On the latest episode of the Plants vs. Meat podcast, we welcomed Igor Gorlatov, founder of Traction 5 and Advisory 5, senior consultant, and executive coach at Groove Management. Igor brings a wealth of experience in health tech innovation and business leadership, but today, he joined us for a deep dive into the ongoing debate between plant-based and meat-based diets.
Our conversation spanned three major themes: health, the environment, and ethical considerations.
Health and Dietary Journeys
Igor shared his personal journey with food, growing up in Soviet Belarus, where food scarcity shaped his early experiences. Today, he’s more health-conscious, incorporating exercise, meditation, and a balanced diet into his life. Despite being a meat eater, Igor has explored plant-based options, thanks in part to his pescatarian wife. While he admits he’s still evolving in his approach to nutrition, Igor emphasized the importance of making small, sustainable changes that contribute to overall well-being.
The Environmental Impact of Our Diets
Both Igor and I agreed that the environmental state of our planet is dire. Igor highlighted the challenges of balancing the desire for a higher standard of living with the need to preserve our environment. He pointed out that the current global system, which relies heavily on animal agriculture, is unsustainable. We discussed how shifting toward plant-based alternatives, alongside incentivizing sustainable practices, could play a critical role in reducing our collective carbon footprint.
Ethical Considerations
While the ethical treatment of animals may not be top of mind for many, it’s an issue that cannot be ignored. Igor acknowledged that, like many, he hasn’t fully grappled with the ethical implications of his dietary choices. However, he’s open to learning and making more informed decisions. The discussion also touched on the broader human tendency to prioritize our needs over those of animals, and how creating systems that make ethical choices easier for consumers could lead to meaningful change.
Our chat with Igor Gorlatov pulled back the curtain on just how tangled our food choices really are. Health perks, environmental impacts, ethical questions-it’s clear there’s no magic bullet here. Or is there...? But here’s the thing: this conversation is the fuel we need to drive change. As Igor continues to evolve his own approach, we’re reminding you that the real secret sauce to progress is staying curious, embracing the uncomfortable, and daring to shake things up.
Stay tuned for more engaging discussions on the Plants vs. Meat podcast, where we explore the crossroads of diet, sustainability, and ethics.
Who should we interview next? Let us know: hello@realmeneatplants.com
Transcript: Bryan (00:01.114)
Welcome to Plants vs. Meat, the platform for friendly and informative debates between herbivores and carnivores that will give us both a chance to share our perspectives on our different lifestyles. I'm your host Brian, and joining us today is Igor Gorlatov. He is the founder at Traction 5 and Advisory 5. He's also a senior consultant and executive coach at Groove Management.
and he also does quite a bit in the health tech innovation as an advocate. So welcome to the show, Igor. Thanks for being
Igor Gorlatov (00:33.198)
Thanks for having me, Brian. Excited for the conversation.
Bryan (00:36.74)
I want to kick us off with a nice easy icebreaker. Do you think that the earth is
Igor Gorlatov (00:44.283)
No, I don't, but I think their flat earths are all over the
Bryan (00:50.074)
That's right. So we've already got some common ground between us on that front and we have known each other for quite a while now. I'm just curious if you could share with us a little bit of history on Igor and your journey with food and dietary stuff growing up and your current preferences. Obviously you're the meat eater here and I'm the vegan plant -based person.
Igor Gorlatov (01:18.062)
So I grew up in Soviet Union, in Soviet Belarus. So actually the food choices there were not super cool. So that was the time when the Soviet Union was facing a lot of challenges. Even though my family was not struggling, like even if you had money, you had to wait in long lines to get any kind of food in stores. You even had like special coupons that would allow you to get food. So any kind of food was good.
if you could get some meat that was excellent. So I guess in my childhood, I was very thin. I didn't like the food much. So it helped me keep the balance. As I grew up and kind of going through my younger years, I didn't focus that much on the diet. And I was not particularly attentive, which probably didn't have a good effect on my health and well -being.
