Episode 16 Transcript: Swimming with Vegans

Molly Wood Voice-Over:

Welcome to Everybody in the Pool, the podcast for the climate economy. We dive deep into the climate crisis and come up with solutions. I’m your host, Molly Wood. This week, I’m here to ruin your barbecue. Yeah, I know it’s Labor Day weekend here in the US … getting the burgers ready and the chicken wings and the whatnot. So WHAT BETTER WEEK … to talk about the no pun intended elephant in the room not that any monster would ever eat an elephant … Veganism. I am Jessica Resler and I, uh, have lived in New York for 25 years. I'm an immersive experiential designer, and so that's a very niche part of marketing that kind of combines live and digital experiences. And the reason that we're talking today is I am a, uh, militant, passionate, ethical vegan, and I'm incredibly excited to be on your pod. Jessica sent me an email. I'm a huge fan of yours and I absolutely have so much respect for you and what you're doing. So, um, so basically what happened was you had sent out a newsletter, which I subscribed to, and you were talking about the devastation in Maui. Um, and what actually, what, um, what urged me to email you is you had a picture that had a burger in it, and, um, and I a big burger too. I It was a big burger. It was a big burger. It was a biggie. And I, um, try to take time, you know, maybe an hour a week just to send out emails and most of which are ignored. Um, but I just send out emails urging people to do something vegan. So I emailed the New York Times all the time and ask them to change their cooking section to, to plant-based only. And so I, I emailed you. I just said, um, I think it was something about, you know, that you're just doing such wonderful work in your climate warriorship, and would you be interested in some tips and tricks on how to go vegan? Uh, and so that's where we started and you wrote the loveliest email back, and so I really appreciated that. I said, maybe, you know, she's like, can I convince you to go vegan? And I was like, Maybe, but why don't we, why don't we just maximize the impact here? And so I'll be the, seems like an unfortunate term Guinea pig for this effort. but let's, let's see who else we can bring along on this journey, because I do, I will hundred percent. Let me, um, let me start by asking how you got here and, and are you Are you a vegan for climate reasons, for ethical reasons? Some combination of both. At what point did sort of the climate part of that enter your world? Yeah, for sure. So I stopped eating meat at 10 years old and growing up in Seattle, it was not so uncommon to run across families that are vegan, vegetarian. Uh, but the reason that I stopped is my little sister who's a genius, has always been the smartest person in our family. Uh, had asked my mom when she was eight years old, you know, does this fish that we're going to eat did it used to be alive? And my mom explained it to her. And so she stopped eating animal products. And then I. I started thinking about it and I remember just sort of this flip switching in my head 'cause I've always been, you know, one of those people that really loves to be around animals and I, I stopped eating meat and so, and then when I was in high school, um, I became impassioned and I used to attend youth organizations and. Um, travel around and I got involved in vegan community. And the reason being, is it, it's all of the things that you just said. So the ethical reason of course, but I'm not gonna go into that because your focus is definitely climate, economy. still like, yeah, still matters and, and actually the way that we, the profoundly cruel way that we mass produce meat. yes. Is a big part of the reason why it's so bad for climate. So I would say like, let's, let's do it all. Okay, great. Well, I, I appreciate that invitation. So definitely animal, uh, animal welfare and, and to me that also is part of another topic about that, which is just promoting violence inside of societies and when every meal that you're consuming involves a murder of ascention being, yeah. That concerns me. So there was that side of it. The climate side was super huge to me. And even starting with this in high school, Um, you know, I always say the numbers haven't changed. They've gotten worse and faster, so we added more zeros and we accelerated. What's essentially we're starting to see today. And then I, what I throw at people all the time is vanity. I, vanity can be a great motivator and I am not afraid to pull vanity out of my toolkit. So , you know, if you want young, glowing skin and you want energy and. You know, my, the majority of my family is vegan. My mom is 72 years old and does yoga, you know, every day. And she is bouncing off the walls like a 12 year old and can do the splits on every side. So, you know, and people just see her and they're like, I wanna do what she's doing. And so, you know, across the board, it, it's, it's all the things that go into it. I mean, your skin is crazy. you got listeners, for saying that, see this, but