The PlantWhys Podcast

Ali Essig
  • 5.0 (29)
  • Nutrition
  • Weekly

As a mother of six children, including twin baby boys, Ali found herself rushing to the emergency room with her 37 year old husband who had just suffered a stroke. After multiple tests, doctors found no clear answers and encouraged their family to eat a heart healthy diet by avoiding saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol and to eat more fiber. Ali dived deep into the research and found that eating a plant-predominant diet would not only decrease her husband’s risk of stroke, but also decrease ALL types of chronic disease. She realized that the answer was in the Word of Wisdom the whole time. Now she wants to share with the world the benefits of eating less animal products and more plants.

  1. 1h ago

    Breast Cancer: What You Eat Matters More Than You Think

    Caffeine guide mentioned: https://www.plantwhys.com/caffeine-guide Join the PlantWhys membership: https://www.plantwhys.com/collective  00:00 Workshop Overview 02:00 Why Breast Cancer Matters 04:13 Cancer Timeline Explained 05:21 Tumor Stages and Angiogenesis 08:29 Lifestyle Risk Factors 11:06 HRT and Estrogen Risks 14:46 Inflammation and Oxidative Stress 17:16 Antioxidants and Amla 20:38 Animal Protein and IGF-1 22:54 Meat Risks and WHO Findings 25:41 Processed Foods vs Meat 29:37 Alcohol and Breast Cancer 30:38 Plant Based Cancer Defense 32:19 Soy Myths Debunked 37:11 Flax Crucifers and Berries 39:35 Cooking Meat Carcinogens 41:19 Plant Protein for Strength 41:44 Plant Protein Picks 42:19 Cancer Fighting Smoothies 42:50 Sleep Stress Relationships 43:21 Emotional Roots of Risk 44:33 Chef AJ Grief Lesson 45:45 Self Nurturing Message 46:10 Collective Membership Pitch 47:25 Programs Jumpstart Reset Strength 51:45 Community Support and Value 55:43 Bonuses Meal Plan Offer 01:01:41 Free Trial and Q&A 01:02:27 Dairy Soy and Exercise Answers 01:05:25 More Q&A Kids Lunch Stress 01:07:40 Soy Reassurance and Options 01:10:40 Raw Milk and Dairy Guidance 01:14:56 Why the Program Evolved 01:17:52 Final Wrap and Replay Info

  2. Oct 24

    Why Hot Girls Are Eating Peas (And Why You Should Too!)

    FREE GUIDES: Fridge and Pantry Guide: https://www.plantwhys.com/Fridge-and-Pantry-Guide How Not to Die Cliff Notes: https://www.plantwhys.com/signup-cliffnotes Free one week meal guide: https://www.plantwhys.com/free-1-week-meal-guide-sign-up-1 Free Guide: How to Ease into Eating More Plants: https://www.plantwhys.com/plantwhys-2-0 MINI COURSES: Ten Minute Tank Top Arms: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/2KjPzp87/checkout How to Lose Two Pounds in One Week Mini-Course: https://www.plantwhys.com/how-to-lose-2-pounds-in-one-week-1 Strong Core, Happy Gut Mini Course: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/V4bwWus5/checkout Plant-Based Pathway Mini-Course: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/9THuNFBP/checkout FREE TRIALS: One Month Free inside our PlantWhys Membership: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/jYZNxfAq/checkout One Month Free to our Meal Plan Subscription: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/oDm6uR2J/checkout Host Ali Essig explains the viral Instagram trend of eating peas as a way to “fiber max” while still meeting protein goals, noting peas are legumes like beans and lentils but often easier to digest with less gas and bloating. She breaks down pea nutrition (about 130 calories per cooked cup with 8–9g protein and 8–9g fiber plus vitamin K, C, folate, thiamine, and manganese) and shares seven benefits: supporting weight loss and fullness, steady blood sugar, heart health (lower LDL via soluble fiber plus potassium and magnesium), strong plant protein (lysine-rich, allergy-friendly), gut health via short-chain fatty acids, skin/eye support (vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin), and low cost plus environmental benefits. She busts myths about taste, starch, frozen peas, lectins, and peas being only a side dish, notes vitamin K caution for some blood thinners, and gives easy ways to eat peas (freezer toss, pea pesto, pea toast, split pea soup, pea hummus, crunchy peas, curry), challenging listeners to eat one serving daily for seven days and promoting PlantWhys resources and membership. 00:00 Welcome to PlantWhys 00:12 Peas Go Viral 00:35 Protein vs Fiber Trend 02:46 Peas as Legumes 03:26 Pea Nutrition Breakdown 04:25 Reframe Peas as Main 04:54 Benefits for Weight Loss 06:10 Blood Sugar Friendly 06:52 Heart Health Boost 08:01 Pea Protein Everywhere 09:24 Gut Health and Digestion 10:50 Glow and Budget Wins 12:13 Myths About Peas 16:22 How to Eat More Peas 19:31 Wrap Up and Challenge 20:46 Membership and Farewell

