This Is Bananas

Glen Merzer is an author, playwright, and screenwriter. He adopted a plant-based diet at a young age and is a passionate speaker when it comes to topics such as health, environment, and animal rights. He has co-authored numerous books such as Mad Cowboy and No More Bull with Howard Lyman and Unprocessed, The Secrets to Ultimate Weight Loss, and Own Your Health with Chef AJ. In his most recent book, Food Is Climate, he dives into the impact that our food choices have on the environment.

In this video, I speak with Dr. Alan Goldhamer, the founder and director of the TrueNorth Health Center. TrueNorth Health Center is a state-of-the-art facility that provides medical and chiropractic services, psychotherapy and counseling, as well as massage and body work. Dr. Goldhamer has supervised the fasts of thousands of patients. Under his guidance, the Center has become one of the premier training facilities for doctors wishing to gain certification in the supervision of therapeutic fasting. Dr. Goldhamer is also the co-author of The Pleasure Trap: Mastering The Hidden Force That Undermines Health and Happiness. • The Pleasure Trap: https://amzn.to/3tMyUyN • TrueNorth Health Center: https://truenorthhealth.com

In this episode, I speak with Emmy Award-winning actor, Kiko Ellsworth, about his nutrition, health, and lifestyle after leaving Hollywood. Kiko has starred in a number of films, movies, shows, and voiceovers including Bad Boys 2, General Hospital, Criminal Minds, Port Charles, Lucifer, CSI, CSI Miami, NCIS, Heroes, Dexter, and much more. Kiko now dedicates his time to helping men and women become empowered and to find their true selfs. Kiko's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kikoellsworth/Kiko's Website: https://kikoellsworth.com

Dr. John McDougall is the author of The Starch Solution and a medical doctor who has been speaking out about the effects of nutrition on disease for over 50 years. He graduated from Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine, performed his internship at Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, and did his medical residency at the University of Hawaii. Dr. McDougall has been certified as an internist by the Board of Internal Medicine and the National Board of Medical Examiners. He is also the founder of the Dr. McDougall's Health & Medical Center and director of the McDougall Program: a ten-day residential program that he and Mary McDougall host at a luxury resort in Santa Rosa, CA where he helps his patients overcome diseases through dietary and lifestyle changes. McDougall Health and Medical Center: https://www.drmcdougall.com The Starch Solution: https://amzn.to/2NtZPdh

Muzammil Ahmand is a third-year medical student who is empowered to incorporate plant based nutrition in the medical field. During his time at medical school, Muzammil has managed to create a plant based support group, the Plant Prescription podcast, and inspired the dean and many faculty members to consider incorporating plant based nutrition into the curriculum. He also talks about some of the health benefits that he has experienced while eating a plant based diet for over a year and a half. • Muzammil's IG: https://www.instagram.com/dr.plantbased • The Plant Prescription Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/plant-prescription-podcast/id1513274596

In this episode, I speak with the founder and president of PETA, Ingrid Newkirk about how she founded the largest animal rights organization, some of the things she's seen during her activism, and some of the success that PETA has had inspiring top brands to adopt vegan products in their business. She is currently celebrating 40 years of vegan activism, fighting for animal rights, and the compassion for all animals. She also is the author of her new book, AnimalKind, which shows what everyone can do in their everyday lives to ensure that the animal world is protected from needless harm. Whether it’s medicine, product testing, entertainment, clothing, or food, there are now better options to all the uses animals once served in human life.

