Food for Thought with Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Join me for a great episode in which I answer some really common but important questions about how to deal with people who poke fun at or ignore your concern about animals. I also answer a great question about the myth that it costs more to eat healthfully. All of this follows my joyful riff about living among wildlife.Thank you to today's podcast sponsors:Animalearn - animalearn.org/compassion (free resources for opting out of animal dissection in schools)FakeMeats.com - fakemeats.com (your one-stop shop for your favorite vegan meats!)Music by Gosta Berling - gostaberling.comTHIS EPISODE COMES IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR INDIEGOGO CAMPAIGN to bring BACK The 30-Day Vegan Challenge. Please support and share! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

The first edition of The 30-Day Vegan Challenge book sold almost 20,000 copies before going out of print. Help me bring back a new (improved) edition so it can resume changing and saving lives. Listen to this episode to find out why I need YOU to make this possible. We have only 30 days to make this possible! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

So many vegans have been conditioned to be apologetic, self-effacing, or even ashamed for manifesting their values. Lest they be called selfish, rigid, or unreasonable, many compromise what they care about most to please someone else. This plays out in many scenarios but especially during wedding-planning. Whether or not you're getting married, this episode will pertain to you, as it focuses on why you can and should speak up for who you are and what you want.Thanks to today’s podcast sponsors: Animalearn - animalearn.org/compassion (free resources for opting out of animal dissection in schools) Coral8 - coral8.com (fashionable, economical, ethical shoes for women) Field Roast - fieldroast (the best artisan, vegan grain meats) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

I get a lot of questions from both men and women about finding compassionate clothing and shoes made without animal skins, fur, hair, or other body parts(!) - that are both fashionable as well as affordable. Today, I share my thoughts about why it costs a little more to make ethical wares, and I assure you that you don't have to trade fashion for compassion. You can have both. I also explain how Colleen Patrick-Goudreau almost became Alexandra Goudrick. Tune in to find out what the heck I'm talking about!Thanks to today's podcast sponsors:Animalearn - animalearn.org/compassion (free resources for opting out of animal dissection in schools)Coral8 - coral8.com (fashionable, economical, ethical shoes for women)FakeMeats - fakemeats.com (your go-to online store for vegan meats and jerky) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

My love of film began when I was very young and my parents took me to the movies every Friday night. Granted, some of the films I saw were incredibly inappropriate for my age, but I'll always be grateful for seeing Benji in the theatre when I was 6 years old. I almost didn't make it through for all the tears I cried, but it is truly one of my earliest memories of realizing how empathic I am. If someone else is suffering, I can't help but suffer, too - and so we have the beginning of my animal advocacy. Also, some great callers with great questions for how to live compassionately and healthfully; i.e. vegan.Thank you to our sponsors:Animalearn - animalearn.orgV-Dog - v-dog.comeCornell Center for Nutrition Studies - nutritionstudies.org Music featured:"Across the Lake" by Gosta Berling - gostaberling.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

In today's episode, I discuss the origins of the word "animal," whose root word means "soul" - something humans are in danger of losing if we keep denying non-human animals theirs. Thanks to today's sponsors: 22DaysNutrition.com, AnimaLearn.org, & FieldRoast.com. I also share the origins of other animal-related words (beast, creature, brute, brute and savage) and answer your questions and calls: one being from a student whose science teacher challenges her about animal issues in the middle of class and another being from a woman who wants advice for discarding her wool- and lambskin-lined boots. Finally, there's a question about the difference between Vitamin D2 and D3 - and yet another about what I feed my cats (for the umpteenth time: meat!).Thanks to today's sponsors:*22DaysNutrition - protein and energy bars and powder - 22daysnutrition.com*Animal Learn, the education division of AAVS - animalearn.org*Field Roast, the makers of artisan vegan meat - fieldroast.com This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

In this episode, I share my experience sleeping in my 20th county in California (Napa), booking an Air B&B for the first time, eating vegan in Napa Country (particularly in the towns of Napa and Helena), and I answer such questions as "How do you respond to folks who say 'it must be hard to be vegan' as you stand there with a plate of carrots at a fancy wedding dinner?" and "How can I find vegan antibacterial soap" and "How do I humanely discourage roaches from taking up residence in my home?" Check out all this - and more - in today's episode...sponsored by FakeMeats.com - vegan meats galore! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