  3. Oct 17

    The #1 Food for Longevity (And Why Most People Aren’t Eating Enough)

    Host Ali Essig shares research tracking nearly 800 adults over 70 in Japan, Sweden, Greece, and Australia showing beans were the only food group that consistently predicted longer life, with each additional 20 grams per day linked to about a 7–8% lower risk of dying during the study. She addresses common objections: gas (often improves after the first weeks; start with 1/4 cup daily, be consistent, try lentils or different beans, drain/rinse canned beans, and consider Beano), lectins (raw/undercooked kidney beans can cause severe illness but proper cooking or canned beans are safe), “too many carbs” (meta-analysis of 21 trials found modest additional weight loss and greater fullness; a diabetes study showed better A1C and risk markers than a whole-wheat high-fiber diet), canned bean sodium (draining/rinsing cuts sodium ~40%), incomplete protein (no need to combine at each meal; beans provide ~15–18g protein per cup), and taste (use different preparations). She challenges listeners to eat 1/4–1/2 cup of beans daily for two weeks and directs them to PlantWhys resources. 00:00 Beans and Longevity 01:31 Gas and Gut Adjustment 04:24 Lectins and Safe Cooking 06:18 Carbs Weight Loss Benefits 09:15 Easy Ways to Add Beans 10:46 Canned Beans and Sodium 12:40 Protein Pairing Myth 15:07 Finding Beans You Like 17:01 Recap Two Week Challenge 19:02 Wrap Up and Next Steps

  4. Oct 10

    The Most Underrated Habit of Highly Successful People

    FREE GUIDES: Fridge and Pantry Guide: https://www.plantwhys.com/Fridge-and-Pantry-Guide How Not to Die Cliff Notes: https://www.plantwhys.com/signup-cliffnotes Free one week meal guide: https://www.plantwhys.com/free-1-week-meal-guide-sign-up-1 Free Guide: How to Ease into Eating More Plants: https://www.plantwhys.com/plantwhys-2-0 MINI COURSES: Ten Minute Tank Top Arms: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/2KjPzp87/checkout How to Lose Two Pounds in One Week Mini-Course: https://www.plantwhys.com/how-to-lose-2-pounds-in-one-week-1 Strong Core, Happy Gut Mini Course: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/V4bwWus5/checkout Plant-Based Pathway Mini-Course: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/9THuNFBP/checkout FREE TRIALS: One Month Free inside our PlantWhys Membership: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/jYZNxfAq/checkout One Month Free to our Meal Plan Subscription: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/oDm6uR2J/checkout Ali shares what she calls the most underrated habit for success: becoming a cheerleader for others and yourself to shift from scarcity to joy and get better results without trying harder. Drawing from experiences at Funnel Hacking Live, she describes Ben Kare (featured in the Amazon Prime documentary “Stand Out”), whose confidence and constant compliments uplift everyone, and her friend Sarah, who prayed for the speaker right before presenting, prompting a powerful impression that unseen supporters and angels are cheering for us. She explains how to interrupt negative, comparative “crab in a bucket” thoughts by choosing a supportive secondary thought, gives an example of reframing jealousy toward another plant-based creator, and shares abundance practices including hope journaling, visualization, and praying as if desired outcomes are already accomplished. She closes with a marathon metaphor emphasizing encouragement over self-criticism. 00:00 One Habit Changes Everything 01:13 Conference Lessons and Ben Kare 03:59 Ben Kare Superpower 06:47 Sarah Prayer Moment 08:53 Unseen Supporters 10:21 Be the Cheerleader 11:29 Scarcity and Crab Mentality 13:01 Rewriting the Second Thought 14:14 Broccoli Mum Comparison Trap 15:39 Where Scarcity Comes From 17:07 Abundance Practice with Misty 18:56 Hope Journaling and Prayer 21:19 Three Step Habit Recap 23:55 Marathon Cheerleader Finale 25:31 Final Encouragement