Leo Venus is a vegan, YouTuber, medical doctor, and athlete who is passionate about inspiring others to eat healthy and live an active lifestyle. Leo is also the brother of Jon Venus, also a vegan YouTuber / bodybuilder, who shares the same passion as his brother. Together, Leo and Jon have launched their online coaching services to help people transition to a plant based diet and reach their fitness goals. In this episode, we talked about how he got his family to go vegan, what inspired him to eat a plant based diet, his journey through medical school, and some diet and fitness tips for those who are looking to build muscle on a vegan diet. ↛ YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/wotAizECA3c ↛ Leo's Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFAsatVhnrL8j7NXVWvK23A

Dr. Angie Sadeghi is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine, a diplomate of the American Board of Gastroenterology, and a member of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians. She provides her patients with treatments for digestive, stomach, esophagus, liver, and colon-related illnesses by combining evidence based medicine, her expertise in the digestive system and her passion for physical fitness and plant based nutrition. In this episode, Dr. Angie Sadeghi walks us through some of the most common complications and issues of the gastrointestinal tract experiences, such as GERD, gassiness, bloating, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), constipation, Crohn's Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), colon cancer, hemorrhoids, and diet post-bariatric surgery. So I hope you enjoy this episode as we take a journey through the GI system! ↛ Show Notes: http://www.bananiac.com/post/angie-sadeghi-36 ↛ YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/V0nr7ugeP5o ↛ Angie Sadeghi: https://drangiehealth.com

Dotsie Bausch is an American professional cyclist and is a seven-time USA Cycling National Campion, a two-time Pan-American Champion, and an Olympic Silver Medalist for the Women's Track Cycling at the London 2012 Olympic Games. She is the director and founder of the non-profit organization, Switch4Good, that helps build and educate a diverse community of athletes, doctors, trainers, and dietitians on the benefits of a dairy-free diet. Dotsie now spends her time publicly speaking and advocating for veganism and plant based diet and was recently featured in the documentary, The Game Changers, which featured the benefits of a plant-based diet for athletes. In this episode, Dotsie and I talk about the dark side of her past and some of the struggles that she faced with depression, eating disorders, and drug addiction. We also talked about how she began her cycling career and what led her to becoming an Olympic Silver Medalist. And of course, we talk about how she became vegan and some of the benefits that she experience as a cyclist. ↛ DOTSIE BAUSCH: https://www.instagram.com/veganolympian ↛ SWITCH4GOOD: https://switch4good.org ↛ VIDEO: https://youtu.be/WJd6PQJ7SRM

Neil Westfall is the rhythm guitarist of the Florida-based rock band A Day To Remember. He also owns his own recording recording studio called Unicorn Tones, where he helps guitarists find their perfect tone. Neil is also an avid cyclist, a fan of the plant-based diet, founder of the Winter Park Biscuit Company, and husband of Vegan Chef, Mary Mattern, aka @NomYourself. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit the ADTR Audio Compound Studio in Orlando, Florida where they recorded some of their albums, including Your Welcome. In this episode, I talk with Neil about how he first went vegan, some of the things he noticed after eating plant based, how he met his wife, cycling, how A Day to Remember started, touring, the number 44, and a ton more! ↛ Video: https://youtu.be/qUXBclbzWm8 ↛ Neil Westfall: https://www.instagram.com/neilwestfall44

Toni Pressley is an American professional soccer player for the Orlando Pride soccer team. Toni has also played in many other teams around the world such as the Western New York Flash, Washington Spirit, Ryazan VDV, and various United States national youth teams and is a member of the United States women's national under-23 soccer team. In this episode, I talk with Toni about how she got into soccer, her journey to becoming a professional soccer player, and her training regimen. We also talked about her vegan diet and lifestyle, the "What's Cookin' with Toni Pressley" series, working with a nutritionist, and balancing her work and personal life when traveling. Because after all, we are all the things! ↛ Show Notes: http://www.bananiac.com/post/toni-pressley-33 ↛ Video: https://youtu.be/C2F-11aB6Mw ↛ Toni Pressley: https://www.instagram.com/tonideion

Christian McAlhaney is guitarist and backup vocalist for the Seattle-based alternative rock band called Acceptance. In 2007, Christian also joined Anberlin as the rhythm guitarist during the Cities album tour. In 2015, he formed his own rock band with Anberlin members, Deon Rexroat and Nate Young. I got a chance to meet with Christian at the Attic at Rock Brothers Brewing in Tampa, Florida right before he played a Acceptance-Loose Talk-Anchor & Braille-Anberlin acoustic show with his bandmate Stephen Christian. In this episode, we talked about what inspired Christian to start eating a plant based diet and the power of music.