In today's episode, I share my recommendations for some kitchen design elements that might be helpful to you whether you're remodeling or not, and I answer several of your questions, including how to respond to people who say "it must be hard to be vegan," "I had a great weekend hunting," and "why don't animal advocates spend their time taking care of human issues instead of animal issues?" The last one hits a particularly raw nerve for me, and I spend a chunk of the episode demonstrating how animal issues touch every other social justice issue and how the problem isn't that there are people trying to make the world a more compassionate place; the problem is that there are so many people doing nothing at all. Please enjoy, share, and comment!Thanks to all of the listener sponsors, as well as 22DaysNutrition.com and VegieFresh.com, for making this episode possible. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Join me for today's episode as I tell the story of intervening when I found a sick raccoon while traveling and as I answer questions related to my favorite teas, to changing the barometer by which we measure all things vegan, and to coming to terms with the fact that we can't please everyone when trying to do good. An emailer in the "What Would Colleen Do?" segment asked how to handle the "vegan police" who criticize her for organizing dinner meet-ups at non-vegan restaurants.Today's Tweetables: "One life matters - especially to the one whose life it is." ~Colleen Patrick-Goudreau #foodforthought"Effective leaders do their best to make reasonable, mindful decisions, but they also know they can’t please everyone." ~Colleen Patrick-Goudreau #foodforthought This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Eight years. Eight years of food for thought! In celebration of the eight-year anniversary of the podcast, I feature the letters of listeners who have been transformed by “Food for Thought.” The stories are as diverse as the listeners and reflect varied ages and backgrounds, but they all share common threads of hope, transformation, and compassion. I hope you are as moved by the letters as I am humbled by them. If you ever once thought that “people don’t change,” then you’re in for quite a treat. I warn you: there are 2 hours and 15 minutes of the love. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

In today's episode, I relate my interaction with a non-vegan neighbor about whether it's ever possible to keep and kill animals "humanely," and I talk to a couple listeners about how best to represent veganism with non-vegan, animal-loving co-workers and colleagues. The center of this episode, however, is my response to a woman who wrote to me to ask how I can help her reconcile her embarrassment about being vegan and overweight. Not surprisingly, I have an opinion. If you'd like to hear it, take a listen. If you like what you hear, please share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Join me today as I talk about the importance of knowing where we end and another person begins, which is also today's tweetable! This theme runs through my week's re-cap, as well as in this episode's emails and phone calls. In our segment, Verbal Vivisection, I dissect some positive animal idioms, such as "bee's knees" and "busy as a bee" and relatedly recite the first 14 lines of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in Middle English! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Join me today as I talk about my goal of sleeping in every county in California, about writing my next cookbook, and about my experience demystifying “vegan food” with a bed-and-breakfast proprietor. This episode is also the first in which I incorporate your phone calls, which include a question about living with a non-vegan husband, a question about communicating with family about vegan pregnancy, and one about talking about veganism in the most effective, compassionate way. I wrap up the episode with The Compassionate Life segment in which I establish that the foundation of veganism is compassion - from Pythagoras all the way to today. Today’s Tweetable: “When you speak to the highest in people, they respond with the highest that’s in them.” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

In today's episode, I share my experience - and a fun audio clip - from my recent visit to Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, the Albany (NY) VegFest, and Red Robin Song Animal Sanctuary (and vegan guest house). I also answer your questions about whether or not it's "vegan" to visit natural history museums (that feature stuffed dead animals), about what I feed my cats, and about what my favorite teas are. I wrap up today's episode with The Compassionate Life segment in which I share my story about going from a compassionate child to a desensitized adult and back again. Today's Tweetable: "Being vegan is not about trying to be perfect. It’s about doing the best we can do avoid causing harm to someone else." This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Food for Thought has been running for almost 8 years, which is fantastic and incredible – and possible because of the support of my amazing listeners. However, it's time for a change, and change is here! Check out today's brief episode in which I announce the new format for the podcast, including Through a Compassionate Lens (my weekly observations and experiences), Animalia (reviews of animals in arts and culture), Verbal Vivisection (how our language contributes to violence against animals), The Compassionist (my weekly essay), a call-in segment called WWCPGD?, and MORE! The possibilities for the new format are incredibly exciting, and I appeal to you for your support, feedback, and enthusiasm! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Today’s episode focuses on the third stage of "what happens when you stop eating animals"): Coming Out. Join me as I talk about what it means to “come out.” What does it mean to be in the closet? When is the best time to come out? How do you come out? To whom do you come out? And how do you respond to the reactions to your coming out? My intention in this episode is to empower you to come out in such a way that reflects your enthusiasm, demonstrates compassion for family and friends who may not understand (or who may not share your enthusiasm), and to reflect your autonomy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