  5. Oct 3

    Do I Love My Body? Dropping the Fig Leaves and Learning Embodied Stewardship

    FREE GUIDES: Fridge and Pantry Guide: https://www.plantwhys.com/Fridge-and-Pantry-Guide How Not to Die Cliff Notes: https://www.plantwhys.com/signup-cliffnotes Free one week meal guide: https://www.plantwhys.com/free-1-week-meal-guide-sign-up-1 Free Guide: How to Ease into Eating More Plants: https://www.plantwhys.com/plantwhys-2-0 MINI COURSES: Ten Minute Tank Top Arms: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/2KjPzp87/checkout How to Lose Two Pounds in One Week Mini-Course: https://www.plantwhys.com/how-to-lose-2-pounds-in-one-week-1 Strong Core, Happy Gut Mini Course: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/V4bwWus5/checkout Plant-Based Pathway Mini-Course: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/9THuNFBP/checkout FREE TRIALS: One Month Free inside our PlantWhys Membership: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/jYZNxfAq/checkout One Month Free to our Meal Plan Subscription: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/oDm6uR2J/checkout   Host Ali Essig shares a recording of her Faith Matters Restore Conference talk, “Do I Love My Body?,” inviting listeners to set an intention for embodied stewardship and examine lifelong stories that fuel body dissatisfaction. She connects shame about the body to Adam and Eve’s “fig leaves” and identifies three archetypes—body criticizer, body worshiper, and body neglector—rooted in body objectification, or viewing the body as an object rather than a lived experience. She explains how self-objectification can steal cognitive resources (citing the “swimsuit study”) and recommends calling it out, focusing on how the body feels, what it can do, and internal health markers. She recounts her husband’s stroke and health improvements after emphasizing plant-forward eating and the Word of Wisdom. Using car/temple metaphors and affirmations, she encourages healthier self-talk, curating social media, and ends with a guided gratitude and mental-subtraction meditation. 00:00 Podcast Intro and Talk Setup 01:03 Opening Grounding Exercise 01:58 Body Stories and Shame 04:20 Adam and Eve Fig Leaves 05:30 Three Body Archetypes 07:36 Objectification and Its Cost 11:29 Embodiment Over Appearance 14:18 Health Markers and Stroke Story 17:27 Stewardship Car and Temple 21:03 Affirmations and Identity Shift 24:55 Guided Gratitude Meditation 36:36 Closing and Resources

