Episodes
Published 03/28/24
We all know that eating more plants is incredibly powerful not only our health, but the planet. A shocking 30 to 40 percent of the entire United States' food supply ends up in landfills, much of which stems from household waste. As you may have guessed, food waste is not a great thing for our environmental impact and, obviously, our wallets. That’s why we’re excited to share that one of the most anticipated cookbooks of 2024 is finally here - and it’s entirely PLANT-BASED and ZERO-WASTE. Meet...
Published 03/28/24
Sustainable weight loss is hard, which is why PLANTSTRONG is dedicated to helping others achieve optimal health and weight loss with the power of a whole foods, plant-based diet.  We’re grateful to Dr. Neal Barnard and other pioneers for providing the research and evidence-based studies that validate our “food as medicine” approach to health. Today, we celebrate the release of Dr. Neal Barnard’s latest book - The Power Foods Diet - The Breakthrough Plan That Traps, Tames, and Burns Calories...
Published 03/21/24
Inflammation is certainly a buzz word these days, isn’t it? Every time you turn around, you’re reading about something that’s causing inflammation in your body. It’s a minefield of misinformation and here to help clear up some of that confusion is educator and author, Linda Tyler, who recently released the book, The Plant-Based Anti-Inflammatory Cookbook. Because inflammation is an emerging area of research, that makes it ripe for misleading advice and a lot of poor information. In fact, most...
Published 03/14/24
Dr. Rak Jotwani - aka Dr. RAK - is a lifestyle medicine physician who has the all-too familiar story…working long stressful hours in the hospital, eating the standard American diet, and managing crippling depression. It got to the point where he couldn’t be present for his own wife and kids because he just felt so tired and overwhelmed.  Dr. Rak shares his experiences with burnout in the medical field and the profound impact of meditation and a plant-based diet on his well-being. He now...
Published 03/07/24
We know there's a connection between our mind, mood, and food, and our PLANTSTRONG retreats provide the perfect intersection of all three. Understanding and unpacking the power of this interlude is Dr. Elizabeth Winings' specialty. Dr. Winings is a board certified Family Mental Health Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner and a Diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. She specializes in the relationship between diet, lifestyle, and mental health. She has a private practice in...
Published 02/29/24
We here at PLANTSTRONG get asked all of the time - What supplements should I take? How do I know if I’m deficient in something? Who do you recommend? We answer all of those questions and more today with Matt Tullman, founder and CEO of Complement. Matt and his team have taken a maniacal and lengthy pursuit to engineer the BEST supplements for plant-based eaters, and they’ve done the work to validate their innovations by having everything verified with third party testing. In the Esselstyn...
Published 02/22/24
Brittany Jaroudi battled weight and health issues for most of her childhood and, even as a young newlywed, suffered chest pains and panic attacks. Lab tests confirmed she was on a dangerous trajectory similar to her parents. Her Dad had had a triple bypass and her Mom battled cancer multiple times when Brittany was young.   In 2016, after watching Forks over Knives, she and her husband adopted a whole foods, plant-based lifestyle and the changes in all of her health markers have been...
Published 02/15/24
Scott Harrington, DO is a West Point grad who proudly served in the US Army as a Family Medicine Doctor, Flight Surgeon and Dive Medical Officer. His journey to plant-based nutrition may sound familiar. As a practicing physician and US Army Family Medicine Doctor, Scott was doing what most doctors do - seeing as many patients as possible and writing plenty of prescriptions. His own physical and mental health was in decline until he watched Forks Over Knives on an airplane at the...
Published 02/08/24
In 2016, Carleigh Bodrug started her blog, PlantYou, with one goal - to show the world that eating plants is not only healthy, but also FUN. Since then, Carleigh and her ever-growing team have amassed over 10 million followers (and growing!) across her social platforms, and she’s even released a New York Times Best Selling Cookbook, PlantYou. Today, we get a peek under the PlantYou curtain as Rip and Carleigh catch up and talk about her meteoric rise in the last eight years. Carleigh shares...
Published 02/01/24
Rip and the Esselstyn family always talk about the importance of "chewing" our green leafy vegetables rather than drinking them. Is it ok to to put extra green leafy vegatables in my soups and stews? COMPLEMENT: Use code PLANTSTRONG for 30% off at https://lovecomplement.com/pages/plantstrong-special-offer Upcoming Events: Black Mountain Retreat - April 14th-19th, 2024 https://plantstrongfoods.com/pages/2024-black-mountain-retreat Sedona Retreat - October 8th-13th, 2024...
Published 01/30/24
In this episode of the PlantStrong Podcast, we are joined by Lauren Kretzer, a plant-based chef and holistic nutritionist. Lauren shares her inspiring journey from Wall Street to becoming a private chef for celebrities and recipe creator for many popular New York Times best-selling cookbook authors, including Dr.Will Bulsiewicz and Kris Carr. Since a cancer diagnosis in the Spring 2020, Lauren has doubled-down on her health, well-being, and family. We discuss cooking tips, plant-based...
Published 01/25/24
Cutting back on alcohol consumption and curious if non-alcoholic or "near beer" is ok on a PLANTSTRONG diet? Rip shares his thoughts with this insightful audience question. COMPLEMENT: Use code PLANTSTRONG for 30% off at https://lovecomplement.com/pages/plantstrong-special-offer Upcoming Events: Black Mountain Retreat - April 14th-19th, 2024 https://plantstrongfoods.com/pages/2024-black-mountain-retreat Sedona Retreat - October 8th-13th, 2024...
