No-Bullsh!t Vegan

Is veganism really as difficult to implement as many folks say it is? Danny O'Malley, President and Founder of Before the Butcher, answers this question and many more, shares the story of his business, and shares crucial thoughts on plant-based food as a whole. Danny helped innovate the first line of diverse plant-based meat (burgers, chicken, turkey, sausage & much more) with an eye on taste, nut...

Is a plant-based diet healthy for kids? Furthermore, is it safe for kids? Alexandra Caspero from Plant-Based Juniors joins me to answer these questions, address the benefits of a plant-based diet for kids, and break down some problematic (and false) myths prevalent within the dialogue. Alexandra is a registered dietitian nutritionist, mom, and (with Whitney English) the creator of Plant-Based Juni...

Herbivore is one of the best-known vegan stores in the world. Co-founder Michelle Schwegmann joins me to share some of Herbivore's history, her view on vegan parenting, how her approach to veganism has changed over the years, and much more.

In celebration of our 100th (!!) episode, I speak with 10 of our amazing listeners for 10 minutes each. You'll hear from a farm sanctuary founder, a heavy metal vocalist, business owners, fitness coaches, professional organizers, and more. All vegan, and each with incredible insights to share. Thank you so much for supporting this show over the past 3+ years! Here's to the next 100 episodes.

How does veganism pertain to religion? There are blind spots intrinsic within religious communities, as veganism clearly pertains to the connection between suffering (animals, the planet, human health) and food choices. Jess Peacock is a researcher, adjunct professor, United Church of Christ clergy, author, and part of the K.I. team. A vegan for 16 years, Jess explores the above (and more), as we...

A listener asked, "How do you feel about cheat days or cheat meals?" This is my answer. I discuss why I don't use the term "cheat" in relation to food, why there's no such thing as a "perfect" diet or "good" and "bad" foods, why rigid rules and restriction don't work when it comes to nutrition, and how to break away from the all-or-nothing approach to dieting. I've also included powerful writing p...

How do we define "veganism"? Vegan business owner (One Thing Lockets) Setareh Bateni addresses the complexities of this answer, from a unique perspective holding a Master's degree in Philosophy. Setareh speaks to the importance of showing the challenges and road bumps that may come up along the journey to veganism, being vegan in a non-vegan family, and how the ethical stance has been incorporated...

Justina Adorno is an actor, long-term vegan, and committed to raising awareness through her social platforms about the abuse that animals endure. Justina currently stars on the gritty drama FX's Mayans M.C., playing the role of 'Stephanie' aka 'Nails,' in the show's third season. Having a passion for animal rights, Justina lives a vegan lifestyle, and is adamant about using only vegan makeup and h...

Mindfulness: what is it, how does one start with it, and how can it help us be happier vegans (and activists?) Meredith Marin is a vegan entrepreneur with a background in social work and community organizing. She's known in the vegan community for her work that transformed Aruba into the most vegan-friendly island in the Caribbean. We discuss her current projects, her background in vegan hospitali...

Robert Cheeke, often referred to as the "Godfather of Vegan Bodybuilding", played a major role in growing the industry from its 2002 infancy to where it is today. Robert is a two-time natural bodybuilding champion, and founder and president of Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness. Starting with his early farm roots, Robert shares his story of adding 100 pounds to his frame as a vegan bodybuilder, shifting...

Peggy Brusseau is a food writer, cook, and committed vegan of more than 30 years. Peggy has written or co-written 24 books on food and health. Her most recent book addresses many key points about veganism: transitioning to veg life, living in a household where not all family members are vegan, nutrition for infants and children, the age-old "where do I get my protein?" question, and more. Heard of...

Announcing A Decade of Deadlifts: 10 Year Anniversary and Book Launch! Join us for our free, online extravaganza of three days of events (March 19 to 21), behind the scenes access, giveaways, and our main event featuring 5 incredible industry panelists. All folks are welcome to join the festivities as we celebrate 10 years of plant-fueled athleticism, badassery, an abundance of dark chocolate, and...