  6. Sep 26

    What Everyone Gets Wrong About Plant-Based Eating

    Host Ali Essig introduces the PlantWhys Podcast and busts common plant-based myths, explaining that “complete proteins” don’t need to be combined at each meal, protein needs for muscle gain are often overstated, and muscle can be built without meat through adequate total protein and progressive overload training. She shares practical ways to reach ~100g protein/day with smoothies, soy milk, protein powder, edamame puffs, and beans, and warns against relying on processed meats like turkey bacon/sausage due to colon cancer risk. She addresses soy and hormones, citing long use, population data, and moderate intake guidelines, and notes soy’s potential benefits for hot flashes, cholesterol, and bone health. She argues fiber-rich whole-food carbs improve blood sugar, discusses cost-saving strategies like frozen produce, summarizes longevity estimates from plant-forward eating, and gives steps to reduce body objectification through naming the habit, gratitude, interoception, and curating social media inputs. FREE GUIDES:  Fridge and Pantry Guide: https://www.plantwhys.com/Fridge-and-Pantry-Guide   How Not to Die Cliff Notes: https://www.plantwhys.com/signup-cliffnotes  Free one week meal guide: https://www.plantwhys.com/free-1-week-meal-guide-sign-up-1  Free Guide: How to Ease into Eating More Plants: https://www.plantwhys.com/plantwhys-2-0  MINI COURSES:  Ten Minute Tank Top Arms: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/2KjPzp87/checkout  How to Lose Two Pounds in One Week Mini-Course: https://www.plantwhys.com/how-to-lose-2-pounds-in-one-week-1  Strong Core, Happy Gut Mini Course: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/V4bwWus5/checkout  Plant-Based Pathway Mini-Course: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/9THuNFBP/checkout   FREE TRIALS: One Month Free inside our PlantWhys Membership: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/jYZNxfAq/checkout  One Month Free to our Meal Plan Subscription: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/oDm6uR2J/checkout   00:00 Plant Based Myths Intro 01:06 Complete Protein Myth 03:53 Protein Targets and Training 06:38 High Protein Breakfast Hacks 09:20 Soy Hormone Scare 14:07 Dairy Versus Soy Reality 15:52 Muscle Without Meat 17:31 Carbs and Fiber Truth 20:24 Fiber Makes Carbs Safe 21:10 Refined Carbs Are The Issue 21:40 Healthy Eating On A Budget 23:32 Frozen Produce Money Hacks 24:20 Longevity Gains From Plant Forward 26:09 Why Processed Meat Matters 26:46 How Much Longer Can You Live 30:40 Avoiding Body Objectification 32:50 Gratitude Over Appearance 35:16 Interoception And Curating Inputs 37:40 Wrap Up And Next Steps

  7. Sep 19

    Vince Rountree: How a Plant-Based Diet Can Transform Your Health

    Ali interviews plant-based coach Vince Rountree, whom she met at the IC&M conference, about his journey into whole-food, plant-based nutrition and coaching. Vince explains that after a 2011 physical showed high cholesterol and blood pressure and he was told he’d need pills for life, he researched heart disease prevention, found Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s work, and went all-in; in six weeks his total cholesterol dropped from 240 to 132, LDL from 170 to 78, blood pressure improved, and he lost 20 pounds. He describes building a coaching business after feeling “called” to leave corporate marketing in 2015, primarily serving women in their 50s–70s while trying to reach more men. He shares gaining 20 pounds of muscle in his 60s without protein powder, his client-motivation approach of finding a “why that makes you cry,” advice for plant-based households with non-plant-based spouses, and a client story of Annie in Alaska who improved dramatically from stage five chronic kidney disease and type 2 diabetes. FREE GUIDES: Fridge and Pantry Guide: https://www.plantwhys.com/Fridge-and-Pantry-Guide How Not to Die Cliff Notes: https://www.plantwhys.com/signup-cliffnotes Free one week meal guide: https://www.plantwhys.com/free-1-week-meal-guide-sign-up-1 Free Guide: How to Ease into Eating More Plants: https://www.plantwhys.com/plantwhys-2-0 MINI COURSES: Ten Minute Tank Top Arms: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/2KjPzp87/checkout How to Lose Two Pounds in One Week Mini-Course: https://www.plantwhys.com/how-to-lose-2-pounds-in-one-week-1 Strong Core, Happy Gut Mini Course: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/V4bwWus5/checkout Plant-Based Pathway Mini-Course: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/9THuNFBP/checkout FREE TRIALS: One Month Free inside our PlantWhys Membership: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/jYZNxfAq/checkout One Month Free to our Meal Plan Subscription: https://www.plantwhys.com/offers/oDm6uR2J/checkout Link to Vince's Challenge: https://www.theredlinechallenge.com/go 00:00 Meet Vince Rountree 01:06 Health Scare Sparks Change 02:38 Finding Esselstyn’s Research 03:54 Six Weeks to Results 04:46 From Curiosity to Coaching 06:13 A Calling to Serve 07:53 Who He Helps Most 08:59 Building Muscle Plant Based 12:11 Motivation and The Why 14:21 Staying On Track While Traveling 15:16 Family as the Anchor 17:19 Household Support and Community 18:07 Spouse Support Strategy 19:07 Documentaries To Watch 20:32 Annie Kidney Comeback 24:31 Food Fixes Healthcare 25:33 How To Find Vince 28:02 Imposter Syndrome Talk 30:51 Community For Change 32:42 Final Thanks And Wrap