your skin is beautiful so there's that. Thank you for saying that. And it's the vegan diet. what I wanna get, we're gonna come back to benefits, but I feel like in my role here as convince slash you know, audience representative, let's talk about the The reasons why people don't do this. I, you know, and Yes. actually gonna use my stepmother, hi, Sue, as, um, a little bit of an avatar for us here, because she wants to, right? So there's, so the, the, the big question I think is, is the, the social Like, Yes, yes, it to be the vegan in the room if, for example, your husband or everybody around Sure. you know, isn't and doesn't want to. So this is a big part of my tips and tricks. I think that community for every aspect of something that you're taking on is incredibly important. And if you don't have vegans in your life, it is harder to do it. Um, and it's the same kind of thing as when you tell people, I. I stop drinking and everyone stops inviting you to parties or, you know, has that moment where they look in the mirror and they feel so judged and they lose their mind when you, you know, order a seltzer, whatever. It's the same thing here. So having vegan community to take this step is really important. Whether you find that online or you know, I'm someone that sniffs out the vegans and . Like, we just moved to a new building. I've already met four vegans, . So like, you know, you, you, I find I know how to find, I know how to pick up the signs. I'm like, that's a feather. They job, let's go from there. So you, but you know, this is someone who's, again, a cuckoo about this. So I think across the board, when, if you're a newbie, finding the community and even if it's in line or asking a friend to do it with you, whatever it is, is a huge part of the social pressure. And you know, to that point as well, like I love to say vegan. Because it, it sparks debate and it, it sometimes riles people so up so much that they'll ask me questions. But if someone is more comfortable to say plant-based because they want the heat off of them, say plant-based or don't even tell people, it's honestly nobody's business what you're eating a lot of times still. That's true. Although now, I mean, interestingly, I, I would say now we're out in the world and people, it's much more common to be asked at a restaurant or in advance of a party, Absolutely. And to your point too, I mean, there's just . Right now, today there are 61,000 registered plant-based products. When I started being vegan 25 years, 27 years ago, there was not that. It was a lot of food that tasted like cardboard. It was really hard. The social pressure was tough, and that's not the case. I remember cooking a tofurkey for my vegan then brother-in-law that just smelled like. Socks an asshole. Yeah. Like There's no other way to crass, but mm-hmm. No, it's completely true. And that's just not the case anymore. I mean, we are just in such a different place that there's really nothing you're, you're craving, you know, that you're not gonna find out there. okay. Let's keep kind of running down people's, people's gut in, you know, gut response to this. Like, oh I love it. why is vegetarian not enough? Yeah, for sure. Um, well, uh, to be honest, I call dairy liquid meat. Uh, it's not so different. And when you, you know, it was funny 'cause I was talking to a woman recently that my mom introduced me to is who's on her vegan journey. And she said that her mother actually believed that the way cows produce milk is that they eat grass and then they produce milk. And that's really obviously as we know far from what happens. And so, you know, the, the way that we actually get to milk is incredibly sad. Not to mention, I just don't find, um, any evidence of the safety of those products. So, you know, these are pumped through of hormones. These are pumped through of antibiotics. Again, we look at the climate situation here, the amount of land, water, and resources that it takes to, you know, continue these practices is just completely out of whack. Then you look at the other side of this versus if you eat a vegan diet, plant-based diet, whatever you you wanna call it that makes you happy, you reduce your green gas emissions, your heat, think green gas emissions by 75% with every meal. I mean, this is, this is significant. And once the, once the blinders start to come off and once the cloud lifts, It's undeniable if you're in a climate journey to not wanna be a part of that climate journey. So it's just sort of the same, it, it's one and the same. And, you know, we can get into the chicken industry and all of it, but, uh, it's just as bad, unfortunately. Um, how about there's a, there in, you brought up food deserts and inequity and, and also because those exist, there is a bit of a question around privilege, I think like I. There are certain neighborhoods if you live in a food desert and McDonald's is what you got, right? Like it's a bit of a climb Yep. to say, or you have to be in a bit of a privileged position to be able to choose this in the first place. Is