Thought For Food Podcast

This week is the first Patreon-exclusive episode of the podcast. We felt really compelled to start producing exclusive content for everyone that pledges their support on Patreon with $5 or more per month, so we can continue pushing forward with the show. These questions are from members of Patreon, and we think this is our best Q&A yet. It's also our longest episode yet! But we dig into some really great questions and give very detailed and thoughtful responses, so we hope you enjoy! If you haven't already, consider supporting our work on Patreon to gain access to exclusive content and make the show better. It means so much! Questions we cover include: Should you eat whole plant sources of fat if you have cardiovascular disease? What options are there for careers in nutrition? Evidence based perspective on distilled water? Thoughts on BCAA supplements? Important insights into key vitamin supplementation for vegans target amount of protein for gaining muscle? What's the deal with vegan dating?

In this final podcast of 2017, Jackson and Aaron discuss a recent listener concern from the previous random show as well as our future goals for 2018. Please consider supporting the show so we can make it happen! www.patreon.com/thoughtforfood Connect with TFF: Website: tfflifestyle.com Instagram: instagram.com/tfflifestyle Facebook: facebook.com/tfflifestyle Thought For Food Club: facebook.com/groups/tffclub Twitter: twitter.com/tfflifestyle Patreon: patreon.com/thoughtforfood YouTube: bit.ly/tfftv Podcast: bit.ly/TFFitunes    

Reading is cool. It helps you learn and stuff. We read a lot of awesome books in 2017 and wanted to share them with you so you can read them too. In a world of constant digital stimulation, reading is becoming a lost art. Let's all read more in 2018. Let us know your favorite reads of the year! Thank you so very much to everyone who listened and supported TFF in 2017. Let's make 2018 even more EPIC! Love you all. -Jackson and Aaron       Check out the Plant Based on a Budget 2018 Challenge! It's a super affordable, yet incredibly valuable set of meal plans and recipe guides to hack the supermarket and do this whole plant-based thing on the super cheap. We recently had Toni Okamoto, the founder of PBOB, on the show and she has created this resource to help you (or someone you know!) so hop on in! It's starting next week. Learn more at: http://bit.ly/tffpbob   Subscribe to our newsletter, Thought For Food Thursday, to keep up with the latest news and helpful resources pertaining to all things scien

100 EPISODES! THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF THIS CRAZY JOURNEY! Because TFF is so dedicated to science and approaching nutrition and lifestyle through an evidence-based lens, understanding and utilizing scientific research is absolutely essential to what we do. It’s also critical for maintaining reason and the anti-dogmatic and non judgmental perspective we believe in, and is integral to many of our episodes. We understand not everyone has training in things like statistics, study design, and interpreting research findings to make educated and practical decisions about health and nutrition, so we felt compelled to bring on an expert to help aid you in understanding this stuff better. It is our responsibility and duty as science educators to make a more science literate community. We want you to become badass #science warriors. Today’s guest is perfect to aid us in this mission. Micaela Karlsen is in the final stages of her PhD at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, specializing in Nut

        In this Random Show, Aaron and Jackson talk about things they're excited about and some interesting ideas for next year. Please consider supporting the show so we can make it happen! www.patreon.com/thoughtforfood Connect with TFF: Website: tfflifestyle.com Instagram: instagram.com/tfflifestyle Facebook: facebook.com/tfflifestyle Thought For Food Club: facebook.com/groups/tffclub Twitter: twitter.com/tfflifestyle Patreon: patreon.com/thoughtforfood YouTube: bit.ly/tfftv Podcast: bit.ly/TFFitunes    

As we approach year two and 100 episodes of the podcast, we've been reflecting on the experience and where we want to go in 2018 and beyond. We're at a bit of a crossroads — keep pushing on and plateau because of our life and work commitments, or see if we can really make TFF into the dream we envision? We would really really like to do the latter. In order to that, we need your help. Thought For Food has always been, and always will be, community focused. We listen to our tribe and it's clear that you want more frequent What's The Deal episodes, more practical nutrition information, more merchandise, and then extending TFF into in-person camps and events. The problem is that we're pretty much maxed out. Aaron has two young kids and a full time nursing job, and Jackson just took on a nearly full time job and is halfway through his graduate degree. In order to get to a place where TFF can continue growing and bringing you the quality of content you deserve, we need to bring in some income in order to sustaina

As much good as the animal protection industry is doing and focused on promoting the fair treatment of animals, the reality is it’s lacking in diversity and inclusivity when it comes to the composition of advocates and employees in this space. In fact, only 11% of staff within the animal protection movement identify as people of color, which contrasts with the fact that 38% of our country is made up of people of color. Clearly if we want to move this mission forward in a more productive, creative, and effective way, we must move forward as it comes to diversity and inclusivity. Enter Encompass. A brand new nonprofit organization started by today’s guest, Aryenish Birdie, to meet this goal of improving the diversity and inclusivity of the animal protection movement. Aryenish has spent 20 years in this space, most prominently working at the Physician’s Committee For Responsible Medicine in the area of addressing animal testing. After recognizing the need for supporting people of color in this movement, Aryenis