John Joseph McGowen is a musician, author, and Ironman triathlete. He was most well known as the lead singer of the Cro-Mags in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. He is currently the vocalist of Bloodclot and Cro-Mags "JM" and is the author of many best selling books such as Meat is for Pussies, PMA Effect, and The Evolution of a Cro-Magnon. In this episode, John Joseph talks about the hard truth about what he experienced growing up in the streets of New York City and overcoming many obstacles such as drug addiction, violence, bad relationships, and much more. He also talks about the importance of a plant based diet, how he stays fit in his 50s, and the new documentary he's working on with Paul de Gelder and Kip Andersen who produced "Cowspiracy" and "What The Health" called "Thirty to Life". This is The Hard Truth with John Joseph. ↛ John Joseph: https://www.instagram.com/johnjosephcromag/ ↛ Apple Podcast: ↛ Show Notes: http://www.bananiac.com/post/john-joseph-31

Mike Mahler is a nutrition supplement designer and hormone optimization enthusiast based in Las Vegas, NV. Mike has been in the fitness industry for over sixteen years and has taught workshops all over the US and overseas. His current focus is on the field of hormone optimization via nutrition, training, nutrition supplements, and lifestyle. In this episode, Mike shares his thoughts on hormone optimization, veganism, plant based nutrition, supplements, hairloss, how to beat depression, and more. Mike is respected writer, known for his honest and fluff-free style, and has written over a hundred articles for publications such as Muscle & Fitness, Men's Fitness, Hardcore Muscle Magazine, Planet Muscle, Testosterone Magazine, Ironman Magazine, Ironman Magazine Japan, and Exercise Magazine For Men. Mike has also been featured in Muscle & Fitness, Men's Fitness UK, and CBS News. Mike is also the author of Live Life Aggressively! What Self-Help Gurus Should Be Telling You.

Eva Hamer is a Legal Coordinator and Protest Musician for Direct Action Everywhere, otherwise known as DXE. The organization was formed in Berkeley, California in 2013 and it consists of an international network of animal activists. Movement building, non-violent direct action, and open rescue are the core values for DXE. Their motto is "We will change the world for the animals." In this episode, Eva shares her perspective of what it is like being an animal activist and participating in open rescues, which one of them was of her Beagle, Anna, that she rescued from a lab testing facility for cosmetics. Eva also talks about the work that she is doing as a Legal Coordinator for DXE and some of the felony court cases that many animal activists are being charged with.

Dr. Neal Barnard is the founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) that is headquartered in Washington, DC. Dr. Barnard grew up in Fargo, ND where his family raised cattle for a living. He received his medical training at George Washington University School of Medicine in psychiatry and is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and a lifetime member of the American Medical Association. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Neal Barnard about his new book Your Body in Balance and why he decided to research and write about hormone health. We also talked about what it was like growing up on a cattle farm, how he got into medicine, type 1 vs type 2 diabetes, overcoming unhealthy food cravings, and his band Carbonworks.

Adam Russell, aka Adam the Skull, is the bassist of the St. Louis-based rock band called Story of the Year. The band debuted their first single "Until the Day I Die" from their album Page Avenue in August 12, 2003, which kicked off to achieving a successful career in music. Since then, the band has released 5 full-length albums as well as 2 DVDs that documents the band's journey while touring the world and playing shows. Also, Adam along with Ryan Phillips, the guitarist from Story of the Year, produced "Who Killed (Or Saved) The Music Industry," a documentary exploring the current state of the music business, as told by those who make their living in the industry. The documentary featured artists from Anberlin, Yellowcard, Goldfinger, We the Kings, All Time Low, No Doubt, & more. In addition to being a talented bass player, Adam has also been vegan for 17 years and is very passionate and outspoken about the vegan movement. So in this episode, I chat with Adam about all things including veganism, straightedge living, creating music, touring the world, making a living as an artist, filmmaking, and much more! It was great connecting with Adam again since chatting with him last time at Van's Warped Tour 2013. This was a very special episode for me to produce as Story of the Year has been MY FAVORITE BAND SINCE I WAS 12 YEARS OLD! I hope you enjoy this episode and that you can make it out to a Story of the Year show in the future!