that fair? And you do, and that is completely fair. That is completely fair to say. That is completely fair to say. I, I would absolutely be the first person to acknowledge that, you know, I personally sit in a very privileged position being a. Um, middle-aged white woman in New York City, um, and you know, who has had a lot of opportunities, who has higher education, et cetera. And I am not going to say for any second that I understand what it's like to be nurturing and raising a family and a low income scenario. So I would absolutely acknowledge the privilege, but what I would also say to that is how. Sad that this is a privilege. And when you really look at climate destruction, who are the neighborhoods and the communities that are gonna go first? We already know this. This is low income families who are gonna get incredibly hit hard, who are going to have to be displaced, who don't have the means or the resources to be displaced. You know, and the problem here again, and this is where the privileges, the social justice issue as well, it's two sides of the same coin, is that the lack of information, the lack of resource, the food deserts we mentioned, The, the costing, et cetera. You know, I, I buy all kinds of vegan delicacies that are completely ridiculous and, you know, it's part of the way that I try to help convert people and I've converted hundreds of people to this diet and lifestyle. Um, but that's not a reality. So what I would say to that is that there, that doesn't also mean. The only possibility is to continue to feed your family McDonald's or Wendy's, et cetera. And I'm not making a judgment if that's the reality for some people. But there's a ton of things that you can do that are incredibly wonderful. And if you took out all of my bougie vegan things that I do, I'm buying bulk grains, I'm buying bulk rice, I'm buying, you know, bulk lentils, bulk peas. I'm buying vegetables, not always at the farmer's market. I consume so many vegetables that it, the weekly and you know, even though we have a rolling card, it's not even enough to fulfill. Uh, you know, so the, there is access and there's a lot of things you can do as well, which is, you know, meal prep is hard for really busy families, but there's often an opportunity to make something and freeze it. There's an opportunity to, again, if we're developing community, To have community resources where, you know, families can pull together and eat like this. And, and one of the people that I love the most, um, is Ron Finley, the gangster gardener. Have you seen his Ted Talk? No. Amazing. he's fantastic. So he lives in Compton and he started growing vegetables in the medians of, uh, his street. And, um, he got shut down several times by the city until people petitioned to allow him to continue to do this. And he has this story about, you know, the saddest day in the world as we saw a woman coming to grab some of his vegetables and she thought she was robbing him and she felt, you know, embarrassed and shamed. And he was, he explained to her that he was growing it in the median so that people in the community can have access. So I see a sea change happening, you know, that's the largest hope here, is that Families can pull together and come up with these kinds of solutions. And even if it's growing vegetables and community gardens and pulling those resources together and teaching kids, if kids grow vegetables, they want to eat vegetables and all of this kind of stuff. But it all does have to work together and I, I absolutely do recognize the privilege, you know, sitting here today from that other side of it. I think it's important to point out too though that, um, in the, in the theory that a drop becomes a lu, well, two things like vegetables are cheap, compared to meat like meat. When people have been talking about inflation, it's like gas and beef, right? I mean, meat is expensive compared to vegetables, but also in the kind of theory that a drop becomes a flood, as people are adopting this way of eating, we are starting to see impossible burgers at McDonald's, right? Like so it, so it's, I often, and unabashedly like this podcast targets rich people. Rich people consume the most. And have the buying power to make significant change. So if you are in a privileged position, your job is to use it or be a climate criminal. I'm just saying, um, Couldn't agree with you More know, no pressure. Okay, moving on. Okay, so now at, I brought up this topic of impossible, uh, and beyond. Now there are vegan replacements for things. Mm-hmm. and then there's this big question of like all the, all the ingredients in. Mm-hmm. can we compare and contrast, you know, like the beyond sausage to beef? A hundred percent. So we can definitely do that. Um, so if you wanna really get into this side, uh, you know what you are giving up with the meat-based products is cholesterol. You're giving up incredibly high fat count. What you're gaining when you eat the vegan side is fewer calories and you're actually in a lot of cases getting more protein. Um, and