Bryan (02:12.666)
think we've all been there. We've all done that.
Igor Gorlatov (02:15.802)
and I think as you get older and you start to realize that you're not immortal, that, your brain is not as fast as it used to be. started to pay attention and I'm lucky to have a wife who is a pescatarian and she's been working with a nutritionist. And one day she said, Igor, do you want to join me on this diet? I'm trying. And I did. And that was a really fun experience, in terms of really limiting the intake. was hard initially.
to limit yourself, but then once you get into it, you start to realize probably you should be more attentive to the diet. And since then, I can't say that I'm like very strict with diets. This is still a journey, but I guess I pay more attention. Try not to eat, for example, big dinners before going to sleep and combine this more kind
healthy diet, I would say, with other pieces in my lifestyle. So I'll stop there.
Bryan (03:16.056)
Yeah. Absolutely. Great. No, no, I think that it's a great, great overview. I mean, we, take for granted, especially here. mean, I grew up in America and, I'm sure my parents had some, some money struggles here and then like every family does growing up to a degree. like we, don't think we ever had to wait in line for food and, and some of the things that you just said. So it's an important perspective of how we grow up, in, that regard.
I'm curious, like, want to, if we unpack the three big things today is really the health, you know, the planet and the animals on that front. I'd just ask a few more questions on the health side of it. You know, the American diet and everywhere you look is, you know, pushes the protein and stuff. But what do you think are the nutritional aspects and are the most beneficial in our day -to -day eating in that regard?
Igor Gorlatov (04:13.71)
So first of all, preface, like thinking through food and diet and all those things, this is a new space for me, probably where I need to evolve. But what I found really helpful from like just the consumer perspective, not like analytical or scientific perspective, is increasing the, like first of all, setting rules where you just don't have junk food around the house. And suddenly you eat healthier and your kids are eating healthier.
Bryan (04:39.57)
Mm -hmm.
Igor Gorlatov (04:43.51)
And what we found works really well is to have like fruit as snacks, like apples, mangoes. These kind of things have worked really well for us and are working really well. So to replace like chips and processed foods with stuff like that has been working for me. But in terms of a deeper answer, in terms of what is healthy, what needs to be provided.
Bryan (05:00.612)
Mm
Bryan (05:08.676)
Yeah. No, I mean, it's, okay. I mean, each of us are at different places in our journey with, with the nutrition, but it's that, that thing of like, we are eating three, four or five times a day, whether it's small snacks, or maybe you, you fast and skip a meal here and there. But like what we put into our mouth is, is the fuel and energy that, you know, recreates every cell in our body every seven years or so, they say something like that.
Igor Gorlatov (05:08.854)
I'm not sure I'm the right person to provide that perspective.
Bryan (05:38.66)
I'm curious, as you've experimented with the couple diets you have, have you seen different energy levels or mood or wellbeing changes with what you have done?
Igor Gorlatov (05:52.044)
I think so. So my focus has been more on exercise than diet and that came in a little bit later. And the combination that I have right now, I've seen some changes for sure in terms of like it's exercise, meditation and diet kind of this is like the third piece I'm adding to the mix. But where I am right now, I go to like, I do some exercise every
and I started doing it over weekends, even though these are short periods, this helps and try to throw in meditation places. And I find that it creates a lot more clarity, a lot more focus and kind of being focused on what you do, being in the moment is super helpful. So right now I think there is potential to improve the capacity to perform.