Published 01/23/24
From “Chicago Med” to a cozy Michigan farm… Today, we talk love, compassion, and self-care with actress, musician, and philanthropist, Torrey DeVitto.   You may know Torrey from her six-years on the TV Show "Chicago Med" playing Natalie Manning, or from her many other film and TV credits, but she also spends a tremendous amount of time advocating for causes that encourage more compassion and conscious living.  Torrey is a self-proclaimed, “Jill of all Trades.” Her father, Liberty DeVitto, is...
Published 01/18/24
Rip shares a harrowing rescue story from the Lakeshore Apartments fire during his time as an Austin Firefighter. This experience reminded him of the fragile nature of life and inspired him to create the Engine 2 Diet and write a book encouraging others to prioritize health through plant-based living.COMPLEMENT: Use code PLANTSTRONG for 30% off at https://lovecomplement.com/pages/plantstrong-special-offer Upcoming Events: Black Mountain Retreat - April 14th-19th, 2024...
Published 01/16/24
Mastering the ten essential habits to help you move freely and live fully starts from the ground up. Literally. If you’re having trouble with movement and mobility, know that it's not your fault. Our modern-day society has conditioned our bodies to become more inflexible, especially as we age. We sit at desks, on our couches, in cars. We hover over screens and laptops. Our bodies are losing the ability to move freely, but we can combat this. Kelly and Juliet Starrett share their physical...
Published 01/11/24
In our final minisode, Rip reviews the Simple tenets for eating a plantstrong diet and how to make the healthy choice the easy choice. Eat your veggies and leafy greensEat plenty of whole fruitEat intact whole grains 100% whole grain items - look for the words, “whole, rolled, cracked, and sprouted.” Eat Your BEANS Add Extra Flavor - herbs, spices, vinegars, hot sauce, mustard, ketchup - these are a secret weapon of taste. Don't drink your calories, but do drink water, black coffee, and tea...
Published 01/09/24
We talked about this in yesterday's minisode, but it bears repeating: Don’t drink your calories!  What’s left to drink, then? Here’s a hint: It’s colorless, odorless, transparent, and it’s the most important liquid in the entire universe. Of course, we're talking about water. Not vitamin water, coconut water, fruit water, or any other flavored calorie-infested beverage that tries to pass itself off as water. Just plain old water. Not drinking enough of it has been linked to bone fractures,...
Published 01/08/24
Today, Rip shares one simple rule that will help you to determine if a beverage is good or bad for your health. Does it have a ton of calories and sugar? Then, don't drink it. It really is that simple. And, yes, we're also even talking about juices and smoothies. Learn about all of the health benefits you'll receive when you chew your calories instead of drinking them. Join the FREE PLANTSTRONG 7-Day Challenge: https://plantstrongfoods.com/pages/plantstrong-seven-day-challenge COMPLEMENT:...
Published 01/07/24
You may have heard that high blood pressure, or hypertension, is a “silent killer.” Today, Rip unpacks what that means and how ingesting too much sodium leads to serious problems. High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is known as a “silent killer” because in most cases it has no symptoms. People with elevated blood pressure are straining their hearts by making them work harder to move blood around. Their hearts sweat and pound and gasp away, but they’re none the wiser. For this...
Published 01/06/24
We know that many of you around the world are exploring and embracing the goodness of whole, plant-based foods. Perhaps you’re motivated by the many health benefits, or you’re eating more plants for social or environmental reasons. Regardless, we at PLANTSTRONG welcome you wherever you are on your journey and hope to provide you with plenty of resources to help. Today, Rip explains why you should run, not walk, away from milk and dairy products. Join the FREE PLANTSTRONG 7-Day Challenge:...
Published 01/05/24
Welcome to the PLANTSTRONG Podcast with Rip Esselstyn. We know that many of you around the world are exploring and embracing the goodness of whole, plant-based foods. Perhaps you’re motivated by the many health benefits, or you’re eating more plants for social or environmental reasons. Regardless, we at PLANTSTRONG welcome you wherever you are on your journey and hope to provide you with plenty of resources to help. Today, Rip addresses the elephant in the room - PROTEIN. What is it?How...
Published 01/04/24
Rip welcomes Dr. Gemma Newman, the Plant-Powered Doctor, to discuss her new book, Get Well Stay Well - The Six Healing Health Habits You Need to Know. Inspired by a real patient story, Gemma introduces her GLOVES acronym, which serves as the framework for her six healing habits. GratitudeLoveOutsideVeggiesExerciseSleep This uplifting and approachable book is the antidote to pills and prescriptions. Dr. Newman’s holistic prescriptions found in the book are accessible, evidence-based, and have...
Published 01/04/24
Welcome to the PLANTSTRONG Podcast with Rip Esselstyn. We know that many of you around the world are exploring and embracing the goodness of whole, plant-based foods. Perhaps you’re motivated by the many health benefits, or you’re eating more plants for social or environmental reasons. Regardless, we at PLANTSTRONG welcome you wherever you are on your journey and hope to provide you with plenty of resources to help. We also know making profound changes can be hard and overwhelming. That’s...
Published 01/03/24
At age 49, Rip's guest, Robert Band, had a stent because he had 95% blockage in his carotid. Surgery "fixed" him, but at age 60, he discovered that the blockage was returning. Four years ago, through the recommendation of a Lifestyle Medicine physician, he found the work of the Esselstyn family, including PLANTSTRONG. Today, thanks to a radical change in his diet and lifestyle, he now has 0% blockage and lives a vibrant, active life in Colorado. In this live session with Rip, we'll learn a...
Published 12/28/23