In a world where the phrase "you are what you eat" has never rung truer, Rachael Brown stands as a beacon of change, guiding individuals through the transformative journey of adopting a whole-food, plant-based, no-oil (WFPBNO) lifestyle.
In the latest episode of the Plant Based On Fire podcast, Bryan dives deep with Rachael, exploring the inception of her plant-based voyage that began with a family health scare and led to her profound advocacy for nutritional wellness.
Rachael's narrative is not just one of personal triumph over high cholesterol without medication—a feat achieved in just 17 days—but a testament to the power of plant-based eating. Her journey is encapsulated in her insightful book, "For Fork's Sake: A Quick Guide to Healing Yourself and the Planet Through a Plant-Based Diet," serving as a clarion call to those seeking a healthful pivot from the Standard American Diet (SAD).
As a licensed practitioner of massage and pain neutralization techniques, certified yoga and Pilates instructor, and a spiritual director, Rachael embodies a holistic approach to health. Her educational background, coupled with her certification in plant-based nutrition and food sustainability from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell, enriches her consultancy, making her a sought-after speaker and consultant in the plant-based realm.
For entrepreneurs venturing into the plant-based business landscape, Rachael's story offers invaluable insights into marrying passion with profession. Her emphasis on educating oneself, understanding the science behind nutrition, and leveraging personal experiences to drive change underscores the essence of successful entrepreneurship in this growing industry.
Rachael's influence extends beyond her book. Through speaking engagements, she catalyzes conversations around the importance of a WFPBNO lifestyle, not just for individual health but for the sustainability of our planet. Her participation in communities like the University of Washington Alumni Association, the Whole Communities program, and Eat for the Earth, along with Plantstrong and McDougall communities, illustrates her commitment to fostering a global plant-based movement.
In embracing Rachael Brown's journey and the wisdom she imparts, we find a roadmap to navigating the plant-based business world. Her narrative is a compelling reminder that at the intersection of passion and purpose lies the opportunity to transform lives and industries, one plant-based choice at a time.
Catch Rachael's full interview on the Plant Based On Fire podcast, and let her story ignite your path to plant-based entrepreneurship. Whether you're a seasoned vegan or someone looking to make a shift, Rachael's insights are a beacon of inspiration, guiding us toward a healthier self and a greener planet.
LISTEN TO OUR OTHER PODCASTS!
>Episode’s Transcript
Please understand that a transcription service provided the transcript below. It undoubtedly contains errors that invariably take place in voice transcriptions.
Bryan (00:00.662)
Hello everybody and welcome to Plant Based on Fire, where we talk about plant-based businesses and their inspiring stories to thrive in our industry. I am your host, Bryan, and I just want to say thank you for listening and watching this episode wherever you're consuming it. We really, really appreciate your support and the best thing you can do to help us grow this podcast and take off even more is to like and subscribe. So. If you're watching, click the subscribe button right beneath us, wherever you are on your podcast platform, click the follow, leave us a comment, let us know what we can do better. What other people we should have on the show.
We really appreciate your support in this plant-based movement that we're all trying to create. I am so excited to announce today that we are joined by Rachel Brown, who it has a business all about speaking and consulting with all things, whole food, plant-based and no oil and she has got an amazing book out called For Forks Sake, a quick guide to healing yourself and the planet through a plant-based diet. So welcome, Rachael, to the show.
Rachael Brown (01:05.409)
Thanks so much for having me, Bryan.
Bryan (01:09.054)
It is awesome. So it tells, you know, help set the stage for people who, who may not be fully familiar with you or haven't read the book yet. They're all going to rush out and grab a copy after we're done talking here today. But what was the, what was the moment that sort of. Pivoted you towards this, uh, away from the standard American diet and into this, uh, this new paradigm that we're in.
Rachael Brown (01:31.777)
Yeah, well, similar to you, I think about 14 years ago, my nephew who was five years old at the time was diagnosed with cancer. And his mom was in nursing school and she had a professor who asked her if she'd looked at the role of nutrition in cancer. And that professor suggested she read the China study and watch forks over knives. And this is a woman who had taught me how to pull mozzarella cheese the summer before.