But I'm already over the last maybe six, eight months, I'm seeing a significant improvement in my energy levels, in my ability to do more, in my overall mental acuity. So there is definitely something to all of the things that you're promoting, I'm sure, on your podcast,
Bryan (07:03.364)
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, this, this is that healthy debate, you know, it's like, I was watching some video about a gentleman who's, who's interviewed kids from all around the globe. and the Japanese are one of the few societies that have gone through the industrial revolution and, and, really, you know, adopted these wide, wide Western diets to a small degree or something like that, but still have maintained the lowest, you know, body.
mass index and all the other quotients that we have. Almost every more industrialized, you know, first world country has seen massive increases in obesity and, things like that. But the thing that I think the American diet pushes quite a bit is the protein side of it. And like, I guess what, what do you, what's your understanding of protein and, and how much you should get and the protein myth that perpetuates American society.
Igor Gorlatov (08:01.262)
To tell you the truth, I haven't given much thought in terms of like what's the right amount of protein. I do feel a need like after exercise to get some protein on a more like superficial level with your help, by the way. I love the food that you prepare and kind of I've experimented with some vegan options. And honestly, taste -wise, I don't see much difference. And honestly, I might
My wife, as I mentioned, is a Biscuitarian and when we go to farmers market, there is a place that sells those wonderful vegan sandwiches and they deliberately go there to try that. So I'm not sure I know the exact answer with the right amount of protein or can comment on like the state of food, but the fact that me being exposed to quite a bit of information, not having like a priority of something is maybe telling as well.
We are not thinking too much about things that are so important and that affect our life. And I am Gey's example here.
Bryan (09:09.113)
It's right. Well, I mean, I think most your average American is on every level. And, and, you know, that's, that's the struggle that I have is your American doctor goes to school for 10 years and barely walks out of 10 years of school with about 10 to 20 hours of nutrition training when, know, so they're very, the American medical system is very much sort of prone to cutting you open to fix the problem instead of saying, well, why don't you try this diet
three months and then come back and we'll see if we still need to do a surgery or something. it's just that to me, the, the protein piece of it is really around helping people understand that protein is just a set of amino acids and you get amino acids from almost every single thing that you eat. Now a complete protein like meat or, or nuts or beans, means it has all of those amino acids that you need to do what the body needs to do.
So it's important to know you're getting seven amino acids from the broccoli and three from the red peppers, and that still adds up to the complete protein. So it's still trying to figure out how do we help people fight that protein myth. The other one is fiber. Like the average American diet doesn't get enough fiber. It sounds like with the fruits and vegetables you've introduced recently, you probably have that under control. Do you feel like, do you have the fiber situation?
Igor Gorlatov (10:26.36)
to do
Bryan (10:31.854)
going strongly, the more fiber you get, the more sort of flushes the system and helps your body, you know, find the right stuff. But what's your thoughts on fiber?
Igor Gorlatov (10:41.836)
I think I'm being helped a lot, so I'm kind of cheating because I have my wife who does some of the cooking and she's big on salads. And we do have a lot of salads and different like traditional soups that are like fiber based. So I think I kind of get this benefit without diving deep myself into the scientific aspects of
Bryan (10:44.858)
We thank
Bryan (11:06.842)
Do you think, and I guess the last question on just the health side of it is really around like the longevity. I mean, what is your hope and your desire for your life? I mean, you have kids, I have kids and stuff like we want to be there for them and everything else. But do you feel like the diet that you currently have is helping you live a long life, not a long life, but with the mobility and mental awareness that you want to.
to live to a ripe old age.
Igor Gorlatov (11:39.246)
So I think I've started the journey in combination with lifestyle, exercise, and activities. I don't know if I'm fully on the trajectory, probably not. And I'm excited to learn from you, my wife, and other people who exposed me to information that I need to know to get to those points in terms of having longer and healthier life.
