209 - Plant-Based in the Black Community with The Invisible Vegan Filmmaker Jasmine Leyva
She’s a self-starter, she’s an activist, she’s a multi-hyphenate. Today’s guest, Jasmine Leyva, made her directing debut with the groundbreaking documentary The Invisible Vegan, which highlights her own journey with veganism while exploring the unknown history of plant-based eating directly linked to African roots. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and watch it immediately.
Vibrant, eloquent and no-nonsense, Jasmine has appeared in front of the camera, starring in commercials for such brands as American Express, Nissan, Apple and Sony, and behind the camera as associate producer of the NAACP award-winning docuseries Unsung, and producer/writer of the docuseries Being. She’s also producing the forthcoming documentary – Red Alert: The Fight Against Fibroids, which tackles the hard questions around fibroids and endometriosis, which we’re definitely looking forward to discussing today.
“So I saw her and I was just like, wait, she has me by four decades, but I want to be like her, so I asked her what’s the secret, what are you doing? And she told me she eats a lot of raw foods, she follows a plant-based diet, so that’s when I was just like, oh, sign me up because I want to look good in booty shorts. But then after I did it, I got all these other benefits, and I was just like, oh, this is deeper than looking good in booty shorts.” - Jasmine Leyva
What we discuss in this episode:
- Jasmine Leyva’s upbringing and diet as a child
- History and misconceptions of the African American diet
- What inspired her transition to a vegan diet and the impact it had on her health and well-being
- Her inspiration for making The Invisible Vegan
- Her wisdom on how to spread the plant-based message
- The impact of diet on fibroids
- Her exciting upcoming projects!
Resources:
- Jasmine's website: Jasmine Leyva
- Jasmine's film: The Invisible Vegan
- The upcoming documentary Jasmine is producing: Red Alert: The Fight Against Fibroids
- Jasmine's children’s books: Queen Vegana and Princess Apple: The Magical World of Vegetables & King Vegus and Princess Parsley: Creating a Healthy Kingdom
The Plant-based Playbook IS HERE!
Let the Plant-based Games Begin, the first-ever guidebook dedicated to optimizing athletic performance with plant-based fuel. We developed the Playbook in consultation with the IOC’s Office of Sustainability to help coaches, dietitians, and athletes understand how to embrace plant-based nutrition.
Researched and written by a diverse group of highly credentialed researchers, clinicians, and athletes, the Playbook leverages peer-reviewed science and real-world experience to illuminate the physiological benefits of a plant-based diet. The Playbook also includes robust, field-tested tools and resources for meal planning and other practical implementation techniques.
You can download the Playbook here: https://switch4good.org/plant-based-playbook/
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