After providing an overview of The 10 Stages We Go Through When We Stop Eating Animals (check out the previous episode called From Consumption to Compassion, as well as Stage One: Validation), today’s episode focuses on the second stage: Guilt & Remorse. This is the stage where we reflect upon the animals we once ate and feel bad for having done so. Stage 2 is the stage when we say: "How could I have been part of the suffering of animals?" "How do I not get weighed down by the guilt I feel for having contributed to violence against them?" And "I feel bad for eating an animal product by mistake." In this episode, I talk about the difference between guilt and remorse, how to move through remorse through forgiveness, how there is no such thing as a perfect vegan, and I share some symbolic ways we can "make amends" to the animals. Support this podcast today at Patreon.com/ColleenPatrickGoudreau Visit my website: JoyfulVegan.com Join me on an all-inclusive vegan trip: JoyfulVeganTrips.com AFFILIATE PARTNERS: Nama Juicer — Use this link and coupon code COLLEEN10 and get 10% off my favorite juicer. Plaine Products — Use this link and coupon code "compassion" for 15% off my favorite zero waste bath and body products. Complement — Use this link and coupon code "joyfulvegan" and get 10% off my favorite supplements. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

In this episode, I'm thrilled to share with you a very special person named Michele de Montaigne, who lived from 1533 to 1592. He was a writer, philosopher, and inventor of the essay as a proper literary genre. In his aptly titled "Essays," he shares his thoughts - while referencing historical figures, philosophical thinkers, and poets - in order to work out his thoughts about the way to world worked and our place in it. Significantly for our purposes, he was one of the early post-Classical thinkers who challenged some fundamental aspects of Western thought, particularly the idea that we’re superior to other animals. Take a listen and join the Montaigne fan club. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

After providing an overview of The 10 Stages You Go Through When You Stop Eating Animals (check out the previous episode called From Consumption to Compassion), today's episode focuses on the first stage: Validation and the Voracious Consumption of Information. This is the stage when you seek to get your hands on every book, every video, every bit of information you can to confirm with evidence what you already know in your heart. Join me today for the first episode of this series, and find out how I almost became a nun! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Without a doubt, this podcast has saved and changed thousands of lives, and it's imperative it stay on the air. Listen to this short episode about how to make this possible, how to get a free copy of On Being Vegan, and how we can reach thousands more people - all with your help. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Today, I read a very special story called "¡Adiós, Cordera!", written in 1892 by Leopoldo Alas (also known as Clarín). “¡Adiós, Cordera!" is a touching story of two children, named Rosa and Pinín, who love their family's cow, Cordera, like a mother. The family is very poor, and the father realizes that he must sell the beloved cow in order to pay rent. The children are heartbroken, and so is he. I'll let the story speak for itself. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

I love language, and I advocate being thoughtful about the words we use – not in a way that is derisively called “politically correct” but in a way that reflects the truth and doesn’t hide it. I advocate using language that celebrates animals rather than denigrates them. I urge people to use language that says what we mean. Join me today as I talk about doublespeak, euphemisms, jargon, antonyms, oxymoron, semantics, lexical blindfolds, and other elements of language that conceal the truth in order to make us feel better about the horrific things we do to animals. I believe that as long as our violent treatment of animals stays hidden linguistically, our attitudes towards animals are unlikely to change, and they will continue to suffer. But if we choose words that promote compassion and speak truth, we can literally change the way we think about and thus treat animals. It just takes a little practice and awareness. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

I believe that the process of becoming vegan is the process of reclaiming our true compassion and becoming reawakened to it, and I think understanding the journey of going from innately compassionate child to desensitized adult to one whose compassion is re-awakened is key to inspiring it in others and to remaining awake ourselves. Once we become awake, however, another journey begins, and in today's episode, I introduce listeners to the 10 Stages we all go through once we become vegan. I believe that knowing that these stages are very real is crucial to feeling normal, crucial to understanding why people react the way they do when you tell them you’re vegan, and crucial to living in this world as a proud, joyful vegan who can effectively advocate for the animals and on behalf of a compassionate ethic. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Finding a compatible romantic partner is an age-old desire and one that comes with challenges, hopes, fears, and heartbreak - regardless of who you are, where you live, or how you eat. For vegans who want to date only vegans (i.e. like-minded folks who share similar values - something we all went!), the dilemma is the fact that because vegans represent a small segment of the general population (for now!), it narrows our choices somewhat. By the time you weed out potential partners based on age, location, gender, compatibility, etc., you're swimming alone in a pretty small pool. The obvious solution is to broaden our options by dating non-vegans, which comes with its own set of issues. Join me as I share my own experience dating an animal-eater and why it was his character - not his behavior - that drew me to him (and that eventually compelled him to become vegan). I also offer some resources on meeting like-minded folks and on how to best use non-vegan dating websites. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Afraid of being considered controlling, extreme, insulting, rude, or ungracious, some people are afraid to ask friends and family to not bring animal products into their home. Things get more complicated when you live with non-vegans who don't share your desire to draw that line. Join me today as I share some stories about how we can set reasonable boundaries unapologetically and with grace. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

