35 - Being a Plant-Powered Olympian, Nutritionist, and Mom with Kara Lang Romero
Release Date: 08/14/2019
356 - Dietitian: The Protein Craze Has Gone Too Far (Here's What the Science Says)
Switch4Good
Protein has become the buzzword of the moment, but how much of what we're hearing is grounded in science? Registered dietitian and nutrition researcher David Goldman returns to separate facts from marketing and explain what the research actually says about meeting your protein needs, building muscle, and healthy aging. And then there’s this: They say you are what you eat. David's research suggests the story doesn't end there. The plant foods you eat may influence how attractive you appear to others. Packed with practical advice and refreshing clarity, this episode will leave you better...
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355 - Gen Z Says the Climate Crisis Is Worse Than You Think (Here's Why They're Still Hopeful)
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Young people today are inheriting a world they didn’t design. They’re facing a climate crisis, a food system that puts profit before health, and a constant stream of misinformation that can make meaningful change feel impossible. But a new generation of advocates is already stepping up, asking difficult questions and challenging outdated systems. In this episode, we talk with Lucy Whitney and Gianna Klein, recent graduates of NYU and Cornell who studied sustainability, the environment, and the connection between what we eat and the only habitable planet we’ve got. Through Switch4Good’s...
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354 - Ex-Rancher's Wife Who Bought Her Husband's Cows to Save Them
Switch4Good
A move from Houston to a cattle ranch in rural Texas was never meant to alter the course of her life so completely, but that is exactly what happened for Renee King-Sonnen, founder of Rowdy Girl Sanctuary. What began as a new chapter alongside her husband became something far more complicated as her relationship with the animals deepened and she confronted realities on the ranch she could no longer ignore, reshaping everything from her marriage to her identity and sense of purpose. That internal shift led to the creation of a sanctuary for rescued animals and the path she now walks in advocacy...
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353 - Javant Benton on the 4 Pillars That Reversed His Diabetes, Hypertension and Cancer Risk
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By age 35, Javant Benton found himself at a crossroads. He was 85 pounds overweight, prediabetic, prehypertensive, and undergoing tests for cancer. Confronted with his own mortality, he knew something had to change. What began as a personal search for greater well-being became a journey of creativity, discovery, and transformation in the kitchen, where familiar comfort foods were transformed into something nourishing and satisfying. In this episode, Javant shares the wake-up call that altered his trajectory, the lessons he learned along the way, and how his determination to feel better...
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352 - Animal Sanctuary Founder: The Cow Who Survived Dairy's Darkest Side | Indra Lahiri
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For more than two decades, Indra Lahiri has dedicated her life to rescuing animals who have survived unimaginable trauma at Indraloka Animal Sanctuary in northeastern Pennsylvania. But through years of witnessing suffering day after day, Indra found herself facing something many caregivers, advocates, and helping professionals quietly struggle with: burnout, chronic stress, and secondary trauma. In this conversation, Indra shares how animals helped reshape her understanding of healing, emotional connection, and resilience. We also talk about the restorative power of animals and nature, the...
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351 - 1,500 Beagles Rescued From Ridglan Farms: How Alexandra Paul Got Arrested Getting Them Out
Switch4Good
In this very special episode, Alexandra Paul returns to the podcast for a powerful, and at times difficult, conversation. For those of you new here, you may know her from Baywatch or some of the iconic films she’s appeared in. Longtime listeners already know her for her decades of activism, often stepping into spaces most people would never consider. Recently, she made headlines after being arrested during an animal rights operation at a breeding facility in Wisconsin, where activists entered the property and removed dogs being used for research, bringing the issue into the national...
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350 - Why High-Milk Countries Have the Most Broken Bones: The Milk-Fracture Paradox | Dr. Walter Willett
Switch4Good
"The rates of fractures are highest in the high milk drinking countries, basically North America, Scandinavia, Denmark, and they're lowest in countries that actually don't consume milk at all." Today, we’re joined by one of the most influential and widely cited figures in nutrition science. Dr. Walter Willett, Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has published over 2,000 papers across four decades. His work includes some of the largest and most rigorous studies on diet and chronic disease ever conducted. He is the author of several books,...
