What the Crap Happened in 2023?

In our newest episode, we dive deep into the future of veganism, exploring the trends, challenges and exciting developments that might lie ahead for vegans worldwide. Research points to the growing demand for plant-based alternatives and the environmental impacts of animal agriculture becoming increasingly apparent. The vegan movement is poised for significant growth in the coming years. Using research, we discuss how the future of veganism is shaping and how we hope the world of vegan food, business and culture changes in the coming years. We recently discussed the history of veganism and thought it only right to dive into the future of the vegan world. Technology and Veganism One key area of focus is the intersection of technology and veganism. As new technologies become more accessible and affordable, they have the potential to revolutionize the food industry. This advancement could make veganism more mainstream than ever before. We discuss the many possibilities of how technology will shape the future of veganism but of course, we want to hear from you. How do you see technology shaping the vegan world? Of course, challenges remain. Despite the scientific consensus on the benefits of plant-based diets, there are still many obstacles to advancing veganism. This episode will explore our thoughts on what we hope for the future and what our research taught us. Join us as we explore the future of veganism and how we can all contribute to a more compassionate and sustainable world.

We're at it again, and this time, with a Kombucha taste test, you have to watch and listen to! If for nothing but our facial expressions and reactions. Seriously, this is one of the funnier taste tests we've done and it felt like torture sometimes. Ultimately, you will hear about three kombucha drinks we liked and three we absolutely hated. Kombucha, the probiotic-rich fermented drink, has become a health sensation and a staple in many gut-loving vegan households. In our new episode, we embarked on a taste test journey that Meg has avoided since we started the podcast and David has craved! In this kombucha taste test, we feature six different varieties of kombucha, all with the base flavor of strawberry. We aimed to explore kombucha by trying various brands and uncover which ones tasted the best to us and which left a less-than-pleasant impression. If we like it, you figure you will as well. David was excited to try all the options and Meg was scared. For good reason. But we went about each sampling of strawberry-infused kombucha with an open mind. The six varieties showcased the creativity of kombucha brewers from around the country, featuring unique blends of fruits, herbs and flvaors. However, the verdict was split right down the middle. Three of the kombuchas proved to be delightful, offering a perfect balance, while the other trio left us cringing. You'll have to listen and watch this episode to see which brands won our kombucha taste test and which ones absolutely failed. Here are the six kombucha options we tried: Brew Dr. Strawberry Fileds Ca. Craft Babe Kombucha Maui Wowie Humm Probiotic Kombucha Strawberry Blossom Synergy Raw Kombucha Strawberry Serenity Rowdy Mermaid Kombucha Strawberry Tonic Health-Ade Kombucha Strawberry Glow While taste is subjective, we hope that sharing our opinions might help you find a kombucha that fits your taste buds. This was a serious reminder that not all kombuchas are created equal. Whether you're a seasoned kombucha enthusiast or a curious vegan looking to incorporate this fermented beverage into your diet, this kombucha taste test is a valuable guide to finding the strawberry-infused kombucha that suits your palate.

Do you consider yourself a vegan expert? See how many questions you can answer correctly on our latest episode, where we play a fun trivia game about the history of veganism! All of the facts and stats in this episode come from The Vegan Society and EarthSave Canada. Trivia About The History of Veganism We have a brand-new episode out now that'll take you on a time-traveling adventure through the unique history of veganism. We dove deep into the roots of the vegan movement, uncovering some interesting stories, stats, and fun facts that neither of us had any idea about until this episode. In Episode 84, Meg decided to spice things up with a game of vegan trivia! Picture this: Meg quizzing David about the evolution of vegan living, from the first mentions of avoiding animal products to the other names considered besides vegan. You'll learn a lot, just like we did, while also enjoying a little game of "Does Daivd know the history of veganism?" If you're a real fan of the pod, you already know the answer to that! We hope you enjoy this little game and learn something about the history of veganism along the way. We had so much fun changing things up a bit and plan to include more games in the future. As always, we want to hear from YOU! Did you enjoy the banter, the laughter and the unique facts about the vegan movement? Leave us a review on your favorite podcast app and let us know. And if you're not following us on social media yet, what are you waiting for? Join our veggie-loving community, stay updated on the latest episodes and learn more about our lives. Our Past Episode Recommendations SANDRA NOMOTO, VEGAN AUTHOR   DARË CHEESE, THE BEST VEGAN CHEESE   INTERVIEW WITH CORRINE BAKER, OUTSIDERS SANCTUARY   INTERVIEW WITH TAMARA EVANS   RYM SELMI, CEO OF MIIRO PLANT BASED What AI Told Us To Write In this new section, we include some of the funny things Chat GPT says we should write about this episode. We will add this in all future show notes because AI really comes up with some hysterical sayings about veganism. Enjoy! Our dynamic cohosts took a break from chewing on kale to engage in a hilarious game of vegan trivia that will have you laughing so hard that you might forget you're holding a carrot stick.   Picture this: one host quizzing the other on the obscure beginnings of veganism, dropping knowledge bombs on soy pioneers and tofu trailblazers.   Don't forget to binge-listen to our past episodes – they're like a buffet of knowledge served with a side of humor.

