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]]>Lifestyle Medicine Programming” to be rolled out across the city as a way to offer healthy lifestyle support to those who need it most. This ground-breaking city-wide health initiative will offer team-based support to individuals who need help eating healthier and coping with chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and other common health conditions that disproportionately impact Black and brown people and those seeking public health assistance in the five boroughs. It’s the most ambitious plan of its kind ever announced by a major US city.
The announcement came just one day after an unflattering Politico story reported that New York’s “vegan” Mayor frequents a restaurant in midtown Manhattan where he regularly eats fish. And while most doctors would characterize a dinner of fish and salad or steamed spinach (as the Mayor reportedly orders) as extremely healthy, it is not a strictly vegan choice since vegans don’t eat fish or other animal products. Still, it is “mostly plant-based” and extremely healthy.
“This is personal to me,” says the Mayor
“Today, New York City is again leading the way with the most comprehensive expansion of lifestyle medicine programming in the nation,” said Mayor Adams. “This is personal to me — a plant-based lifestyle helped save my life, and I’m thrilled that New Yorkers in every zip code will have access to this critical programming. Together, we will stop feeding the health care crisis and ensure all New Yorkers can access the healthy lifestyle they deserve.”
In his book, Healthy At Last, then Brooklyn Borough President Adams told the detailed story of how when he awoke to near-blindness one morning, it sparked a journey toward major lifestyle and dietary changes. He immediately sought medical attention, at which point he learned that he had full-blown diabetes. A plant-based diet helped him lose 40 pounds and reverse his symptoms, to the point where he now no longer requires medication, he wrote.
In sharing his own personal plant-based journey to health, the Mayor has led people to believe that he is vegan. Strict vegans do not eat fish or any animal products. It would be more accurate to instead call the Mayor pescatarian or “mostly plant-based.”
A request for comment from the Mayor on his approach elicited this response:
“Let me be clear – Changing to a plant-based diet saved my life, and I aspire to be plant-based 100 percent of the time. I want to be a role model for people who are following or aspire to follow a plant-based diet, but as I said, I am perfectly imperfect and have occasionally eaten fish.”
A diet of salad, vegetables, and fish is considered one of the healthier dietary approaches, according to most cardiologists and other medical or nutrition experts, who would love to see Americans adopt a more Mediterranean style diet for the sake of disease prevention, especially heart disease and to lower their lifetime risk of medical conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure, associated with the Standard American Diet (SAD) that is high in animal fat, sodium and added sugar and highly processed foods.
The mayor has made it his personal mission to help New Yorkers be healthier, and one way he proposes to do that is by espousing a mostly plant-based diet for people who need to lower their risk of chronic conditions such as pre-diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. The vast expansion of health services he is proposing will place New York City at the leading edge of helping its citizens live healthier, longer, more active lives, according to today’s announcement.
New Yorkers will benefit from this ground-breaking healthy lifestyle programming
The program, an expansion of one that was first launched out of a successful diet and lifestyle program at Bellevue, will be “the most comprehensive expansion of lifestyle medicine programming in the U.S.” The new expansion “will provide patients living with chronic disease the tools to make healthy lifestyle changes, including providing them access to plant-based diet resources,” the announcement read.
The program will expand to serve qualifying NYC Health + Hospitals adult patients in six medical centers: Jacobi, Lincoln, Woodhull, Kings County, and Elmhurst hospitals, as well as Gotham Health, Vanderbilt. The program expansion will be implemented over the coming year.
“This expanded programming won’t only touch the lives of the patients served but will extend to the families and communities of every person served,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “That mom with type 2 diabetes or that dad with high cholesterol now has new tools to reclaim their health through everyday choices to eat, manage stress, and sleep better, as well as find enhanced social support.
“These programs can change individual lives by treating, preventing, and even reversing common chronic diseases, but will also ripple through to families and communities of those at risk of or living with a chronic disease. I want to thank Dr. McMacken, Dr. Katz, and all the staff doing this cutting-edge work and making a difference in the lives of so many New Yorkers.”