Bryan (01:58.392)
Right.
Rachael Brown (01:59.357)
and had a small hobby farm. We had 13 chickens at the time. My daughter had an organic egg business. She was selling to neighbors and friends. So she read this book and watched this documentary and overnight they changed their diet. And she said, you've got to read this book. And so I got a copy of the China study and read it and immediately was very angry, mainly because I'd never heard this news before. And I'd always had high cholesterol.
I never wanted to take medication because my dad had always been on medication. He would have all these odd side effects and have to switch medications. And no doctor had ever said, you can reverse this just by what you're eating. They would say cut back on cheese and eggs, but they wouldn't say, you know, this is something you don't have to have. So, um,
Bryan (02:43.64)
Yeah.
Rachael Brown (02:46.801)
We watched Forks Over Knives as well. Our kids were six and eight at the time and we decided to give this thing a go. I found Dr. McDougall online and we got our blood work done and we ate whole food, plant-based, no oil for 10 days, actually 17 days because that's when I could get back in for my second blood drop. And when I went in to see my doctor, he said, what are you doing? Whatever you're doing, keep doing it because your cholesterol dropped 50 points in 17 days.
Bryan (03:11.031)
Yeah.
Rachael Brown (03:15.877)
I couldn't do that with medication. So that for us was the beginning of this huge switch. I mean, it was really, I like to say good news, bad news at the time, because it was wonderful news that I knew I didn't need to be on medication to resolve the cholesterol issues, but also kind of bad news because we were like, oh boy, this is gonna be a huge change from the way we're eating. So.
Bryan (03:36.824)
Yeah.
Rachael Brown (03:39.421)
So I kept trying to give friends and family the China study. I'd hand it to them and they'd sheepishly hand it back, like, I'm sorry, I couldn't get to reading it. It's a big book, lots of science. And so when the pandemic hit and I couldn't do the work that I was doing, I took the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies, a plant-based nutrition course and their food and sustainability course. And I just wanted to share this news with everyone. And...
Bryan (03:44.482)
Hehehehe
Bryan (03:49.154)
Yeah.
Rachael Brown (04:06.249)
And that's when I decided to write a book. And I really aimed to write something that was a quick and easy read that people could hand to family members or friends when they were asking, what is this weird thing you're doing? So that's how this whole thing was born for me.
Bryan (04:24.366)
And that's so awesome. Cause I wish that they come out with like forks over knives too. Like the, there's so much more information they could impart or, you know, with the movement, we could all rally and get double the budget that they probably had and make an even bigger one. But it's, it is so interesting cause it's, it's that struggle I have even with my family members and stuff is like, how do I, how do I reiterate that this is a shift from every part of my lifestyle?
Uh, and, or I want you to participate. Like I see family members that are on Lipitor and some of these other things. And I lost the 27 cholesterol points to I'm right there with you on that front. So it's so eye opening. Um, so have you always been speaking or how did you sort of get into the speaking side of it as well? Cause I, I've checked out your website, you've got pictures and you're traveling all over the place. So like you're, you're well on the speaker circuit here. How did that get its foothold?
Rachael Brown (05:02.847)
Yeah.
Bryan (05:27.424)
Right.
Rachael Brown (05:46.384)
Yeah, you
can I meet with you one-on-one or you know I used to be vegan but it didn't work for me those are some of my favorites because I'm like we can make this work it can work for everyone um or you know I'm 87 and uh you know I'm wanting to get off medications or I have young kids whatever it was so um yeah that just kind of came about organically because people were wanting a little help.
Bryan (05:57.406)
Yeah.
Rachael Brown (06:10.841)
And so people can find me on my website and sign up and we can meet once or we can meet ongoing, whatever works for people. So it's been fun to journey alongside people as they're starting out or coming back to and learning really how to do this in a sustainable way. I wish that word diet wasn't on the cover of the book because I don't consider this a diet like you were alluding to. I consider it a lifestyle and you know diets are things we start and then give up at some point.
and lifestyles are things we continue forever. So I like helping people see the shift there.