In this episode, I am interviewed by Robby from The Infinite Cup. We had a great conversation about veganism, vegan myths, tips for being healthy on a plant based diet, cycling, spirituality, and much more! Also, I plan on starting up the podcast again so I you have anyone you'd like me to have on, then let me know!

Robby is the cofounder of Mastering Diabetes and the founder of Mindful Diabetic. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 12, and embraced a low-fat, plant-based, whole-food diet 4 years after his diagnosis. To this day, his hemoglobin A1c value has never exceeded 6.4% since adopting this lifestyle. Robby graduated from the University of Florida in 2011 and worked at Forks Over Knives for 6 years before turning his attention to coaching people with diabetes full time. In this episode, I speak with Robby Barbaro about what it's like living with Type 1 diabetes, what a plant based diet can do for those who have type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and what forms of insulin diabetics should take.

In this video, I speak with Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, the author of "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" about the benefits of plant based nutrition and the dangers of eating animal products.

MMA fighter, Mac Danzig, talks about how he used to train and prepare himself for professional fights as a former UFC fighter. Mac has also been a long-time vegan and discusses his passion for the lifestyle as well as his transition to a raw vegan diet.

Don Forrester is a medical doctor with 30+ years of experience in family medicine and preventing and reversing chronic diseases. He is also serves as clinical support for the McDougall Program, a board member for Nutritionfacts.org, and a speaker and media expert for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). In this episode, Don discusses the benefits of a plant based diet and how it can help prevent and reverse diabetes.

Joey Carbstrong is a popular animal activist and vegan advocate that came from a past of gang violence and drug abuse. Through an interest of living a healthy lifestyle, he was able to change his reality for the better. He later became vegan and learned about the truth on how diet impacts other living beings. He now uses his YouTube channel to speak up about the animals and aspires to inspire others to embrace compassion for all life. In this episode, Joey talks about his past and where he came from and how he found veganism. He also goes into what it takes to be an animal activist and the toll it can take on those who are activists. This conversation goes deep and is meant for those who have empathy in their heart for the animals.

Alan and Janette Murray wanted to inspire and motivate conscious lifestyle choices, to promote kindness and compassion for all living beings and to raise environmental awareness for a sustainable future. In 2013, they decided to run around Australia, 15,782km, running 366 marathons (43 km) each in 366 days, no days off. On January 1, 2014, they set a new World Record as the only couple over the age of 60 fuelled entirely on raw fruit and veg, wearing barefoot shoes, to run 366 consecutive marathons while Running Raw Around Australia. Since then, Alan and Janette have created a documentary called "RAW the Documentary" and authored the book "Running Out of Time" documenting their huge accomplishment. In addition, Janette is also the author of "Raw Can Cure Cancer" which talks about her 6 month prognosis of breast cancer and how she was able to beat it by eating a raw vegan diet. In this episode, I speak with this inspiring couple about their journey Running Raw Around Australia, what they ate, how to get into ultra running, and how Janette beat cancer.

In this episode, I sit down with Mark Perlmutter to discuss the power of capitalism and what it can do for veganism. Mark is the CEO of a brand new company called VegReady, which delivers plant based meals directly to peoples' homes. Mark also helped produce a documentary called Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days which followed a group of individuals from different parts of the country showing how they beat their diabetes by eating a raw vegan diet for 30 days. Mark's goal with VegReady is to transition 2 million meat-eating Americans to eating at least 2 vegan meals per week to make it convenient enough for them to eat healthy.

