Podcast Roundup
Podcasts and YouTube channels began occupying a significant amount of my time outside of work when I started my plant-based experiment in 2015. I had the sense it would be important to find a plant-based community, knowing I didn’t have any plant-based family members or friends.
To anyone interested in improving their health, whether you have lots of support from family and friends or no support or somewhere in-between, I think community is important! The plant-based community I found was on Instagram and YouTube, mostly with folks I never interact with directly. Shoutout to my family and friends who have been an incredible support to me from the beginning —Thank You!
For those considering going fully plant-based, I have found that much can be gained from being exposed to — and even just aware of — others doing the same thing you’re doing; they’re addressing the challenges inherent with being an outlier and they are thriving. We’re also seeing cultural and dietary change in recent years, even if gradual — at the grocery store, at restaurants — and we’re feeling less and less like outliers. We’re the cool, plant-based friend or relative. ;)
Here’s a handful of my favorite podcasts.
headphones image courtesy of Unsplash
Rich Roll
Bio
“I used to be an unhealthy corporate lawyer. At 40 I decided to change my life. I switched to a 100% plant-based diet, lost 50 pounds and started exploring human potential across a spectrum mind/body/spirit disciplines: ultra-endurance, wellness, nutrition, mindfulness, psychology, relationships, parenting, leadership, and spirituality.”
This may be for you if
You want to be inspired by interesting people. You want to be exposed to a variety of guests who are experts in their field or area of interest. You appreciate long-form interviews. Most episodes run 2-3 hours.
Rich may have been a journalist in a past life; he is an intelligent, well-prepared, and skillful interviewer. I like longer formats because the information shared goes beyond the surface level. You can always break an episode up across multiple viewings when challenged for time or focus.
This may also be for you if you have a particular interest in physical performance. Rich is an endurance athlete and has connections with interesting people accomplishing inspiring feats of endurance, whom he then invites onto the podcast. If that’s not you, please don’t let that dissuade you from exploring this podcast. With >1,000 episodes, there’s something here for anyone interested in learning more about health and wellness. I tend to spend my time with those episodes focused on food and health. I also enjoy Rich’s interviews with endurance athletes. They are inspiring, even if you have no intention of doing something similar. I think these are lessons in mindset.
Rich’s podcast is sponsored. I’d rather not see some of the plugs, but I get it, this podcast is his day job.
Best episode to start with
That’s hard, Rich has over 1,000 episodes! He’s an OG of podcasting. “Food is Medicine: How Your Diet Can Prevent Disease” with Christopher Gardner, PhD and Director of Nutrition Studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, provides good coverage of a range of topics, as well as insight into how food studies are conducted.
“Dr. Will Bulsiewicz on the Microbiome: Heal Your Gut, Sidestep Disease & Thrive” is also a great episode and one of his most popular.
One more! “Hormone Health on a Plant-Based Diet” with Dr. Gemma Newman. I include this one because I really like Dr. Newman. She’s on Instagram, but doesn’t have her own podcast.
salad
Brooke Goldner, M.D.
Bio
“I have helped thousands of people successfully reverse autoimmune diseases like Lupus, RA, MS, Sjogren's & more. I successfully and fully reversed my own Lupus over 17 years ago. Expert in the nutrition, emotional, and lifestyle changes necessary to reverse and recover from inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, increase energy and vitality and quality of life.”
This may be for you if
I first came across Dr. Goldner in the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies plant-based nutrition certificate program I completed earlier this year. She was one of the instructors. She has the combined experience of being trained in Western medicine and reversing her own disease — which happened unexpectedly when she changed her diet. I’ve been following her for close to 6 months and I’ve yet to hear her recommend anything that wasn’t congruent with my beliefs on what the body is capable of, and nutrition’s role in health.
If you or a loved one are dealing with an auto-immune disease, I think she’s worth knowing. If not, don’t let that dissuade you from checking out her weekly Q&As. Her hyper-nourishment protocol applies to anyone interested in optimizing their health. This protocol is the reason I went back to smoothies. With smoothies, I can up my daily vegetable intake and include flax seeds for omega-3 fats. I also increased my daily water intake to ~100 ounces after learning about Dr. Goldner’s protocol. (more on water in a future post)
She also discusses the emotional aspects of eating, which is a significant factor for most of us.
Best episode to start with
My Story of Reversing Lupus and Autoimmune Disease is a good overview of her personal experience and approach.
She has weekly live Q&As on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, which are recorded and posted on her YouTube channel. These begin with a short discussion of a top-of-mind subject, typically issues she’s seeing in the people she’s working with. I like this one on the age-old question of protein.