Bryan (06:42.21)
That's right.
Bryan (06:46.034)
I really appreciate all the lives that you're touching and changing on that front. So help me tie it in. What is the perfect audience for the book? So is it for us plant-based people to read it and just get a reinforcement? Or is it for like, I should buy 10 copies and hand them out at Christmas to get more people to come? Or what's the right audience for where you're trying to target the book?
Rachael Brown (07:06.425)
I'm gonna go get a drink.
Rachael Brown (07:10.053)
Yeah, you know, it's funny, I would say both and. You know, I thought I was writing this book for other people who had young kids who, you know, I just wanted to keep people from making the same mistake I did. But as it turns out, it's been like early retirees, people, you know, 55 plus who have really jumped on and they're like, I'm giving it to my grandkids or my kids. And, you know, I kept it really short and sweet because when I talked to young parents, they were like, I don't have time to read books anymore. I read blogs, maybe.
Bryan (07:21.556)
Mm-hmm.
Rachael Brown (07:39.557)
So, you know, there's an audio book, it's just under four hours, but it really does, it can be helpful for people who've been in this for a while. I mean, I have a list of resources because I myself find it helpful to be reminded. You know, when you're feeling like you're swimming upstream all the time or you're kind of a Lone Ranger out there.
maybe in your family, in your household, or in your community, it can be so helpful, just like what you're doing with this podcast, which is so wonderful, just to hear about other people in their spaces doing wonderful things and to be reminded that you're not alone. So it can be a help just to remember, like a refresher, you know, why do I do this? What's
Bryan (08:11.534)
That's right.
Rachael Brown (08:16.361)
How does this benefit me and the planet? But it's also a really great one to buy the ten copies and to hand out to friends who kind of roll their eyes when you order a veggie burger, you know are curious about what you're doing, but Yeah, maybe yeah, it's kind of tongue-in-cheek. It's a little cheeky. It's a little funny. So yeah, it's a soft entry in
Bryan (08:23.394)
Hehehe
Yeah.
Bryan (08:36.238)
But it sounds like it is a great introductory book for that kind of audience, in my opinion. And then hopefully they follow on and watch Forks Over Knives or read the China study. But we do need that intro primer. And I'm so glad that you've got that sort of version of it out there. I did go and get my certification from...
Rachael Brown (08:55.999)
Yeah, that's...
Bryan (09:01.866)
T. Colin Campbell thing as well. So you and I have that in common. I think you did the sustainability one that I haven't gotten a chance to do yet. So that's awesome. How has that helped shape or change any of your lifestyle coaching or the business in general?
Rachael Brown (09:03.838)
Nice.
Rachael Brown (09:17.653)
I mean, I think we've been eating this way for 12 years when I took the certificate courses. So a lot of it wasn't brand new information, but a lot of it was wonderful science behind the information I had learned in other ways. So it really cemented everything I knew as well as learning some new things. We were still taking a few supplements and after doing some research on, that was one of my things for the plant-based certificate was research something you think is good for you and let's see if it really.
Bryan (09:30.69)
Great.
Rachael Brown (09:47.867)
and really, you know, some of those supplements that we were taking, which we were not a lot, you know, I mean, I think we were still taking omegas and sometimes vitamin D or something, but really went at it down to, you know, B12. We can get everything else we need through food. So some of those things were helpful to know and just helpful to meet other people, the whole communities through that Center for Nutrition Studies has been a fantastic resource. I urge everyone to join that.
Bryan (09:48.983)
Right.
Bryan (10:04.686)
That's right.
Bryan (10:15.566)
Mm-hmm.
Rachael Brown (10:17.557)
You have access to people who created the courses and who are working in this space. People from around the world who are doing fantastic things in this space. And Colin Campbell hops on every once in a while for conversations. And a couple of years ago he was on and I asked him, if he's one of my heroes. I mean, like you said about the book, I hope this is an entryway. And he endorsed my book, it's on the cover. And I always tell him, I hope.
Bryan (10:37.137)
Mm-hmm.
