It’s All About Food

It's All About Food - Guests Patti Breitman, Carol Adams, Ginny Messina, and, Eunice Wong - 06.20.17

Part I: Patti Breitmen Carol Adams, Ginny Messina, Even Vegans DiePatti Breitman is a co-founder of Dharma Voices for Animals and director of The Marin Vegetarian Education Group. She is the co-author of many books including Even Vegans Diet (with a foreword by Dr. Michael Greger). She is on the advisory councils of the Animals and Society Institute and Jewish Veg. In 2016 she was honored to receive the Lisa Shapiro Award for Unsung Vegan Heroes. Patti lives in Fairfax, CA where her neighbors and friends include coyotes, foxes, rabbits, bobcats, spiders, birds, snakes, deer, and countless other beautiful creatures.
Carol J. Adams is the author of the landmark book The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory and The Pornography of Meat. Besides advancing scholarship and developing theory in the area of interlocking oppressions, Carol has created a series of books that address the vegetarian/vegan experience: Living Among Meat Eaters: The Vegetarian Survival Guide, Help! My Child Stopped Eating Meat! and The Inner Art of Vegetarianism and Meditations on the Inner Art of Vegetarianism. She lives outside Dallas, Texas.
Virginia Messina, MPH, RD, is coauthor of Vegan for Life and Vegan for Her and of the first textbook on vegetarian nutrition for medical professionals. She writes and speaks on vegan nutrition for both consumers and health professionals. Ginny serves on the board of directors of Vegfund and on advisory boards of One Step for Animals, Veg Youth, and the Vegetarian Resource Group. She lives in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, with her husband and an ever-changing population of rescued cats. Find out more about Ginny at TheVeganRD.com.
Part II: Eunice Wong, What the HealthEunice Wong is a multiple-award-winning actor, writer, editor, and teacher. Her most recent book is “What The Health,” the official companion book to the documentary of the same name. She also wrote “The Sustainability Secret,” the official companion book to the documentary, “Cowspiracy.” She was a speaker in 2017′s Asheville Vegan Fest in North Carolina.
Eunice is Chief Editor of the Countering Violence Against Women series on Truthdig.com, as well as the editor of the Truthdig Book Review, which under her direction has won two National Entertainment Journalism Awards (Los Angeles Press Club) for Online Critic, and a Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column. She has written for Truthdig’s Arts and Culture section, the Truthdig Book Review, and the Philadelphia Inquirer Book Review.
As an actor, Eunice trained at the Juilliard School and has appeared nation-wide and internationally in professional theaters, including New York’s Atlantic Theater, Classic Stage Company, Target Margin, Pearl Theatre, NAATCO, La MaMa, Working Theater, Boston’s Huntington Theatre, the Guthrie in Minneapolis, Yale Rep in New Haven, Cincinnati Playhouse, Studio Theater in Washington D.C., Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia, Virginia Stage Company, Berkshires Theatre Group, Merrimack Rep, among others. TV and film appearances include “Law and Order” (NBC), “Sex and the City” (HBO), “Strangers with Candy” (Comedy Central), “The Job” (ABC), “Deadline” (NBC), and “My Sassy Girl” (Gold Circle Films). Her most recent role was Lavinia Mannon in New York’s critically acclaimed revival of Eugene O’Neill’s “Mourning Becomes Electra” this spring.
Eunice is the recipient of a Helen Hayes Award (Lead Actress), a My Theater Boston Award (Best Actress), a Barrymore nomination (Lead Actress), and an IRNE nomination (Best Ensemble), as well as being a member of Actors’ Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA.
As a teacher she has taught English and poetry at New Jersey State Prison, a men’s super-max facility in Trenton, New Jersey, as well as yoga at Princeton’s YogaStream studio, where she first learned about the primary precept of yoga, ahimsa: do no harm — to the planet, to the beings around us, and to ourselves..

It's All About Food - Guest David Yeung - 06.13.17

David Yeung, Green MondayDavid Yeung is the co-founder and CEO of Green Monday, a social venture founded in Hong Kong that takes on climate change and global food insecurity through public advocacy, impact investing, corporate consulting, and specialized retail. Under Green Monday, David launched Green Common, the world’s first plant-based green living emporium. Green Monday is named by Fast Company as “Top 50 Most Innovative Companies in China,” while David is named by Fast Company as “100 Most Creative People in China,” “PE 100 Asia” by Purpose Economy, “17 Rising Social Entrepreneurs” by Conscious Company Magazine, and received Hong Kong’s “Ten Outstanding Young Persons 2015″ award. David is the Director of Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute, Hong Kong AIDS Foundation, and Hong Kong Buddhist Association. He also authored a number of best sellers on applied Buddhism and Zen philosophy.
Two articles regarding David Yeung and Green Monday were just published:Bloomberg: This Guy Is Trying to Cure Hong Kong’s Meat Addiction
SCMP: Flexitarianism – shift towards vegetarian diet – identified as a major food trend

