for Beginners With Colleen Patrick-Goudreau Mar 15, 2022

Show notes

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.

60. Vegan Nutrition 101 With Plant-Based Registered Dietitian Cathterine Perez Mar 08, 2022

Show notes

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:

59. Vegan Cookbooks 101—Finding Your Match With Dustin Harder Mar 01, 2022

Show notes

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