Doug Evans is the Sprout Wizard. After decades of living, eating, and working to excess and burn-out, Doug Evans had his "come to plants" moment. In 1999, he literally went from eating a greasy, fatty duck in New York's Chinatown, to eating a raw vegan diet overnight. This personal galileo moment came as he considered his devastating family history of western disease that included heart attacks, stroke, and diabetes. Was he destined to this same fate, or could he break the cycle? He chose to bre...
Jan 28, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 68
What happens when the confident doctor becomes the desperate patient who, like the rest of us, feels powerless when we get sick? This is the moment that board-certified cardiologist, Dr. Monica Aggarwal, describes as her moment of truth when she was diagnosed with a devastating form of rheumatoid arthritis shortly after the birth of her third child. In an instant, she went from being an avid runner, busy doctor, and engaging parent to someone who could barely move. Anger, blame, denial...you nam...
Jan 21, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Season 3Ep. 67
Recently, we were introduced to a produce farm just outside Cleveland, Ohio, and quickly learned that this longstanding family-run business is as passionate about growing vegetables as we are about eating them. So we flew to the Chef's Garden farm, so we could film this magical visit and let you experience it firsthand with us. The Chef's Garden has been delivering specialty products with optimum shelf life, quality, flavor, and nutrition direct from the farm to the world's most discriminating c...
Jan 14, 2021•54 min•Season 3Ep. 66
Dr. Kristi Funk is a Board Certified Breast Cancer surgeon and physician, a bestselling author of the book, Breasts: The Owner's Manual , an outspoken women's health advocate, a regular feature on shows like Good Morning America, and best-known as the breast surgeon who treated both Sheryl Crow and Angelina Jolie. This passionate doctor's mantra is "God, family and kill cancer," which she wrote to empower women to understand the role they play in their own health. For the majority of her career,...
Jan 07, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 3Ep. 65
I can empathize with Galileo of knowing how when you know a truth and you know it to be true, you can't turn your back on it. It just won't let you sleep with good conscience. You just can't pretend. They say once you look behind the curtain, you can't pretend you don't know what's behind the curtain. And, those of us in plant-based nutrition, we've seen these diseases go away with a plant-based diet. We know. We've looked behind the curtain. So now it's a matter of getting that word out and hel...
Jan 01, 2021•44 min•Season 3Ep. 64
Season three of the PLANTSTRONG Podcast explores those Galileo moments - when you seek the real truth about your health - and dare to see the world through a different lens. This season, we honor those courageous seekers who have paved the way for all of us. So, grab your telescope, point it towards your future, and let’s get PLANTSTRONG…together. The PLANTSTRONG podcast is hosted by Healthy Eating Advocate and Author, Rip Esselstyn. To learn more, visit: plantstrong.com...
Dec 29, 2020•3 min
The tale of how Ken Lander and Rip met is nothing short of astounding. In 2017, at 430 pounds, Ken was diagnosed with a battery of lifestyle diseases, including major heart disease. When he found out, the first thing he did was Google “reverse heart disease.” Of the 200+ books that came up, he randomly picked “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease” by Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn. Literally, at the exact same time, and unbeknownst to everyone, Ken had a mutual friend who was trying to connect him to re...
Oct 27, 2020•23 min•Season 2Ep. 63
We know that when you’re seeking inspiration and motivation, it often comes directly from those who are living this lifestyle with passion and newfound purpose. Who better to feature than our Plant-Strong/Engine 2 advocate, Karen Drexler?! Karen started her plant-strong journey three years ago and, in the process, has lost over 80 pounds, recruited her family to get on board, and has even become an official advocate on the Engine 2 Seven-Day Rescue groups, serving as speaker and moderator. Today...
Oct 20, 2020•25 min•Season 2Ep. 62
Daniel Shuman has been on his own plant-strong journey since April of 2017 when he started at 355 pounds. But, he actually reached out to us on behalf of a friend who was also struggling with their health. As he says, “If they can see that someone like me can do something like this - and the positive impact it has on every aspect of my life - medically, socially, emotionally, my relationship with my children and wife, my intimacy...It’s really unbelievable.” Daniel is obviously on a journey. He’...
Oct 13, 2020•47 min•Season 2Ep. 61
In 2019, Mark Papa begrudgingly joined an Engine 2 Seven Day Immersions, which catapulted this former meat-eating triathlete back to fitness. Mark and his wife, Amy, are the quintessential “normal” family from Pennsylvania. Mark is a Type 1 diabetic, he’s in the restaurant business, and he and his wife have five kids. So, if there was ever a family that had excuses NOT to change, this is it. And yet, they did and, as you can predict, the results have been remarkable. We caught up with Mark and A...
