No-Bullsh!t Vegan

We're often told to take omega-3 supplements, especially as vegans. And non-vegans are often told to take fish oil. But are these recommendations backed by peer-reviewed science? Geoff Palmer is here to do some serious myth-busting. We also delve into meat and masculinity: why are they often linked in our society? How can we get more men on board with veganism? Geoff Palmer is a 61-year-strong, 39...

Expert marketer Sandra Nomoto speaks with me about the animal agriculture industry's marketing tactics. Specifically: four ways they've misled the public. These include discrediting research on plant-based diets that showed health benefits, specific marketing campaigns, fear-mongering about vegan diets, and online astroturfing.  Sandra Nomoto is an award-winning ethical marketer for cruelty-free b...

Katya Gorbacheva is one of the strongest vegans in the world. She is an elite powerlifter with a total of 1025 lbs at 165 lbs body weight and 453 DOTs (ratio of weight lifted to body weight). She shares her own vegan story, and how to get enough protein as a vegan strength athlete. We also discuss societal ideals of what women are "supposed" to look like or how they're "supposed" to act, especiall...

Why do the most effective forms of animal advocacy often involve letting go of our personal biases? How can we understand our strengths, and use them to help animals? What are the most impactful animal charity organizations and how can we best support them? Robert Cheeke joins me to discuss these topics, and more — all featured in his upcoming book.    Robert grew up on a farm in Corvallis, Oregon...

What's it like to train for a major strength goal for 1.5 years and nail it? How can we stay consistent with our training even when we don't feel "motivated"? What lessons can we learn from almost a decade of consistent workouts? K.I. Health & Fitness team member Izzy Katz is here to talk about all this, and more! (Included cats, of course.) Izzy is a Main Street Vegan Academy Certified Master Veg...

Why is critical thinking important in choosing one's diet? Why (and how) are lifestyle and diet choices not binary? How do we make sense of all the conflicting diet information online? My guest joins me to discuss all this, and more. Dr. Jeyashree Krishnan is a computational scientist and data science consultant with a personal passion for ultramarathons and plant-based cooking. Jeyashree lives in...

How do social inequalities and environmental problems converge? How can we find opportunities for solidarity with food and farm workers as part of ethical veganism? What role have industry and governments played in expanding ag-gag legislation? Why should vegans strength train? I discuss these topics and more with my guest, Dr. Anelyse Weiler.   Anelyse is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at th...

Jeremy LaLonde is an award-winning filmmaker who lost half his body weight by going plant-based and decided to use his story and insights to help others by creating the website and YouTube channel PB with J (Plant-Based with Jeremy). With his own recipes, reviews of vegan cookbooks, as well as fun and informative videos and interviews, Jeremy and his family look to make being healthy not feel like...

Do we need to worry about "complete" proteins? Why might some people be underestimating their protein needs? How did nutrition challenges during pregnancy lead Monica to start a company? What happens when Coach K asks tough questions about moving from vegetarian to vegan? Get these questions (and more) answered in this episode.  Dr. Monica Bhatia is the co-founder and co-CEO of EQUII. She's a biot...

Join me for a perhaps-surprisingly-no-B.S. discussion about purpose, goal-setting, and moving forward in our lives. What does "purpose" mean in the first place? How can we cultivate it? Hear the story of how Dr. Zeledón almost died at the age of 2, what happened when her father bought a lottery ticket, and how this experience affected her later in life.   Dr. Esther Zeledón specializes in turning...

Radhi Devlukia is a plant-based cook, recipe developer, mission-driven entrepreneur, and co-founder of Juni Tea. Her debut cookbook "JoyFull" comes out in February 2024. We discuss mindful cooking and eating practices, and what "intuitive eating" means. Born and raised in the UK, the rich traditions of her Indian culture played a significant role in shaping Radhi's path towards wellness from an ea...

Time for an Ask Me Anything episode! Topics range from creating healthy habits and staying motivated, to strength training strategies and asserting oneself at the gym, to my morning routine and how I got into playing didgeridoo. I (Karina Inkster, a.k.a. Coach K) am your humble podcast host, author of five books, and 21-year vegan. I'm the founder of K.I. Health & Fitness, where I and my team lead...