I had the opportunity to visit 368 Broadway in NYC to meet and talk with pro skater and YouTuber, John Hill. In this episode, we talked about how John got into skating, his thoughts on being a full time YouTuber, and some of the reasons why he became vegan. John Hill is a professional skateboarder and is the creator of his self-titled YouTube channel with over 600K subs. He is also the founder of the Progress Daily. John has also been vegan for over 3 years but was vegetarian for many years before that. He is very passionate about the ethical, health, and environmental benefits of veganism and I was really happy to hear him open up about it on the podcast!

I sat down with the great Dr. Michael Greger from NutritionFacts.Org at the International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine. In this episode, we talked about his favorite studies, nutrient absorption (animal vs plant based), intermittent fasting, the carnivore diet, and much more. Dr. Michael Greger has always been someone that I looked up to and have been inspired by. He is such a knowledgable medical doctor that is well versed in the research and scientific literature, yet is very down-to-Earth. He publishes daily videos on his YouTube channel going through a variety of studies involving food and medicine. He is also the author of How Not To Die which is an excellent read for anyone who wants to eat the healthiest diet that will help them to prevent and treat many chronic diseases.

Douglas J. Lisle, Ph.D. is an evolutionary psychologist and founder of Esteem Dynamics, a new method of approaching human psychology and wellbeing. He is also the author of The Pleasure Trap, the co-host of the Beat Your Genes Podcast, the Director of Research at the True North Health Center, and is a psychologist for the McDougall Wellness Program. Dr. Lisle received his undergraduate eduction from the University of California, San Diego, as Summa Cum Laude. He later completed his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Virginia, where he was also awarded Presidents Fellowship and was a DuPont Scholar. Dr. Lisle was also a Lecturer in Psychology at Stanford University and has had experience in the field of Criminal Justice. In this episode, Dr. Lisle covers many topics such as dealing with family members and friends after going vegan, how to lose weight without losing your mind, if salt is healthy, if humans are meant to be raw fruitarian eaters, and his thoughts on the paleo diet. I really love Dr. Lisle's perspective on these topics. It is so interesting listen to someone who has studied psychology approach these issues in many ways many of us would not. I always learn something new every time I listen to Dr. Lisle speak!

Dan Buettner is the author and founder of the Blue Zones, which was a project that looked at regions of the world where people were living the longer than average - Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Loma Linda, California; and Icaria, Greece. Dan is also a National Geographic Fellow, a New York Times Bestselling author, an Emmy Awards-winner for co-directing the Africatrek: A Journey by Bicycle through Africa, and holds three Guinness records for endurance cycling. In this episode, Dan talks about his work with the Blue Zones, what the 5 Blue Zones Hotspots had in common, how to apply the lessons from the Blue Zones to urban/food deserts, and the quality of life for those living in the Blue Zones. I personally think that this is some of the best research out there for those who are interested in learning about longevity and what one can do to help maximize it. In short: eat a healthy diet, move your body, and surround yourself in positivity!

Brad de Comarmond is a Miami-based model who recently went vegan in January 2018. He is also the co-host of the Vegan 2.0 YouTube Channel, where Brad and Stephen discuss a variety of vegan and nutrition topics. Their focus is to communicate their message in a compassionate and welcoming manner that will attract the attention of those who are not vegan. In this episode, Brad talks about his past and how he became vegan. He also talked about what his diet looks like and what he eats on a typical day. Exercise is also an important aspect of his modeling career, which he shared what type of training he does for staying lean and fit all year round as well as some tips for those who are having difficulty putting on muscle.

Lee Crosby, is a plant-based Registered Dietitian at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine who helps patients lose weight and prevent and reverse many chronic diseases. She is also the creator of Veggie Quest, a plant-based blog full of healthy recipes, cooking hacks, grocery saving tips, and other helpful information for getting you started on a whole food, plant based diet. Lee is also a former classmate of mine and someone who I would not have been able to get through nutrition school without! In this episode, Lee talks about some of the consequences (and benefits) of low carb / ketogenic diets as well as the possible outcomes of a vegan ketogenic diet. Lee also gives some tips for those who are thinking of going into the field of nutrition and dietetics and what a typical day looks like for an RD that works at PCRM / Barnard Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Milton Mills is a medical doctor is a medical doctor who works in the Critical Care Department of the United Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Dr. Mills is an alumni of Stanford University School of Medicine and he finished his Internal Medicine residency at Georgetown University Hospital. He also the author of peer-reviewed articles in which he states that the promotion of dairy is a form of institutional racism as many people of color are lactose intolerant. He was also featured in the popular health documentary What The Health. In this episode, Dr. Mills shares his input on topics such as carbohydrate, meat, dairy, omega-3 / fish oils, and vitamin B12. He also argues that people should strive to consume a plant-based diet and to eliminate animal products from their diet (meat, dairy, eggs, fish, etc.) due to the disease prevention and health promotion consequences.