Bryan (12:00.206)
Yeah. Well, I appreciate
Yeah. I mean, I just appreciate you coming on the show here to talk with us. In my opinion, real men eat plants, but you know, real men also speak up about their values and stuff and challenge the status quo. So I appreciate you taking some time to talk with us about, about this. The next topic is really the environment and our planet, right? Like what do you sort of see as the current state of our planet and, and your thoughts on, you know,
the environment and our actions as humans on this planet, just give us your general thoughts of
Igor Gorlatov (12:40.142)
My general thoughts are that the situation is pretty dire and overall we as humans are not doing a great job towards the environment. And I think it's a combination of factors. On the one hand, it's like desire for growth and desire for wellbeing. we cannot, me coming from essentially a third world country,
It's like hard to blame people wanting to live well and eating well and enjoying the benefits of the civilization. But on the other hand, if we replicate American lifestyle through the world, we need like six, seven, eight Earths to sustain it. So I understand that right now there is a hope that there will be like AGI, AI or some other magical pill that will solve the problem. I don't think
Bryan (13:23.844)
Yes.
Igor Gorlatov (13:35.928)
That is the answer. But on the other hand, to come in to people who are on sustenance living, tell them, look guys, now you need to change your culture, change the way you live, or just don't have kids anymore. It's a tough call. And I know there are like solutions out there that are being discussed, but it's the question
political will and also corporate and social responsibility, not just us individuals, but also having frameworks that make it easy to make the right choices. So I'll stop there. I'm curious in your perspective from this.
Bryan (14:13.452)
It's interesting because like we know, you said it, I mean, I think we both believe the same thing that the earth is in a dire state, right? We're cutting down a significant portion of the Amazon forest in order to raise more cattle. That's the lungs of the earth. We're pulling, I mean, trillions of fish out of the oceans every single year to eat them. And we're going
We're gonna basically fish the oceans dry, which is gonna cause problems. so like my concern is when you say like, what's the significant cause of climate change? Like what do you think is one of the things that we have to stop to help reverse the climate change and get carbon neutral?
Igor Gorlatov (15:05.102)
My thinking, and I haven't done much research into this, is to build in some incentives for organizations to change the practices they use. If we talk about production, it's like making things that are carbon neutral. If we are talking about agriculture or growing animals,
creating sustainable practices or encouraging of creating funding for sustainable practices and sharing best technologies in that space with countries who otherwise would not be able to adopt
Bryan (15:47.546)
Yeah, yeah. mean, and the United States helps so many countries around the planet, but you know, the thing for me is like, it's 10 times easier in my opinion to grow beans and ship the beans worldwide than it is to grow the beans in the corn and feed it to the cows. So then you can kill the cow and transport the cow someplace else on that front. So I just see a significant source of our CO2 emissions.
around animal agriculture. You know what I mean? There are billions of chickens on this planet, you know, that have to be killed every single year. You know, I don't know what it is, a hundred billion chickens or something like that. It's quite a large number of just the chickens and the fish and the stuff that we eat. And if we stopped a lot of those things, we would definitely be able to help drastically reduce our carbon footprint on this planet and just grow more beans
and stuff like that. So the problem I see is that the world isn't ready for that kind of realization. And so we blend the chickens into this bucket and the cows into that bucket. And so we all think that it's transportation. we have electric airplanes and electric cars, that's going to help us save the planet when that's probably animal agriculture as a combined thing is probably closer to 40 or 50 % of our CO2 emission.
versus the 20 % of transportation. So I don't know, that's my struggle with the environment and the planet. How do you see the society, I guess, that's eating the meat, how do we still eat meat and stop climate change? If you believe the facts, I just said anyway.
Igor Gorlatov (17:38.67)
I think that's a tough question and I'm not sure I have an ideal answer but like you refer to this is not like a simple system where you can enforce a mathematically optimal solution in terms of okay this is how we do it let's raise our internal dictator and force things on people
That might be hard and I know that might cause some struggles. For example, if you encourage only vegan foods, I've read that it can lead to monocultures where people kind of rely instead of... I think that was with energy when like we started using different oils from plants versus oil instead of growing regular food. Some third world countries started to grow those specific oils and when there was a crisis, nobody wanted to buy that. They didn't have food to eat.
So how do you, like, it's a very complex system that requires like local solutions in some cases. I'm not sure we can have like, okay, this is a universal solution. But I feel.