“Even through the pandemic, heart disease remains the leading killer of New Yorkers, with diabetes not too far behind,” said Senior Advisor for Public Health and Incoming Commissioner of Health Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “To move the needle, we will need to invest in both upstream policy reforms and downstream care and supports. Increasing access to dietitians, health coaches, and physicians through innovative approaches, like the Lifestyle Medicine Program, will help more New Yorkers with cardio-metabolic diseases live longer healthier lives. I applaud Mayor Adams and our colleagues at NYC Health + Hospitals for their leadership and for taking a holistic approach to supporting the health of our communities.”
“I have seen the benefits of lifestyle medicine for patients with chronic diseases in my own clinical practice,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Dave A. Chokshi. “As we continue to fight COVID-19, scaling these services will help build a healthier city for all New Yorkers. I applaud NYC Health + Hospitals for expanding this evidence-based program.”
Doctors praise the lifestyle program as groundbreaking
“As a physician, I know that medicine doesn’t always come in the form of a pill. Eating a diet of fruits and vegetables can help prevent and treat chronic illnesses like heart disease – the leading cause of death among New Yorkers – cancer, and type 2 diabetes,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD. “Low-income New Yorkers are much more vulnerable to these diseases and we want to continue offering them an alternative way of eating that works on a limited budget and is accompanied by a network of medical and nutritional professionals. NYC Health + Hospitals is grateful to Mayor Adams for his continued support and innovation as we tackle the problem of chronic illnesses.”
“The expansion of our lifestyle medicine services to New Yorkers throughout the five boroughs will be a powerful tool in addressing the burden of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and other common chronic conditions, with benefits that could positively impact entire family units and those closest around them,” said Michelle McMacken, MD, executive director, Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals. “We continue to be grateful to all of our advocates and partners who have made our existing lifestyle medicine services a success and this necessary expansion a reality.”
Health and food policy will go hand in hand for New Yorkers
“Today’s announcement that H+H’s lifestyle medicine services are now available in all five boroughs is an exciting step forward for our city,” said Kate MacKenzie, executive director, Mayor’s Office of Food Policy. “Healthy food is essential for a healthy life, and this expansion couldn’t come at a better time for New Yorkers. I am grateful to Mayor Adams for his passion and commitment to helping all New Yorkers make positive lifestyle changes and to Dr. McMacken and the team at H+H for executing on that vision.”
In 2019, with the advocacy of then-Brooklyn Borough President Adams, the Bellevue Plant-Based Lifestyle Medicine Program —among the first of its kind in a safety-net health care setting — was launched. The program takes an interdisciplinary approach to reduce patients’ cardiometabolic risk, where a team of physicians, dietitians, and health coaches support patients in making evidence-based lifestyle changes, including adopting a healthy plant-based diet, increasing physical activity, improving sleep habits, reducing stress, avoiding risky substances, and providing social support. The program has received national attention and there has been a high demand for services, including self-referrals from more than 850 New York City residents.
Each of the sites that will be receiving the expanded lifestyle medicine services will be equipped with a full-time dietitian and health coach, as well as physician teams. Participants will be referred by their health care providers or can self-refer. Eligibility criteria for participants include heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, and/or health concerns related to obesity.
Patients who enroll in one of the programs will receive a full medical evaluation by a team physician, with special attention to current lifestyle behaviors and social needs. They will also meet individually with a dietitian and a health coach and will participate in group education on topics including nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress reduction, and other lifestyle pillars. The lifestyle medicine team will individualize the behavior change approach for each patient, considering cultural traditions, socioeconomic circumstances, family situations, and other key factors.
In addition to expanding access to lifestyle medicine services, NYC Health + Hospitals will partner with the American College of Lifestyle Medicine to help provide additional lifestyle medicine training to care teams, as well as with Plant-Powered Metro New York to offer cooking demonstrations to patients at the Kings County Hospital site.