Rachael Brown (10:43.009)
people read this just to get them in the door, but then I hope the next book they read is the China study. And there are other amazing works out there, but I hope it leads people to do some even deeper research. But yeah, it's a fantastic door into meeting other people in the space. And yeah, the food and sustainability course, I highly recommend for anybody as well. It talks all about the world food systems, how we got to where we are today.
Bryan (10:48.618)
Yes.
Rachael Brown (11:12.573)
subsidies, food aid, I mean all of it. And it's disastrously good information to find out. I mean, it's really, I wish this was common knowledge. That's I think what we're up against is helping people understand the truth about our food and the food systems, our medical system, what it can and can't do and how much power we have over our own health and the health of the planet.
Bryan (11:27.598)
Mm-hmm.
Bryan (11:39.614)
Absolutely. Yeah. And it's so interesting because I, I was just talking with the CEO of harvest B they're an Australian protein alternative company. And she was telling me just about some of the craziness that we're growing the product in Australia. We're shipping it to England to get refined and processed. Then we're shipping it back to Australia to get added into the packages and then shipping it back to England just to be on the store shelves. Like
Rachael Brown (12:03.338)
Okay.
Bryan (12:04.758)
That's two trips around the globe, basically, just to get a product to the grocery store shelves. Um, so yeah, I, and I loved like what I really loved about the class was exactly that, that stuff that I hope we're teaching in school now, but like it was a good reinforcement, like think for yourselves, go out, do the research, do the studies, learn what these big, long words are on our nutritional content packaging, uh, and, and really figure out what that is and
It's really there to preserve it so it stays stable on the shelf and you don't need it. Like we had just some apple pie at, uh, Easter time here and it was just amazing to see all the crazy ingredients and the one apple pie versus the one we made at home. So yeah, so, so informative, but there's still these challenges like, um,
Rachael Brown (12:38.178)
Right.
Rachael Brown (12:50.115)
Right.
Bryan (12:56.562)
You know, just like obviously give up the cheese, but then, you know, the butter's hiding in everything. So there's just these basic stumbling blocks. How do you, how do you tackle some of those of the biggest challenges, especially in my opinion, like I, I avoid the oil as much as I possibly can, but I can't sit here and say, I'm the no oil vegan. I know it's not good for me, but it's hiding everywhere. How do you help people overcome that? And what, what are some of your responses to some of those things?
Rachael Brown (13:25.449)
Yeah, you know, I start with asking people to really know themselves and think about how they've done things in the past because some people are really black and white thinkers. They love a challenge. They wanna dive right in. Other people are kind of slow adopters and they wanna do a lot more research. They wanna test the waters and take it slowly. So I really advocate for what we did and that is to give up everything for 10 to 14 days. And I wrote the book on
on kind of that premise, like here's how you can do this. Just give it a try. And mainly because you can have extreme results in actually even two days. I mean, your body, you might need to get off some medications. I had to put a disclaimer in the book because if you're on blood pressure medication or medicine for diabetes, you might need to reduce your medication. So a lot happens really fast when you cut these offending foods out.
So that's my first thing is really I walk people through how to get rid of offending foods in their kitchen. Because like you said, if it's, Chef AJ's quote, if it's in your house, it's in your mouth, if we have it around, we're probably gonna eat it, right? So I get around the oil, we don't have oil at home. So I don't cook anything with oil, but I pretty much, I sadly accept that when I go out to eat, it's probably going to have oil in it. But if I'm not buying.
Bryan (14:28.718)
Hehehehe
Yeah.
Bryan (14:41.134)
That's right, yeah.
Rachael Brown (14:42.329)
packaged foods, then you can omit all that extra oil that, like you said, is really in there just for stabilization or for mouthfeel. It's not doing anything for us health-wise. So I really advocate for people to give it a solid try. Also, because our taste buds literally change in two weeks. This is something I found out when doing the research for this book. And if you can get away from those hyper palatable foods, you know, those foods that you're used to having that are fatty,
Bryan (14:50.381)
Mm-hmm.
