Original Air Date:
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Guests:
Harpo staff members shared their vegan experience along with information provided by Kathy Freston, Michael Pollan, and Lisa Ling.
Show Summary:
Oprah and 378 Harpo staff members took a seven day vegan challenge with the help of Veganist author Kathy Freston and shared the results on this episode with additional information from Michael Pollan. Avoiding all animal products including dairy, eggs, fish, poultry, pork and beef, Oprah and her staff looked to Kathy to provide alternatives and options to make the week's effort strong by avoiding cheating and constant hunger. With the participants given products from Kashi and Whole Foods, the Harpo Cafe offered vegan options during the week and Kathy gave members of the team meal and snack suggestions focusing on beans, tofu, legumes, whole grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables.
Special Highlights:
This episode featured the following highlights:
- Author Michael Pollan joined the conversation to discuss his vision of conscious eating and reducing the amount of meat and animal products consumed, not necessarily eliminating them all, to conserve resources for the entire planet.
- In addition to the vegan challenge, Lisa Ling also provided a report from a Cargill meat facility in Colorado to show how one beef producer brings a cow from a farm to the hamburger on your plate.
- The goal of the show was to bring more thought to where food comes from and a consciousness to eating -- not necessarily to convert viewers to becoming vegans, but to get people thinking about food in a new way, which the Harpo staff members who participated will continue to do.
What to Take Away from the Show:
The benefits of reducing animal products in a diet and concentrating more on plant based food translates into all aspects of health, digestion, and even the condition of hair and skin according to the discussions Oprah has had on the subject. Not being the first time a vegan diet has been addressed on Oprah, it's evident that our host would love for American's to recognize our responsibility for conserving resources, the impact industry has on our health and animals, and ways in which we can be satisfied with the food we eat but still act in a way that is respectful of our planet.