“We are thrilled to partner with NYC Health + Hospitals to support its patient community with culturally-mindful education and skill-building for healthy eating,” said Lianna Levine Reisner, president and network director, Plant-Powered Metro New York. “Throughout the city, people from all walks of life are being inspired by the power of food for health. They want to learn how to incorporate more fruits, vegetables, and other healthy plant foods onto their plates and into their daily routines. It’s a great step forward to have the investment of the public health care system in life-changing programs and services that prioritize evidence-based nutrition and lifestyle.”
NYC Health + Hospitals’ expansion of lifestyle medicine services builds on its commitment to put healthy eating and other beneficial lifestyle habits at the forefront of patients’ care. In 2019, the system launched Meatless Mondays at all 11 of its acute care hospitals. The program was launched in an effort to provide a broader range of healthy, appealing meal options to inpatients and introduce them to the benefits of plant-based nutrition so that they could make important lifestyle decisions that would lead to living their healthiest lives.
A holistic approach to lifestyle disease
“As a lifelong vegetarian, I know that lifestyle choices have a direct impact on health. I’m excited that NYC Health + Hospitals will expand their lifestyle medicine program to Elmhurst Hospital so that our community can access the life-saving expertise of physicians, dieticians, and health coaches,” said New York City Councilmember Shekar Krishnan.
“NYC Health + Hospitals is leading the way in offering health care services that affect patients’ everyday lifestyle habits,” said New York City Councilmember Julie Menin. “Proper and effective nutritional guides and services are most important for our vulnerable populations, like those with chronic conditions. Expanding the reach of these services citywide provides access to dietary resources that individualizes its patients and offers an equitable approach for contemporary lifestyle needs.”
Medical experts applaud the initiative
“A healthy lifestyle is the cornerstone of any person’s wellbeing,” said New York City Councilmember Chi Osse. “It is wonderful to see the city taking these steps to elevate this important component of health care, as well as to know that this program will be carried out in a culturally-mindful manner.”
“Today we face not just a pandemic of COVID-19, but also a pandemic of cardiovascular disease —which scientific literature demonstrates could be dramatically improved with the nutrition and lifestyle behaviors that Dr. McMacken has championed for years,” said Kim Allan Williams, Sr., M.D., James B. Herrick professor and chief, Division of Cardiology, Rush University Medical Center; past-president, American College of Cardiology. “I applaud Mayor Adams, Dr. Katz, and Dr. McMacken for supporting the expansion of lifestyle medicine programs across NYC Health + Hospitals. This is timely if we expect to improve outcomes, extend lives, reduce health care costs and sustain the planet.”
“We applaud the expansion of this powerful Lifestyle Medicine program throughout the NYC Health + Hospitals system,” said Robert Ostfeld, MD, MSc., director, Preventive Cardiology, Montefiore Health System. “In our aligned Cardiac Wellness Program at Montefiore, we encourage patients to embrace a plant-based diet with the goal of preventing disease and improving cardiovascular risk. In our experience, such interventions can lead to profound health benefits. This NYC Health + Hospitals initiative is an inspiration to health care systems worldwide, a boon for New Yorkers, and we are proud to share a similar vision.”
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]]>Please take this survey and you are automatically entered for a chance to win a $100 gift card. Think of it as our way of showing you appreciation for your time and valued feedback.
Stay well, eat healthy and see ya on The Beet. You can also give us direct feedback by writing to us at info@thebeet.com. We answer every email we receive.
Cheers.
Lucy and the Editors.
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]]>The post Learning to Cook Mostly Plant-Based Cured My Joint Pain. Now I’m Vegan-Ish appeared first on The Beet.
]]>It All Started With Lettuce
My friends and I went to Manhattan to look for after-school jobs. At that time, we were looking for a different kind of green. We found opportunities at a gourmet supermarket, which paid twice what our local store did. Produce and groceries from around the world filled the aisles. There was a real rainbow of fruits and vegetables. Yellow plums, purple eggplants, and blood oranges. My local store could not compete. The training exam asked us to name several kinds of lettuce. Yes! There was an exam for the cashier position. Prior to that moment, iceberg lettuce was my go-to lettuce. After two days of studying, I was a produce manager in training. I named all of seven lettuces from memory: Chicory, Escarole, Arugula, Bibb, Boston, Batavia, Romaine, and I could have gone on. I got the job.
