Kathy Freston's Veganist and the Vegan Diet on Oprah Today
Kathy Freston has a new book out, Veganist, which inspired Oprah to go “vegan” for a week. That’s right. Oprah and members of her Harpo staff took a One-Week Vegan Challenge and will be cutting out all animal products and eating a vegan diet.
Oprah invited Michael Pollan, author of In Defense of Food and The Omnivore’s Dilemma onto her show today along with Kathy Freston and Lisa Ling to do a tour of a meat processing plant. It was exactly what you’d expect from Food, Inc., but on the Oprah Show.
The members of the Harpo staff gave their impressions on the diet, which ranged from complete hatred to completely embracing it. At one point Kathy Freston compared a staff member’s “junk food diet” to an addiction. Still, others have completely made the change, and Oprah herself is embracing the popular Meatless Mondays movement.
I’ve talked before about veganism and the vegan diet with Alicia Silverstone’s The Kind Diet. To be clear, there are ethical vegans where avoiding all animal products is an ethical choice, and there are those who do it for dietary reasons only. That said, we’re looking at the vegan diet, not the vegan lifestyle here in Kathy Freston’s new book Veganist and that is what was also explored on today’s show.
Considering the Vegan Diet? Here are a few links from Kathy Freston to help!
-Veganize Your Meals
- Your Vegan Shopping List
- Meals for Going Vegan Week One
- Oprah’s 21-Day Cleanse Menu Plans with Recipes






I think I would have a hard time with a vegan diet or lifestyle. Yikes, please don’t peg me as bad person, but I love butter way too much to give up dairy.
I do agree that junk food is like an addiction, but I think that giving up dairy would be hard for me.
Great info! I am a meat lover, but I like to be informed.
It is so easy to quite dairy products. Just thought about that milk is actual for babies. Every mammals-mothers have milk in their breasts for their own babies. Tiger milk is for Tiger babies, Horse milk is for horse babies, Cattle milk is for calves, (human being-)mother milk is for human beings babies. And all wild animal babies So are you a human being? Are you older than 3 years? Does you mother have still milk for you? No, than quite drinking milk and do not start to steal it from other mothers, because they got the milk for their own babies. Are you stealing milk which is dedicated for a baby. What kind of human being are you? Is this really your culture? To be a milk-thief? Let´s quite dairy today and for ever. Enjoy instead coconut juice, avocado (forest-butter), handmade cashew-cheese or almond-milk. If you are thirsty drink purest water you can get. Enjoy natural food, enjoy natural life. Natural life means living healthy.