Rachael Brown (15:12.073)
and you just start eating real whole foods, within two weeks your taste buds change and these foods will taste amazing. You don't need to be adding a whole bunch of stuff to them. So I really advocate for that to trial, you know, trial period just to really get the benefits because also, you know, when you get your blood work, you can see what's really happening because you can't feel your cholesterol dropping, right? Maybe your blood sugar, but not your blood pressure either really. So it's great to have the hard science on that.
Bryan (15:23.342)
That's right.
Bryan (15:36.452)
Mm-hmm.
Rachael Brown (15:41.537)
but you also will notice things that are going on in your body in as little as 10 days. You'll probably sleep better, you'll probably feel like you have more energy, your skin might start to clear up, all those kinds of things. That being said, for people who are slow starters, you can also do it that way, right? You can, instead of thinking about cutting out things, you can just try to add in more greens, more whole grains, more beans. You can do it that way, and you'll have the same benefits in the long term. It just might take you longer to get there.
Bryan (15:48.023)
Mm-hmm.
Bryan (15:52.726)
That's right.
Rachael Brown (16:11.061)
and you might not notice as quickly where those benefits are coming from. So that's why I really advocate for giving it a hard start. And then, you know, at the end of those 10 days, you can go, all right, I'm gonna try it for another 10 days, you know, and see how I feel then, and just keep going 10 days at a time.
Bryan (16:23.886)
That's right.
Bryan (16:27.854)
And that's how I did it as well. I went cold turkey vegan for 30 days. And at the end of it, I was like, so curious, where would I plateau, you know? And I have to say, at this point, I absolutely love nutritional yeast. I put it on a little too many things, I think. But it is, your taste buds have to change to flip and love it, because I give it to other people and they're not used to it. And they're like, this doesn't taste like, and I go, yes, it does. So what-
Rachael Brown (16:36.334)
Yeah.
Rachael Brown (16:53.396)
Do you do nutritional yeast on popcorn, Brian?
Bryan (16:57.25)
Yes, I've discovered that one and it's game changer, right? So yeah
Rachael Brown (17:00.762)
It is, and it's hard to get rid of the oil on popcorn, but if you like pickles, you spritz a little pickle juice and then sprinkle nutritional yeast on popcorn. Oh my gosh, it's incredible.
Bryan (17:06.919)
Uh-huh.
I have not tried that. I've just been sprinkling water, honestly, to get the nutritional use to stick, but the pickle juice sounds really interesting. That's a great idea. So very cool, see? Thank you. Some great tips coming right out of this show. Do you have a big success story or any super impactful transformation story that you'd like to share with us that just demonstrates that and reinforces it?
Rachael Brown (17:16.957)
Yeah, salty.
Rachael Brown (17:38.249)
Yeah, man, so many. I mean, first of all, I always forget to mention my five-year-old nephew is healthy now. He's 19 years old, thriving. Yes, yes, and they've continued to eat this way. My kids are now 20 and 22. They started this when they were six and eight. They are away at out-of-state colleges eating this way on their own. They cook whole food, plant-based, no oil. They send me pictures of their dinner, and I'm like, can I come over? Because it looks terrific.
Bryan (17:45.11)
That's so good to hear.
Bryan (18:05.93)
Yes.
Rachael Brown (18:06.497)
And this is from some kids who, you know, my son didn't want to eat anything green for a long period of time. So it's really incredible how it can work. But I also get emails monthly from people who have read the book or hear me speak somewhere. I mean, my favorite in the last three months, an 87 year old emailed me and said, I heard you speak at the senior center and I just wanted to let you know, my husband and I are off all our medications and we've lost 14 pounds.
So even people that are 87 are making changes, which it shouldn't be surprising because all this lines up with all that the doctors, do you call them Campbell, Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. McDougall, Dr. Anthony Lim, all these amazing physicians say, there's no age limit on bettering your health, right? So even at 87, you can get off medications, you can feel better, you can have energy to play with your grandkids.
Bryan (18:57.439)
Mm-hmm.
