Live Natural Live Well with Heather Lounsbury

In the summer of 2012, Steve Jenkins was contacted by an old friend about adopting a micro piglet. Though he knew his partner Derek  Walter wouldn't be enthusiastic, he agreed to take the adorable little pig anyway, thinking he could care for her himself. Little did he know, that decision would change his and Derek's lives forever.  It turned out there was nothing "micro" about Esther, and Steve and Derek had actually signed on to raise a full-sized commercial pig. Within three years, Tiny Esther grew to a whopping 600 pounds. After some real growing pains and a lot of pig-sized messes, it became clear that Esther needed much more space, so Steve and Derek made another life-changing decision: they bought a farm and opened the Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary, where they could care for Esther and other animals in need.  Esther's photos and videos will make you laugh, cry, and think twice about what you put on your plate. Tune in to be inspired by this very special 'little' pig.

This is not your average teenage girl. She’s not drawn to designer labels. She’s drawn to food labels. At 11 years old, Rachel Parent began researching for a school project and became alarmed by what she learned about GMOs. This gave her the spark to become an activist fighting for our right to know what’s in our food by making GMO labeling a law in Canada. That spark evolved into what’s now known as Kids Right To Know, a not-for-profit organization that she founded to inform the public, especially other children, about food safety. A Toronto high school student, Rachel has since become a media veteran with dozens of television radio, magazine and online interviews under her belt. Rachel continues to research, educate and motivate others in schools and public events around the world in the name of transparency and choice. Various chapters of her journey are shared via her blog found on the Huffington Post Canada. Tune in and be inspired. One person DOES make a difference.

My honored guest today! Dr. Jenn Mann (formerly Dr. Jenn Berman) is a well-known psychotherapist, author, television and radio host. She is the host and therapist for VH1 Couples Therapy with Dr. Jenn (six seasons), VH1 Family Therapy with Dr. Jenn and VH1 Couples Therapy with Dr. Jenn Reunion. She is a regular psychological expert on The Today Show, The Maury Show, Access Hollywood, The Insider and has appeared on hundreds of other shows including The Early Show, The Talk, Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Dr. Jenn's call in radio program, The Dr. Jenn Show spent five successful years on Sirius XM. Before that she co-hosted On the Couch on Star 98.7, a Clear Channel station, for two years. Dr. Jenn is the author of three bestselling books: The Relationship Fix: Dr. Jenn's Guide to Improving Communication, Connection & Intimacy, SuperBaby: 12 Ways to Give Your Child a Head Start in the First 3 Years, The A to Z Guide to Raising Happy Confident Kids and Rockin’ Babies. Dr. Mann also created the popular weight loss app “No More Diets” application, which is currently available on iPhone & iPad and is based on her doctorial dissertation. Dr. Jenn has a Bachelors in Mass Communications/Journalism, a Masters in Clinical Psychology, and a Doctorate in Psychology, specifically Marriage, Child, and Family therapy. She is a licensed Marriage, Family and Child Therapist and has been in private practice for over twenty years. She lives in Beverly Hills with her family. You can find Dr. Jenn onTwitter, Instagram, snapchat & facebook: @DrJennMann

Engine 2 Founder Rip Esselstyn was born in upstate New York, raised in Cleveland, Ohio, and educated at the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a three-time All-American swimmer. After graduation, Rip spent a decade as one of the premier triathletes in the world. He then joined the Austin Fire Department where he introduced his passion for a whole-food, plant-based diet to Austin’s Engine 2 Firehouse in order to rescue a firefighting brother’s health. To document his success he wrote the national bestselling book, The Engine 2 Diet, which shows the irrefutable connection between a plant-based diet and good health. Rip left his job as a firefighter in 2009 to team up with Whole Foods Market as one of their Healthy Eating Partners to raise awareness for Whole Foods employees, customers and communities about the benefits of eating a plant-strong diet. As the founder of Engine 2, Rip develops and implements a range of programs and events geared toward education, inspiring and nurturing plant-strong living for individuals, families and organizations across the globe. The Engine 2 Diet has sold hundreds of thousands of copies and inspired a plant-based food revolution. Featuring endorsements from top medical experts and a food line in Whole Foods Market, Engine 2 is the most trusted name in plant-based eating. Now, readers can bring the Engine 2 program into their kitchens with this cookbook companion to the original diet program. Engine 2 started in a firehouse in Texas, and if Texas firefighters love to eat this food, readers nationwide will eat it up, too! THE ENGINE 2 COOKBOOK packs the life-saving promise of the Engine 2 program into more than 130 mouth-watering, crowd-pleasing recipes that are designed to help readers lose weight, lower cholesterol, and improve their health, one delicious bite at a time.