Bryan (18:50.458)
And the vegans are just as guilty, right? Like we want our strawberries and we want our avocados and we want our chocolate, which are all vegan things that, well, anybody on the planet wants those things probably. And we're transporting those all around the planet as well. And some of those take more energy than others, but we have to find some ways to grow these things more sustainable or get back to things that we may have done a hundred years ago again.
in some way, form.
Igor Gorlatov (19:22.99)
But I'm a believer in incentives and creating incentives in a way that kind of if you come up with an idea that is helping in this particular way, is there a way to give you tax benefits? Is there a way to help you market your ideas so that people can actually support you? And on the contrary, if you're not doing all those things, is there a way to have you pay more so that at least through this mechanism,
financially easy to make good choices. So I'm not a believer in like intellectual arguments. I am a believer in like rules and systems that align with our values, but how to get there. That's not as straightforward.
Bryan (19:58.233)
And
Bryan (20:06.692)
Yeah.
And it's interesting. Right. No, I agree completely. It's not straightforward and it's a struggle. like the vegan, you know, we just say the companies that are trying to use fruits and vegetables to help, or even the whole fungi world to create meat alternatives and protein alternatives. If we can make the food taste better than the burger that you're used to eating, then we will have the incentive to tip you towards our scale. So
That's the current goal in my opinion of all the plant -based proteins is to make ours be as the same price and taste as good or better than the alternatives. And if we can do that, we will start tipping the scale. And I think we are making great strides, but to your point, like we also have to release some of the subsidies, like the meat industry and the dairy industry in America is extremely subsidized by the federal government.
We have to give up those incentives because it's no longer, it shouldn't be there anymore. I think a pound of hamburger would cost 30 or $40 a pound if the American government didn't subsidize it. So the meat, the Beyond Burger and Impossible Burgers are already as cheap or cheaper than meat without the subsidies, right? But I don't know how do we get rid of the subsidies and that's
a different conversation for the lobbyists to deal with. But it's true, Like those incentives, we should incentivize carbon neutrality way more than we incentivize dairy and meat industries in my
Igor Gorlatov (21:51.562)
I hope the opportunity will present itself so for the system to be a little bit more receptive to needs of the planet and needs of the people versus needs of the people with a
Bryan (22:05.496)
Yeah. And, so, well, I appreciate you talking through the health or the planet side of this with us. The last one is the tricky one is the ethical side of it, the animals and the suffering that happens and stuff. how do you sort of think through the diet that you have been on? And I used to be on a long time ago, you know, with the animal welfare.
Igor Gorlatov (22:30.934)
Honestly, this is not something that is top of mind and this kind of helps deal with any ethical considerations when you are thinking about other issues. But speaking not from a personal experience, but from a human experience, I feel we as humans, prioritize our own well -being over animal welfare.
There is like hunger even in the US, right? So there are things that make it really like there are so many problems at the level of humans that it's hard to prioritize the problems of animals or to make them like compelling. But again, I think making things easier for people to make those choices like we buy like free range eggs.
where we pay attention, like, is it a sustainable farming situation? Of course, probably this is not like the ultimate solution to this, but people are paying attention to those things and making it easier to make the right choices, like financially or through education is probably the path forward. And I'm not kind of removing responsibility for myself, I
I need to educate myself as well and me joining you and learning from you is part of that journey.
Bryan (24:02.456)
And you know, just I've been on my journey long enough to know, like you see the happy, fun, loving animals outside of every restaurant you go to, you know, they're, they're the spokesperson for the, you know, the cows at Chick -A -Fil are the spokesperson for the chickens that they're killing. it's, it's just, it's interesting to see how we've, you know, hidden, hidden the true nature of what's happening with industrialized farming. Like we, when I say picture a cow.