Oct 06, 2020•55 min•Season 2Ep. 60
Welcome to a BONUS "Transformation Tuesday" edition of the Plant-Strong Podcast! Over the next couple of weeks, we’re going to share this inspirational series dedicated to showcasing some of my new friends and their remarkable, plant-strong stories. It’s our hope that these bonus clips inspire and motivate you because, as you’ll hear, cutting out all the meat and dairy and adopting a whole food plant-based diet may not be easy at first, is massively life-changing from the inside out. Believe me ...
Sep 29, 2020•36 min•Season 2Ep. 59
Today, the Plant-Strong Podcast wraps-up Season Two with a special 'Heart of a Hero' finale featuring three of New York’s bravest firefighting heroes. Keith Mitchell was listening to Season One of the Plant-Strong podcast back in 2019, and following the transformation of fellow firefighter Joe Inga like thousands of others. As a triathlete, Keith already worked hard to keep himself healthy and in shape, but after listening to Joe's story, decided to go all-in and embrace the Engine 2 plant-stron...
Sep 17, 2020•46 min•Season 2Ep. 58
Today is 9/11, a day that none of us will forget. As we wind down Season Two of The Plant-Strong podcast, which is dedicated to those with the heart of a hero, we want to honor those who serve on the front lines when we call for help. To commemorate this special day, I want to share an open letter to first responders. We all remember where we were that day when time stood still and the events that transpired across the United States imprinted on each and every one of us. I remember like it was y...
Sep 11, 2020•37 min•Season 2Ep. 57
Here at the Plant-Strong Podcast, as you can tell from all of our guests this season, having “the heart of a hero” means throwing your whole being behind a mission. It means putting health before everything else -- and not just OUR own health, but the health of animals, the planet, and...perhaps most importantly...our children’s health. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a bigger advocate in this work than Suzy Amis Cameron . For over 30 years, she has dedicated herself to caring for the health and ...
Sep 10, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 56
Victoria Moran is a veritable lighthouse in this plant-strong movement and a true matriarch. She's been in the trenches for well over 35-years and, at age 70, she’s just getting started! Her mission? To share the joys and rewards of living a whole-foods vegan lifestyle with the entire world. She’s written 13 books, hosts her own radio show and podcast called, “Main Street Vegan” and most recently produced a documentary called “A Prayer for Compassion” that asks the question, "Can people who iden...
Sep 03, 2020•54 min•Season 2Ep. 55
We say it all the time here at Plant-Strong - “Real Men Eat Plants.” With the smashing success of The Game Changers documentary, we proved, through science, that it is optimal to build muscle on a plant-based diet. If you still have to see it to believe it, then you’ll want to feast your eyes and ears on today’s guest. Nimai Delgado is a professional bodybuilder who has never eaten meat his entire life. That’s right, Nimai was raised vegetarian since birth and, in 2015, even while in peak traini...
Aug 27, 2020•57 min•Season 2Ep. 54
This week's episode was recorded from the Esselstyn Family Farm as the entire family prepares for the kick-off of our 9th Annual Plant-Stock event starting August 14th, 2020. We affectionately coined the event “Plant-Stock” back in 2011 because the farm is located a scant 21 miles from the famed 1969 Woodstock event at which Grandpa Esselstyn served as the medical director. This farm, as you’ll learn, has been in the Esselstyn family since 1685, and in fact, is one of only two family farms in Ne...
Aug 13, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 53
This is a special episode because, instead of looking forward, we actually take a look back and shine the light on the heart of a true hero, Rich Roll. Rich and I both abandoned our steady and stable “normal” careers about 10 years ago to release books and venture into uncharted career territories that didn’t even really exist at the time. We both had young families and, let me tell you, it was scary. BUT, when you believe in something so much and when you’re being pulled so strongly into a dire...
Aug 06, 2020•1 hr 34 min•Season 2Ep. 52
Rip welcomes human resources consultant, intercultural sensitivity expert, author, and plant-based advocate, Dr. Jarik Conrad, to the podcast to discuss his book, "The Fragile Mind" and many other timely cultural and health issues. As Dr. Conrad suggests, when you rid your body and mind of unnecessary toxins and processed junk food, it will have a direct positive impact on your emotional IQ and leadership style both at work and in the home. It’s also Conrad’s belief that changing what we eat wil...
Jul 30, 2020•1 hr 23 min•Season 2Ep. 51
Tracye McQuirter is, without question, one of the trailblazers of the plant-based movement who has spent the last 30 years coaching people to go vegan for life. She’s the author of the book, By Any Greens Necessary , as well as her most recent book, The Ageless Vegan , written with her own mother. Today, Rip and Tracye reminisce about her journey to veganism all because of one inspirational lecture she heard almost 35 years ago back in college from civil rights activist, Dick Gregory. We also di...