Bill left a cushy job teaching English in Japan after 9/11 to join the Army as a Combat Medic. Vegan since 1992, Bill adhered to his plant-fueled diet throughout his rigorous Army training and deployment to Afghanistan. Bill now serves veterans as a registered nurse at the West Los Angeles Medical Center. In non-COVID times, Bill gives talks about being vegan, and appears at Veg Fests and Fitness...

K.I. team members Karina Inkster, Izzy Pope-Moore, and Zoe Peled unite for a tri-force podcast episode to discuss some "trends" of the fitness/athleticism industries and problematic tendencies of "weight loss first fitness". Throughout the discussion, the team debunks a few myths about veganism and BMI, shares their diverse- and impressive- training goals, and much (much) more.

In Part 1 (of 2) of our K.I. team member series, Izzy Pope-Moore shares what it's like to work in a hospital during a pandemic as a vegan. We chat about whatever comes to mind, including her efforts to make the hospital cafeteria more vegan-friendly, strength training, her work fostering cats, and her new Main Street Vegan Academy certifications.

Tobias returns to the show to bust myths about the "new year, new you" concept. We both love nerding out on tracking progress, optimizing our habits, and setting goals, so we had a freestyle discussion about all of this. When are goals useful? When *shouldn't* we set goals? How do we best track progress? Tobias leads Athlegan, a team of passionate vegan athletes who are trying to change the world...

Stephanie Dreyer of Batch Cooking Club joins me to discuss three myths about vegan meal prep: Preparing homemade vegan meals is time consuming and difficult, following a meal plan takes too much work and effort, and being vegan in a non-vegan family is impossible. Stephanie shares her method for making weekly plant-based meal prep simple and stress-free.

Raydel's new book passes down traditional Cuban family recipes -- in vegan form. He shares his story of coming to veganism from the typical meat-heavy Cuban diet, and the resulting transformation in his health. We also discuss how he's passing down his grandmother's family recipes to the next generation, and keeping the traditions and memories of "old Cuba" alive via its food -- but veganized. Ray...

How is "processed food" defined? Why does the term have such a bad reputation? Where do vegan processed foods fit in? Why is the black-and-white view of "all processed foods are bad" problematic, and what message might this send? How do we assess the healthiness of a food? We take a look at a few food package examples from Chana's fridge. We also discuss bioengineering; it's much more common than...

Valerie Martin, a.k.a. Val the Vegan Therapist, offers valuable insights for anyone who's vegan (or veg-curious). We discuss the importance of navigating the emotional and social challenges of veganism, whether having a vegan therapist is important if you're vegan yourself, and her favourite techniques for coping with anxiety (given the world situation at the moment, who the heck *isn't* anxious r...

Nutritional counsellor and disordered eating coach Devon Hoholuk discusses why vegan diets are often discouraged in recovery, and how she approaches things differently. She shares her story of recovery from anorexia and bulimia, and how flexible veganism relates to recovery. You don't need to have a diagnosed eating disorder to get something out of this episode. Our relationships with food can be...

Vegan since 1992 and a life-long cyclist, mountaineer Jason Addy enjoys doing fully self-propelled mountaineering trips from home to home. I.e. from home to a mountain (usually on a bike), scaling said mountain, and then cycling back home. We discuss how he came to veganism almost 3 decades ago, fuelling himself and others on treks with plant-based food, the self propelled outdoor group he founded...

I address the misconception that veganism is inherently beneficial for weight loss, and I discuss navigating the sometimes-very-thin line between health, fitness, and aesthetic goals. We all want to look awesome, but I think there are more and less effective (and healthy) ways of using aesthetics as an ingredient in what motivates you to create and sustain a fitness routine. I also discuss unreali...

Soon-to-be doctor Muzammil Ahmad joins me to discuss the lack of nutrition education in medical schools and his work to reform it, including bringing plant-based nutrition to the forefront. Muzammil goes over the problems with current nutrition education (not enough hours, contradictions within the curriculum, lack of preventative nutrition education), and the extensive work he's doing to fix thes...

Guy Vaknin, owner of plant-based chain Beyond Sushi in New York City, joins me for a conversation on building his vegan business (and transitioning it to vegan after opening), listening to his customers, his experiences on Hell's Kitchen and Shark Tank, and raising two vegan kids. He has over 13 years of experience as an executive chef, and loves experimenting with new flavour combinations and ing...