Children's book author, vegan activist and talented artist Ruby Roth has written here best book yet Help Yourself.  Experts tell us the best way to teach kids healthy eating habits is to involve them in the process. This irresistibe cookbook presents 60 appealing recipes kids will beg to make themselves, in fun and charming illustrations they will love. Bursting with color, humor, cute animal characters, and cool facts (did you know your brain actually shrinks when you're dehydrated? Drink water, quick!), Help Yourself empowers children to take charge of their own nutrition -- for now and for life! Recipes include:  fun-to-munch hand-held snacks like Life Boats.bright fruit-flavored drinks like Tickled Pink.the always popular things-on-toast, like Leprechaun Footprints.salads they will actually eat, like Tiger Stripes.cozy soups like Tomato Tornado.and sweets like chocolatey Disappearing Dots!

Called “such a nice zealot” by The New York Times and “the L.A. punk’ who turned animal rights into a celebrity craze,” Dan Mathews is the creative force behind many of PETA’s colorful crusades. He has recruited a parade of stars to speak out for the cause and was the first person to interview longtime animal rights ally Sir Paul McCartney after the death of his wife, Linda. Dan started out at PETA as a receptionist and soon rose through the ranks while devising ways to increase public awareness of animal rights issues. Dan launched PETA’s legendary “Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” campaign by walking down the streets of Tokyo wearing nothing more than a banner. He also has promoted animal rights while costumed as a carrot in Kansas City and a cow in Denver, and he crashed a furrier’s fashion show dressed as a priest in Milan. Dan’s accomplishments include convincing Calvin Klein to stop designing with fur after leading a raid of his office, pressuring GM to stop using animals in crash tests by storming the auto company’s float in the Rose Parade, and lobbying Gillette to halt tests on animals by wheeling a TV into the company’s cafeteria to show graphic undercover footage of the gruesome experiments.

For nearly six years, acclaimed author, speaker, podcaster, and Main Street Vegan Academy director, Victoria Moran, has trained individuals to become vegan lifestyle coaches and educators. Now, Victoria has teamed up with one her Academy alums turned faculty member, cookbook author, culinary instructor, and radio host, JL Fields, to bring that very same coaching to you. In The Main Street Vegan Academy Cookbook, Victoria and JL, along with over a hundred certified vegan lifestyle coaches, join you in the kitchen as you discover more than 100 of their favorite plant-sourced recipes. Whether you're new to the diet or a seasoned plant-based eater, vegan or just veg-curious, their tips, tricks, shortcuts, and strategies will transform your cooking, your eating, and your life. Inside, you'll find wholesome, delectable, and accessible recipes like: PB&J Sammie SmoothieSweet Red Chili Potato SkinsPepperoni Pizza PuffsAvocado-Cucumber SoupCranberry-Kale PilafCrisp Mocha Peanut Butter Bars Anchored in compassion, The Main Street Vegan Academy Cookbook is more than a cookbook; it's a complete guide to going vegan, from FAQs, troubleshooting, and menu plans to inspiration and innovations for navigating the culinary, nutritional, and social landscape of plant-based eating. Embrace a healthier, more compassionate you, with Victoria, JL, and the rest of the Main Street Vegan Academy coaches by your side.

From Michael Greger, M.D., FACLM, author of the New York Times bestselling book How Not to Die, comes a beautifully-designed, comprehensive cookbook complete with more than 120 recipes for delicious, life-saving, plant-based meals, snacks, and beverages. Every recipe in The How Not to Die Cookbook offers a delectable, easy-to-prepare, plant-based dish to help anyone eat their way to better health. Rooted in the latest nutrition science, these easy-to-follow, stunningly photographed recipes will appeal to anyone looking to live a longer, healthier life. Featuring Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen?the best ingredients to add years to your life?The How Not to Die Cookbook is destined to become an essential tool in healthy kitchens everywhere. NUTRITIONFACTS.ORG is a strictly non-commercial, science-based public service provided by Dr. Michael Greger, providing free updates on the latest in nutrition research via bite-sized videos. There are more than a thousand videos on nearly every aspect of healthy eating, with new videos and articles uploaded every day.

My guest today is the inspiring and compassionate bestselling author Kathy Freston.  She's teamed up with co- author Bruce Friedrich to write her latest work of genius- Clean Protein. Food and wellness experts Kathy Freston and Bruce Friedrich have spent years researching the future of protein. They've talked to the food pioneers and the nutrition scientists, and now they've distilled what they've learned into a strength-building plan poised to reshape your body and change your world. Complete with delicious recipes and a detailed guide to food planning, Clean Protein explains everything you need to know in order to get lean, gain energy, and stay mentally sharp. You'll finally understand in simple terms why protein is essential, how much you should get, and where to find the best sources of it. Clean Protein is a powerful solution to excess weight and chronic health issues, and it's a cultural revolution that will be talked about for decades.

