Ask anyone who has been plant-based for more than twenty years, and they all point back to this seminal work by John Robbins—Diet for a New America. But this is not John’s singular claim to fame. He grew up as the sole heir to the Baskin-Robbins fortune, but as he was groomed to take over the family business, he became increasingly unsettled by the fact that the company wasn’t selling happiness—in his words, it was selling lies.
Unable to promote a product that endangered the animals, the planet, and one’s health, John walked away from the fortune, adopted a plant-based diet, and began to write. Over the past 40 years, John’s work has changed countless perspectives about the way we eat—forcing readers to wake up to the fact that there is one solution for the problems we face—and that is to go plant-based.
John may not have invented the thirty-second flavor, but he has certainly saved lives.
What we discuss in this episode:
- John’s childhood growing up as the heir to the Baskin Robbins business.
- Growing up surrounded by wealth yet surrounded by morbidly unhealthy family members.
- John’s decision to step away from the family business at a young age and live on $500 a year with his wife.
- The symbiosis of the plant-based solution in regards to the welfare of animals, one’s health, and the environment.
- How John ultimately saved his father’s life by taking an alternative path in life.
- John’s first book, Diet for a New America, that has served as the nexus for countless people who have made the switch to plant-based fuel.
- How commercially produced sweets can affect one’s palate.
- To support our mission to educate, inspire, and embolden the world to lean into eating plants instead of baby cow growth food, donate today to spread the word.
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