Rachael Brown (18:57.801)
I have, I really enjoy working with athletes as well. So I've had some athletes who've had injuries. So one gentleman had gained a lot of weight, had a new job sitting at a desk. He'd injured his Achilles, couldn't work out. And so he really thought he needed to be able to work out in conjunction with changing how he ate to lose the weight. And it was really fantastic to help him understand that he could be eating more food. It just needed to be whole food, plant-based food. And
Bryan (19:25.55)
That's right.
Rachael Brown (19:25.577)
He started making his own food and lost all the weight that he wanted to lose. And this was all without being able to get back on the bike, which was his chosen workout. And so just helping people see that it really is about the food. And yes, of course, exercise and sleep and life, all those things are very important, but what you're putting in your body three times or more a day really has the biggest effect outright on how your health is.
what your health outcome is going to be.
Bryan (19:58.978)
It's just so simple yet I find like the cultural, the cultural barriers to be the strongest ones to try and overcome that, you know, I was, I was just reading. It wasn't even, it wasn't even a, a vegan, a vegan or plant based individual trying to say this. It was just like, it was, I think it was just a general fitness coach saying like, look, American culture has really created this society where every time there's a celebration, we just throw.
bad stuff in our mouths, you know, whether it's sugar or alcohol, you're just constantly just rewarding yourself with these bad, bad things. And we have to change that narrative in some way, shape or form that maybe you get to buy the forks sick book instead, or you get to treat yourself to a movie or something instead of a birthday cake and alcohol. So, well, I want to go ahead.
Rachael Brown (20:47.105)
Yeah.
Rachael Brown (20:50.565)
And there's, to your point, oh, I was just gonna say there's a holiday every day these days, right? So there's something to celebrate every single day. So that's such a tricky, tricky thing. And I was just gonna say, to your point, I think in the beginning, I thought everybody just needs to know this information. If we know better, we'll do better. And yes, that's partially true. But the other part is that this is not the easiest choice to make. And so you're always having to battle that.
Bryan (20:56.858)
I know, yes.
Bryan (21:02.527)
Mm-hmm.
Bryan (21:17.634)
Mm-hmm.
Rachael Brown (21:19.685)
And part of that is trying to set this up in your natural environment as being the easiest choice to make, right? By removing those obstacles. So you don't have to think, you know, am I going to have chips or dry popcorn? You know, like there are no chips. So I guess if I'm hungry, I'll have some popcorn, you know, you know, you don't have ice cream in the freezer for when you want it. You'd have to get in your car and drive to the store for that if you really wanted to do that. So and then surrounding yourself with, you know, resources, friends, podcasts.
Bryan (21:36.138)
Right. Yeah.
Bryan (21:43.822)
That's right.
Rachael Brown (21:48.225)
books, all these kinds of things that can help spur you on when it feels like an uphill bout.
Bryan (21:54.274)
That's awesome. Well, I want to pivot a little bit over to the business side of it, right? Because we have to make money as plant-based individuals and plant-based business owners and stuff like that. So as we do have some plant-based entrepreneurs, hopefully watching these shows, what advice would you give to somebody, you know, jumping into starting a plant-based business or nutrition or wellness space, or even following your footsteps and writing a book? What are some of the lessons you've learned and what would you recommend?
Rachael Brown (22:23.489)
Yeah, you know, I would echo the gentleman I heard, I was listening to on your podcast, a gentleman who's doing.
algae to take to the moon. Don't get in it for the money, I would say. You know, it's, and he's got a much bigger business than me, but really I think it's follow your own passion. You know, for me, I just really wanted to share this information. I was trying to find the way that made sense for me. And so I think being true to yourself and, you know, finding your people in whatever space you're in, doing whatever you can where you're at.
Bryan (22:34.919)
That's right.
Rachael Brown (22:57.169)
is going to be the most sustainable thing because, you know, a lot of things, you can get a quick start at something, but it's the day-to-day grind. You're going to have to want to enjoy still doing this a few years down the road. So, yeah, the book publishing space is a weird, wild space these days, this wild, wild west. So I actually self-published through a company and it was a great experience, but it means that I'm my own publisher. So
Bryan (23:18.338)
Mm-hmm.