In celebration of the seven-year anniversary of the podcast, I feature the letters of listeners who have been transformed by "Food for Thought." The stories are as diverse as the listeners and reflect varied ages and backgrounds, but they all share common threads of hope and compassion. I hope you are as moved by the letters as I am humbled by them. If you ever once thought that "people don't change," then you're in for quite a treat. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

In honor of Schuster, my beloved cat of 17 years, and Michael Scribner, my dear friend, I tell the stories of the lives and deaths of these two incredible beings who left this world days apart from one another. They both filled this world with love and joy, and they live on through the telling of their stories. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

When you look through the lens of compassion, you see our desire for it everywhere you look; you see the human expression of it everywhere you look; and you see our connection to animals everywhere you look – including in art. I’m most excited by the presence of works of art that span mediums, cultures, genres, and decades, which covertly and overtly illustrate the reverence we have for animals but also the cultural and personal consequences of our violence towards them. Join me today as I explore this topic through two popular novels: Bambi: A Life in the Woods by Felix Salten and Frankenstein by Mary Shelly. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Experience a trip to the United Kingdom through the lens of an animal advocate / literary nerd / vegan. Where else will you learn the origin of the word Shambles, walk on the Yorkshire moors, eat at wonderful vegetarian restaurants, meet British icons Alan Davies and David Mitchell, and hear poetry by William Wordsworth? It's all here in today's episode! Support this podcast today at Patreon.com/ColleenPatrickGoudreau Visit my website: JoyfulVegan.com Join me on an all-inclusive vegan trip: JoyfulVeganTrips.com AFFILIATE PARTNERS: Nama Juicer — Use this link and coupon code COLLEEN10 and get 10% off my favorite juicer. Plaine Products — Use this link and coupon code "compassion" for 15% off my favorite zero waste bath and body products. Complement — Use this link and coupon code "joyfulvegan" and get 10% off my favorite supplements. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

I believe that change will occur for animals only as we change their status, and one thing we need to change is the way we talk about them. Every word we choose can contribute to upholding the existing paradigm that sees animals as ours to hurt, ours to eat, ours to kill, ours to use, as ours to do with whatever we please. OR we can choose words that reflect a new compassionate paragigm: one that sees animals as ours to share this planet with – not as subjects of ours but as co-habitants, as fellow Earthlings. We can shift that paradigm everytime we open our mouths to speak. Join me on an etymological journey that demonstrates that how we talk about animals can liberate THEM and US from our violence against them. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Six years in the making, and it's finally here: The 30-Day Vegan Challenge ONLINE (www.30dayveganchallenge.com). Join me today as I announce and describe this unique, first-of-its-kind, life-changing program that enables you to join anytime and immediately log in to your very own password-protected account to access the daily messages, videos, audio podcasts, resources, and recipes! Addressing your every question and challenge, The 30-Day Vegan Challenge holds your hand the entire time, helping you to break free from old habits and to experience lasting benefits – both tangible and intangible. Stick around for the entirety of the podcast, as I read an incredibly beautiful email at the end that testifies to the power of compassion! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

If you've heard any variation of "Eating meat is a personal preference. I respect your preference not to eat animals just like you should respect my desire to eat them," then today's podcast episode is for you. Is it "respect" someone is looking for when they say that, or is it "approval?" Is it okay for vegans to disagree, and can they still do so with respect? (Pssst...the answer is yes!) Find out that and more (including how there is no such thing as an "animal-eating vegan," though some people declare themselves to be) in today's episode. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