Best Cook in the ‘Hood
Traditions are powerful so although I had an epiphany in the supermarket, I carried many of my childhood food behaviors into adulthood. When it came to throwing down in the kitchen, you had to put your “foot” in the food. The spicier, the juicier, the sweeter the better. What made all of the candied yams, mac and cheese, fried chicken, honey ham, and even the greens so good was, without a doubt, all of the milk, butter, sugar, and love that was poured all over and cooked to perfection. (I equated those ingredients, including the love.) You had to maintain a reputation as someone who could replicate those down-home flavors. You did not want the family to ask you to stay out of the kitchen with an assignment like setting the table. It never occurred to me that the way I was preparing food had anything to do with what I would come next. Yet soon I was faced with my next dilemma.
24 Hours of Pain
In 2017, I woke up one morning with intense pain from the top of my head to my toes. Then it happened the next day and the next. Every morning I woke up and felt like my whole spine was twisting around in my body like one of those little wire ties that you use to keep bread from going stale in its package. I spent many evenings taking over-the-counter pain meds to go to sleep. Mornings were spent drinking coffee and trying to pull it together.
After this crazy merry-go-round of pain, relief from pills, then new pain, I finally found a rheumatologist. Together, we were happy to discover that I did not have Rheumatoid Arthritis or Lupus or Cancer, which had been my worst scenario. But she told me I did have a lot of inflammation in my body. Inflammation is at the root of many wicked diseases, she explained I already knew that many families like mine suffer from diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and obesity at alarming rates and I wanted no part of it. Concerned about my health, the mother of a young daughter, I started researching the foods that can cause inflammation.
From Plant-Curious to Plant-Based
Meat, dairy, sugar, alcohol, and even coffee were high on the list of inflammation suspects. Coffee was the most confusing to me, as some studies show that it does drive inflammation while other studies show that it appears to alleviate it, and acts as a diuretic, pulling fluids from the body. I was hoping that I didn’t have to divorce coffee. I placed myself on a 10-day total body reset and removed all of those items from my diet. After the fifth day, I felt better. I was sleeping through the night and I woke up with less pain. Grocery shopping looked different. I found myself walking through the aisles with new eyes. Merging old flavors with new ones was fun. I remember the day I found quinoa on the shelf and realized that I had been pronouncing it as “kinowa.” Yeah, I had a long way to go, and this new leaning into a plant-based lifestyle definitely expanded my food vocabulary.
Feeling encouraged, I decided to launch Black Girls Eat. I realized that I could go green and become a plant-based advocate dedicated to helping other Black women and families like mine make healthier food choices. These days, you can find me sneaking quinoa into the baked mac and cheese aI made for the whole family for dinner.
I am excited about remixing my plate with plant-based and animal-free foods. I guess you can say I’m putting my green “foot” in it, as I’m still throwing down in the kitchen.
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]]>The post This Octogenarian Couple Share Their Plant-Based Secrets to Longevity appeared first on The Beet.
]]>“We believe that getting older does not necessarily mean getting sicker, so we are providing a series of videos to help you increase your vitality, decrease your anxiety, and even reverse the aging process,” Bob says in the introductory video to their channel below.
Their videos dive into topics such as preventing and reversing disease, eating a plant-based diet, losing weight and having a youthful attitude (we’ll take a double dose of that one). You can browse their whole video library here. There’s also no shortage of videos on qigong tutorials, a meditative martial art that combines a series of postures with breathing and meditation.
“We’re both in our eighties and we’re feeling better than ever, so we’d like you to join us in this journey…let’s get healthy and stay healthy together,” Bob concludes the message, reminding us that achieving a healthy life is a commitment to make for the long-haul.
