What if the foods you love most—the ones tied to family, culture, and comfort—could also help you heal?

In this powerful and deeply personal conversation, Rip sits down with Javant Benton, creator of Healthy Vegan Eating and author of Make Your Own, to talk about food, family legacy, self-love, and breaking generational cycles of disease.

Javant shares how a frightening health wake-up—pre-diabetes, pre-hypertension, and a suspected lymphoma diagnosis—forced him to confront the way he was eating and living. What followed was a slow, intentional journey through paleo, pescatarian, and ultimately whole-food, plant-based nutrition—guided by research, lived experience, and mentors like Joel Fuhrman, who wrote the foreword to Javant’s book.

Together, Rip and Javant explore how empowerment—not deprivation—is the key to lasting change. From oil-free Southern classics to protein-rich plant meals, Javant proves you don’t have to give up the foods you love—you just have to make your own.

This episode is equal parts inspiration, practical nutrition, and permission to value your health—even when it means going against the grain.

Key Takeaways

• Health often changes after a crisis—but it doesn’t have to. Javant’s story shows how fear can be a catalyst, but education and self-worth sustain long-term change.
• You don’t need perfection—just progress. Javant’s journey unfolded over years, not weeks, proving that incremental change is both realistic and powerful.
• “Make Your Own” is about autonomy and empowerment. By recreating familiar foods with whole, plant-based ingredients, people can heal without feeling deprived.
• Self-love is a nutritional strategy. Choosing differently—especially in social settings—requires confidence, boundaries, and valuing long-term health over short-term approval.
• Flavor is the gateway drug to better eating. Sauces, spices, textures, and presentation matter—and they make plant-based living sustainable.

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What if your breakfast could power you through the entire morning—without cravings, crashes, or hunger an hour later?

In this episode, Rip sits down with Molly Patrick, founder of Clean Food Dirty Girl, to dive deep into the breakfast bowl that has become a cult favorite. Molly shares the story behind her hearty, nutrient-packed “Hippie Porridge Bowl”—a recipe she spent nearly eight years perfecting after realizing her usual steel-cut oats weren’t keeping her satisfied.

The result? A powerhouse bowl built from a diverse mix of whole plant foods—grains, lentils, leafy greens, seeds, fruit, and crunchy toppings—that delivers sustained energy, incredible flavor, and serious nutrition.

They share the philosophy behind the bowl, the importance of nutrient diversity, and why batch cooking can make plant-strong eating effortless—even on the busiest days.

If you’re looking for a breakfast that’s simple, satisfying, and packed with plants, this episode might just change your morning routine.

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At just 43 years old, Charles Gassenheimer was 75 pounds overweight, pre-diabetic, struggling with joint pain and memory loss, and taking high-dose cholesterol medications. His doctors were managing his decline — not reversing it.

Then one conversation changed everything.

After meeting cardiologist Dr. Robert Ostfeld, Charles committed to a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle. The results were extraordinary: he lost over 70 pounds, came off medications, reversed his cardiovascular risk markers, and returned to running.

Today, Charles has completed over 15 marathons — including running the New York City Marathon faster in his 40s than he did in his 20s — while raising three plant-based children and supporting cardiac wellness programs for underserved communities.

This episode is about reclaiming your health, challenging your assumptions, and making Plant Strong living non-negotiable.

Episode Webpage: https://www.plantstrongpodcast.com/blog/charles-gassenheimer

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What if your health wasn’t just shaped by what you eat—but by what’s hidden in your medications?

In this episode, Rip sits down with pharmacist-scientist Dr. Sachin Shah, a leading voice in medication transparency and patient safety. Together, they explore why food truly belongs at the center of health, how modern medicine sometimes misses the human in healthcare, and why knowing what’s inside your pills can be just as important as knowing what’s on your plate.

Dr. Shah also breaks down alpha-gal syndrome—a tick-bite–triggered condition that can make people allergic to red meat and certain medications—while also sharing hopeful, forward-looking ideas around heart health, non-invasive therapies, and the power of informed choices.

This is a conversation about clarity, care, and taking your health back into your own hands—with compassion, curiosity, and a whole lot of heart.

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What does it look like when plant-based living moves beyond personal choice and into real systems change? This episode answers that question in a big way.

Rip sits down with longtime friend and food policy powerhouse Rachel Atcheson, founder of Food Policy Pathways, for a wide-ranging conversation about how food policy can transform public health, reduce chronic disease, and make healthy eating the default — not the exception.

Rip and Rachel unpack how initiatives like Meatless Monday and Plant-Powered Fridays in NYC public schools, plant-based default hospital meals, and lifestyle medicine clinics became reality — reaching millions of people while saving money and cutting carbon emissions.