On the Random Show this week, Jackson sits down with his brother from another mother, the kiwi sex god, Dylan Steeples of the Plant Power Podcast to talk about everything from starting a passion project as a young person, sexuality, and more. Check out Dylan's podcast at plantpower.co.nz and on iTunes and SoundCloud. Connect with TFF: Website: tfflifestyle.com Instagram: instagram.com/tfflifestyle Facebook: facebook.com/tfflifestyle Thought For Food Club: facebook.com/groups/tffclub Twitter: twitter.com/tfflifestyle Patreon: patreon.com/thoughtforfood YouTube: bit.ly/tfftv Podcast: bit.ly/TFFitunes    

We've both been big fans of Dr. Rhonda Patrick's nutrition science podcast, Found My Fitness, for some time now. She's insanely intelligent, and brings on guests from all spectrums of science. One of Dr. Patrick's fascinations is genetics, and how specific variations within individual genes affect our disease risk and nutrient absorption and how that affects our healthspan, known as genetic polymorphisms. Of course, only about 20% of our general chronic disease risk is due to genes alone, and the other 80% or so is due to lifestyle (so things like diet, relationships, environment, and exercise). However, we believe it's important to learn about and experiment on ourselves, and do whatever we possibly can to reduce the risk of dying from otherwise preventable means. And thrive as humans, maximizing our potential. So, in true TFF fashion, we nerded out. A few weeks ago, we each decided to take the basic 23andme ancestry test (pay $100, spit in a tube, send tube to lab for analysis) to sequence our genome. Y

Let's face it. Thanksgiving is a pretty tough holiday to navigate for us on vegan/plant-based diets. With family coming together and often being the outsider when it comes to diet on the holiday focused on gluttony of eating animal products and other unhealthy foods, it can be intimidating to maintain your routine and confidence. It doesn't have to be this way, though. This week on the show, we discuss our best tips for overcoming mainly the social struggles of Thanksgiving for the plant-based person, but also touch on the food side and our advice for navigating the Thanksgiving holiday (but it applies to any holiday as well for the most part). As controversial and gluttonous as Thanksgiving can be, it's incredibly important to remember the underlying theme, which is to be grateful and thankful for the amazing things we have. To spend time with family and break bread together, sharing stories and laughter. We are grateful for you. For your support, your time, and your shared passion to make the world a bet

In today's Random Show, we talk more about our thoughts and ruminations on social media and how the vision of TFF fits into a highly connected and digital world. Connect with TFF: Website: tfflifestyle.com Instagram: instagram.com/tfflifestyle Facebook: facebook.com/tfflifestyle Thought For Food Club: facebook.com/groups/tffclub Twitter: twitter.com/tfflifestyle Patreon: patreon.com/thoughtforfood YouTube: bit.ly/tfftv Podcast: bit.ly/TFFitunes

Jackson Foster is on an epic cycling-fueled spiritual quest from Alaska to South America (and beyond). After taking the plunge as a full on minimalist digital nomad, Jackson has simplified his life to the bare necessities — carrying everything he owns and needs on his touring bike, including his entire vlogging setup. Yep, he's daily vlogging his experience from the road, sharing the insane beauty of his journey and the people he's met. As a result, he's had a lot of time to think and reflect, and has a lot of amazing stories and spiritual philosophies to share. I caught up with Jackson for the second time on this show while he was in Oregon, on his way south from Alaska. We talk about his bike setup, crazy stories from the road, what he's been eating to fuel himself, and then get deep on greater philosophy and spirituality as it relates to things like "do epic shit" and lifestyle design. It was one of the best conversations we've had, so really excited to share it with you. Be sure to follow Jackson's adven

I have been riding road bikes for half of my time on this planet. It's so deeply intertwined with my day to day life that it's almost second nature to me. It has brought so many amazing experiences and relationships from riding the highest paved road in North America to riding with my friends Gruff and Ian in the Alps, and I want you to experience that sensation in your own life. We recently did a podcast about exercise and redefining our relationship to it, and discussed how we want to go more in depth on specific sports that we have expertise with. From the gear to nutrition, I felt like it would be helpful for everyone interested in the sport of cycling to hear more specifics on how to do it - a sort of Cycling 101 class. For beginners and experts alike, there's a ton of great information in here, as well as a special surprise from Vegan Athletic Apparel ;). I covered a lot, and hope it's helpful! If I missed anything you were hoping I'd cover, please shoot me an email to tfflifestyle@gmail.com, and be sur