Nathan Runkle would have been a fifth-generation farmer in his small Midwestern town. Instead, he founded our nation’s leading nonprofit organization for protecting factory-farmed animals Mercy For Animals. In his new book, Mercy For Animals, Nathan brings us into the trenches of his organization’s work; from MFA’s early days in grassroots activism to dangerous and dramatic experiences doing undercover investigations to the organization’s current large-scale efforts at making sweeping legislative change to protect factory-farmed animals and encourage compassionate food choices. But this isn’t just Nathan’s story. Mercy For Animals examines how our country moved from a network of small local farms with more than 50 percent of Americans involved in agriculture to a massive coast-to-coast industrial complex controlled by a mere 1 percent of our population—and the consequences of this drastic change for animals as well as our global and local environments. We also learn how MFA strives to protect farmed animals in behind-the-scenes negotiations with companies like Nestlé and other brand names—conglomerates whose policy changes can spare countless lives and strengthen our planet. Since founding MFA over a decade ago, Nathan has overseen the organization's growth into a leading international force in the prevention of cruelty to farmed animals and promotion of compassionate food choices and policies. Imagine a world free of cruelty, a world in which we nurture our bodies, minds, and spirits with wholesome, healthy food that is kind to animals and sustainable for our planet. MFA believes that world is possible. In fact, it is inevitable if we work together to elevate humanity to its fullest potential.  Tune in. Be inspired.

What the Health is the groundbreaking follow-up film from the creators of the award winning documentary Cowspiracy. The film follows intrepid filmmaker Kip Andersen as he uncovers the secret to preventing and even reversing chronic diseases – and investigates why the nation’s leading health organizations don’t want us to know about it. With heart disease and cancer the leading causes of death in America, and diabetes at an all-time high, the film reveals possibly the largest health cover-up of our time. With the help of medical doctors, researchers, and consumer advocates, What the Health exposes the collusion and corruption in government and big business that is costing us trillions of healthcare dollars, and keeping us sick. Join Kip as he tracks down the leading and most trusted American health nonprofits to find out why these groups are staying silent, despite a growing body of evidence. Audiences will be shocked to learn the insidious roles played by pharmaceutical companies, agribusiness, and processed animal food companies in the nation’s health, especially in the most vulnerable communities, and will cheer at the transformation and recovery of those who took their lives into their own hands. What The Health is a surprising, and at times hilarious, investigative documentary that will be an eye-opener for everyone concerned about our nation’s health and how big business influences it.

David de Rothschild is a British environmentalist, adventurer and explorer. He has traveled the globe and sometimes risked his life to raise awareness about the environment, climate change, and plastic pollution. David has also written the book The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook: 77 Essential Skills to Stop Climate Change. His latest project is The Lost Explorer, an online magazine and resource for eco-friendly clothing, apparel, wellness products, and even mezcal. The company description- "We’re a lifestyle company working in partnership with Nature to outfit you for the adventure of everyday life. A lost explorer is a modern adventurer in life. Someone who jumps in with their eyes wide open even when they don’t know where, when, or even if, they’re going to land. We figured out that it’s when we let ourselves get lost that we find ourselves. Being a Lost Explorer isn’t running away from life, it’s running towards it."  Well said. Tune in to find out what David is up to, hear tales of his adventures, and find out what we can all do to protect our planet.

Sophie Uliano is an Internationally renowned Green and Healthy Living expert and her latest book is Gorgeous for Good. She is the author of New York Times best-selling, book, Gorgeously Green. Sophie has written 2 other books, on food/wellness and Natural DIY’s (The Gorgeously Green Diet, and Do it Gorgeously). Sophie’s education began in the UK where she studied clinical nutrition, homeopathy, and aromatherapy, which led to her interest in healthy eating, and making her own health and beauty products.   A look into Gorgeous for Good Well-researched, myth-busting information about commercial and natural beauty productsSimple guidelines for buying the best skin care products, and easy recipes for cost-saving beauty products to make at homeHealthy, budget-friendly recipes for food to kick start the new you Tune in for some great eco-friendly beauty tips!

My very special guest Sharon Gannon is a 21st-century Renaissance woman, an animal rights and vegan activist and a world-renowned yogini, perhaps best known as the founder, along with David Life, of the Jivamukti Yoga Method. She is also an accomplished writer, dancer, painter, musician and chef. Sharon has devoted many years exploring the role of diet in promoting physical, emotional and mental well-being as well as spiritual development.  Simple Recipes for Joy is Sharon's new vegan cookbook. This book is an offering of easy, fun and practical ways to create more happiness and joy in your life, in the lives of others and on the planet. A vegan (plant-based) diet is the best way to promote human health and compassion towards animals, and it is the most direct way to save the planet from environmental destruction.    Tune in for recipe ideas and how you can make smarter food choices.