When I heard that a new vegan athlete (and a film and TV actor, at that!) moved to my small town, I knew I had to have her on the show. And I haven't even run into her at the grocery store yet! Paloma Kwiatkowski is a professional actor with over a decade of experience in the film and TV industry, an avid trail-runner turned personal trainer, and a vegan with an unwavering passion for cooking and...

My guest today is a pioneer in the plant-based sector with over 30 years of experience. In 1994, Rey founded the Alternative Baking Company, one of the first vegan cookie brands on the market, which generated $1 million in sales in 1995. In 1997, he founded Sun Flour Baking Co. to create new flavours, tastes, textures, and nutrition products with a longer shelf life and higher profit margins. Sun...

We hear it all the time: "I eat eggs only from free-range chickens", or "It's OK, it's a cage-free chicken". Vicky Bond, President of The Humane League, is here to bust the myth of "happy hens" in modern farming. She also discusses the myth that the best way to improve the welfare of farmed animals is to convince everyone to stop using animal products altogether. (Technically it *is*, but it isn't...

We often refer to them as 'legends', otherwise known as folks who have been vegan for more than twenty years. Case in point: Jack Norris. Jack, who's been vegan since 1988, is the executive director of Vegan Outreach, an animal protection nonprofit promoting vegan eating through their 10 Weeks to Vegan program in over 50 countries.  Jack has been a registered dietitian since 2001 and maintains the...

Carolyn Scott has travelled to the North Pole as a vegan, and hosts the only vegan TV show on a mainstream travel network. She's on the podcast to bust three myths for us: that being Latinx makes it hard to be vegan, that it's difficult to be vegan while travelling, and that healthy vegan food is boring and flavourless.   Cookbook author, media spokesperson, holistic nutritionist, plant-based chef...

Ironman triathlete Todd Crandell speaks with me about his organization, his own addiction recovery, parallels between approaches to veganism and addiction recovery, and much more. Todd is a 111-time Ironman event finisher, 4-time author, vegan since 2016, documentary subject, dad, and founder of Racing for Recovery, which has been featured on CNN, ESPN, the New York Times, and Runner's World Magaz...

Black-and-white thinking is rampant in the fitness and nutrition industries. Within the vegan community, it often centres around ethical vs. unethical, or healthy vs. unhealthy. This prevents more nuanced discussion. There seems to be growing pushback against some plant-based product innovations around being "too processed" or "too unhealthy", and there's a lot of fear-mongering around certain ing...

When we discuss the realms of veganism and plant-based eating, we can all come to the table around a common thread: food. Food builds relationships, connection, and community.  Case in point: Matt de Gruyter.  Matt is the co-founder and CEO of Next Level Burger, America's first 100 percent plant-based burger joint that serves up vegan burgers for a better world in 10 locations coast to coast. Sinc...

As an ethical stance, we're familiar with veganism, its tenets, and how it translates to our daily lives. Outside of that, you'd be surprised to learn about the many points with which veganism intersects, and today we're exploring one: the relationship between veganism, and leadership. Leadership coach Nancy Wehnert is on the show to discuss her approach to leadership, and how that connects to veg...

Sheep farmer-turned-vegan JH Burnett speaks with me about his experiences in animal agriculture, his vegan transition, and more. This is one of the most raw conversations that's been aired on the podcast thus far, so I'm really grateful to JH for sharing his story.   JH is a former sheep farmer and breeder in the dairy industry who, after the atrocities he witnessed in these industries, turned veg...

Why are doctors talking about connection? What is connection medicine and is connection just a "nice-to-have" or does it really impact your physical health and disease outcomes? My guests today, Drs. Alona Pulde and Matthew Lederman, combined conventional Western medicine, Chinese medicine, Lifestyle medicine, Nonviolent Communication, Polyvagal Theory, and Trauma-Informed, Somatic Principles & Pa...

Where are the places where veganism, plant-based living, and business practices intersect? We have found some, and we're here to share the intel! Cynthia Owen joins me on the show to talk about making veganism more mainstream, leveraging grants to help businesses move forward with plant-based offerings, and her coaching work, including being part of a cultural/global movement for women. Cynthia is...

Should kids be eating a plant-based diet? Will kids who are vegan be inherently more prone to vitamin deficiencies? We're jumping into these questions and more on today's podcast episode.  Dr. Leigh Ettinger has been a medical doctor since 1998 but did not learn about the plant-based diet until 2014. He made changes in his own eating and quickly saw the benefits. He's earned a certificate in plant...