I also like this episode, which offers a great perspective on why we struggle with making healthy food choices.
smoothie
The Proof with Simon Hill
Bio
“The Proof Podcast is a space for science-based conversation. Together with his guests, Simon Hill, a qualified physiotherapist and nutritionist, explores the health and longevity benefits that come with mastering physical exercise, nutrition, mindfulness, recovery, sleep, and alignment.”
This may be for you if
You want to go deep on the science. You appreciate interviews with experts in their field, commonly physicians and notable nutrition researchers. It is clear in each interview how much time and attention Simon puts into preparation and developing his own understanding of the topic. While Simon is plant-based, he interviews a wide-range of people, whether they’re recommending a plant-predominant diet, a fully plant-based lifestyle, or are neutral on what to eat.
Best episode to start with
Can You Reverse Type 2 Diabetes with Professor Roy Taylor. If you or a loved one has type 2 diabetes, I think this is a well spent 2 hours of time. If you don’t know anyone with Type 2 diabetes, the concepts discussed here are also beneficial for prevention. It is a dense listen, but I suspect you’ll find something interesting and relatable, even if some of the lower-level concepts are deeper than you care to go.
This discussion sheds important light on the individual factors that cause diabetes — why do some normal weight people get diabetes, while some overweight people don’t? He introduces a concept called Personal Fat Threshold and its role in diabetes, which was new to me. There’s an important discussion of weight starting at minute 32:52 in the video — how do we determine our optimal weight?
“How to Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Cognitive Conditions” with Doctors Ayesha and Dean Sherzai is another great interview for anyone interested in brain health and the impact of diet and lifestyle on brain health beginning in our 20s!
textbook image courtesy of Unsplash
Michael Klapper, M.D.
Bio
“Dr. Michael Klaper is an experienced physician, an internationally-recognized teacher and sought-after speaker on diet and health. In addition to his clinical practice and private consultations with patients, he is a passionate and devoted educator of physicians and other healthcare professionals about the importance of nutrition in clinical practice and integrative medicine.”
This may be for you if
You like short-form videos targeted at single areas of interest, e.g. menopause, skin cancer, diverticulitis, etc. Most videos are 3-5 minutes. Though I’ve seen Dr. Klapper interviewed a number of times on other podcasts, I’ve recently added his podcast to my list. He’s been plant-based since 1982 and has ~50 years of experience as a medical doctor.
Dr. Klaper also has a series on his YouTube channel titled Meet the Doctors where he introduces plant-based physicians with telehealth practices such as this one.
Best episode to start with
This YouTube channel is nicely organized by topic (or health concern), in the form of answers to questions sent in by subscribers. Here’s a recent episode on the gut microbiome, which is a hot topic these days.
This video on DHA (omega-3 fatty acid) for brain health is important. It addresses whether or not supplementation is recommended for those who don’t consume fish weekly. I have a previous post on Omega-3 fatty acids here.
stethoscope image courtesy of Unsplash
Honorable Mentions
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM)
The PCRM podcast, titled The Exam Room Live, features Q&As with PCRM President, Neal Barnard, MD as well as interviews with many other plant-based doctors.
Hannah’s YouTube channel has been my go-to for recipe and meal inspiration since the beginning. Her recipes are simple and realistic for people looking to improve their health. Look for the videos titled “What I eat in a day,” “Meal ideas,” or “Recipes.” She also has a website with free recipes here. If you don’t have weight to lose, don’t be dissuaded by her site focusing on weight loss. These are healthy recipes for anyone. If you’re concerned about losing weight on a whole food plant-predominant diet, the key to sustaining or gaining weight is quantity of food. The type of food remains the same.
radish greens, swiss chard
Notes
I think it’s useful to flag the importance of taking a critical eye to the information we consume, including the videos I’ve shared here. Physicians and nutrition researchers are not infallible. My approach to the health-related choices I make preferences looking across all of the evidence-based content I consume and seeing what’s consistent, as well as what’s congruent with my personal experience in making changes to my diet over the last 20+ years.
I may not agree with all of the recommendations of every expert, even experts have blind spots and personal preferences. I lean towards results that have stood the test of time, approaches that show clear indication of success in working with patients especially on condition reversal, as well as what makes the most logical sense to me, e.g. getting as close as I can to whole foods that grow in nature.
Did you watch these podcasts? Are there other health-focused podcasts you’d recommend? Let me know in the comments below!
Thanks for reading!
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