In episode #82, we interview Sandra Nomoto, a vegan content writer/editor, and author in Vancouver, Canada. She recently wrote a fantastic new book called Vegan Marketing Success Stories. The cutting-edge concept of Sandra Nomoto's book showcases the marketing tactics of vegan businesses worldwide. This book is so successful that it ranked in the Top 100 Kindle books in its category on Amazon.ca the week it was released. About Sandra's New Book Sandra Nomoto self-published this new book and included 47 contributors creating a unique storytelling experience. We are so thankful to have Sandra on the podcast to grace us with her incredible knowledge of successful and not-as-successful vegan marketing tactics used worldwide. She even gives tips for vegan business owners! You'll love learning about the vegan ink Sandra used in her new book! And about the Vancouver vegan scene! Where to Find Sandra Nomoto Visit Sandra's website to learn more about her and purchase her new book Vegan Success on Amazon. Make sure to follow her on Facebook and Instagram! Check out our last interview with Gwendolyn Darë from Darë Cheese! You can find us on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Pocketcast, or anywhere else you get your podcast fix. Make sure to leave us a review and recommend us to your friends, family, coworkers, strangers, the delivery driver. Of course, follow us on Instagram and Facebook @theaveragevegans, Subscribe to us on YouTube, or email us at [email protected]. We'd love to learn your vegan story, your favorite vegan treats, your episode suggestions, and what questions you have about the vegan lifestyle.

If you're new to the plant-based lifestyle, you've probably been asked your reasons for going vegan. This episode is your handy guide for replying to that coworker that scoffs at your lunch choice. For the most part, there are three main motivations. People choose to go vegan to save animals, to save the environment, or to save their own health. Our Reasons For Going Vegan In this episode, we go more in-depth on our whys for choosing the vegan lifestyle and our whys for staying vegan. The reasons you stay vegan can be very different than your reasons for choosing to be vegan. And that is true for Meg! Listen to this episode to find out how. Save the Animals We start this episode by discussing the main reason people go and stay vegan - the animals. Sometimes, it might not be their primary reason for choosing to eliminate animal products from their life. But it ends up being what keeps them living this lifestyle. Stopping the abuse, torture, and murder of animals is the backbone of the vegan movement. In this episode, we share a lot of statistics but the ones in this section are the most heartbreaking. Like this one - it is estimated that every year 80 billion land animals are slaughtered for food. That statistic alone could be the reason someone goes vegan. Not everyone decides to change their lifestyle for animals, and weirdly, some vegans judge other vegans if animal protection isn't the main reason they go plant-based. Personally, we here at The Average Vegans don't care why you go vegan. We don't care if you do it to piss your parents off. Or if you want to follow your favorite celebrity trend. We don't care if you take small steps or big movements toward eliminating animal products from your life. We're just thankful you did. And so are the animals! If you want to hear more animal abuse statistics, you should check out Episode 63 which talks all about the dairy industry. Save Your Health The health benefits of a vegan diet vary from person to person. Studies have shown that a plant-based diet lowers blood pressure, cholesterol, rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer. In a 2009 study, 43% of participants following a vegan diet reduced their blood sugar-lowering medication, compared with only 26% of participants who followed an ADA-recommended diet. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5466941/ Reasons for Going Vegan: Save The Environment If the stats about animal abuse and slaughter weren't bad enough, we also discuss the destruction of the environment thanks to animal agriculture. One stat that might shock you is that animal agricultural production is estimated to be responsible for 80 percent of global deforestation. Keep listening to hear more reasons for choosing the vegan lifestyle. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Pocketcast, or anywhere else you get your podcast fix. Make sure to leave us a review and recommend us to your friends, family, coworkers, strangers, the delivery driver. Of course, follow us on Instagram and Facebook @theaveragevegans, Subscribe to us on YouTube, or email us at [email protected]. We'd love to learn your vegan story, your favorite vegan treats, your episode suggestions, and what questions you have about the vegan lifestyle.