John Oswald, born in Edinburgh in the 1700s (the exact date unknown), was a philosopher, a writer, a poet, a social critic, a revolutionary, and an eloquent voice for animals and compassion. Join me as I celebrate The Scottish Voice of Compassion and read excerpts from his essay,"The Cry of Nature: An Appeal to Mercy and Justice on Behalf of the Persecuted Animals.” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Even though I address a number of typical responses and excuses in previous podcast episodes, I felt it was important to return to this topic, because there really is such an interesting dynamic that takes place when someone says "I'm vegan." Some responses can throw the vegan for a loop, including: "I'm vegan, too, but I eat chicken, fish, and eggs" or "I tried being vegan, but I felt tired and lethargic" or "I used to be vegan, but now I buy 'humane' meat, dairy, and eggs and feel good being connected to my food" or "I used to be vegan, but my acupuncturist told me I had to start eating (animal) meat again, and so I have." Take a listen, and hopefully some of my suggestions will help when replying to such statements. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

In celebration of the six-year anniversary of our podcast, I feature the letters of listeners who have been transformed by "Food for Thought." The stories are as diverse as the listeners and reflect varied ages and backgrounds, but they all share common threads of hope and compassion. I hope you are as moved by the letters as I am humbled by them. If you ever once thought that "people don't change," then you're in for quite a treat. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

You don't really know how opinionated the world is until you become pregnant. And when yiou're VEGAN and pregnant, look out! Tune into today's episode for nutrition recommendations (protein, iron, folate/folic acid, calcium, Omega 3 fatty acids/DHA) and resources and books for being a healthy, happy, pregnant vegan. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

The newest fad diet on the block combines all the trends of the day: "low-carb," "gluten-free," and "low glycemic index," instilling fears about healthful foods and waxing poetic about animal flesh and fluids. You might call this a "retro" diet in that in doesn't look forward; it looks backwards. Way backwards! Not backwards 10 years or 100 years but 20,000 years! Join me as I discuss the The Paleo Diet: why it's not sustainable, why it's a just fad, why its claims cannot be substantiated, and why it appeals to people who Pasturbate. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

As we say goodbye to 2011, I wanted to share with you a number of wonderful ways we'll enter 2012 together. Consider this my Happy New Year message to you filled with special announcements and gratitude for all your support. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Traveling to towns large and small, host Colleen Patrick-Goudreau focuses on the vegan abundance in places whose population is between 2,000 and 3,000, including Murphys, CA and New Hope, PA. She shares her experiences from a recent trip to Animal Place, a sanctuary for farmed animals in Grass Valley, CA, whose population is only 200, when you factor in the human and non-human residents. :) In advance, she thanks Earth Balance and Vegan Essentials for their support and asks listeners to forgive her incessant use of the word "amazing" in this episode. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Navigating through Yellowstone National Park is at once awe-inspiring and thought-provoking. While it is a privilege to experience the natural wonders, the wildlife, and the breathtaking landscape, it's also difficult to see the bison and wolves and not think of the challenges they once faced (both brought to near-extinction) and continue to face now. Join me on a journey through Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks for some politics and pleasure (including favorite hikes and favorite vegan eats)! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Manifesting your values of compassion and wellness in your everyday behavior (i.e. becoming vegan) is a profound and powerful way to live. It's quite literally life-changing, and for some people, just making this change is enough to be part of contributing to a compassionate and nonviolent world But you may want to do even more. So today, I talk about an easy and effective form of advocacy that has countless ripple effects: reaching out to restaurants to encourage them to offer more vegan options or to at least acknowledge on their menus vegan dishes they already have or non-vegan dishes that can be easily veganized. —————— Support this podcast today at JoyfulVegan.com/Donate Visit my website: JoyfulVegan.com Join me on an all-inclusive vegan trip: JoyfulVeganTrips.com AFFILIATE PARTNERS: Nama Juicer — Use this link and coupon code COLLEEN10 and get 10% off my favorite juicer. Plaine Products — Use this link and coupon code "compassion" for 15% off my favorite zero waste bath and body products. Complement — Use this link and coupon code "joyfulvegan" and get 10% off my favorite supplements. Thank you for listening. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

I first introduced B.R. Myers to listeners in an early podcast episode called The Fall of the Excuse-itarians in which I praised him for being one of the few writers for a prominent publication to openly take Michael Pollan and his fellow Excuse-itarians to task for romanticizing, ritualizing, rationalizing, fetishizing, and sexualizing the consumption of animals and their secretions. They're dominating the discourse, and it's not the vegans who are losing. It's the animals who are losing. Join me as I read B.R. Myers' article from the March 2011 issue of The Atlantic. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