It's All About Food - Guests Robbyne Kaamil and Carl Pope - 06.06.17

Part I: Robbyne Kaamil, Saving BenjaminRobbyne Kaamil is the Executive Producer of the PBS television show, Urban Animals. She is a passionate animal rights activist who has written several award winning public service announcements for PETA which ran on Fox, ABC and Bounce television affiliates nationwide. She co-wrote the song, “Free the Monkeys”, with fellow activist and HLN Television Host – Jane Velez-Mitchell which shed light on the mistreatment of monkeys being used in lab experiments in Hendry County, Florida as well as the song “Free Lolita: Let the Girl Go” to raise awareness about the Orca Lolita who is being held captive at the Miami Seaquarium. Her children’s books, Saving Benjamin and Food for Alex, were recently published. Each of the books encourages social responsibility and community involvement. Robbyne is also a comedian who has matched wits with Howard Stern and has been featured on numerous television and radio shows. She is currently on tour with her comedy show, “2 Queers & A Bitch”. Her monthly advice column “Dear Diva” is featured in Australia’s DNA Magazine. She has also served as executive producer on several independent films.
 Part II: Carl Pope, Climate of HopeCarl Pope currently serves as the principal advisor at Inside Straight Strategies, looking for the underlying economics that link sustainability and economic development. Former executive director and chairman of the Sierra Club, he has served on the Boards of the California League of Conservation Voters, Public Voice, and National Clean Air Coalition among many others. He is the author of three books. He writes regularly for Bloomberg View and Huffington Post. Find him on Twitter: @CarlPope

It's All About Food - Guests Amber Bodily & Dr. Ian McDonald - 05.30.17

Part I: Amber Bodily, Holistic Health: Start at the FeetAmber Bodily is a natural health practitioner who has helped 100s of thousands of people regain their health and well-being.  She is a Master Footzonology practitioner and instructor, Master Herbologist and Master Aromatherapist. She also writes a popular column on natural ways to boost your health and overcome everyday health issues for MindBodyGreen, Thrive [and Huffington Post] and is the Health Editor and contributor for Fulfillmentdaily.com. She also has a keen intuitive ability to discern her clients’ health concerns. Amber, who holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Hawaii in design, was busy running 3 successful businesses when her first two children were born. She originally had no intention of going into the field of natural health. However, when her childrens’ health became severely impaired she began to research and delve into natural forms of healing including foot zoning, herbs and aromatherapy. After the successful recovery of her first child from a respiratory infection so severe that he nearly died, and of her second child born with large brain tumors, Amber realized that she needed to share the health information she had learned with others. Amber’s services are in such great demand (with clients traveling from all over the world including China and India) that she now trains others in the healing modalities she has learned, and has a large and devoted following among her clients and trainees. She both trains people to learn Footzoning (including foot zoning, back zoning and face zoning) and also holds community health classes including Children’s Health, Men’s Health and Women’s Health. Thanks to the methods she uses, she has seen children reverse hemophilia, “infertile” women get pregnant, and people reverse autoimmune disorder and Lime symptoms. When she’s not seeing clients or caring for her three boys, she is a triathlete and triathlon coach who surprises triathletes by showing them how a plant-based diet can drastically improve their performance. Her story has been told in the press in Psychology Today and MindBodyGreen.
Part II: Dr. Ian McDonald, The Vegan OptionIan McDonald is a BBC-trained radio producer who started The Vegan Option because he wanted to do baketivism for the brain – really interesting radio that just happened to be vegan. He’s taking sabbatical from paid employment to record interviews with world-leading experts, pore over esoteric research in the British Library, and travel to the places where the story unfolded – including the length and breadth of India – to bring the story to listeners. The UK’s leading art radio station, Resonance FM, broadcasts “Vegetarianism: The Story So Far” on the first Tuesday of each month. This 15 part story is approaching its conclusion, to be broadcast on June 6, 2017. You can discover The Vegan Option, including Vegetarianism: The Story So Far, at http://theVeganOption.org/.