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349 - Dr. Michael Klaper on How to Reverse High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, and Inflammation: Cut This Food
Switch4Good
Dr. Michael Klaper returns to the Switch4Good podcast for a conversation that redefines what medicine can achieve when food is placed at the center of care. A physician, educator, and longtime leader in nutrition science, Dr. Klaper has advised NASA on dietary planning for space missions, appeared in documentaries including Cowspiracy, The End of Meat, and What the Health, and authored several foundational books on plant-based health. His latest work, Moving Medicine Forward: What More Doctors Should Know About Nutrition–and How It Can Save Your Life, challenges clinicians and patients alike...
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348 - Are These Common Foods Secretly Causing Your Autoimmune Disease? | Michele Fasnacht
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"After struggling with health issues for decades and years of doctors and misdiagnoses, I was finally diagnosed with progressive MS and lupus and the only thing that had happened to me was removing dairy. We started working with plant-based doctors, lifestyle medicine doctors, and working with plant-based and vegan chefs. We created a menu of healthy kid friendly meals. Once you know better, you cannot pretend you don't." What if school could shape not just smarter students, but a more compassionate world? Today, we’re joined by Michele Fasnacht, founder of Solid Rock Community School in...
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347 - Why Fiber Matters More Than Protein | Dr. Sharon McDowell-Larsen & Dr. Regan Stiegmann
Switch4Good
“Fiber is the new protein. Don’t count your protein grams - count your fiber grams. And if you do that, and you’re getting adequate calories, you’re going to be fine.” What if aging didn’t have to mean slowing down, losing strength, or watching your best years slip into the past? What if the mind and body were capable of far more resilience and longevity than we’ve been led to believe? In this episode, two powerhouse voices in human performance challenge the idea that physical and cognitive decline are inevitable. Dr. Sharon McDowell-Larsen, physiologist, coach, and plant-based...
info_outlineDuring the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, Switch4Good aired a commercial featuring dairy-free Olympians to fight the dairy industry’s propaganda that that says milk is the key to performance.
One of the world-class athletes featured in the commercial was Kara Lang Romero.
Kara is the youngest woman to have represented Canada on their National Women’s Team. She competed in two FIFA World Cups, at the Beijing Olympics, and is now a Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame inductee.
She has also been vegan since her teens.
Today the plant-based foodie is a certified holistic nutritionist specializing in plant-based health and pre- and post-natal care.
Kara joins Alexandra and Dotsie in this episode to share her journey and the realities of being a plant-powered mom.
She digs into how motherhood expands your empathy for mothers of other species, how she got through two vegan pregnancies and is raising two plant-based boys, and how she navigates relationships with family members who have jobs in the dairy industry.
You’ll also hear how she equips her patients with the tools they need to go plant-based and the benefits they see after making the switch.
Kara is proof that milk is the last thing you need if you want to level up your performance.
What we discuss in this episode:
- How Kara found her ‘why’ and went from being the youngest person to the youngest vegan on the Women’s National Soccer team
- The bond of breastfeeding, how emotions change the composition of breast milk, the pain of mastitis, and the new level of empathy Kara found for cows after having her first child
- The odd disconnection people have with drinking milk meant for baby cows
- How Kara’s coaches responded to her going vegan and the number one thing she noticed in her performance
- The impact switching for good made on Kara’s inflammatory markers and ability to “flush out the gunk”
- The two most common culprits of IgG food sensitivity that Kara sees in her nutrition practice and how one of her patients got rid of a 20-year skin issue under her care
- Organizations that are helping animal farms switch to sustainable crops and how Kara handles having family in the dairy industry
- Kara’s favorite meals to cook for her family and how she’s learning to navigate vegan parenting
- Is it healthy to be vegan while pregnant? Kara shares her experience after having done it twice
- Follow Kara on Instagram @karaelise, on Twitter at @kara_Lang, and on her website at KLRWellnessWorks.com. Download her recipe ebook at her website under the Work with Kara tab.
Connect with Switch4Good
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