If you caught the Oprah show today, you may have been surprised to see that Oprah and her staff- some 378 men and women- participated in Oprah’s Vegan Challenge. For 1 week, they left behind their usual fare of dairy, eggs, butter, meat, fish, and all other animal products and even the HARPO cafeteria started serving some vegan options. I thought I was dreaming when I saw the preview for this show because I did not expect this, but I was so proud of Oprah and her staff for bringing attention to this topic. I took some notes to share with you because I know many of you were not able to watch the episode.
Journalist and food expert Michael Pollan, vegan author Kathy Freston, and journalist Lisa Ling were invited onto the show to talk about veganism and being conscious of where our food comes from. Oprah was clear in stating that everyone needs to make the choice for themselves and the show was neither pro-vegetarian nor pro-vegan, but pro-education, much like her show with Pollan several months ago.
Oprah claims that many of us are ‘disconnected’ from the animals, meat industry, and the food we eat each day. As reported by the USDA, 10 billion animals are killed in the US each year for consumption. With such a staggering number, it is important to question how our food gets to our plates.
Michael Pollan thought the Vegan Challenge was fun because it makes people conscious of what they eat. I had to agree with this because when I became a vegan, for the first time in my life, I started reading the ingredients that were in my food. I was shocked to find out that I didn’t know what half of the ingredients were and I still find myself looking up mystery ingredients on a weekly basis.
Oprah’s staff member, Jill, emptied out every item in her fridge that had an animal product in it. By the time Jill went through her fridge, it was virtually empty. She was shocked how much food contains animal products.
Pollan admits to eating meat 1-2 times per week, but states that he doesn’t eat industrial or feed-lot meat and he supports small-scale, local farmers that do not feed the animals grain (i.e. corn or corn by products). Michael’s goal is to REFORM the meat industry, not eliminate it. While I would love to see a meat-free society some day, I do realize that Michael’s approach is probably the most realistic.
As a rare look inside a meat farm, Lisa Ling travelled to Cargill Meat Solutions– one of the largest meat companies in the US. This part of the episode was the most emotional for me to watch. They described the process that each cow goes through from the feed lot to the slaughtering to the processing. Each cow at Cargill spends 200 days at the feed lot where they are fed corn and corn by products. This is to fatten up the cattle where they gain about 3 pounds per day. Each day, 4,500 cattle are sent to the slaughterhouse where they will be guided through maze-like pathways for 2 hours to calm down prior to slaughter. I could almost feel the chill in the air as I watched this somber part of the clip.
It was extremely hard for me to watch the animals looking into the camera, just moments before death. Kathy Freston described how I was feeling when she said, ‘watching the animals in the slaughterhouse didn’t sit right with my soul.’ I could not have described my own emotions any better. It is one thing to read something from a book, but to actually see it happening is very real.
Not surprisingly, the episode did not show the 4 inch bolt that is shot through every cow’s head during slaughter. They did, however, show the pain on Lisa Ling’s face as she watched the slaughtering. The carcasses then go through the process of skin removal, sawing, and chopping/grinding the parts. This part was very graphic, but I was happy that they did show this behind the scenes look because I think it is important to connect ourselves to what we eat. The most shocking thing about this slaughterhouse was that it was supposed to be one of the ‘better ones’ and that many, unfortunately are much, much worse than was portrayed.
The show ended with vegan author, Kathy Freston who served as the vegan guide for Oprah and her staff members during the vegan challenge. Kathy took staff member Jill to Whole Foods to show her examples of vegan foods she could cook for her family. I expected Kathy to show her beans, legumes, lentils, vegetables, fruits, nuts, or seeds, but sadly, Kathy showed her a plethora of packaged fake meats, fake mayonnaise, fake cheese, and fake ice cream sandwiches. I strongly believe that a vegan diet does not need to rely on processed, imitation products, so I was disappointed to see this focus. When I first went vegan, I tried all the fake meat products because that is what I thought I was supposed to eat, but my real satisfaction with veganism only came when I experimented with non-processed foods like grains, beans, lentils, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. That is when it all clicked for me and I knew that I could do it long term.
