PLANTSTRONG Podcast

What are the Esselstyns serving up this holiday season? Well, as always, it includes a hefty dose of laughter and mayhem, along with delicious, mouth-watering plantstrong goodness. Today, Rip is joined by his mother, Ann, and sister, Jane, to talk about their favorite holiday meals and how they cook together for their entire family. Even though they discuss their Thanksgiving meal in this episode,...

Rip welcomes researcher, friend, and author, Dan Buettner, back to the PLANTSTRONG Podcast to talk about his new book, The Blue Zones Challenge - A Four-Week Plan for a Longer, Better Life. This is the latest in his series of books about the five blue zones, which are locations around the world where people consistently live to 100 and beyond. The Blue Zones Challenge is all about helping YOU to g...

Rip welcomes nutritionist, author, and podcaster, Simon Hill, to the podcast for an in-depth discussion of his new book,  The Proof is in the Plants . It's hard to imagine the life-long impact of seeing your own father have a heart attack, but Hill has taken that harrowing experience as a teenager and turned it into his mission-driven work to help save the lives of countless others.  Today, Simon...

It truly is a wonderful time to celebrate and give thanks with friends and family. Speaking of friends, today is a special episode because we're actually replaying an interview that Rip did earlier this year on Julieanna Hever’s podcast “Choose You Now.” If you don’t know, Julieanna is the original plant-based dietitian and her new book “The Choose You Now Diet” is coming out in early December. Yo...

Welcome to this audio presentation of our recent "Rip's Rescue" event which focused exclusively on men's health and dispelling the outdated myth that real men need meat to thrive. When Rip was a firefighter in Austin, Texas, he spent his days on the rescue squad, responding to fires and medical emergencies. For this presentation, he assembled a brigade of experts to join him in helping people resc...

Welcome to PLANTSTRONG Snackables, a bite-sized podcast where host, Rip Esselstyn dishes on all things plants! Today's guest is Brenda Reed, longtime PLANTSTRONG Team Member and in-house culinary expert for PLANTSTRONG foods and events. Brenda is responsible for many of the recipes at our live events and on the PLANTSTRONG Meal Planner. Today, she and Rip talk soups and, specifically, how to eleva...

It has been two years since The Game Changers documentary debuted in the fall of 2019. Since then, an estimated 100 million people in more than 190 countries have watched the film, making it one of the most-watched documentaries of all time. In fact, it even gave birth to a phenomenon dubbed, “The Game Changers Effect” for the way it influenced eating behaviors across the globe. Today, Rip revisit...

Welcome to PLANTSTRONG Snackables, a bite-sized podcast where host, Rip Esselstyn dishws on all things plants! Today's guest is Ami Mackey, longtime PLANTSTRONG Team Member, Rescue10x Coach, and Curator of Creative Content. As a health coach, Ami has heard every reason and excuse for not being able to sustain a plantstrong lifestyle: it’s too expensive, it’s too complicated, you can’t cook, you do...

Going to the Doctor is no fun, but when patients walk in to see Dr. Columbus Batiste, they are met with compassion, understanding, and genuine empathy. Not only does he work with his patients with a team-based collaborative approach, but he also meets patients where they are at and explains health in a way that makes sense. As an Interventional Cardiologist (or “Plumber for the Heart” as he affect...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, which is why we’re showcasing a “Broc-Star Greatest Hits” presentation from our recent 2021 Plant-Stock Weekend, with board-certified breast cancer surgeon and physician, Dr. Kristi Funk. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and, yes, there are some risk factors that you can't change like age, gender, and family history...

We all have our proverbial mountains to climb, but today’s guest has climbed some of the highest mountains — on her mountain bike. Plant-powered pro mountain biker, Sonya Looney, is Rip's guest and, in addition to crushing it as a professional mountain biker, Sonya has also become well-known as a health andd mindset coach, setting clients up for success no matter what they're trying to accomplish....

Rip has a warm and delightful conversation with chef and plant-based cookbook author extraordinaire, Dreena Burton. Dreena, who hails from Canada, has just released her sixth book,  Dreena's Kind Kitchen , and she and Rip dive deep into some of the thought, love, simplicity, and kindness that went into developing these new recipes. Dreena’s Kind Kitchen  delivers over 100 whole foods/oil-free plan...