All About Darë Cheese Listen, when we say Darë Cheese is the best vegan cheese, we mean it! We both swoon over this mouth-watering dairy-free cheese. In Episode #80, we interviewed Gwendolyn Dare Hageman, the Founder of Darë Cheese. This fantastic plant-based cheese company is based in Asheville, NC and is currently available in 30 states. By May, it will be available in 46 different Whole Foods across the southeast. As with every interview, we start off learning about Gwendolyn and her vegan journey. We quickly dived into the reasons behind the creation of her one-of-a-kind vegan cheese and what her plans are for the future. This might be the most you've ever heard David and I gush over a guest because we genuinely believe in her products. You should have seen us run when we saw their booth at the 2022 Georgia Veg Fest. People Over Machinery This vegan cheese company takes pride in its team and its products. As they say on their website, "with a team of dedicated and passionate individuals, Darë chooses people over machinery and passion over everything to make a product infused with love and intention." Truly they are one of a kind! Listen to this episode to learn about Gwendolyn's favorite product, the most popular one, and what we can look for in the future. You can explore their website to learn more. Check out Episode 68 to hear another fantastic interview. This one is with Tamara Evans, a super fan of the podcast. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Pocketcast, or anywhere else you get your podcast fix. Make sure to leave us a review and recommend us to your friends, family, coworkers, strangers, the delivery driver. Of course, follow us on Instagram @theaveragevegans or email us at [email protected]. We'd love to learn your vegan story, your favorite vegan treats, your episode suggestions, and what questions you have about the vegan lifestyle.    

Episode 79 is a must-listen! We had the privilege of interviewing Corrine Baker, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Outsiders Farm and Sanctuary. We saw this fantastic sanctuary at the Georgia Veg Fest and immediately knew we had to have them on the podcast. Every time we walked past their table, there was a crowd of people asking questions. We love to see others caring so much about our local animal sanctuaries. All About Corrine Baker As we do with every interview, we start of learning more about our guest. Corrine Baker is a joy to chat with, and she's full of positivity and good vibes. You're going to like Corrine before you ever hear about Outsiders. In this episode, you'll learn about her vegan story, her tips for new vegans, and how Outsiders originated. Outsiders Farm and Sanctuary Outsiders Farm & Sanctuary is a 501 (c) 3 Farm Animal Sanctuary specializing in potbelly pigs but they also have other kinds of animals. Their mission is to help "the unimaginable number of potbelly pigs in need of placement in the state of Georgia." They provide the right kind of food, necessary medical care, and vetted placement through their adoption program. Corrine Baker and the staff at Outsiders do more than care and love for these animals. Education is a massive part of this organization. They focus on teaching proper pig care education to animal control organizations, adopters, and animal shelters. The benefit this education offers can help save thousands of pigs' lives. In this episode, you will learn about their future plans, how you can volunteer, cute stories about their adorable animals, and so much more. Please contribute to support Outsiders Sanctuary if you are able to: https://givebutter.com/sustainthesanctuary You can learn more about another Georgia animal sanctuary in Episode #74! You can find us on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Pocketcast, or anywhere else you get your podcast fix. Make sure to leave us a review and recommend us to your friends, family, coworkers, strangers, the delivery driver. Of course, follow us on Instagram @theaveragevegans or email us at [email protected]. We'd love to learn your vegan story, your favorite vegan treats, your episode suggestions, and what questions you have about the vegan lifestyle.