It's All About Food - Guests Del Sroufe, Allie Feldman Taylor and John Phillips - 05.23.17

Part I: Del Sroufe, The China Study Family CookbookDel Sroufe is the author of The China Study Family Cookbook, The China Study: Quick & Easy Cookbook, Forks Over Knives—The Cookbook, and Better than Vegan. Sroufe is also the co-owner and chef at the Wellness Forum, where he delivers great tasting, plant-based meals to clients in Columbus as well as throughout the continental U.S. Sroufe also joined The Wellness Forum as a member where, after a lifetime of yo-yo dieting, he has lost over 200 pounds on a low fat, plant-based diet. He teaches cooking classes at local venues like Whole Foods, Community Recreation Centers, and The Wellness Forum. Learn more at chefdelsroufe.com.
Part II: Allie Feldman Taylor and John Phillips, Empire State Humane Voters
Allie Feldman Taylor is the founder of new political advocacy organization for animal protection, Empire State Humane Voters which launched in 2017. She was named to New York Observer’s “Political Power 80″ in 2014 and named to City & State Magazine’s “40 Under 40″ political people to watch in 2016. She’s an alumni of Florida State University. Allie lives in Bed Stuy with her husband, Scott, and three rescued cats – Willa, Waffles, and Feline Dion.
John Phillips is a well-known political figure in New York and a nationally-recognized leader in the animal protection movement. Hailed by former Governor David Paterson (D-NY) as one of the “great animal rights activists” in the U.S., his numerous successful efforts to pass laws protecting animals have earned him accolades and awards from the U.S. Congress, the New York State Legislature and the New York City Council. In March 2009, John was named one of the “20 Under 30 Standout Stars” of the animal protection movement by VegNews Magazine, the premier magazine covering vegetarian issues and animal welfare. John’s been active in the animal rights movement since he was a teenager, vegetarian since age 9 and vegan since age 14. He founded and was executive director of the New York League of Humane Voters which was a force in NYC politics for years. John was an early supporter of NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and helped to defeat the animals’ greatest enemy in city government, Christine Quinn, in the 2013 mayor’s race. He’s the current political advisor for Empire State Humane Voters, a statewide political organization for animals. He lives in the East Village with his partner Chris and their two rescue guinea pigs, Neptune and Blackberry.

It's All About Food - Guests Milton Mills, MD and Ted Genoways - 05.16.17

Milton Mills, MD, Health and PoliticsCritical Care Physician, Inova Fairfax HospitalMember, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine National Advisory BoardMember of the Board of Directors, Plant-based Prevention Of Disease, Inc.Milton Mills, MD practices urgent care medicine in the Washington DC area, and has served previously as Associate Director of Preventive Medicine, and currently as a member of the National Advisory Board, for Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). He has been a major contributor to position papers presented by PCRM to the United States Department of Agriculture regarding Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and is the lead plaintiff in PCRM’s class action lawsuit that asks for warning labels on milk. Dr. Mills earned his medical degree at Stanford University School of Medicine, and completed an Internal Medicine residency at Georgetown University Hospital. He has published several research journal articles dealing with racial bias in federal nutrition policy. He frequently donates his time via practicing at free medical clinics, and travels widely, speaking at hospitals, churches and community centers throughout the country. A major focus of his patient advisement as well as his lecturing, is the use of nutritional measures to reduce the risk of major chronic diseases. Dr. Mills notes that the scientific research literature shows plant-based diets as supporting better overall immune system function, and during work with HIV-positive and AIDS patients at clinics, he’s observed that those who go vegetarian seem to improve, with increased energy and higher T-cell counts. He therefore hopes throughout the future to examine further the relationships between diet and immune functionality, particularly the effects of plant-based eating choices upon outcomes for HIV-positive patients.
Part II: Ted Genoways, New Republic/Food & Environment Reporting Network (FERN)Ted Genoways is an award-winning writer and editor. He is a contributor for the New Republic and reporter for the Food & Environment Reporting Network. In addition to The Chain, he is the author of two books of poems and the nonfiction book Walt Whitman and the Civil War, named a Best Academic Title of 2010 by the American Library Association. He is under contract with Norton for two new books, This Blessed Earth: A Year in the Life of an American Farm and Tequila Wars: The Bloody Struggle for the Spirit of Mexico. Genoways is a contributing writer at Mother Jones, The New Republic, and OnEarth. His essays and poetry have also appeared in The Atlantic, Bloomberg Businessweek, Harper’s, The New York Times, Outside, and the Washington Post Book World. He is a winner of a National Press Club Award and the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism, and he has received fellowships from the NEA and the Guggenheim Foundation. He served as the editor of the Virginia Quarterly Review from 2003 to 2012, during which time the magazine won six National Magazine Awards. He lives in Lincoln, Nebraska, with his wife Mary Anne Andrei and their son.