Oprah and her staff member’s reactions to The Vegan Challenge were very interesting to watch. One of Oprah’s staff members, Joe, said he felt so amazing that he was going to convert to a vegan diet. Oprah, said it was definitely ‘doable’ to eat a vegan diet, but she would be ‘veganish’ from now on, meaning that she will think more about the food she eats and try to eat more animal-free foods. Her partner, Stedman, wants to continue the vegan challenge because he enjoyed it so much. Other staff members admitted that they wouldn’t be converting any time soon, but they did admit that it made them think about what they eat each day. Out of 379 participants, they lost a total of 444 pounds and gained a total of 84 pounds. Some participants said they gained weight because they relied on ‘vegan junk food’ too much. I thought it was great that they showed both sides of the story because it is just as easy to eat unhealthy on a vegan diet as it is a non-vegan diet! I don’t like the portrayal that veganism is some kind of weight-loss diet though.
To end the show, Oprah and staff members at HARPO announced that they will be holding a Meatless Monday each week in honour of this challenge. I think this is a great idea and it shows that no matter what kind of diet you do chose eat, you can always make changes, big or small, to impact the system.
If you are interested, there are a bunch of video clips from today’s show on the Oprah website.
Did you see Oprah’s Vegan Challenge show? What did you think? Do you ever go meat/animal-product free or participate in Meatless Monday?
My mom actually called me and told me to turn on Oprah, I’m rarely home but was able to catch this episode! I agree with you, the clips from Cargill were the hardest to watch. I’ve been struggling with my diet this week and this show was on at the perfect time for me!
I missed that episode, but that sounds so interesting!
Great review! I did see the show and felt very similar to you.
While I hate to be a Debbie Downer, my big issue with Oprah is that she did a “vegan cleanse” before, and while I appreciate the many shows she’s done to raise the profile of veganism…on the whole I think she portrays it as something that you can dabble in. Which is fine, and probably more doable for most people. But I think it enables people to retain that disconnection between what they eat because, at the end of the day, they haven’t faced it head on. So while the pragmatist in me appreciates the fact that America’s most beloved TV personality is at least teaching the world what veganism is, I think she tends to miss the spirit of what veganism actually is. I am a big believer in challenges like this (although I think 14 days is better – long enough to establish a new habit), but I don’t tend to like Oprah’s approach to it because it always seems temporary.
I too was surprised to see all the fake foods Kathy was advocating. What a horrible representation. It really cost her some credibility in my eyes. Anyone who has read the back of those packages can attest you can barely read many of the ingredients, let alone know what they are. Disappointing. But so wonderful that Oprah showed the Cargrill photage.
I’m currently reading “Eating Animals” – should be required reading in North America.
I was a strict vegetarian for a year, and though I eat meat now, I do so sparingly. The year of vegetarianism was really valuable because it reprogramed my idea of a satisfying meal, so I’ll often go a week without eating meat without intending to do so. I think the point you made about not switching from meat to fake meat is really important. The book Skinny Bitch came out when I was a vegetarian, and I was so disappointed to see that the recipes were mostly full of processed fake meat. I occasionally ate fake meat, but preferred (well, still prefer) to rely on whole foods to make meals.
After seeing Food Inc. I really became picky about where I got my meat from. I no longer purchased it from the grocery store and found small local farms where I could purchase it. Since finding your website I can say that I actually have become veganish. I love to make your recipes and have cut down my meat consumption to maybe 1 meal every other day. I haven’t drank milk in years, but do eat small amounts of cheese and sometimes yogurt. Physically, I feel so much better. I don’t eat fake meat. If I have an urge for it, then I will eat a small amount of the real thing.
I was also very surprised (and excited!) when I heard that Oprah and her staff participated in a “vegan challenge!” She did an awesome job at being “pro-education.” I hope many people are inspired to be more aware of the food they put on their plates. Education and awareness are key! I agree with Michael Pollan… “if you are not willing to watch how your meat is produced, you shouldn’t eat it!”
The episode came on just as I was leaving my gym. (I don’t have TV-other than online sources- at home.) I tried to stall a little bit and was wishing I’d timed my visit a little differently. Thank you for summarizing the episode!
I did go meat-free for about 9 months. Now, I aim to eat similarly to Michael Pollan’s approach- eat meat, but instead of eating it at most meals, I eat it occasionally and from sources I can get behind.
I am always interested in reading, watching, and listening to vegan supporters, though- I find the movement fascinating, healthy (in more ways than one), and honestly, just generally delicious.
I think its great that Oprah did this, although arguably there could have been improvements to the approach. If this episode gets through to even a few people to convince them to go meat-free, even occasionally, then it will have accomplished something worthwhile. I am not a vegetarian but I don’t eat red meat and I do eat many meatless meals a week. I think everyone’s choice is personal but it should be a choice made out of awareness to the issues.