we can, we can hot button protein in in a second, so, okay, good. I'm like, this is one of my favorite vegan topics. Oh my god, this is so fun. it like ask a vegan, like I'm gonna collect a bunch of questions and just keep having you back every few months. Oh, anytime. I love this. But one thing that I would really love to point out, and this is where I think we do a lot of disservice by pushing too many of the meat substitute products, is that veganism is not necessarily about just subbing one for one, what you would have had in your other food. So it's not about trying to eat a chicken, a fake chicken, chicken salad. Instead, I would say try to eat a butternut squash salad, a roasted butternut squash salad, or making a patty with lentils and black beans and sweet potatoes. And the thing that really does happen when you adopt this lifestyle is that a lot of the foods that people crave, they think they're craving meat. But the reality is, I've never met one person who is craving a boiled chicken with no flavor on it. Slapped onto a plate with no vegetables around it. So what you're craving is crispiness, you're craving fried, you're craving barbecue sauce. You're craving, uh, savory seasonings that go on top of that. And that is absolutely achievable with, it's called flavor. So and the, you know, the other thing, it's, it's funny, like when people say, I don't like tofu. I'm like, well, what did you eat it with? Like, did you just ? Cook it. Like what did you season it with, you know? And, um, and you know, the reality is, I, I'm not a per, I'm a plant person. I almost never actually eat the meat-based substitutes because I don't like 'em. I, I like eating whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, and that's what makes me feel healthy, alive, and bouncing off the wall energy. So I don't. Like people to think that that's what they have to do. I think if it's a means to an end and it gets you there, please by all means go there. Like if you need to eat fried chicken tenders and you need to sub that with oyster mushrooms that are fried with a gorgeous vegan aioli, please eat that. Like you are going to feel better though. Totally. But as your taste buds change and it takes about three weeks. Sometimes, and it's not just the salt, it's the salt, the sugar and the fat are gonna start to be repulsive to you. Uh, I actually went down the street. There's an incredible black-owned vegan donut shop near me called Cloud Donuts in New York, if you have to check it out, but I almost never eat that kind of sugar. And my boyfriend and I were like, oh, let's get the donut. And we, we crashed. So it was two hours later we were like, I am, you know, it was delicious. And then we crashed. because our systems just aren't used to sugar like that. So, right. So like you might think that Beyond Meat has too many chemicals in it, but you don't have to eat it. There's still plenty of things for you to eat. Right. I still think it's healthier. I'm never gonna, to me beyond meat is incredibly healthier than when you talk about, you know, so this is something that happens is because I'm so passionate when I go out to dinner with people, they often say to me, um, am I going to offend you if I eat meat in front of you? Is, are you gonna be bothered? And, and I love that I've created that social culture where people are like, . A little bit embarrassed to do it in front of me. bullying. Let's Exactly. . Whatever works. And I usually say to them, if you want to eat something that died six to eight weeks ago is full of antibiotics and bleach and isn't that color, go ahead. But I love you. And if I saw a friend drinking Draino, I would try to stop them. So let's, let's eat plant-based tonight. Let's put a, uh, can we put a fine point on the chemicals? Like you, you've mentioned poison a couple times. I, I think this, I mean, this is, people have this sort of vague awareness of like hormones and meat. But let's talk about how far from natural, some cases, you know, big agriculturally processed meat products really are. Yeah, it's really sad. It's just really sad. I mean, there's, and this is why I think I had said in the email to you that, you know, it's, it's no longer safe or sane. And even 20 years ago, the meat that was out there for general consumption was significantly better than the meat that is being offered today, because the reality is just, it's, it's just gotten worse. So we're talking antibiotics. When I say bleach, I'm not exaggerating that there is bleach in a lot of these products. Um, if you've ever seen salmon harvest, uh, farmed salmon, um, it is, trust me, not pink, it's gray. Um, so there you've got coloring and these foods, you've got. Uh, the other thing that goes into it is there's a lot of supplements that are pumped into the animals for their even survival to slaughter and also for your consumption. So you're also eating, um, a fair amount of supplement that all kinds of things that you are not necessarily even regulating. Or able to, to, you know, have your hand wrapped around