Cowspiracy,which was executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, is the documentary everyone needs to watch. Filmakers Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn will be joining me for an in depth interview on the impact of animal agricultural on our environment and why everyone seems to be ignoring it. Animal agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation, water consumption and pollution, is responsible for more greenhouse gases than the transportation industry, and is a primary driver of rainforest destruction, species extinction, habitat loss, topsoil erosion, ocean “dead zones,” and virtually every other environmental ill. Yet it goes on, almost entirely unchallenged. As Andersen approaches leaders in the environmental movement, he increasingly uncovers what appears to be an intentional refusal to discuss the issue of animal agriculture, while industry whistleblowers and watchdogs warn him of the risks to his freedom and even his life if he dares to persist. As eye-opening as Blackfish and as inspiring as An Inconvenient Truth, this shocking yet humorous documentary reveals the absolutely devastating environmental impact large-scale factory farming has on our planet, and offers a path to global sustainability for a growing population.

Candle Cafe of New York City founders Joy Pierson and Bart Potenza have a new cookbook called Vegan Holiday Cooking from Candle Cafe.  With the help of chefs Angel Ramos and Jorge Pineda, Vegan Holiday Cooking features more than 100 holiday innovative recipes for any celebration throughout the year. You can look forward to meals for Superbowl Sunday to Passover Seder.  Every meal, dessert, and drink in this amazing book is mouth watering, delicious, and good for you. Tune in for some teasers and healthful tips for cooking at home!

Beyond Meat's Ethan Brown will be my guest today. If you haven't tried their amazing, plant based meats, go buy some after listening to the show. Beyond Meat believes there is a better way to feed the planet. Their mission is to replace animal protein with animal protein.  They are dedicated to improving human health, positively impacting climate change, conserving natural resources, and respecting animal welfare. Beyond Meat wants to make the world a better place and we’re starting one delicious meal at a time. Beyond Meat has been the recipient of a number of awards and national press. Recently, Fast Company named Beyond Meat the World’s Most Innovative Company in Food for 2014 and the company headlined an in-depth article in the New York Times about the importance and momentum of plant-based protein. Tune in to find out what make Beyond Meat the best on the market, some recipe tips, and new product announcements.  Just added- Leonardo di Caprio is now an investor!

Associate producer and Co-Writer Tim Zimmermann of Blackfish is the featured guest today. This documentary has a huge impact sociallyand financially. Bands are cancelling performances, Sea World stock prices have dropped, and students everywhere are boycotting Sea World.  Blackfish on the short list for the Oscar's best documentary.  Blackfish tells the story of Tilikum, a performing killer whale that killed several people while in captivity. Along the way, director-producer Gabriela Cowperthwaite compiles shocking footage and emotional interviews to explore the creature’s extraordinary nature, the species’ cruel treatment in captivity, the lives and losses of the trainers and the pressures brought to bear by the multi-billion dollar sea-park industry. This emotionally wrenching, tautly structured story challenges us to consider our relationship to nature and reveals how little we humans have learned from these highly intelligent and enormously sentient fellow mammals.

Film makers Morgan Spurlock and Jeremy Chilnick are the dream team behind Super Size Me, Inside Man, 30 Days, A Day in the Life, Mansome, and so much more.  I'm lucky enough to have Jeremy on today.  Morgan founded their production company Warriot Poets  in 2004.  They've since created several thought provoking, inspiring, sometimes hilarious award winning movies and tv shows. Their most recent is the hit film One Direction: This is Us.  We'll share insight on what it means to be a fan.   Super Size Me- my personal favorite- is enjoying its 10th anniversary.  We'll talk about the impact the movie has had culturally. Supersize Me has raised the awareness of fast food's  horrific health consequences more than any film to date.  If you haven't seen Super Size Me, rent it today. Find out what inspires them, how they choose their next film and exciting upcoming projects.   Definitely call in with questions.

Children's book author Ruby Roth has just release her latest V is for Vegan.  Once again Ms. Roth makes teaching compassion fun and kid friendly. Vegan since 2003, Roth was teaching art at an elementary school when her students' fascination with veganism inspired her to write That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals in 2009—the first book of its kind in children's literature. Vegan Is Loveand V Is for Vegan followed. Take a look at her web site for more tips on raising a cruelty free family.  wedonteatanimals.com