PLANTSTRONG Podcast

In honor of Mother's Day weekend, we're thrilled to feature everyone’s favorite PLANTSTRONG Woman Warrior - Ann Crile Esselstyn. In late Spring, Rip and Ann did a Facebook live where she took questions from the audience and that's what we share today. They run the gamut of subjects today including: The foods and ingredients that are exciting her most these days Her current favorite meals Advice fo...

Kathy Stevens founded the Catskill Animal Sanctuary in 2001 with 80 acres of land that she turned from a virtual trash heap into an idyllic sanctuary where rescued, abused, and forgotten animals can live their final years filled with the love, care, and respect they so richly deserve.  In her work and in her exquisitely written books, Kathy describes the essence and personalities of these animals...

Kim Campbell is the Director of Culinary Education and Development at PlantPure and the daughter-in-law of T. Colin Campbell known, of course, for authoring The China Study and his work in Forks Over Knives. Together, Kim and her husband Nelson Campbell run PlantPure Nation , where they provide support and resources to help people experience the benefits of a whole food, plant-based lifestyle. In...

When Ann Crile Esselstyn, tells you to do something, you do it! So, when she told me I had to interview today’s guest, I didn’t hesitate. Ruth Morley is an adventurer. She’s rarely at home in Cincinnati because she’s usually found on a hiking trail. I’m talking about the Appalachian Trail, the Florida Trail, the Buckeye Trail, and Kilimanjaro…just to name just a few.  She’s even ridden her bike 3,...

Every so often, a new brocstar bursts onto the scene and just blows our PLANTSTRONG socks off with their passion, personality, and unique approach to plant-based eating. Today’s guest, Max LaManna, is one of those people. He has over a million followers on social media and, for one year, Max asked his audience which foods they threw away the most. Using the tens of thousands of responses, he narro...

You know those times when you see someone and you just think, "WOW, You look incredible! What are you doing?!" That happened with today's guest, grammy award winner, and multiplatinum recording artist, Richard Marx. We at PLANTSTRONG saw recent photos and videos of Richard lighting up the stage in Australia and just had to know the secret to his vitality and energy.  Well, wouldn't ya know, Richar...

Imagine someone telling you that they would only give your diet a "B-" when you've been eating whole foods, plant-based for over 35 years?! Well, that was the  average  grade Rip Esselstyn's diet received from today's guest, Dr. Doug Graham. Doug is most known for developing and authoring the 80-10-10 Diet Book ; which is when 80% of your calories come from carbohydrates in the form of raw fruits...

Rachael Brown's book,  For Fork's Sake, takes readers on a 10-day journey from the SAD diet to the HAPPY Diet – that is, “Healthy and Plant-Powered, YAY!!”  Rachel discusses her family’s journey and all of her trusted tips for making this transition, including: What does this way of eating even entail? How do you bring your family along, especially if they’re reluctant? How do you handle naysayers...

New York Times bestselling author and PLANTSTRONG founder, Rip Esselstyn, is joined by a very special guest, his father, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr. , discussing the nine ways he has documented reversal of cardiovascular disease over the last 40 years. When Dr. Esselstyn started his work at the Cleveland Clinic in the early 80s, he was the chairman of the breast cancer task force. In his work,...

What do cruciferous vegetables, tomatoes, soy, and green tea all have in common? According to hundreds of scientific studies, they all can drastically reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men. Here are a few facts: Prostate cancer is the 2nd leading cause of cancer in men One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their life Sadly, one in 40 will succumb to this dise...

What is the most common myth about adopting a whole food plant-based diet? (Ok- besides that crazy fear of not getting enough protein)...The biggest misconception is that this way of eating is expensive, unattainable, and elitist even. This simply isn’t true. I mean, what’s more economical than potatoes, beans, and rice?!  Toni Okamoto ( plantbasedonabudget.com ) has been on a mission to bust this...

For almost 15 years now, we’ve been beating the drum about the positive health impacts of a whole-food plant-based diet.  We know that it can improve your physical health in remarkable ways but, surprisingly, no research study has ever been done on the impact of a plant-based diet on addiction and recovery— until now.  Enter our friend, Adam Sud and the Infinite Study . Inspired by his own addicti...

