Edible Empire

Michal Siewierski is a world-renowned, award-winning documentary filmmaker known for his previous documentaries Food Choices and Diet Fiction . Michal has continued his impactful film-making journey with his latest documentary offering Takeout . In this documentary, Michal embarks on a daring journey to expose the real drivers behind the Amazon forest fires and devastating deforestation rates. Mic...

Folks, this is our final episode for 2020 – it’s been one hell of a year. Thank you for taking this journey with us. We close out the year by reflecting on some of the incredible wisdom our stellar guests have shared with us since we kicked off in April. We are joined once again by our very first guest, the incredible Dr Luke Wilson, to help us recap, weigh in on some hot topics and share some val...

In this express episode, Ben and Emma weigh in on the recent EPIC-Oxford paper , which assessed fracture risk differences between plant-based eaters and omnivores. It’s caused quite the stir in the nutrition world - but as always with nutrition, there are many shades of grey and blanket statements should not be made (If you want a deep dive into some of the methodological flaws of the study, see D...

Dr Taisia Cech is a GP based in Nelson and founder of Plantify . Taisia’s own health struggles set her down the path to becoming a doctor and discovering a whole food plant-based lifestyle. Taisia keeps busy running Plantify and working as a GP, but states her main job is raising two plant-powered little ones; she has discovered increased clarity and a sense of urgency to look after our planet sin...

Geoff Reid is a passionate environmental activist, nature photographer and content creator based in Aotearoa. Geoff uses his skills as a visual communicator to advocate for forest and water restoration, pest management and increased biodiversity. Geoff is only a one-man band, and to-date has been running on a shoe-string budget, yet he has still been able to achieve so much through his hard work,...

Adam Guthrie , founder of I Feel Good , joins us for an inspiring discussion about his health challenges and journey back to wellness. Like many of us, Adam was leading a very busy life and wasn’t paying close attention to his health and nutrition… until he was forced to reassess everything, following a heart attack at 39. His transformation was nothing short of incredible. Following the heart att...

Dr Kate Wylie is a GP and climate activist based in Adelaide. Kate is the founder of Climate Medicine , a member of Doctors For The Environment Australia and has completed the Climate Reality Leadership Program with Al Gore. Dr Wylie does vital work, educating on the health effects of climate change to both community groups and health professionals. In this episode we discuss: • Kate’s background...

Shane Ward is founder of Action Ecology , a consultancy offering a range of services that improve land productivity, resource efficiency, resilience and ecological function. Shane is passionate about the benefits of regenerative agriculture and the opportunities it provides for carbon drawdown, presenting regularly on the subject. He serves as Better Futures Forum ’s expert on regenerative land us...

James Wilson had spent a lifetime growing, harvesting and eating meat and milk products but following a serious health scare, he made the switch to a wholefood plant-based lifestyle. James lost weight, turned his health around and was able to discontinue his prescription medication. He has now authored the book Plant Paradigm which describes the benefits of veganism for animals, human health and p...

Lyn Mayes joins us in this episode to talk about the New Zealand soft plastics stewardship scheme and touch on the Australian equivalent, REDcycle - so this chat will be applicable to both our Aussie and NZ listeners! Lyn is director and founder of the sustainability consultancy Mad World , the sustainability advisor to the New Zealand Food and Grocery Council , a member of the Institute of Direct...

The fantastic Ondine Sherman is an established author, the co-founder and managing director of Voiceless: The Animal Protection Institute and also serves as director of the conservation NGO This is My Earth . Ondine joins us to discuss her new book Vegan Living: A simple guide to a cruelty-free, healthy, plant-based life . And thanks to the generosity of Ondine and her Publisher, Pantera Press, we...

Hannah Blumhardt is one busy lady. Having a background in law, policy, history and international relations she serves as the zero-waste expert for Better Futures Forum , founded The Rubbish Trip with her partner Liam in 2015 and is the co-founder and policy spokesperson for Takeaway Throwaways. Hannah is also a member of the steering committee for the New Zealand Product Stewardship Council , amon...