that. And the antibiotics alone are incredibly scary because as we know how antibiotics work, eventually there's a resistance. And so, you know, there is prediction, um, that by 2050, 10 million deaths could be accounted for by antibiotic resistant to infections, through eating of livestock and that kind of thing. So we, we. Versus we could not so right or not that, or not that. not to make you like the meat expert also, but why is it worse? Do you know why it's worse? Uh, it's worse because we've had to produce so much more. So the, um, it's not just the antibiotics, but the way that we puff up the meat faster to get to slaughter, faster to account for our growing population. Et cetera, et cetera. It's like anything that you look across the side, you know the information across the, the climate story. American, and then let's just, we can just focus on America. Like American meat consumption has just only gone up into the Right. So we're producing more. We're, it's like those, uh, I mean it's like the Franken tomatoes even, right? It's like. like the Franken tomato. It's, it's all of it. And, and that's Yeah, and that's where it's also pretty, you know, just unfair to the general public because you have to dig so far to find this information and it, it's difficult. You have to, you know, fight the culture war to get inside of this. You have to do all kinds of things to educate yourself. It is, and the flip side of it, you're talking about one of the largest industries in the United States with one of who use the world's best, most awarded and lauded marketing teams to distribute information that makes families feel this is, this is safe. Right. Um, okay, let's keep going. Protein, talk to me about protein. I did, I told you I think on our, uh, first call that I did a like seven day vegan challenge with my son. I. All ate was carbs and I felt horrible, and everybody's like, well, I can't possibly get protein. Right. Well, I, okay, I have, I've, I've got a lot to get into here. So I'm gonna start just on a personal note. Um, my youngest sister, She was a bodybuilder and she did body contests, um, for years. And she would do the thing where she would eat boiled chicken in a bag and only broccoli, and then she wouldn't even be able to talk to her about anything except this, this, this was all she talked about, et cetera. And she could never get. 12 pack abs. It was the bane of her existence. So she went vegan three or four years ago. And let me tell you, those abs, I, it's like a washboard. It's insane. . She's packed on more muscle. vanity. I know, I'm. tell me more about the abs. Here comes the vanity for sure. Absolutely. And she then she's like, I didn't change my exercise, I didn't change anything else. The one thing I changed is I went vegan. So that's a personal, and you know, we can't personalize this across the board 'cause obviously personal stories don't affect, you know. Exactly. Like I'm pretty sure I'm never going to have 12 pack abs and I'm fine with that, but I'm so happy for my sister. But, um, here's the reality. The animal is the middleman to your protein consumption. So the protein that you are eating is because the animal ate a plant or grain, et cetera, that was full of protein, and that protein you are eating from them. And so you can bypass that completely by just eating lentils, broccoli, spinach, uh, quinoa, tofu. You name it, the peanuts, peanut butter, walnut, any of the nuts, whatever. And you are going to get a higher quality protein because it's not filled with bleach, antibiotics, uh, hormone supplements, et cetera. And that protein is more digestible for your body. You. If you wanna get swole, you will get swole. But for just the average everyday person, like this is what I also say to people. Have you ever met someone in your entire life who knows someone in the United States, or you know, someone that has been health compromised by protein deficiency? I mean, can you name anyone? Can you name anyone at all? It's incredibly rare. You would have to neglect, you would have to treat a person like a caged animal in the United States and just it, it's just incredibly rare. It's not possible. It's possible, but it's really hard. You're talking extreme neglect. However, let me ask you this question. Do you know people with diabetes type two, uh, type two diabetes, obesity, heart disease, cancer, all of these types, the hypertension, inflammation? Well, only 5% of Americans intake the proper fiber amount. So the deficiency that we have in our diet is fiber related. Fiber is, it comes into your body through the wonderful source of plants, grains, and fruits. So this, yeah. okay, we've dispensed with protein getting tougher, skin tougher. Okay. I only have one last question for you. That is purely personal and I'm worried that it's the silver bullet in my transition here. yes. Let's go. the biggest barrier that I personally have, I do not like mushrooms. Okay. That's so funny 'cause I thought you were gonna go, I love cheese and I was so ready. Oh, I love, I love cheese, but I have had some of the cashew based cheeses and they're actually like, they're pretty good. this. There's a place in New York that's in Essex Market and it's called Riverdale. And they have this gorgeous vegan cheese counter and it's set up as if you're in like a French. Cheese counter. Like it's, it's stunning. They have the rounds, they have the wheels. Everyone I serve it to it is that, it is, that it is. Everyone I serve it to goes nuts. And they're like, where did you get this? So the, the products are only getting better, the melting, the stick, all of it. good actually. 