It's All About Food - Damien Mander, International Anti- Poaching Foundation - 05.09.17

Damien Mander, International Anti- Poaching FoundationDamien has lived an extraordinary life for a 37 year old. At 19, as a garbage collector in Melbourne he joined the Australian Defence Force, graduating through one of the most arduous courses as a RAN clearance diver. With the ADF’s counterterrorism restructure following 9-11, Damien joined the elite TAG-East force, training as a sniper. Later as a private contractor he deployed to Iraq where he project managed the Iraq Special Police Training Academy overseeing training and deployment of local troops. After three years in Iraq, he left the front lines with no direction in life. A trip to Africa in 2009 awakened him to the horrors the natural world is facing from poaching. Recognizing the unique skills he possessed by virtue of his training and experience in military roles, Damien liquidated his savings, and founded the International Anti- Poaching Foundation (IAPF). Now a multinational not-for-profit, the IAPF runs operations on the front lines of the world wildlife wars, protecting iconic endangered species from slaughter by poachers. Using battle- proven tactics, training and technology in what is effectively a counterinsurgency operation the IAPF has recently demonstrated striking success in Mozambique. Operating in the most critical area on earth for rhino protection, losses have been reduced by over 80%.

It's All About Food - Guest: Ken Voelker, Elmhurst Milked - 05.02.17

Part I: Ken Voelker, Elmhurst MilkedKen Voelker is Elmhurst Milked’s Vice President of Marketing and Brand Development. He brings twenty years of dairy experience and 30 years of retail grocery experience to the company, having started his career at Tops Market in 1988. After successfully running his own business for nine years, Ken joined Sorrento/Precious Cheese as a product manager and then lead the marketing initiatives of Upstate Niagara Cooperative for ten years prior to joining the Elmhurst Milked team. He lives in Lancaster, NY with his wife and two children.

It's All About Food - Barbara J. King and Casey T. Taft - 04.25.17

PART I: Barbara J. King, Personalities on the Plate: The Lives & Minds of Animals We EatBarbara J. King is emerita professor of anthropology at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and now is a full-time freelance science writer.
Barbara has written or edited many books on anthropology and animal behavior. Her latest, just published in March, is Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat. Her How Animals Grieve from 2013 has been translated into Japanese, Portuguese, French (winning a book prize), and Hebrew.
King’s essay on animal mourning in Scientific American was chosen for inclusion in The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2014. She blogs each week for National Public Radio’s 13.7 Cosmos and Culture blog,and writes regularly about books for the TLS. Barbara is active on twitter @bjkingape.
PART II: Casey Taft, Millennial VeganDr. Casey T. Taft is Professor of Psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine and an internationally recognized researcher in the area of family violence prevention. Dr. Taft has published over 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles, chaired an American Psychological Association task force on trauma, and consulted with the United Nations on preventing violence and abuse globally. He has recently published two other books, Motivational Methods for Vegan Advocacy: A Clinical Psychology Perspective and Trauma-Informed Treatment and of Intimate Partner Violence. Dr. Taft is cofounder of Vegan Publishers and a dedicated vegan.

It's All About Food - John Joseph and Brian Kateman - 04.18.17

Part I: John Joseph, The Evolution of a Cro-MagnonIn his autobiography, John recounts his hard times and spiritual redemption. A traumatic childhood in foster homes was just the beginning of John’s evolution. Before fronting one of the most important bands in the underground punk scene, the Cro-Mags, as well as Bloodclot, John faced homelessness, addiction, betrayal and insanity. Still, even his success couldn’t save him from a relapse that set him back to square one – rock bottom. The book is a raw and unapologetic autobiography about his life. Consider yourself warned. The events mentioned may or may not coincide with your life but the symptoms and remedies would surely do. The placid demonstration of truth presents an unmasked picture of his life.
On the announcement of the re-release of his book, John shared “A lot of stuff has happened since we released the book in 2007. I’ve updated information, added a couple of chapters and photos, but the message stays the same. I want to show others that no matter what they are going through in life, they have to never quit and never surrender. If you are willing to fight through it, you can get through anything.”
John spends time mentoring at-risk and incarcerated youths & adults, feeding the homeless and participating in charitable organizations that impact the streets he grew up on in New York City. He also has many other projects in the works including books, films and TV projects. Additionally, he is a competitive Ironman triathlete, having participated in 8 events including last year’s KONA World Championship. He’s replaced the Iron Bars of the prison system with the Ironman Triathlon as a way to constantly challenge himself physically, mentally and spiritually. John has also written another book, “Meat is For Pussies,” which is an in-your-face look at guys’ health which has become an underground success and has helped thousands of men change their bad eating habits and lifestyles.
Part II: Brian Kateman, The Reducetarian SolutionBrian Kateman is President of the Reducetarian Foundation and Editor of The Reducetarian Solution: How the Surprisingly Simple Act of Reducing the Amount of Meat in Your Diet Can Transform Your Health and the Planet. (TarcherPerigee: April 18, 2017).