You and I think of a field of grass and the cow grazing with sunshine and everything else. it's, you know, it's killed and slaughtered very quickly and humanely and then taken to the butchers kind of a thing. But in reality, a good portion, you know, I don't know what it is. 90 % of the meat on the planet that's produced is produced in industrial farming where they don't even ever see a blade of grass, let alone perhaps the sun.
And even the free range chickens, that just means they've been given 10 square feet of places to walk around inside a shed instead of two feet. So it's just misleading. I would encourage you to watch Dominion, the movie, if your stomach can handle it. I couldn't watch it straight through. I had to pause it several times, but it was very, very eye -opening to see the tremendous amount of suffering that happens. You say the free range chickens, but that also means
If you look at it in more, more detail that the chickens, that the women chickens are the ones that lay the eggs. So if they do hatch any eggs to grow into other chickens, they, they most likely kill 50 % of them because they're men. Right. So we're, just instantly slaughtering them as soon as they're born because they're the wrong gender. so just, you know, the huge amount of, of suffering that goes on in the world when it comes to certain.
animals is just mind blowing that it isn't more of an issue and we've just culturally desensitized ourselves to that whole industry in some fashion. I say those things and it makes you kind of think about it probably a little bit. Do you think our ethical consideration should influence the food policy and what we do eat on a regular basis?
Bryan (26:25.54)
How do we bring that more to the surface?
Igor Gorlatov (26:29.038)
I think they should, but I'm curious what helped you kind of develop that sensitivity? What was the trigger for you and people you engage in this podcast? What are you seeing has been working? Or is it something that only a small chunk of the population, we don't have to worry about other things in life?
Bryan (26:52.356)
Yeah. I mean, it's, it's, it's interesting. think there was for me, I went down this path of, of the health, the health benefits for me have far outweighed any other diet that I've seen to help me come to this lifestyle. And then once I went down this path, I realized, man, we're destroying the planet. So that one just really resonated. have children. I want the planet to be around for my children. And then I watched some documentaries on.
the tremendous amount of suffering. And it's hard for me to sit here and say that I will spend any amount of money on my cats and my dogs to keep them alive and feed them like kings. But yet, rat has no protections in the United States whatsoever. It's a mammal, just like you and me. It has babies and produces milk and stuff, but they are treated like vermin and killed and destroyed
you know what I mean? And used in lab testing. And the cows have same emotions and bonds and stuff and the suffering that they have to go through. So I don't know, you really start to unpack it and think of would you do that to your own children versus us? And it starts to really resonate and pull on a deeper string in some fashion for me.
Igor Gorlatov (28:11.118)
But I'm curious how does this kind of connection with another species like mammal make it so close as humans? Because I think this is where people struggle to make that connection. Even though intellectually we may understand that we're kind of the same, but on the other hand, we share 60 % of DNA with grass. kind of...
Bryan (28:23.576)
Mm -hmm.
Bryan (28:33.784)
Right. Yeah. And I love to eat. I love to eat some plants. Right. Yeah. So like, you
Igor Gorlatov (28:40.783)
So where do you draw the line, right?
Bryan (28:45.454)
Right. And it is, it is that thing around, you know, does the, does whatever you're eating have nerve endings and, have feelings and, how do you define that to a degree? you know, we're finding out so much about the fungi world and the mycelium network. And I don't know, we're all interconnected in a big, big way, but I do think as human beings where we're herbivores, first and foremost, we've just developed the ability to eat.
other things if we need to in a time of scarcity on that front. And as humans, we can't eat meat without cooking it. Like we cook it to kill the bacteria in it. You know, a cat is designed specifically to have a very acidic belly and, you know, eat meat on that front. Its teeth are designed that way. We are very much plant eaters that can eat an occasional meat as long as we cook it or...