Rip catches up with longtime plantstrong pal, Josh LaJaunie, in a moving conversation about remaining resilient, determined, and focused even when life hands you profoundly difficult situations. Many know Josh as a former 400+ pound football player-turned-plantstrong ultra runner. He has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, and even the cover of Runner's World Magazine celebrating his...

Welcome to our new PLANTSTRONG Snackables podcast series, a bite-sized podcast where host, Rip Esselstyn, and co-host, Jessica Hegarty, dish on all things plants! Jess leads product innovation for the PLANTSTRONG food line and, together with Rip, provides a peek behind the curtain on plant-based food headlines, market research, ingredients, and cooking inspiration. Plus, you'll always walk away wi...

We've had doctors, athletes, and celebrities on this show, but today, we can say for the first time, that we get to welcome a real-life PRINCE to the PLANTSTRONG podcast. Khaled bin Alwaleed is a member of the Saudi Arabian royal family who makes his living as a venture capitalist - supporting and investing in green businesses, changing technologies, and sustainable solutions for our health and th...

We'd be hard-pressed to find someone as authentic and true to herself as Fiona Oakes. Vegan for almost 50 years, she is one of the original game-changers and shining examples of the power of being a plantstrong athlete. Fiona has made a name for herself as an endurance runner, earning four Guinness World Records. She is also the fastest woman in the world to run a marathon on all seven continents...

Welcome to Episode six of our new PLANTSTRONG Snackables podcast series, a bite-sized podcast where host, Rip Esselstyn, and co-host, Jess Hegarty, dish on all things plants! Jessica leads product innovation for the PlantStrong food line and, together with Rip, provides a peek behind the curtain on plant-based food headlines, market research, ingredients, and cooking inspiration. Plus, you'll alwa...

We’re calling this episode, “Miracle at Montefiore" in honor of the herculean work Dr. Robert Ostfeld is doing at this Bronx hospital to move the needle on the life-saving benefits of a plant-based diet, especially for cardiac patients. Inspired by the legacy of his two young brothers who lost their lives to incurable diseases, Ostfeld attended medical school at Yale and went on to get his Masters...

Right now, it’s no secret that our population (which is almost 8 billion now) is facing a tremendous amount of collective challenges with our health, our food system, and our planet as a whole. We all have some work to do and this week’s interview with ECO-Activist, Leilani Münter, will illuminate conversation and elevate the positive impact that something so simple as eating a whole-foods plant-b...

Welcome to our new PLANTSTRONG Snackables podcast series, a bite-sized podcast where host, Rip Esselstyn, and co-host, Jess Hegarty, dish on all things plants! In Episode 5, Rip and Jess talk about all things chilis, soups, and stews - including a look at the all-new PLANTSTRONG chilis and stews available now at Whole Foods Market. Here are Some Tasty Bites from Today's Episode: Do you struggle to...

Since 1986, as co-founder and president of Farm Sanctuary , Gene Baur has made it his mission to raise awareness about the abuses of factory farming and the devastation that our agriculture and food system has had on animals, workers, and those of us who consume the food. It’s not a comfortable topic because no one wants to experience the horrors at these factory farms and slaughterhouses; however...

One of the many side benefits of this global plantstrong community -- besides a daily dose of health, motivation, and education -- are the long-lasting friendships developed with people along the way, especially with the pioneers who have long laid the groundwork for those of us out there today. I’m sure you feel this way too.  When you are so invested and so passionate about something, you can’t...

Welcome to Episode Four of our new PLANTSTRONG Snackables podcast series, a bite-sized podcast where host, Rip Esselstyn, and co-host, Jess Hegarty, dish on all things plants! Jessica leads product innovation for the PlantStrong food line and, together with Rip, they provide a peek behind the curtain on plant-based food headlines, market research, ingredients, and cooking inspiration. Plus, you'll...

Darin Olien is the "Superman of Superfoods" and the "Indiana Jones of the Best Ingredients" on the planet. For over 20 years, he has literally roamed the world - and you already know this if you watched Season One of his Netflix docu-series with Zac Efron, “Down to Earth,” where they traveled the planet to explore the secrets of good health, longevity, and sustainability. Olien is also the author...

If you think one person can't make an impact, think again. In 2016 at the young age of 54, former Brooklyn Borough President and now New York Democratic Mayoral Candidate, Eric Adams, listened as his doctor gave him a grim diagnosis of Type II diabetes. Sadly, he felt it was an inevitable fate because of rampant family history. What didn’t sit with him was relinquishing control of his health and r...