On their channel, the duo provides plenty of plant-based content, including a video on low-cost plant-based meals for beginners and how a vegan diet can help protect your heart. Want more of this impressive couple? Check out their book 101 Ways To Be Young At Any Age!: Practical Wisdom to Reverse Your Aging, STARTING NOW!
On that note, off we go to practice that qigong sequence.
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]]>The post Follow The Beet on Social Media For a Healthy Plant-Based Lifestyle appeared first on The Beet.
]]>You’ll achieve your health goals by just adding more plants.
On The Beet Facebook page, you will find breaking news articles such as Lizzo announcing she is now raw vegan; new product launches like the Mezcla protein bar–be the first to try it– and new health studies that reveal vital information like you should be taking Vitamin D to fight COVID-19 infection. Plus you’ll be the first among your friends to discover funny memes to share, and facts that you can repeat at a (socially distanced) cocktail party like: “By going vegan for one year, you can save 219,000 gallons of water.”
The Beet’s Instagram page, @thebeet, inspires you to live a healthy plant-based lifestyle with aspirational images, beautiful and easy-to-make recipes, along with entertaining videos, new product updates, plus the latest from your favorite vegan influencers, celebrities, and athletes. get notified when The Beet editors launch Instagram Live videos with health experts and watch quick workout routines you can practice at home to get healthier and filter every day.
Follow The Beet on Twitter, @thebeetofficial which provides you with quick news updates that you’ll want to retweet, like the fact that if we all switched to a mostly plant-based diet over the next ten years we would create 19 million new jobs. We’ll keep you informed with updates from plant-based doctors and experts, and feed you sharable lifestyle stories, like how this one family lost over 1,000 pounds altogether by going vegan and encouraging each other.
Subscribe to The Beet on YouTube, for how-to videos such as delicious recipes from plant-based chefs, and easy exercises to keep you in shape or the latest diet that we tried, like Adele’s sirtfood diet that helped her lose 100 pounds (hint it’s not as easy as you think). We post video versions of roduct reviews by the editors and you can get great ideas from the weekly video series, “What We’re Cooking This Weekend” by our vegan chef JD Raymundo also known as @the_little_almond, Get ready to get creative and enjoy cooking from Friday through Sunday.
Click the “follow” button on The Beet’s TikTok page where you’ll find creative and quick videos from our TikTok editor, Livia Hughes. Livie is on a mission to turn her brother Iain vegan and captures his reaction when he takes a bite of her masterpiece creations. Livie takes you step-by-step through the recipes in quick clips, so you can follow along with her easy steps. Check out the roasted carrot and white bean soup video below that has over 424,000 views.
https://www.tiktok.com/@thebeetofficial/video/6852278307744910597
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]]>The post Influential LGBTQ+ Vegans to Follow in Honor of Pride, and Every Month appeared first on The Beet.
]]>To show our support for Pride and the LGBTQ+ community every day, week, month and year, and celebrate those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, asexual, demisexual, pansexual, demi-gender, non-binary, we are taking this opportunity to highlight six influential vegans and their achievements in the plant-based space. In no particular order, here is who to follow for vegan pride inspiration.
1. Milo Runkle, Animal Rights Activist, and Author of Mercy For Animals
Milo Runkle wants the world to stop abusing animals. He is the founder of Mercy For Animals, the world’s largest farm animal protection and vegan advocacy organization. When asked the question: “Why is being Vegan important to you?” Milo responded, “Because I don’t want to pay others to abuse animals on my behalf.”
Milo has been vegan for 21 years now and advocates for an animal-cruelty free life through his organization, the MFA non-profit which was founded when he was 15 years ago after he witnessed animal abuse in his hometown of Ohio. In an interview, he described the event that impacted him: “The incident took place in 1999 when I was 15 years old. A teacher at a local high school, who was also a pig farmer, brought a bucket of day-old piglets from his farm for the students of his agricultural class to study and dissect. He had attempted to kill the piglets on his farm that morning, but one was still alive. In an effort to finish her off, a student who had worked on the teacher’s farm grabbed the piglet by her hind legs and hurled her headfirst into the ground.” He adds, “his attempt failed; the piglet did not die, though her skull was broken and blood streamed out of her mouth. Horrified, a few students grabbed the dying piglet and took her to another teacher, who transported the piglet to a vet to be euthanized.”