'cause a lot of people are probably thinking cheese right now, so that's important that we have covered that too. it is. And and also to really it, this is where I think the. Conversion for anyone. The transformation you can take into this magical world where you get to work on the world's largest issue of your time. Climate change is, um, is it's, it's where you attack at yourself is to say, what is the mouth feel that I'm looking for and how do I achieve that? And so when you can identify those things, like some people just have to have a crunch. I'm one of those people, I like something that's like, you know, that sort of thing. It, then I just tell people, like identify that for yourself and substitute with that. But anyway, to go to your question of mushrooms, who cares, ditch the mushrooms? There's every, there's so many things you just don't need the ush. We've got hundreds of, like thousands of vegetables and plants and fruits, et cetera, um, that are so delicious and nutritious in all of the things that, like, if that's that they, you know, if that's what doesn't make your plate, how do you be fine. So then let's talk transition. So for, for folks who have been convinced here, yes. It's not, it's non-trivial. It sounds like there's a lot, there is more meal prep probably right? Than you're Maybe, maybe not. Well, it did you? to involve meal prep in every damn thing you do. We always create this big barrier, like if you're not cooking all day Sunday, you can't do it. It's just not true. It's not true. You don't, there's a million places you can go. There's a different, a million different ways you can order, but it also just depends on what your health goals and what your motivation is. So if you are just going vegan because you are like, the climate disaster is so out of control and I wanna make the most impact I can possibly make. And that's, I think, the thing as a person that cares about what's actually happening in the world as you do, as your listeners do, et cetera. Sometimes you feel so helpless. What can I possibly do as one person? And so you, you know, the recycling thing, it's just like, what can I possibly do? Is this even helping, et cetera. And here's what you can do. You can actually eat plant-based vegan, whatever you wanna call it, whatever. Call it unicorn for all I care. It doesn't matter. So, what you can do is make that choice to be put on your cape when you go into the kitchen and be a hero three times a day or more like me if you snack all day. So you know it, this is the largest impact that you can make. You can do the research, you can solve, you can watch game changer, you can find all the things, but it, it's, it's not a deniable thing that this will help us to get to the other side of this. So, um, in terms of that, Transition. It's, you know, it's whatever it is. So if that's, if that's part of your motivation, be a junk food, vegan for all I care, eat the burgers, go to the, you know, do the stuff. Whatever it is that gets you to that other side is going to be worth it in the long run and you are going to feel better. But if you are someone that really cares about nutrition, health, longevity, et cetera, there's no better way you can eat. Yep. And it's not, in terms of getting started, like there's a million recipes. I think the New York Times has some vegan recipes now. Like, you know, it's sort of what, They do not enough for me but what are the like baby step ways to come in, you know, is it like, take the milk, get oat milk, like, you know, it's exactly. So first is saying, what are my substitutes? So what are, yes. It's the oat milk. It's the almond, it's whatever milk you wanna go for. Get into the milk, and then it's. Starting slow and sort of analyzing like when do you get your cravings and what is that craving? Is it salt, is it sugar? Is it fat? Because those are the flavors we're addicted to. And if we were just eating for fuel, we, you know, probably wouldn't even be having so much of this conversation. But because it is so social and emotional and sometimes for women too, it's hormone related. So it's figuring out those cravings when they're gonna hit and being prepared for it. So if you know that you need something creamy, you know, round four, go for that vegan ice cream and have it in the fridge. I mean, that's one of the, I would say, leading innovations of the movement. Like the ice cream is so goddamn good. That is a really great bridge. Really great