Listen, you might be doing dry January, but at some point, you're going to go out with friends. You need to know an excellent vegan beer, wine, and champagne. Of course, you should always use the Barnivore app to find the perfect vegan drink. But this episode is your playbook for having a vegan drink with no worries! And we both had a little bit to drink in this episode! That's always a good time. Isn't All Beer Vegan Beer? Simply put, no. In some cases, animal products are used to create beer, and a lot of vegans don't realize this! Ingredients like isinglass and gelatin are sometimes used as fining agents. Whey, lactose, and honey are also added as ingredients. We go into detail in this episode about what to avoid to make sure you're drinking vegan beer! You can learn more about vegan beer here: https://academy.plantbasednews.org/blog/can-vegans-drink-beer What About Vegan Wine? You will also learn in this episode that some wines include fining agents made of animal protein like egg whites, gelatin, casein, and isinglass – obtained from the swim bladder of fish. That's right, we said fish. If for no other reason, that alone is why you should listen to this episode. You can also learn more here: https://www.insidescience.org/news/why-wine-isnt-always-vegan Is Vegan Champagne A Thing? Champagne is similar to wine in that there are fining agents that make some bottles of bubbly not vegan. If you're anything like us, you will shudder at how much fish is used in the making of wine and champagne. When you want to celebrate a great accomplishment, listen to this episode so you reach for a vegan champagne instead of one filtered with fish. Explore more information about vegan champagne here: https://www.livekindly.com/vegan-champagne-world-vegan-day/#:~:text=Some%20Champagne%20isn't%20suitable,(known%20as%20egg%20albumen). The Vegan Wine Meg Drank  Jam Jar Sweet Wine 2019 The Simple Grape Pinot Grigio California 2021 The Vegan Beer and Wine David Drank Chateau Smith Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 Pontoon Brewing - Crushing Waves Georgia Berliner Weisse Guinness Foreign Stout New vegans, go check out Episode #73! It was made specifically for you! You can find us on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Pocketcast, or anywhere else you get your podcast fix. Make sure to leave us a review and recommend us to your friends, family, coworkers, strangers, the delivery driver. Of course, follow us on Instagram @theaveragevegans or email us at [email protected]. We'd love to learn your vegan story, your favorite vegan treats, your episode suggestions, and what questions you have about the vegan lifestyle.

Why do we talk about mental health? In this episode, we discuss why it's ok not to be ok. Speaking about the importance of mental health is essential to us. We hope this episode helps you as you venture into the new year and tackle new obstacles in life. Important Note: By not ok, we are not saying having a mental health crisis or feeling like unaliving yourself. More so, those times when we are sad, down, slightly depressed, and just overwhelmed with life. If you feel like unaliving yourself, please call 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org/. Society's Obsession with Positivity It's not often that you hear someone say it's ok not to be ok but we want to push the importance of knowing no matter what, there is always an answer to your problems. The push to be happy, joyful, and positive all the time is everywhere. We are taught by teachers, parents, TV, and the internet to only present a positive and upbeat persona. This is toxic positivity, and we are not here for it! Instead, we encourage you to feel your actual emotions, deal with them in healthy ways, and work to find a practical solution if at all possible. Important To Feel Other Emotions- Why It's Ok Not To Feel Ok As the movie Inside Out taught us, it's crucial to feel other emotions besides just happiness and joyfulness. Other emotions are just as valid. The reality is life can be sad, overwhelming, and stressful. Fighting those emotions or hiding from them is a normal reaction, but we want you to focus on the fact that it's ok not to be ok. You don't have to positivity your way through every situation. Your Brain Lies To You One of the most challenging lessons Meg has ever learned was that her brain could lie to her and she would fully believe it. Just feeling an unpleasant emotion can sometimes spiral us into thinking that's all we'll ever feel. Realizing that a thought is a lie your brain is fabricating is hard to fathom, let alone make it into daily practice.  Meg gives an incredible tip on how she handles her lying brain! For more mental health conversations, make sure to check out Episode 71 - 20 tips for dealing with stress! Books/Audiobooks/Websites/Podcasts/Social Media People We Love Daring Greatly by Brene Brown The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck by Mark Manson Unfuck Yourself by Gary John Bishop Marc and Angel Hack Life (marcandangel.com) Kati Morton, LMFT (https://www.tiktok.com/@katimorton) Therapy Jeff (https://www.tiktok.com/@therapyjeff) Liberation Helen (https://www.tiktok.com/@liberationhelen) Therapy in a nutshell  You can find us on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Pocketcast, or anywhere else you get your podcast fix. Make sure to leave us a review and recommend us to your friends, family, coworkers, strangers, the delivery driver. Of course, follow us on Instagram @theaveragevegans or email us at [email protected]. We'd love to learn your vegan story, your favorite vegan treats, your episode suggestions, and what questions you have about the vegan lifestyle.