Rachael Brown (23:26.621)
That's kind of my full-time, part-time job, finding speaking gigs and all that stuff. So yeah, I think as long as you're dedicated to it, you'll find it to be really enjoyable and it'll resonate with people who are also looking for something that they maybe didn't even know they were looking for. But the joy of finding other creators, collaborators, people who are excited about this in this space is really helpful too.
Bryan (23:31.298)
That's right.
Bryan (23:56.142)
That's awesome. What do you see as some of the future plant-based nutrition and sustainability trends? Like what do you see coming down the tubes?
Rachael Brown (24:06.017)
You know, I would say that, like in your experience probably, 14 years ago there wasn't a lot on the shelves. You know, if you talk to somebody about being vegan, they maybe had heard that term, but definitely not whole food plant based, you know, like, yeah, you're crazy, what is this stuff? So I would say that lately it's been nice that these are more everyday terms. People are somewhat familiar with them, but they're getting confusing.
Bryan (24:18.885)
Yeah.
Rachael Brown (24:30.221)
would say. You know, plant based is slapped on all kinds of labels now of things that may or may not be plant based. It's confusing with all the transition type foods out there, you know, the impossible meats and beyond meats, which are a fantastic thing for the environment and for people who are finding it hard to make a transition otherwise. But I think for the health and long term health of people on the planet, we really need to educate people about
what is real food and what is processed and ultra processed food and what place does that have in our bodies and in the planet, which I don't think long-term is gonna be a wonderful one. So trying to help people understand the facts and just like you said, it's really simple. But I don't think we often like simple answers. We want it fast or we want to complicate it. We want to still be able to have.
Bryan (25:22.22)
Right.
Rachael Brown (25:25.973)
that thing that we're missing, so we want to somehow work it into food or whatever. But realizing how simple and easy it can be, that is really the joy. And then having fun with it. You know, once you learn what you can eat in this space, like the world is your oyster. I don't know what the vegan phrase for that is, but you can really do so much. You know, you'll start to love dill pickle and nutritionally popcorn, you know, you'll.
Bryan (25:43.95)
That's right.
Hehehe
Rachael Brown (25:51.881)
You'll really love and crave a black bean or a beet burger, you know, things that sounded crazy not that long ago But um, I think yeah sticking true to the whole food plant-based Really educating people because the studies are coming out now that Junk food vegans people are eating a lot of processed foods are having worse health outcomes than people on the standard american diet So, I mean, maybe we're helping the planet a little bit, but we're not helping people by suggesting they you know
Bryan (25:59.744)
Mm-hmm.
Rachael Brown (26:21.597)
eat a lot of junk. So that's gonna be, I think, a big challenge moving forward is helping grow these alternatives that will help the planet maybe transition, but helping people know what their place is in the big scheme.
Bryan (26:24.982)
I-
Bryan (26:35.542)
Yeah. And it, and it's so true because like, I think it was some article and I want to say it was Vogue of some sort, just talking about how marketing to the, to the, uh, the new, the newest age group, I forget what they're called now, but is changing, right? They're, they're in the cyclical media consumption where they're getting their news from Tik TOK and YouTube. They're getting their product announcements. They're getting their marketing all in one sort of iterative loop and cycle. So
Rachael Brown (26:53.035)
Mm.
Bryan (27:04.998)
Um, you're going to see some rapid change and I guess it is an election year. So make sure you go out and you vote for people that are going to help move this forward the right way, whether it's one side or the other, it doesn't matter as long as they're helping, you know, improve the school menus. And, and I think like at least trying to help us ban high fructose corn syrup. That's not in ketchup in all of Europe, but it's in every ketchup bottle I've ever seen in America. So yeah, I mean, just.
get out there and vote with your wallets and stick to your beliefs on that. So it's just been so enlightening to unpack this. And I'm so excited to try some pickled nutritional use popcorn this weekend. Here now got me looking forward to that. I'm thinking like, do I even have any pickle juice left in my refrigerator? But just give us a recap of like.
Rachael Brown (27:36.163)
Yeah.