Jul 23, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 50
We welcome one of our all-time favorite plant-strong BROC-STARS back to the podcast, Dr. Michael Greger! You know him from his website nutritionfacts.org or even his wildly popular books - How Not to Die and How Not to Diet , in which he lays out, in much detail, the science behind the benefits of whole food plant-based diet. Today, Rip talks with Dr. Greger in-depth about his new book - How to Survive a Pandemic . Most people may not realize that Dr. Greger’s medical background is actually in i...
Jul 16, 2020•51 min•Season 2Ep. 49
Adam Sud and Tara Kemp, two rising stars in the plant-based movement, have been enveloped in a groundbreaking research study into the far-reaching impacts that plant-based nutrition can have on addiction and recovery; not just to help people stay sober, but in all facets of recovery - resilience, self-compassion, physical health, and spirituality. Believe it or not, this study is the first of its kind and is backed and supported by an enthusiastic and reputable team of physicians and experts, in...
Jul 09, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Season 2Ep. 48
Getting ready to pop an antacid or a swig of your favorite mouthwash? Wait! Hold up just a moment. Today, we take a deep dive on the subject of nitric oxide with Dr. Nathan Bryan, the preeminent expert on the subject and author of “The Nitric Oxide Solution.” It may be new to you, but know this...Our body’s ability to produce nitric oxide is KEY to staving off those killers - stroke, heart disease, and other vascular complications like - well, erectile dysfunction. What is nitric oxide and what ...
Jul 02, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 47
In honor of Father’s Day last week, I gathered up your questions and called my Dad, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, affectionately known as Essy to many. There’s nothing he loves more than helping you understand the importance of what you put on your forks to fight disease and to create and sustain healthy and vibrant endothelial cells. Essy is the ultimate taskmaster and, much to everyone’s disappointment, he doesn’t prescribe a 90% plan. He’s 100% ALL IN and he expects the rest of us to follow suit...
Jun 25, 2020•57 min•Season 2Ep. 46
Over 65 million households are homes to dogs and cats. In fact, one of the silver linings of the coronavirus quarantine has been a substantial increase in pet adoptions for companionship and, as a member of the family, you want to feed them the best possible diet for long-lasting health and vitality. Unfortunately, there are a lot of myths out there when it comes to the best diet for your pet, and today, Rip and renowned veterinarian and author, Dr. Ernie Ward, dispel some of those misconception...
Jun 18, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 45
We were overwhelmed with the positive response of last week’s episode with Chef Ken Rubin, so we decided to keep that momentum going this week with Chef Del Sroufe. If his name isn’t familiar, his work will be. He authored, “ Forks Over Knives: the Cookbook ,” “ The China Study Quick and Easy Cookbook,” and “ Better than Vegan,” the story of his struggle with weight loss and gain, and how he managed to lose over 200 pounds on a low fat, plant-based diet. Not only does he share some of his favori...
Jun 04, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Season 2Ep. 44
Ken Rubin is the Chief Culinary Officer of Rouxbe Online Culinary School , training people to become more creative, confident, and HEALTHY in kitchens around the world. A silver lining of the Covid-19 quarantine has been a trend back to rediscovering the joy of a home-cooked meal with the family. Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated and, in fact, it can be fun! Rip and Ken introduce simple ways to level up your cooking with tips on roasting, sauteing, and boosting the flavor of pastas, sauces,...
May 28, 2020•1 hr 20 min•Season 2Ep. 43
Ethan Brown is the Founder and CEO of Beyond Meat , a disruptive and innovative plant-based meat company. This interview was recorded pre-Covid 19 so, while we don’t discuss it, the episode is so timely since one of the areas most affected by this horrific disease is our food supply chain; namely, the animal food supply chain. Conditions are deplorable for both the animals and the humans at these meat processing plants, and the health of both is compromised daily. Ethan discusses in detail how h...
May 21, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 42
For 65-years, Dr. T. Colin Campbell has been a courageous truth-seeker and unapologetic truth-teller in the scientific research and study of nutrition. Of course, most know his work from The China Study , Whole , Forks over Knives , and his repeat visits to Plant Stock , but recently, Dr. Campbell released two articles that speak to this “revolutionary idea” that the best defense against Covid-19 is whole food plant-based diet. In fact, not only is it the best cautionary measure you can take, bu...
May 14, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 41
In 2018, after an interview about building a healthy gut on a plant-based diet went viral, Dr. Will Bulsiewicz knew he needed to do something. He wanted to continue to spread this message to a wider audience. The result almost two years later? His brand new book Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome. Fiber Fueled is the playbook to optimize and restore your gut health on a plant-based diet, and this entire episod...
May 07, 2020•1 hr 39 min•Season 2Ep. 40