Bonjour, mes amis. This week, we’re heading to the bayou to celebrate Mardi Gras with Camryn Clements, The Plant-Based Cajun ! Dan Buettner from the Blue Zones was the first to introduce us to Camryn because she’s one of the chefs featured in his new book, The Blue Zones American Kitchen .  Camryn is a busy Mom and when her young family moved from Louisiana to Texas for her husband’s medical resid...

D. Anthony Evans loves pain. Pain, you might say, is his superpower, which is a good thing because he lives with excruciating pain every second of the day.  D. Anthony was born with Neurofibromatosis (NF), a rare genetic condition causing multiple tumors to grow on the nerve tissue. He has hundreds of them on and in his body.  Unfortunately, they can become malignant and turn into an aggressive, m...

Let’s cut right to the chase today. A whole food, plant-based diet CAN save your life.  It sounds like hyperbole, but it isn’t, because today’s guest is living proof.  John Tanner was out on a run in 2009 and went into cardiac arrest. He collapsed to the ground and his heart stopped beating. Fortunately, the quick action of others to get help saved his life.  In recovery, John started reading ever...

Rip welcomes the mover, shaker, and influencer that is Pinky Cole - founder of The Slutty Vegan restaurant chain based in Atlanta.  In 2018, Pinky started selling her vegan burgers from her kitchen in Atlanta on Instagram. Yes, Instagram!  They immediately became an enormous hit and now, just five years later, she’s gone from her apartment kitchen to nine brick-and-mortar locations in and outside...

We’re happy to welcome back the popular, Jessica Hegarty, to the podcast! Jess and Rip did this Facebook live event a few weeks ago and the response was so powerful, we wanted to share it with all of you. Jess is the Director of Food Development and Strategy around all of our PLANTSTRONG food lines. She’s the one who researches every new product and ingredient we look at for our foods and if it do...

We're honored to introduce you to a fellow kale-loving athlete, Dominick Thompson. Imagine growing up poor in Chicago’s west side, witnessing your first murder at age 5, doing whatever it takes to protect yourself and provide for your family, and going to prison at age 21 – all while still excelling in school, athletics, and work. It’s a background that is so different from most, but such an impor...

Dr. Uma Naidoo has been called a “triple threat” for her work and knowledge in food and medicine. Not only is she a psychiatrist, but she’s also a trained professional chef and nutritionist. If there was ever anyone more qualified to talk about the impact that foods have on our brain and well-being, it’s Dr. Naidoo. In addition to her work at Harvard and Mass General, Dr, Naidoo is also the author...

Rip explains the dangerous impact of a sedentary lifestyle and what sitting too long does to our bodies. He also explains the scientific research advocating for us to get up and moving! It doesn’t matter if you’re training for a triathlon, a bodybuilding competition, or seeking the energy to enjoy a day with your grandkids, becoming plantstrong is a true game changer. Regular physical activity is...

We’re thrilled to share this special bonus episode with you as we head into the New Year and give us all something to look forward to…The Future of Medicine. Dr. Zach Burns is a 2nd-year family medicine resident who also works with Dr. Michael Klaper’s Initiative, “Moving Medicine Forward,” where they speak to schools and medical students across the globe about whole food, plant-based nutrition. ...

We’re honored to welcome Dr. John McDougall back to the podcast for another hearty discussion. Dr. McDougall was on the podcast on Episode 151 , and we took a look at his storied life and career as a pioneering physician and talked about his discoveries that informed his unwavering practice of a starch-based diet. In this episode, Rip dives in on very specific topics to get his opinions on procedu...

Picture this – you’re about to be wheeled into the operating room for triple bypass surgery. One artery is 100 percent blocked and two others are 65 percent blocked. You have an enlarged heart, leaky valves, and a heart murmur, among other issues. At the eleventh hour, your cardiologist says, “Look, we can do this triple bypass, or you can try whole food, plant-based diet.” You have no idea why, b...

Mr. Bluezones is back! That’s right, Dan Buettner is back on the PLANTSTRONG podcast to discuss his newest book, The Blue Zones American Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100. As most of you know, Dan Buettner uncovered the five places around the world where people consistently live past 100 years old. It isn’t the exception. It’s the norm. Only one of those Blue Zones happens to be in the United St...

This week, we present a bonus episode from our friends at Switch4Good . If you’re not familiar with the work of Switch4Good , they are an evidence-based nonprofit, advocating passionately for a dairy-free world. For too long, society has accepted the distortion and misinformation Big Dairy feeds us. So Switch4Good exists to set the record straight, for the sake of human health, food justice, and t...