Rachael Brown (27:49.857)
Hehehehe
Bryan (27:55.07)
What's what's some of the other tips and tricks in the book? And how do we get the book? And how do we get in touch with you?
Rachael Brown (28:02.521)
Sure. My website, www. You can order the book there. You can order it anywhere you get books. It's on Amazon, Barnes and Noble. Yeah, you can find it anywhere. And in the book, there are some recipes. It's not a cookbook, but there are some recipes to get you going in there. I have some more recipes on my website, list of resources in the book and on the website. Yeah, you can follow me on Instagram and Facebook, both at For Forksake Book.
And yeah, you know, share the news with anybody you can. I would say just grab a copy, read it yourself or get an ebook, send it to somebody, a audio book, however you take in material. But yeah, plant one in your doctor's office or take one to your local library. I'm looking for ways to get it out there as much as I can just to help people.
have their eyes open to the reality of our food system and what we can do ourselves. Because like you said, and like we've said throughout this, it really isn't that hard. It's just really learning some basics. And that's what I walk people through, how to really get the basics down, how simple and easy it can be taking some of your favorite meals right now. It doesn't have to be moving to just straight salads. I mean, people will tell me, I don't like salads. I'm like, you never have to have a salad if you don't want to, you know? If your favorite meal is chicken enchiladas.
Bryan (29:20.478)
Right. That's right.
Rachael Brown (29:25.425)
we can make a whole food plant-based enchilada that you will learn to love. You know, and you might love it the first time you have it, you know, you might have to try a couple recipes, but you will find one that you love. So keep it simple and it will work for you, I promise.
Bryan (29:30.158)
That's right.
Bryan (29:40.574)
And it's interesting because I have my lunch sitting here. So I just have to show you, I have my, my three bean salad and there's no lettuce in this thing at all, you know, it's like, that's what I'm saying. It's called a salad, but there's no lettuce in it. It's just three different kinds of beans and some other stuff. So I agree with you and commend you on helping push this initiative forward so much for us. So, um, what's, what's next? Is there a book number two and you know, what can our community do to help you?
Rachael Brown (29:46.825)
Awesome. Right? Right.
Rachael Brown (30:08.749)
Yeah, you know, people keep asking and I don't have a plan yet for book number two, but maybe it's on the horizon. I'm just continuing to speak and spread this news as much as I can. I'm speaking at the Santa Cruz VegFest this weekend. I'll be at a bookstore in Fremont this next week. So yeah, speaking everywhere I can just to try and get this news out there. And yeah, you know, I don't know if followers have ideas, you know.
I would love there to be more in the kid space or high school kind of health class just to have this kind of information introduced or middle school. I know there's not really home ec anymore. This is maybe part of the problem that our kids aren't really learning how to cook or eat like maybe we used to, but trying to figure out ways to get this information to maybe younger folks so that it's not all new. They don't have to have a health problem for them to research this, but that this would maybe be a normal way of life. So.
Yeah, we'll see if that's on the horizon.
Bryan (31:06.41)
love it. And it's like, so mom, if you're listening, a copy of Rachel's book is on its way to you. So I'll have that over to her. But I, to me, I'll plant the seed for you. The next book should really be for all of us that are living in these split households where one person has decided to go down this journey and the other hasn't. So there are, you know, process things in my house and cookies that got too much milk in them and other stuff. So
it that's a struggle on I can resist it and I've just built up my tolerance to resisting it. But how do you manage that household where it's still in the house even though you don't want it to be kind of a thing. So that might be a good idea for book number two. But we really appreciate you being on the show, Rachel. Thank you for coming back. I hope you come back when book two is ready or if you any got any other thing else you want to share in the future with us.
Rachael Brown (31:36.183)
Yeah.
Rachael Brown (31:51.319)
Yeah.
Rachael Brown (31:59.729)
I would love to. Thank you so much for having me, Brian. It's been my pleasure.
Bryan (32:05.014)
That is all the time we have for this episode of Plant Based on Fire. So thank you again so much, Rachel, for being here, sharing your insights and experiences with us and the community. Until next time, everybody, keep that fire burning.
Comments