Milo’s mission is to end factory farming and the exploitation of animals for food. He wants to help others make plant-forward decisions and says, “We must be inclusive. We must lead by example as “joyful vegans.” We must focus on effective advocacy that informs, moves, and inspires.” Milo is the author of the best-selling book Mercy For Animals.
2. Alan Cumming, claims that veganism makes him feel young
Alan Cumming is an English actor, comedian, writer, and vegan for 12 years. “I was so bored of everything drenched in cheese, my skin cleared up, and my voice too, I have more energy, I feel younger, I don’t ask my body to cope with unhealthy things.” He goes on to explain that “one of the biggest causes of global warming is because of the meat industry. [It’s so easy to be vegan] there are always vegan options on menus [at restaurants], it’s not earth crunchy people, it’s people who care about the environment and want to be healthy,” said Cumming in an interview with PETA.
Cumming is recognized as “Not a Dairy Queen,” the title of the PETA campaign he posed for four years ago. Dairy Queen heard his message and decided to send Cumming a box of their new vegan ice cream to try and convince him otherwise.
3. Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi, plant-based power couple
Comedian Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, actress Portia de Rossi, invested in plant-based company Miyoko’s Creamery, a popular brand for plant-based butter and cream cheese. Their investment will help with the development of new products. The power couple focused on reducing their intake of meat for many years and now maintain a plant-based diet. Although Ellen admitted she will eat eggs from time to time, any step towards a plant-based future is an achievement. Speaking about her diet, Ellen says, “It’s a great idea for the planet. It’s a great idea for your health. It’s a great idea for the animal’s health,”
4. Miley Cyrus, vocal vegan animal rights activist
Talented singer and actress Miley Cyrus openly speaks about LGBTQ+ rights and identifies as pansexual. The star recently told Hailey Bieber on an episode of “Bright Minded,” an Instagram show, that the reason she left her church was “that [her gay friends] weren’t being accepted.” She adds, “they were being sent to conversion therapies.” Miley is a powerful advocate in the vegan community for speaking up about the cruel treatment of animals. The animal-loving celeb wrote on Instagram, “if you choose to eat meat … you love pets, not animals.” She recently adopted a dog from an animal shelter with her boyfriend Cody Simpson.
5. Kate Flowers, an active member of the LGBTQ+ community and longtime vegan
Kate Flowers is an influencer and vegan activist. She expresses her passion for the LGBTQ+ community on social media and sells apparel with the message: “love is love” on her website. Kate mentions that she grew up with a gay father and was taught at a young age to accept and love everybody.
Kate makes YouTube videos with her ex-girlfriend, Mae Flowers, who is also a vegan influencer, about their favorite plant-based recipes and their vegan journeys. She is also the author of the E-Book, Freedom Food, which is a 21-Day vegan meal plan that will help you eat a mostly whole food diet.
6. Jenna Talackova is an advocate for animal rights and wants you to go vegan
Jenna Talackova is a Canadian reality star who won global acclaim for being the first transgender woman to compete for the Miss Universe title. Jenna decided to eat vegan after studying nutrition and recognizing her love for animals. Jenna collaborated on a campaign with PETA that says her healthiest transformation was going vegan and suggests viewers to “try a vegan makeover, and see how well it suits you.” In the photo of the ad, Jenna is swearing a tiara and outfit made out of veggies.
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]]>The post VH1 Love & Hip Hop Stars Safaree and Erica Mena Go Vegan: “It Feels Great!” appeared first on The Beet.
]]>One of the biggest thrills is the inspiration we get from watching our favorite celebrities go vegan and tell how much they love this approach. Right now we’re inspired by rapper and reality TV star, Safaree Samuels, of VH1’s Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood and his wife and fellow musician and Love & Hip Hop star, Erica Mena Samuels.
