35 - Being a Plant-Powered Olympian, Nutritionist, and Mom with Kara Lang Romero
Release Date: 08/14/2019
360 - Miami Vegan: How to Make Plant-Based Food People Actually Crave | Ellen Kanner | Switch4Good
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What happens when you take one of America’s most culturally diverse food cities and put plants at the center of the plate? Ellen Kanner takes us deep into the flavors, traditions, and food memories that shaped her as a fifth-generation Miamian, chef, and author, sharing how she reimagines beloved dishes without losing the flavors, textures, and cultural meaning that make them special. Along the way, she shares her “Rule of One,” challenges some of the biggest myths about plant-based cooking, and makes a compelling case for approaching food as a full-body experience. It’s a delicious...
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359 - Can Plants Actually Reverse Heart Disease? Simon Hill Breaks It Down
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Physiotherapist, nutritionist, and The Proof is in the Plants author Simon Hill joins Dotsie and Alexandra to trace how a single terrifying moment reshaped his entire career, and what the evidence really says about eating for a long, healthy life. When Simon was 15, he watched his father, just 41 years old with no prior health issues, suffer a heart attack right in front of him on a remote Sunday afternoon. That day, combined with a growing frustration over the "bro science" he was fed while working with elite AFL and VFL athletes, sent him back to school for a master's in nutrition science...
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358 - Olympic Champion & Doctor: How I Fuel Elite Performance on a Plant-Based Diet | Imogen Grant
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What drives someone to pursue not just one extraordinary path, but two? Olympic gold medalist and physician Imogen Grant has devoted herself to two radically different disciplines, medicine and rowing, and somehow managed to reach the pinnacle of both. But listening to her speak about the human body, “the perfect stroke,” and what draws her so deeply into each, and the divide between them starts to disappear. She brings a rare depth and poetry to the things she does, with an endlessly curious, deeply disciplined nature and a genuine fascination with discovery. She also gets candid about...
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357 - How to Prevent Cancer: A Doctor's Science-Backed Guide to Diet, Exercise & Lifestyle
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Can the way we eat and live actually lower our risk of cancer? That question sits close to my heart, and in this episode I sit down with Dr. Shireen Kassam, consultant hematologist, lifestyle medicine physician, and founder of Plant-Based Health Professionals UK to dig into what the science really says. Dr. Kassam has spent years at the intersection of clinical oncology and nutrition, and what she shares here is both hopeful and practical. We talk through how diet, exercise, body weight, alcohol, smoking, sleep, and the gut microbiome each shape cancer risk, and why our daily choices matter...
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356 - Dietitian: The Protein Craze Has Gone Too Far (Here's What the Science Says)
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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
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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
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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...
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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