They dig into the behavioral science behind defaults, why taste and culinary training matter, and how real change happens when policy aligns with public health.

Rachel also introduces her newest chapter: Food Policy Pathways, an organization building a pipeline of professionals who want to work inside government to advance healthier, more sustainable food systems at the city, state, and federal levels.

This conversation is optimistic, practical, and deeply motivating — proof that playing the long game can reshape our food future.

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In this deeply grounded conversation, Rip sits down with Jan Liband — a former college athlete, longtime plant-based advocate, and expert in food and environmental sustainability. What began for Jan as a single pamphlet exposing the environmental toll of animal agriculture became a lifelong commitment to plant-based living nearly 40 years ago.

Jan shares his journey from a meat-centered, “healthy by 1980s standards” diet to discovering how plant-based eating dramatically improved his energy, recovery, and athletic performance.

Along the way, Rip and Jan tackle some of the biggest barriers to change — especially for men — including cultural conditioning, fear of change, and the never-ending obsession with protein.

The conversation goes beyond personal health and zooms out to the bigger picture: how our global food system drives roughly one-third of greenhouse gas emissions, accelerates deforestation, drains freshwater resources, and threatens biodiversity. Jan explains why dietary change is one of the fastest, most impactful climate actions individuals can take — far faster than waiting on energy or infrastructure shifts.

From practical food swaps and transition strategies, to a powerful discussion of the Eat-Lancet report and planetary boundaries, this episode is both a reality check and a hopeful roadmap.

The message is clear: small, consistent changes on our plates can ripple outward — improving our health, strengthening our communities, and protecting the planet for generations to come.

Key Takeaways

• One piece of information — a pamphlet on animal agriculture — can spark lifelong change.
• Plant-based eating can improve digestion, recovery, energy, and athletic performance within weeks.
• Men often struggle with plant-based eating due to early-formed habits, social pressure, and protein myths.
• Americans are not protein-deficient — they are protein-toxic — while severely lacking fiber.
• Gradual change increases long-term success; the best diet is the one you’ll stick with.
• Animal agriculture drives the majority of food-related greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water waste.
• The Eat-Lancet report supports plant-rich diets as essential for both human and planetary health.
• Food choices are the single most powerful daily action individuals can take to protect the environment.

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It’s been way too long since Jackie Akerberg (@jackfruitfulkitchen) was on the podcast, and this episode is a true catch-up in every sense of the word. Jackie is a plant-based cook, creator, and community builder who brings joy, honesty, and seriously good food into everything she does.

In this conversation, we talk about how Jackie went plant-based and never looked back, how her health completely transformed, and how she’s grown an incredibly engaged online community by keeping things real—both in the kitchen and in life. We also get into big life changes, moving across the country, navigating relationships with people who don’t eat the same way you do, and why perfection is overrated when it comes to healthy living

And of course, we talk food. Squash season. Tofu done right. Tempeh that actually tastes amazing. Smart kitchen shortcuts (yes, including the microwave). If you love cooking—or want to love it more—this episode is packed with practical, doable ideas you’ll actually use.

This one’s about eating well, living well, and meeting yourself where you are.

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Learn More About our 2026 Live PLANTSTRONG Events: https://plantstrong.com/pages/events

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Firefighters are trained to run toward danger — but too often, their own health is what’s at risk. In this episode of the Plant Strong Podcast, Rip sits down with fellow firefighter Andy Schaefer of Avon, Ohio, whose journey into plant-based eating began with a life-altering decision: donating one of his kidneys to his brother-in-law.

Determined to be as healthy and resilient as possible, Andy adopted a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle more than five years ago — and the results were undeniable. Faster recovery, dramatically improved biomarkers, more stamina on the fireground, and a renewed sense of purpose. Today, Andy is leading from the firehouse kitchen, fueling his crew with plant-strong meals that leave them feeling energized, focused, and ready to perform when the alarm sounds.

From zucchini fritters that changed an entire shift’s perspective on food, to the deeper reality that nearly 85% of fire calls are lifestyle-related medical emergencies, this conversation is about service, brotherhood, and reclaiming health — one plate at a time.

• Peak performance starts with the fork. Andy’s plant-based diet helped him recover quickly from kidney donation surgery and outperform expectations on physically demanding fireground drills.
• Leadership doesn’t require a badge or rank. By cooking plant-based meals at the firehouse, Andy inspired his crew to eat more plants, feel less fatigued, and perform better on shift.
• Firefighters are tactical athletes. Like professional athletes, first responders must be ready at any moment — and nutrition plays a critical role in stamina, breathing control, and long-term health.
• Sadly, nearly 85% of fire calls are lifestyle-related medical emergencies and not fires, at all.

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