We can even eat it raw, but there's a strong chance that we may get sick from it. So, do you see those, those pieces of the puzzle, you know, each person has to figure out their own way, to, come about it. And I think one of those three health environment or animal, really pulls, pulls on a heart string. you know, you know, you have dogs, you would never consider eating them. Right. So in a million years,
If look at Elwood's dogmeat .com, you know, she's selling dog meat, and, has huge struggles trying to sell dog meat to different places. but at the same time, it's perfectly acceptable to raise and sell dog meat, I guess. so it's a tricky, tricky for sure. So, yeah, I appreciate you talking through the ethical side of it. I mean, anything else you'd you'd say on the ethical side
that struck a chord with you.
Igor Gorlatov (30:44.428)
I think building the bridge between ethical concepts and human experience is important and getting us to think. thank you for suggesting some documentaries to explore this further. think this is helpful. And I also appreciate that you are not advocating for simplistic solutions and figuring out a path that is balanced.
Bryan (31:09.998)
Yeah.
Igor Gorlatov (31:15.022)
is the path forward where I'm seeing simplicity is like understanding human nature, that it's not just about reason. I think it was Churchill or someone who said like, you apply a field to reason, you appeal to 4 % of the population. But figuring out how to deal with 96%. And honestly, even if you are in the 4 % in one thing, in other things, you can still be in 96%. And this is where I feel it's
Bryan (31:30.106)
Right.
Igor Gorlatov (31:43.948)
we as society have to figure out. Counting on individuals is great, but I'm not a big believer that just through individual efforts we could get there. But as a society, through mechanisms, understanding how our psyche works, we can do a lot. I think our ability to essentially defeat smoking and get rid of this habit shows that we can change even very addictive things.
Bryan (32:06.515)
Yeah.
Igor Gorlatov (32:11.648)
and if we offer alternatives, if we educate people. So I think there is definitely a path to get there and it takes some volunteers and enthusiasts to educate the rest of us.
Bryan (32:23.418)
Yeah. And don't get me wrong. There is a simple solution. Everybody should just go vegan tomorrow. But realistically speaking, like you said, 96 % of us need to be convinced in some way, shape or form to come to that. And I'm not expecting everybody to do it overnight, but I do want, I do really appreciate you coming on here and having a dialogue and having the conversation. Cause that's what it's all about. We have to have that conversation.
And if you can just eat more plant based a little bit more each week or each month, you will be a contributing person to helping save the planet and reduce suffering and a bunch of other things and improve your health, I think, on that front. So it is about starting these dialogues and, talking about it to find the right path. so we shall see. I mean, I say,
Some of the strongest animals on the planet are herbivores, elephants. They're the largest land animals. They're vegan, right? They eat bamboo and grass and roots and they're extremely strong. Gorillas, like you said, we share 98 % of our DNA with gorillas and they stems, bamboo, fruit, and they can weigh up to 400 pounds and lift 10 times their body weight.
And if you look at the longest living animals on the planet are turtles and they're the herbivores as well. And they eat algae and fruits and can live up to 150 years. So I think there's a tremendous amount of opportunity to look at the health benefits of a plant -based diet. So I continue to encourage you to explore that, Igor.
Igor Gorlatov (34:09.854)
I'm already exploring and I love actually when you entertain the foods you prepare vegan diet. It's very enticing to tell you the truth. It's really good. So on that front.
Bryan (34:21.914)
I encourage many, many people to try to veganize a recipe and give it a try, because I think the vegan food can rival any taste that you can find in the meat world on that front. So I appreciate you being willing to come over for that meal and give it a try. And I hope there's many more in the future.
Igor Gorlatov (34:42.168)
Thank you. Thank you, Brian.
Bryan (34:43.258)
Thank you, Igor. We really appreciate you being here. That's all the time we have for this episode of Plants vs. Me and our podcast. And we really appreciate you joining us and help spread the word. Everybody leave a comment down below. Tell us what you liked, what you didn't like. Heat up the debate. How are we going to solve this many problems that we're facing that we're talking through today? And also let us know some other guests that we should have on the show.
We're always looking for more opportunities to have a great conversation and discuss plants versus meat!
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