Dr. Joel Khan was recently on The Joe Rogan Experience debating with Chris Kresser wether it is healthy to eat a 100% plant-based diet. They covered topics regard saturated fat, dietary cholesterol, vitamin B12, vitamin D, carbohydrates, iodine, and much more. In this episode, I speak with Dr. Kahn about his thoughts after being on Joe Rogan's podcast as well as being on CNN with Larry King and Dr. Oz. Dr. Joel Kahn is a medical doctor and cardiologist based in Michigan. There, he practices at the Kahn Center for Cardiac Longevity where he helps his patients prevent and reverse heart disease, America's leading cause of death. Dr. Kahn has written The Plant Based Solution as well as The Whole Heart Solution. He also the owner of GreenSpace Cafe in Ferndale and Detroit, Michigan and the ATX Austin Food Company in Austin, Texas.

I had the opportunity to sit down and speak with Dr. Kim Williams at the International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine in Washington, DC that was hosted by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. In this episode, we covered topics such as why dietary cholesterol, saturated fat, omega-3 fish oils, and heme-iron are harmful as well as Dr. William's thoughts on the changes that need to take place in healthcare. Dr. Kim Williams is a vegan cardiologist and a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Williams was also the former President of the American College of Cardiology from 2015 to 2016 is currently a trustee of the organization. In addition, he is a faculty member of Rush University where he works with 21.75 other vegan cardiologists to prevent and reverse cardiovascular disease.

In this episode, I sit down with Gwen Le Tutour and Katie Adams to talk about Gwen's World Record breaking 100-mile run in full firefighter gear. We discussed the reasons why Gwen decided to do this run, what his training and nutrition looked like, and how he was able to stay focus and positive during the run. Gwen and Katie are avid trail-runners and they are the founders of Plant Positive Running. They also provide information and tips for ultra-marathon running as well as coaching services for endurance athletes. In addition, to their website they also post weekly videos on their YouTube channel about running and eating a plant based diet.

In this episode, Dr. John McDougall answers YOUR questions about weight loss, hypothyroidism, eating fats, wether a salt-free diet is healthy, and much more. We also talked about surviving the California wildfires in 2017 and what his retirement plans are as a medical doctor. Dr. John McDougall is the author of The Starch Solution and a medical doctor who has been speaking out about the effects of nutrition on disease for over 50 years. He graduated from Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine, performed his internship at Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, and did his medical residency at the University of Hawaii. Dr. McDougall has been certified as an internist by the Board of Internal Medicine and the National Board of Medical Examiners. He is also the founder of the Dr. McDougall's Health & Medical Center and director of the McDougall Program.

Chris Cooney, aka The Vegan Zombie, is currently making a major motion-picture horror movie called A44 that will have a vegan message suited for the mainstream media. Chris is currently running a Kickstarter campaign trying to raise $80,000 by September 12, 2018, in addition to external funding from investors. The movie is tentatively scheduled for filming in Syracuse, NY during October 2018 with the potential of hitting the movie theaters as early as Summer/Fall 2019. It is also co-directed by the award-winning screenwriter and best-selling author, Brooklyn Hudson, and the film is set to feature cast from E.T., The Goonies, Elf, and possibly Dr. Michael Greger from NutritionFacts.Org. The Vegan Zombie has over 160,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel and posts weekly videos about vegan living, shopping on a budget, vegan recipes, vlogs/travel, and product reviews. He is also a content creator and is the author of The Vegan Zombie Cook & Survive Cookbook.