“She made me stronger, find you a real [one, it] makes life better. We went vegan and it feels great
” Sarfaree captioned an Instagram post of the two looking strong and happy in workout clothes beside a pool in mid-June.
Erica Mena Samuels went vegan back in 2018, after watching What the Health
“I saw What the Health and prior to seeing What The Health, I was in LA in the midst of finding myself, I just became so into myself that the gym every day sometimes twice a day just became this happy place for me,” the Bronx native explains of why she initially went vegan back in a 2018 interview with DJ Smallz.
The documentary she references, What the Health, is a 2017 film from executive producer Joaquin Phoenix and directors Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn, which takes a hard look at the meat, eggs, and dairy industry and promotes a vegan diet to prevent chronic disease. It was so powerful it led her to go vegan, at least temporarily.
“Being in the gym and getting so [much] more into my health and how to build muscle, all the logistics of taking care of my body started to come into play,” she said. “And then What The Health hit, and people were talking about it and I popped it in and watched it. In LA it’s easy to make that transition, doing the six months was easy.” (Speaking of which, singing star Lizzo just told her fans it’s “easy” being vegan, just days after she wowed us with her Juneteenth spread from Black-owned vegan restaurants in the LA area.
The documentary inspired her to go completely vegan the next day and she stuck with it for six months. “I love to cook, what made the transition fun for me was [the idea of] ‘now I’m going to learn how to make all these vegan dishes!’ I made it fun! And I think that’s why I was able to last that long. I really wish I would have [gone] longer. But started moving around, I hit the road, that’s what made my relapse happen. But if you’re able to meal prep, stuff like that helps you stay away from all the bad stuff,” she continued.
Later in the interview, she says that her son King from a previous marriage is vegetarian and helped motivate her to stick to a vegan diet during her six-month experiment, along with the support of her best friend who did the vegan challenge with her.
She is asked if she thinks she’ll ever go vegan again “When I get pregnant,” Mena Samuels says with a smile.
Clearly, given the caption on her now husband’s recent social media post, she made true on that promise—and even took her partner along for this crazy, wonderful, plant-based ride.
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]]>The post Upcoming Documentary <em>They’re Trying to Kill Us</em> Focuses on Food Injustice appeared first on The Beet.
]]>The trailer features notable vegans like Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and Dr. Michael Greger as well as celebrities like Maggie Q, Raury, Mya, John Salley, Dame Dash, Ne-Yo and more. It highlights the systemic racism that has brought a disproportionate amount of fast food and alcohol into underserved communities, which ultimately causes death and disease. In the three-minute teaser trailer, Dr. Greger explains that “The alcohol industry, fast-food industries, tobacco industries target communities of color.”
The website for They’re Trying to Kill Us gives background to the goal behind this film, which is four years in the making and slated to be released later this year. “The aim of the film is to encourage critical thought about justice by highlighting Hip Hop artists and activists who speak about injustice in all its forms. The film addresses food access and food deserts, nutritional and environmental racism, diet-related diseases, racial disparities of disease, government corruption, animal cruelty, climate change and ultimately how the influence of Hip Hop will save the world.”
“Hungry for Justice” is the documentary’s tagline
At the close of the trailer, Directors Kuhn and Lewis come on screen to explain that they’ve labored over this message for four years, but need additional support if they’re going to be able to release the film to the public. Kuhn explains, “Despite the tremendous success of my previous films What The Health and Cowspiracy, I believe They’re Trying to Kill Us is too controversial for most mainstream outlets, so we’re asking for your support in getting this film out to the world.”
Lewis echoes this sentiment, saying, “We need your help to fund this film and distribute it to the wider world, who needs to hear this message.” They’re Trying to Kill Us has launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $54,000 required to do PR, get the movie to theaters, raise awareness of the film, and cover any legal counsel that may be required.
The Indigogo campaign explains this legal counsel may be necessary, but the directors believe this movie is worth making despite any potential backlash: “The risk of exposing these industries to the world is great, but being kept silent while millions of people die every year is an even greatest risk that simply is not an option, and that is why we are all joining together to show the world the truth.”
