I’m joined today by Chris MacAskill, a retired earth scientist and founder of the popular YouTube channel Plant Chompers. With a channel name like that, it might be hard to believe that Chris grew up in a nearly carnivore food environment. Chris shares about key points along his journey that challenged his perspective, especially his work with the “Godfather of Fitness” Jack LaLanne and his work in earth science, especially water testing and pollution. We focus much of the conversation on how to spot pseudoscience and recognize hype that is void of evidence, and the importance of fact checking claims we find on social media. We even got into the importance of reducing our intake of beef. While he is a vegan himself (for six different reasons!), he is a strong believer that it’s the power of the many choosing to reduce how much beef they eat that is going to really move the needle with regard to climate change.

Chris is a careful researcher, has a wealth of knowledge to share, and was very generous with his time. Give this a listen and pass it along—it’s a treat you won’t want to miss.

You can find Chris MacAskill’s many well researched (and often rather amusing!) videos at Plant Chompers on YouTube.

Some of the resources mentioned in this episode:

· Dan Ariely’s book Misbelief: What Makes Rational People Believe Irrational Things

· Hannah Ritchie’s book Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet

· Christopher Gardner on episode 167 of The Proof: “Is Plant-Based Meat Healthy?”

When it comes to doing something about climate change, your food choices matter.

Thanks for tuning in to Eating for Eden, a podcast that takes a food-first approach to climate action.

We’ve been given a beautiful garden to steward. It may seem like a small thing, but the food we eat plays a massive role in either contributing to or lessening carbon emissions.

I’m here to help you decide with intention what you’re putting on your plate and into your mouth (and thoroughly enjoy your food along the way).