Rip Esselstyn

I'm Rip Esselstyn, and you're listening to the Plant Strong Podcast.

[upbeat music] I've got an intriguing question to start today's episode: how do we get older without getting old? How do we hang on to our muscle, our bones, our brain power, our independence, and our ability to get out there and do the things that bring us joy? Well, my guests today are two absolute legends in the plant-based nutrition world, Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina, co-authors of the new book, Plant-Powered Seniors.

And these two aren't just writing about healthy aging, they are living it.

Mm.

Mm-hmm.

And you know, to be honest, Rip, we really couldn't find a comprehensive resource that was designed for adults who, you know, want to age eating a plant, you know, beautifully, eating a plant-forward or fully plant-based diet.

And we just thought we needed to fill the gap.

And we had done, you know, the Becoming Vegan, the general books, the, the, the, the book for children that, you know, we had covered a lot of demographics, and we just felt like we can see the plant-based world.

So you guys will hear for the first time, but we're PlantStrong.

which you're probably familiar with Rip Esselstyn and they have just an amazing line of packaged food that is, is organic and clean and just amazing.

It's, it, it's made to be full meals or you can prepare it.

You add fresh veg to it.

I'm Rip Esselstyn, and you're listening to the Plant Strong Podcast.

[upbeat music] Today on the Plant Strong Podcast, we're jumping into a fight that is happening right now, and one that could affect what millions of Americans are served in schools, hospitals, military facilities, and federal nutrition programs.

On August 18th of this year, 2026, Dr. Neal Barnard and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine filed a lawsuit against the federal government over the process behind the new dietary guidelines for Americans that came out in January of this year.

We're actually here to talk about a recently filed lawsuit against the, the federal government, uh, and I wanna dive into that.

Um, before, before we do, for listeners that don't know about PCRM, if you could just let us know what's the organization's mission and what drew you personally to spend your career advocating for plant-based medicine?

Well, first of all, Rip, it's great to see you again.

Thank you for all the incredible work that you do to spread the word about How people can really retrieve, uh, health when it might have been lost or stay healthy if, if that's the issue.

So thank you for everything that you've done.

And then walnuts on top, and I use almond milk.

You know what milk I like is the PlantStrong Rip Esselstyn's milk.

I find at Whole Foods.

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

I mean, let's be honest, Rip.

You didn't just need a ride.

And by the way, it was 2012.

And so I was planning to go to the event, but they, they were sold out actually.

And so I had left a note, an email to your coordinator say, if there's any chance, you know, that there's an opening, let me know.

And she called me that afternoon and she was like, hey, can you get to the DFW airport and pick up Rip? And I was like, are you kidding me? I'd love to.

So yeah, that's what it all came about.

I'm Rip Esselstyn, and you're listening to the Plant Strong Podcast.

[upbeat music] I wanna welcome you back to the Plant Strong Podcast.

Today, we are reaching into the archives for a conversation that I recorded a few years back with our friends over at Complement for their live Plantapalooza event.

But if I had to pick one thing, it would be, there are two.

In the original Engine 2 book published in 2009 by Rip Esselstyn, uh, the mighty muffin recipe I find to be a gateway to learning how to bake without using oil.

And I have taken that recipe and made chocolate muffins, chocolate, uh, baked donuts, chocolate cake, and all kinds of things.

So I credit the mighty muffin.

I've got to be honest.

I had Rip Esselstyn on the show.

He talks about the same thing.

um so you know even if it's just to to reverse some issues for now use that as a you know as a goal and then obviously if you carry it on and even better but yeah i mean the there's no question in my mind that i felt better and there's no question in my all the research i've done that so many of these diseases are reversible and you know it puts the power back in the individual instead of the uh the industries