  8. Sep 12

    Hormones, Protein, and Stress: The PlantWhys Framework to Feel Like Yourself Again

    Ali hosts a webinar on regaining energy and feeling like yourself in midlife by focusing on diet, protein, and stress rather than extremes, expensive supplements, or automatic hormone therapy.   Join the PlantWhys membership with this amazing offer Before Monday by going to: https://www.plantwhys.com/40 00:00 Hormones Protein Stress Intro 00:56 Free Pantry Guide Giveaway 02:25 Pop Quiz Mindset Myths 04:57 Find Your Deeper Why 07:09 Meet Ali And PlantWhys 08:06 Husband Stroke Turning Point 11:01 Mr T Telomeres Explained 13:04 New Rules Uno To Monopoly 14:56 Biggest Threats And Antioxidants 19:30 Secret Two Protein Truths 25:13 PlantWhys Plate Framework 27:28 Fruit Veg Fiber Magic 31:03 Simple Meal Example 31:35 Fiber First Framework 32:02 Build a PlantWhys Plate 32:23 Flexible Whole Grains 32:45 Satiation and Sweet Cravings 33:22 Progress Not Perfection 34:17 Secret Three Stress 35:46 Change One Meal 36:56 Stress Spikes Glucose 38:29 Connection Calms Body 43:22 PlantWhys Membership Pitch 44:57 40 Day Jumpstart Details 47:08 Pilates Core and Gut 48:22 Personalized Numbers Results 50:19 Emotional Eating Reset 52:07 Strength Training Program 58:26 Community Coaching Support 59:54 Pricing Deadline Offer 01:02:29 Free Meal Plan Gift 01:03:23 Live Q and A 01:03:53 Upgrade Before Monday 01:04:46 Annual Option Explained 01:05:24 Quick Q&A Wins 01:06:00 Pilates Schedule Details 01:06:29 Portal Walkthrough 01:08:05 Community Calls Calendar 01:11:04 First Assignments Prep Week 01:12:27 Jump Start Recipe Book 01:14:41 Trial Length Pricing 01:17:21 Meal Plan Vs Membership 01:19:58 Consult Add On Clarified 01:22:46 Kajabi App Setup 01:24:17 Final Wrap Up

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5
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About

As a mother of six children, including twin baby boys, Ali found herself rushing to the emergency room with her 37 year old husband who had just suffered a stroke. After multiple tests, doctors found no clear answers and encouraged their family to eat a heart healthy diet by avoiding saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol and to eat more fiber. Ali dived deep into the research and found that eating a plant-predominant diet would not only decrease her husband’s risk of stroke, but also decrease ALL types of chronic disease. She realized that the answer was in the Word of Wisdom the whole time. Now she wants to share with the world the benefits of eating less animal products and more plants.

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