I have stopped eating meet since January 1st. I am eating better than ever before because I am being more creative with my food. I have slipped up a couple of times but it has always made me feel physically unwell the next day which I was really surprised at. Trying to cut down on dairy products too which I am finding a bit more difficult but will try to gradually introduce non-dairy substitutes into my daily routine. This is one of the reasons I love your blog as the recipes are so easy to follow and yummy, I have lost count of the meals I’ve made from your recipes. Our favourite so far is your macaroni cheese which really tasted cheesy! Overall, my skin and hair look healthier and I’m sure if my job wasn’t so stressful then I’d feel more energetic too.
I also blogged about this topic. I think Oprah really missed the boat by highlighting all the fake meat and cheese products. What a let down.
I wanted to see this show, but Oprah airs at such a bad time of day for me. So thanks for the recap. My mom watched it and told me a little about Lisa Ling visiting the cow slaughterhouse. When she told me about it, I just wanted to cry. She did say that this method of killing was designed by someone at PETA and it was deemed the most “uncruel” way to kill an animal. Not that murder can ever be uncruel…
I was at work when the Oprah show came one yesterday, and after hearing your description, I’m glad I was. I don’t think I would have been able to take the slaughterhouse scenes. One of my best friends (who is not a vegan or vegetarian by any means) couldn’t watch it and was crying by the end of the slaughterhouse scenes. I don’t need to see what they do – I know what they do, and I know that it’s far worse than what is portrayed. Just hearing this reminder makes me proud of the decision I made almost a year ago to go vegetarian (vegan for the most part).
I think it is so so so important that people do not rely on “fake products” to fulfill a vegan diet. It is not necessary! I rarely rely on any packaged foods, and my body thanks me for it. When I eat any processed foods, my body basically goes into shock because: a) it’s not used to it and b) our bodies weren’t made to process chemicals.
As someone who didn’t watch that episode of Oprah yesterday, I appreciate you writing this post! I feel informed! :-D
I like how they decided to do this, but I still don’t think it will influence the majority of people to seriously consider a vegan diet. I didn’t see the epidsode but from your recap, it seems like they did this as a “challenge” and I don’t think it should be a challenge – I think it should just be a way of doing things. I believe people need to be even more educated.
Meatless Mondays are a good start, but simply replacing your ground beef with meatless chunks of whatever or relying only on tofu is not the best way to do it. I eat like a vegan at least 85% of the time and it’s really not that difficult. I’m a student so I can’t afford all the crazy processed stuff (not that I would buy it anyways). However, I eat beans, vegetables, fruit, carbs (whole grain, oats, coucous, quinoa, etc.) and nuts. I’m also lactose intolerant so I don’t do dairy for that reason, among many others. Eating a mostly vegan diet is NOT that complicated and shouldn’t be portrayed as a “challenge”.
I have the show on DVR but I haven’t watched it yet. After reading tweets and some blog posts about it, I’m not sure I will. I have a mixed reaction to Michael Pollen. I think he tries to live in both worlds and would like him to take a stand. His meat eating still requires killing an animal — and if 99% of beef in the US comes from factory-farmed cattle, how is he getting in on that 1% so regularly? (I’m sure it’s possible but it sure isn’t for the majority of Americans). I was also disappointed to hear about the “fake meat” suggestions from Freston.
But, as I said, my commentary is based on a show I didn’t watch, so I should probably shut up and just watch it! :)
I would just like to say it is quite possible to find sources of meat that have been raised humanely (free range, grass fed, etc). My husband and I get ours (we go about four times a year since we tend to eat meat only a couple of times a month) from a local farmer at our farmer’s market. There are probably areas of the country where it is difficult to find these sources, but the small and local farmers are becoming more and more visible and available.
I didn’t see that show – but wish I had. This post was great though.
I think this is a great recap of the episode. I think that they showed the packaged foods because many Americans/Canadians are probably super skeptical about eating nuts seeds and legumes, and they want to make their original foods just without meat and meat products. I believe that this is probably a good first step into the meat/animal free diet. If a person truly wants to convert, I believe they will look further into the cookbooks and theory behind a vegan diet. I’m not completely vegan or vegetarian, but I’m trying because I’m such an animal lover. I’d like to know more about how the animal products such a cheese, yogurt, and other such things are harmful the animals. The slaughter is one thing, but what about dairy farms, or egg farms??? What’s up with these?? Do you know??
I didn’t see the show but your review is definitely eye opening. That’s a shame that at Whole Foods, they relied on processed vegan foods. I used to think that weight loss through Weight Watcher’s products was healthy, but I know better now!
I think Jill in the show spoke at my graduation; we went to the same college. :-)