Dr Sam Gartland is a GP based in Ballina, NSW. In 2008 while busy as an intensive care doctor, he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and his world changed. Sam’s symptoms were so severe he had to resign his position, but fortunately, he has now been relapse-free since 2009, after implementing specific dietary and lifestyle changes. These changes not only helped in his recovery but shape Sam’s p...

And we’re back! And we bring you the first ‘express edition’ of the podcast. These will be short-form snippets peppered in between our regular episodes, where Ben and Emma cover specific subjects or timely topics. In this episode we let you know what’s been happening behind the scenes while we’ve been away from the mic and cover a current hot topic. Social media and news platforms have been alight...

Gerard Wedderburn-Bisshop is the Executive Director of World Preservation Foundation . He worked until mid-2010 as Principal Scientist with the Queensland Government Department of Environment and Resources Management Remote Sensing Centre, where he witnessed 4% of the world's deforestation for over 20 years. Following 37 years with federal and state government, Gerard is now engaged in commun...

Brad Dixon, owner and director of Everfit Physiotherapy and Coaching joins us in this episode. Brad’s enthusiasm for total wellness, through a holistic approach to health, is very evident in this conversation, as he runs us through his expansive wellness recommendations. Brad brings with him 20+ years’ experience as an athlete and physiotherapist and incorporates many important pillars of lifestyl...

The phenomenal Dr Mike Joy joins us in this episode to discuss the true cost of our current food and farming practices and the environmental consequences of the current system. Mike is a freshwater ecologist, currently working as a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Governance and Policy Studies at Victoria University, Wellington and holds a PhD in water ecology. Mike has received multiple...

Shireen is a Consultant Haematologist at King’s College Hospital, London, specialising in the care of people with lymphoma and other haematological cancers. Additionally, Shireen is the founder and director of the non-profit organisation Plant-Based Health Professionals, UK , whose mission is to provide evidence-based education to health professionals and the general public on plant-based nutritio...

This episode is all about gut health for Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, with the brilliant Robyn Chuter. Robyn is a certified Lifestyle Medicine Practitioner who specialises in helping people reverse serious and chronic illnesses using a plant-based diet and emotional healing through her practice Empower Total Health . Robyn’s original training was in naturopathy and nutrition, and she has since ga...

Episode 9 and we chat with the extraordinary power couple, Jasmijn de Boo and Professor Andrew Knight .  Jasmijn is a professional animal advocate and educator with over 20 years of experience in global leadership positions. Jasmijn is currently International Director at ProVeg International and has previously worked in a range of international animal protection organisations, including as a CEO o...

In this episode, we are joined by the inspiring Grant Dixon, the filmmaker behind The Big Fat Lie documentary. Grant was inspired to make this award-winning documentary after his own health scare, suffering a heart attack at only 58 years of age. The documentary details his journey back to health, with the use of a whole food plant-based diet, and his quest for answers as to why government and med...

The amazing Brad Dalrymple joins us in this episode for a chat about the impact of diet on climate, the importance of keeping our waterways clean, and his athletic endeavours. Brad passionately advocates the environmental benefits of a plant-based lifestyle and works as a principal environmental engineer at Ocean Protect . Having over 18 years’ experience in various environmental engineering proje...

In this episode, we sit down with Dr Portia D’Anverrs, a brilliant plant-based Radiology Registrar. Portia is also a qualified fitness instructor and has previously competed in powerlifting, INBA bikini and sports modelling – so it’s safe to say that she walks her talk when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. In her work, Portia literally gets to see the results of lifestyle choices from the i...

In this episode, we chat with the stellar Dr Andrew Little. Andrew works within the hospital system on the Gold Coast and devotes the majority of his workday putting people to sleep for surgery. This means Andrew regularly sees the impact of diet and lifestyle choices from the inside out. Outside of work, Andrew spends the rest of his time trying to awaken people to the benefits of a plant-based d...

In this episode, we share Shamiz Kachwalla’s extraordinary recovery story. In 2012 Shamiz was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis; he was told he would be on medication for life, and the likelihood of surgery was high. After adopting a plant-based diet, Shamiz was able to completely turn his health around and has been fit and healthy for the last seven years. Shamiz and his brother Shukul now help c...