For updates on They’re Trying to Kill Us, follow the film’s Instagram and Facebook accounts.
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]]>The post Tabitha Brown Gets Her Own Show on the Ellen Digital Network appeared first on The Beet.
]]>Brown first became famous after going vegan for her chronic pain back in 2017, when she tasted her first vegan version of a BLT, which was actually a TTLA (tempeh, tomato, lettuce and avocado) from Whole Foods, and recorded the exultation and joyful reaction on Facebook. By the time she got back home, after a day of driving an Uber to make ends meet, the video had 50,000 views. That was the start of what would become a legendary rise to breakout superstardom. It’s still surging, and this TV show is just the next step.
“TikTok is for kids,” Brown told her daughter. Luckily Choyce convinced her to try it.
When her daughter Choyce, then 18, told her to make a TikTok account back in March, Brown says she balked. “That’s for kids,” she told her. But Brown acquiesced and began to post her daily wisdom, vegan recipes, and gentle assurances that her fan base loves to hear. That was on March 8th. Just one month later she had 1 million followers. Now, she has more than doubled that number on TikTok, and reached 2.3 million followers on Instagram.
Authenticity is what makes her so beloved. That and her voice
In May, The New York Times covered her, and CAA called and wanted to represent her, and the elusive acting career that Brown had originally dreamt about having many years ago suddenly circled back to her, only this time, the role she is playing is that of herself.
The new show to launch on the Ellen Digital Network is called All Love, and will feature more of the same great content, delivered in Brown’s signature soothing voice, with a dash of helpful Mom advice. She plans to share her easy vegan recipes, better-life tips, self-care, social media expertise, and deliver it all in her usual loving, joyful fashion.
Brown continues to appear daily on Facebook Live and IG, along with TikTok, to check in with her fan base and give them great tips for how to make simple but delicious vegan dishes, accessorize with statement earrings, and be a parent to a mature young woman, Choyce. She and Brown’s husband Chance are regulars on Brown’s social media videos and one hopes will also appear on the show.
Ellen, also a vegan, launched her digital network with Warner Brothers Digital and will also feature new shows from comedians Tiffany Haddish, Ellie Kemper, and YouTube star Bretman Rock. The EDN, as the network is known, will focus on content that has the core values of kindness, humanity, and optimism.
We’re Betting on Brown’s Success
Brown’s signature line: “I can if I want to, because it’s my business” has already appeared on T-shirts, and her fans are soliciting Apple to make Brown’s musical voice the official voice of Siri.
In her post announcing the show, Brown writes on Instagram, “It’s truly “ALL LOVE” 
Look who’s joining the @ellentube family??. I’m so THANKFUL!! GOD continues to BLOW my mind!!! Big thank you to my team @scale and @creativeartistsagency ?? #LetsGo #tabithabrown #vegan #spreadlove #happiness #joy #blessed #ellendegeneres
We second the emotion.
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]]>Omari, who says he is “inspired by his Jamaican background and love for food” made the big announcement unveiling the cookbook on Instagram, writing, “I am so excited to announce that my first published book will be out in January. I would like to thank everyone for all your love, support & encouragement I would also like to say thank you to the one and only @oscarjansonsmith you have had my back for years, you believed in me from the beginning and @krugercowne @scholastic_uk for giving me a chance to share my passion to the world. The cupcakes did it for me. Mummy and Daddy, you’re the best a boy like me could have. Thank you to my siblings and family for being you–perfect.”
We can’t wait to try cooking up Omari’s recipes and are excited to see what’s next for the vegan protégé, who has already accomplished feats in his 12 years that many adults can only dream of, from opening a pop-up restaurant in London to being the youngest award-winning chef in the UK, as well as acting as CEO of a beloved line of plant-based dips.
Keep up with Omari on Instagram @OmariMcQueen and @DiplaiciousLTD, where you can stay up to date with his cooking as he shares his tips of the day and recipes, teaching his audience how to make everything from roasted radishes to chocolate oat bars to spicy cauliflower nuggets.
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