bridge. Yeah. And I. I know there are salty vegan snacks out there. I've seen 'em, Oh my God, there's more than not. Again, you know, 61,000 products on the market. We're talking chips and salsa. You can, you know, nuts and et cetera, you can, um, like I have something on my desk right now that's like a vegan mushroom jerky that's so good. Dried mango, whatever it is. There's so many ways to do that. And then also, you know, give yourself the grace. It's like coming off of any addiction relapse is part of it. And so understanding that. If you fall off or you have what people like to call a cheat meal, even though I hate that as part of this because I'm like, to me, you know, cheating isn't that I sometimes murder a toddler, but whatever. So, You have done such a good job by the way of moderating, like I know that inside there's Thank you for, thank you for suing me for that. Yeah. Um, but that, uh, you know, if you're going to, if you're gonna have a relapse or et cetera, um, have that relapse and then come back to the other side because you've still done so much and you should applaud yourself for getting as far as you did and not say it's all or nothing as we do in this country with everything. Jessica, thank you so much. Thank you for emailing. Thank you for being our resident vegan. I think, I think we may have to, uh, institute and ask a vegan segment. This is incredible. Ok so … I mean listen. It is hard to deny. Here’s the good news … I am a huge believer in starting with LESS. As you know if you listen to this show … at the end of the day the best thing American consumers can do is consume less of EVERYTHING … and there’s no doubt that includes meat. Red meat first … other meats after. To prepare for this interview … I’ll tell you I ordered a vegan … and gluten-free burrito from Senor Sisig in Oakland … the best Filipino food truck anywhere … and … to find out how it was … you can find the video on my Instagram at mollywoodpro …

Molly Wood Voice-Over:

When I talk to people about personal climate actions that have real meaning … first … most people ask me whether recycling even matters … we covered that back in episode 11 … THEN they ask me … and always in the same tone … do I have to go vegan. And the reason so many people ask that 

… is because we … increasingly kinda know that … MEAT … and the way we raise and slaughter and package and consume meat … is a huge contributor to global warming … deforestation … water use … energy consumption … and it’s bad for your health … like not just kind of huge.

Last year, one research paper determined that if we ended ALL meat and dairy production … and switched the global food system to plant-based over the next 15 years … that would cancel out EVERY OTHER SECTOR’s greenhouse gas emissions … for the next 30 to 50 years. This is a thought experiment … obviously … but the point is … yeah. The answer is yes. Reducing your meat consumption … going vegetarian … going completely plant-based? Yeah. It works. Meat … accounts for about 60 percent of your personal greenhouse gas emissions … beef alone … 45 percent of that. A vegan diet creates 75 percent … LESS greenhouse gas emissions … water pollution … and land use than a heavily meat-based diet. And this all came RIGHT to the front of my brain recently … because of this woman.

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Jessica told me the more she got involved and became a vegan evangelist … the more she also started thinking about food deserts and all the ways we have reduced people’s access to healthy nutritious food … healthcare and all the reasons we might be sick … in this country … because of what we eat … and …

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Alright … we’re going to take a quick break so that all of us can take a look inside our refrigerators … hey man, I’m right here with you … when we come back … we’ll tackle two of the BIGGEST questions people have about going vegan or vegetarian … and yes … protein … is one of them.

Ok we’re back with Jessica Resler … who is breaking down the questions … that you might have … if you’re increasingly plant-curious.

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Since I talked to Jessica … I’ve been trying to eat one vegan meal a day … which isn’t as hard as I thought it would be … and to make it easier on myself … I signed up for a plant-based meal kit a couple times a week … including a few snacks. I will let you know how it goes. I owe you … the planet … the animals … and Jessica … that much. And … maybe … let’s see what happens to my abs, amirite?

That’s it for this week everyone … please like and subscribe and rate this podcast … it really helps. Please email me your thoughts and suggestions … I really read them! in at everybody in the pool dot com … And if you want to become a subscriber and get an ad-free version of the show … hit the link in the description … in your podcast app of choice. Thank you … to those of you who already have! I am very grateful … because MAN do I love doing this show.

See you next week.