Today's randomness includes social media talk, the importance of in-person community in the future of TFF, and more.   Connect with TFF: Website: tfflifestyle.com Instagram: instagram.com/tfflifestyle Facebook: facebook.com/tfflifestyle Thought For Food Club: facebook.com/groups/tffclub Twitter: twitter.com/tfflifestyle Patreon: patreon.com/thoughtforfood YouTube: bit.ly/tfftv Podcast: bit.ly/TFFitunes

There exists a grand order of elite animal rights advocates that have quite literally been changing the game for how animals, from chickens to wolves, are treated in this world. Like the Justice League for animals, these plant-based superheroes often work behind the scenes on changing policy or technology, creating a powerful ripple effect that has improved the lives of billions of animals in recent years. You might have heard my conversation with Nathan Runkle, founder of Mercy For Animals, who is one of these heroes. And today, I’m beyond excited to bring another animal rights superhero to your ears, the one, the only, Paul Shapiro.   Paul is the vice president of policy at the Humane Society of the United States, one of the organizations leading the way to a better future for animals through animal rescue, care, protection, and advocacy. Paul focuses on shifting the political landscape towards advancing animal welfare in this country. He began his career for animals in high school, becoming vegan after le

Intermittent fasting. Water fasting. Time restricted eating. Juice cleanses. Many of us have heard about these things, often knocking them as fads or extreme ways of living. However, there seems to be a lot of buzz lately about the benefits of fasting. So what does the science say? Well, you're in the right place. After hearing about the evidence behind time restricted feeding or intermittent fasting on Dr. Rhonda Patrick's podcast and elsewhere, Aaron decided to try it out for himself. Alongside a regular sauna routine combined with an overall healthy, whole foods plant-based diet, he has seen profound benefits. From sleep quality to endurance gains, we've both felt the positive effects of eating our food within a 9 or 10 hour window during the day. But how does this actually work? What's happening metabolically and physiologically to stimulate these effects? In true TFF What's The Deal fashion, we set off to find out. It's been quite some time since we recorded a WTD episode, and that's due to the immense

We have spent a considerable amount of time discussing things like exercise addiction and the mental side of sport on this podcast, but we've been searching for an expert on the subject to come talk about it from their professional perspective. After learning about Dr. Kristin Keim through some mutual friends and other podcasts, she seemed absolutely perfect for this. Dr. Keim received her doctorate in clinical psychology and her master's in sports psychology from JFK University. She’s a certified consultant in the Association for Applied Sport Psychology and is a member of the US Olympic Committee Sport Psychology and Mental Training Registry. She’s done research on traumatic brain injuries in athletes, athlete identity, depression in athletes, and the transition out of sport. Her philosophy towards working with athletes is integrative, focusing on things like meditation, motivational interviewing, stress management, and beyond. She has a history as a competitive cyclist and dancer, and has combined those ex

In this very special edition of the Random Show, Jackson sits down with Allen Saakyan - a polymath, empath, and passionate science communicator. He's the founder of the Eureka! comedy series that aims to make complex issues in science relatable through humor and entertainment. We discuss the importance of science communication in nutrition and beyond in the Mission District of San Francisco. We also broadcasted this live on Facebook if you want to see the video: bit.ly/2hIaxyW Connect with Allen: Eureka! www.eurekacomedy.com/ World's Fair Nano: www.worldsfairusa.com/nano/ny/2017/ The Simulation: www.simulationseries.com/ Instagram: instagram.com/allensaakyan Connect with TFF: Website: tfflifestyle.com Instagram: instagram.com/tfflifestyle Facebook: facebook.com/tfflifestyle Thought For Food Club: facebook.com/groups/tffclub Twitter: twitter.com/tfflifestyle Patreon: patreon.com/thoughtforfood YouTube: bit.ly/tfftv Podcast: bit.ly/TFFitunes

  Let's face it. We love answering questions. We don't claim to know everything, but we're obsessed with trying to parse out some truths in science, nutrition, exercise, and beyond. This is why we started this podcast. And Q&A's have always been an integral goal to helping us help the world. So behold! Q&A #10. We have started getting more questions than we can answer at one time, so we apologize if yours didn't make the cut. We really appreciate everyone that provided questions, and we hope we answered them without being too obnoxious. There's a lot of great stuff in here, including: best foods and practices for preventing and managing osteoporosis and arthritis how many epic dumps per day is optimal, and what foods lead to the most epic of the dumps? how to talk to young kids about plant-based lifestyles how did we get into exercise? lots more! Any relevant information or links will be linked below. We hope this episode helps you in some way, and makes you think of other questions to ask! If yo

In this Random Show, Jackson and Aaron discuss overnight oatmeal, what's new in their lives, and struggles with motivation, social media, and Crackhead Jackson. Connect with TFF: Website: tfflifestyle.com Instagram: instagram.com/tfflifestyle Facebook: facebook.com/tfflifestyle Thought For Food Club: facebook.com/groups/tffclub Twitter: twitter.com/tfflifestyle Patreon: patreon.com/thoughtforfood YouTube: bit.ly/tfftv Podcast: bit.ly/TFFitunes