WARNING: Radical ideas fill this episode, centering around the suggestion that we try to have compassion for people with whom we disagree or who participate in behavior we find abhorrent. That’s the thing about compassion: it’s gotta be equal opportunity or it’s just inauthentic. It’s easy to be compassionate towards like-minded people; the challenge is choosing to have compassion towards those with whom we disagree. Check out this episode for tips and suggestions on communicating with compassion - but only if you want to create change in the world. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Whether you're traveling for work or pleasure, finding abundance and sustenance while on the road is easy once you know where to look and if you plan ahead (which I argue should be done even when you're NOT traveling). With loads of general tips for finding vegan food in airports, preparing for airplanes, choosing veg-friendly hotels, and traveling internationally, I end this episode with details of my recent travels to Ireland, interpersing food tales with some of our favorite things to do - related to literature (Yeats and more), history (particularly in Dublin and Kilkenny), nature (hikes in Connemara), and animal protection (Donkey Sanctuary and Ballynahinch Castle). —————— Support this podcast today at JoyfulVegan.com/Donate Visit my website: JoyfulVegan.com Join me on an all-inclusive vegan trip: JoyfulVeganTrips.com AFFILIATE PARTNERS: Nama Juicer — Use this link and coupon code COLLEEN10 and get 10% off my favorite juicer. Plaine Products — Use this link and coupon code "compassion" for 15% off my favorite zero waste bath and body products. Complement — Use this link and coupon code "joyfulvegan" and get 10% off my favorite supplements. Thank you for listening. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Though sheep play a huge role in the consciousness of our culture (through nursery rhymes, children's stories, fables, and religion), our primary relationship to them is through our exploitation of them. Whether it's their wool we're shearing, their skin we're wearing, their flesh we're eating, or their milk we're taking, we value sheep as we do other domesticated animals: simply for what we can take from them until they're all used up and shipped to slaughter - literally. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

All of us have been in a situation where a dog or cat (or other animal) crosses our path and potentially needs our intervention, and we have to decide what to do at that moment - animals who are homeless, lost, in distress, being abused, being neglected, or animals who are dead. Although it would be easier and more convenient to turn away, I can't just write it off as being someone else's problem. Because if it's not my problem, whose is it? By virtue of being part of a larger community, I can’t help but feel a responsibility to care for all its members, particularly those who are the most vulnerable. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Though some people do lose weight upon becoming vegan (which makes sense because you're eating fewer calorie-dense foods) and though vegans do have a lower body mass index than non-vegetarians, weight loss is not automatic for everyone. Rather than promise that "if you go vegan, you will lose weight," it's much more accurate to say "people who switch from an animal-based diet to a plant-based diet tend to lose weight effortlessly because plants are much less calorie-dense than animal flesh and secretions." For those for whom weight loss is a goal, it's simply a numbers game: decreasing energy intake and increasing calorie output – and remember – calories are just units of energy. Today we talk about reducing calories. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

All of us have been in a situation where a dog or cat (or other animal) crosses our path and potentially needs our intervention, and we have to decide what to do at that moment - animals who are homeless, lost, in distress, being abused, being neglected, or animals who are dead. Although it would be easier and more convenient to turn away, I can't just write it off as being someone else's problem. Because if it's not my problem, whose is it? By virtue of being part of a larger community, I can’t help but feel a responsibility to care for all its members, particularly those who are the most vulnerable. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Though some people do lose weight upon becoming vegan (which makes sense because you're eating fewer calorie-dense foods) and though vegans do have a lower body mass index than non-vegetarians, weight loss is not automatic for everyone. Rather than promise that "if you go vegan, you will lose weight," it's much more accurate to say "people who switch from an animal-based diet to a plant-based diet tend to lose weight effortlessly because plants are much less calorie-dense than animal flesh and secretions." For those for whom weight loss is a goal, it's simply a numbers game: decreasing energy intake and increasing calorie output – and remember – calories are just units of energy. Today we talk about expending calories. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Today I share some essential components of what happens to be my favorite cuisine. Learn the different varieties of miso and different ways to use what I think should be a staple in every refrigerator. Get tips on how to prepare the most delicious mushrooms on the planet (whether you get them dried or fresh). Discover the true meaning of the word "sushi," which has nothing to do with one fish, two fish, three fish, or bluefish. Learn how you can use agar, the compassionate gelatin of the sea, and find out about the healthful properties of various sea vegetables and how to include them in your diet. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe