Food For Thought: The Joys And Benefits Of Living Vegan

This end-of-year episode is based on my motto that life is made up of a series of lessons and gifts, an appropriate topic as we reflect on the lessons of the past year, create plans for the next, and offer gifts to one another. This episode is about creating meaningful holidays (and lives) and includes a list of 25 Meaningful Zero-Waste, Ethical Gifts we can give during the holidays or anytime of year. Thank you, listeners and supporters.

Enjoy this brief talk about the meaning of compassion, a presentation I was invited to give for a special event by Rancho Compasion, a farmed animal sanctuary founded by Miyoko Schinner.  Food for Thought Podcast is 100% listener-supported. Keep this podcast going at Patreon.com/ColleenPatrickGoudreau.

People. Atmosphere. Beverages. Food. That's all we need to create a special event, holiday, or meal — but this year, we deserve to go just a little above and beyond to make it EXTRA special. By the end of this episode, you'll have some ideas for doing just that — whether you'll be sharing a Zoom meal with out-of-town family or having a small gathering outside and safely distanced. (NOTE: All of the suggestions apply even if you don't celebrate a traditional American Thanksgiving.) Food for Thought is a listener-supported podcast. Become a listener support at Patreon.com/ColleenPatrickGoudreau.

A special announcement about our holiday online vegan cooking classes and how you can bring a friend for free.  JoyfulVegan.com/Classes

Don't worry! I don't recommend films in which animals are the victims of gruesome violence. So, grab some popcorn, get a pen and paper, and settle into this episode where I share my suggestions for films that are perfect for Halloween — for kids and adult alike.   This podcast is sponsored by listeners like you. Become a listener supporter at Patreon.com/ColleenPatrickGoudreau 

The thousands of animal-related words and expressions we have in our English language illustrate how deeply connected we are to animals, and that's never more apparent than in the names of plants — both the common names and the botanical names. Join me on this fun journey through gardens, fields, and forests as we discover plants, trees, flowers, and fungi named after animals.  Thank you to everyone who supports this listener-supported podcast. 

The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lock-down have added stress and strain to our bodies, hearts, and minds. Listen to this episode for ideas for staying healthy physically, emotionally, and mentally during this time and always.  Thank you to listener supporters who make this podcast possible. Please become one at Patreon.com/ColleenPatrickGoudreau.

Plastic consumption and plastic pollution have skyrocketed during the pandemic because of the increase in the use of disposable gloves, masks, and gowns; online shopping, restaurant take-out; and the prohibition of reusable bags, cups, and containers.  What's a conscious consumer to do? Is it possible to reduce our plastic consumption when we're in the middle of a deadly pandemic? Can we still aspire to be low-waste or zero-waste (which was already aspirational in the best of times). Take a listen to this episode for tips on reducing your plastic consumption when it comes to:  Restaurant Take-Out Grocery Shopping Hand Sanitizers Cleaning Products Ordering Online Properly Disposing Plastic Waste Enjoy some ideas for what you can do at home and in your own life.

A deadly pandemic, job loss, economic turmoil, social isolation, fear, insecurity, debt, disparity, civic unrest, and confronting centuries-long racial tensions, systemic racism, and injustice. No wonder people are angry and anxious. Join me for this episode about how to come together, cope, and find hope and joy in turbulent times.  Food for Thought is a supporter-listener podcast. Thank you for being a Patron.

Every one of us has had to manage what to do when uninvited guests take up residence in our attics, walls, or basements. Sadly, we're too quick to consider them "pests" and take lethal measures to get rid of them. But even when we want to take compassionate action, we may be deceived or making it worse for the animal. Listen to this important episode about how to change our perception and behavior and still humanely deal with rats, squirrels, raccoons, and even cockroaches.  Thank you for supporting this podcast. 

If you’ve ever doubted the power of voting, all you need to do is take a look at the history of and struggle for suffrage — the right to vote — in this country, because the power of voting can be measured by the efforts to suppress, limit, and restrict it. Voting rights have been hard-won for most segments of the population, especially the millions of black men and women who endured the horrors of slavery, Pig Laws, Black Codes, Jim Crow laws, and 100 more years before securing their basic Constitutional rights.  So, that’s what we’re going to talk about today — a little history, a few animalogies (animal-related words and expressions), and lots of resources if you want to get involved in exercising this most basic, most powerful right and making sure others can do the same. Food for Thought is a 100% listener-supported podcast. Thank you.

As advocates for the causes we care about — whether it’s racial justice, environmental sustainability, animal protection, reproductive rights, or all of the above — it can be difficult to decide where to spend your time, money, and energy, and I don’t believe there’s one answer. But I do believe political engagement is one of them. Join me in this episode for the best ways to get your voice heard federally, regionally, and locally. 

Today's episode is not as gruesome as it sounds — aside from the fact that killing animals and eating their body parts is kinda gruesome — but it IS fascinating. It's all about words with animal flesh and fluids at their roots both actually AND etymologically. Words you'd never expect. Words you never even realized. Take a listen and see what I mean! Thank you to all of today's podcast supporters. Food for Thought is a 100% listener-supported podcast. Become a supporter at Patreon.com/ColleenPatrickGoudreau. 

In this episode about my zero waste journey, I share the principles that have absolutely changed my thinking and way of living. Zero Waste is not simply about my making YouTube videos about how to make zero-waste almond milk (although I do that!), it's a way of thinking that profoundly changes our approach to resources and production, going beyond "waste diversion" and striving to ensure that products are designed to be repaired, refurbished, and reused, creating a circular economy rather than a linear economy of make, use, dispose. And it's definitely not about recycling. Recycling IS waste. Have I blown your mind yet? Supporters receive transcripts of all episodes. Patreon.com/ColleenPatrickGoudreau

While it's true that countertop appliances require some space, it's also true that they make it easy to prepare and eat delicious, nutrient-dense, animal-free, plant-based dishes. While you can get along without them, I do think a couple are worth the space they take up on your counter, and their price points are really reasonable these days. In addition, I share some lessons and gifts from our kitchen remodel — things I'm thrilled we did; things I wish we didn't.  Thanks, as always, to our listener supporters. Become one today at Patreon.com/ColleenPatrickGoudreau

Creating a daily routine is essential even if we weren't quarantined, sheltering in place, and physically distancing from one another. (Has anyone coined "Quar-routine" yet?)  In a previous episode called "50 Ways to Create a Meaningful Life," I promised I would break out some of the items into their own individual episodes, and so here we are. In this episode, I share 10 ways I organize my day so as to ensure that I have as joyful and meaningful a day as possible. (And when I falter...how a routine helps me re-set the day.)  I can't wait to hear about your routine! Take a listen, drop me a line, and thanks for supporting the podcast. 

No, this episode is not about denying the life-saving efficacy of vaccinations; it's about all the animal-related words we have for diseases and cures, including the word VACCINE, which comes from the Latin word for a cow or bull. It's just another example of how how deeply rooted animals are in our consciousness, in our history, and in our lives — for better and for worse. Food for Thought is a 100% listener supported podcast. Become a supporter today. NOTE: This is a new recording of a topic featured on Animalogy Podcast, which has now officially ended its run.

What does the Covid-19 / coronavirus virus mean for non-human animals and the laws and policies that affect our treatment of them? Join me for the first episode in the series, which focuses on wild animals who are poached, farmed, and eaten.  The source of the recent coronavirus outbreak that has led to a worldwide pandemic has been linked to a market in mainland China, where wild animals are sold and killed for human consumption. Will this virus put an end to the illegal wildlife trade in China and Southeast Asia? Will the wildlife farms in China reopen once the pandemic is over? Will this be the end to live animal markets and wet markets where wild and domesticated animals are sold and killed for meat? Will China close the loopholes (such as exemptions for Traditional Chinese Medicine) that exist in their bans on wildlife poaching and consumption? Is there anything you can do to help make a difference?  Listen to this listener-supported episode as I attempt to answer these questions. (become a supporter at

Just a couple quick announcements: There is a NEW episode of Animalogy Podcast called Vaccines Are a Bunch of Bull: Animal-Related Words for Diseases and Cures. Listen and subscribe to Animalogy Podcast. I've been overwhelmed by the number of requests for me to teach an online cooking class, and so I'm making it happen. On Sunday, April 5th at 1:00 p.m. PST I'll be teaching how to make:   Spring Vegetable Cauliflower Rice Risotto Miso Fennel Ginger Soup Eggless Meringue Cookies Register today. I hope you and your loved ones are safe, healthy, and happy during this difficult time. We're all in this together.

Having a well-stocked kitchen is essential whether you’re looking to throw together a last-minute meal, a well-planned meal (which I recommend should be the default), or if you’re just not able to get out of the house because of weather, sickness, or mandated stay-at-home measures such as during the Coronavirus outbreak of 2020. Today’s episode is focused on my personal strategies for buying wisely, eating well, and stocking up — principles that can be applied every day or during emergencies. FOOD FOR THOUGHT IS A LISTENER SUPPORTED PODCAST. Please become a supporter today!