Katie "Kookaburra" Butler is an avid cyclist and a vegan YouTube Content Creator. She posts weekly videos on cycling, nutrition, and living a vegan lifestyle. She has about 20,000 subscribers on her channel and is one of the few women cyclists on YouTube. However, before Katie adopted a healthy vegan lifestyle, she suffered from an eating disorder called Bulimia. She stated that she felt "mentally unwell" as she was intentionally binging and vomiting after eating. Once she found out about the benefits of a plant based diet and cycling, she was able to get out of "the darkest time" of her life. Not only was she able to address her eating disorder through nutrition and exercise but she was also able to lost 35 kg (77 lbs) and ride as far as 400 km (249 mi) to 600 km (373 mi)! That's the power of plant based nutrition, folks!

In February 2009, Paul was out on a routine training session as a Navy Clearance Diver where he was viciously attacked by a bull shark. Paul lost his arm to the shark and later had to have his leg amputated due to the severe injury. Years later, Paul has drastically changed his life by implementing a mantra he learned during his military training: Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. Paul now travels the world, educating people about sharks, advocating the protection of sea life, and even promoting the vegan lifestyle when he can. He is also the host of Shark Week and he is the author of No Time for Fear. In this Skype session with Paul De Gelder, we talk more about his story, how he managed to adapt after his accident, his nutrition and fitness plan, and the importance of protecting sharks and other sea life.

Dr. Michael Greger of NutritionFacts.Org has always been someone that I looked up to and have been inspired by. He is such a knowledgable medical doctor that is well versed in the research and scientific literature, yet is very down-to-Earth. He publishes daily videos on his YouTube channel going through a variety of studies involving food and medicine. He is also the author of How Not To Die which is an excellent read for anyone who wants to eat the healthiest diet that will help them to prevent and treat many chronic diseases. A few years ago, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Greger via Skype and I asked him questions regarding plant based eating, calorie intake for weight loss and disease management, if nuts' high fat content should be of a concern, if it's ok to eat processed vegan meat alternatives, and if raw food diets are healthy.

Chris Cooney, aka The Vegan Zombie, went to his doctor to find that his cholesterol levels were higher than the healthy ranges. On January 2018, his total cholesterol levels maxed out at 192 mg/dL and his LDL cholesterol was 130 mg/dL. As you can imagine, Chris was shocked because he hasn't eaten anything that has come from an animal (cholesterol is only found in animal products) in over 20 years! After evaluating his diet and considering his options, Chris decided that he would follow Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease recommendations. He cut all processed foods, salt, and foods rich in fat (nuts, seeds, avocados, etc.). After a little over a month from his last blood test, Chris was able to lower his total cholesterol to 142 mg/dL and his LDL cholesterol to 89 mg/dL making himself heart attack proof. To learn more about The Vegan Zombie's story, check out his video where he evaluates his blood results an talks about how to lower cholesterol without meds.

I was influenced very early in my nutrition career by Dr. John McDougall. After watching the documentary Forks Over Knives and some of his videos on his YouTube channel, I became so interested in his advocacy for a starch-based diet. Dr. John McDougall is the author of The Starch Solution and a medical doctor who has been speaking out about the effects of nutrition on disease for over 50 years. He graduated from Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine, performed his internship at Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, and did his medical residency at the University of Hawaii. Dr. McDougall has been certified as an internist by the Board of Internal Medicine and the National Board of Medical Examiners. He is also the founder of the Dr. McDougall's Health & Medical Center and director of the McDougall Program.

Hi everyone, welcome to This Is Bananas. A podcast where we will talk about plant based nutrition, fitness, living a vegan lifestyle, and many other interesting topics regarding health and wellness. My name is Tino but I'm also known as Bananiac. I am a nutritionist, content creator, author, and athlete. If you guys do enjoy this podcast, please consider rating it on whatever platform you listen to it. Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss an episode!