The vegan world is all abuzz about Oprah Winfrey's Vegan Challenge episode, which aired yesterday. Inspired by a new book, Veganist: Lose Weight, Get Healthy, Change the World by Kathy Freston, Oprah and 378 of her staff decided to go vegan for a week and then discussed their experiences on the show. Kathy Freston, a bestselling author and renowned wellness expert, was invited on the show to talk about the many benefits of adopting a vegan diet. Click here to watch Kathy discuss being a veganist.With an estimated 15-20 million viewers a day in the United States and airing in 132 countries around the world, The Oprah Winfrey Show is the highest rated program of its kind in history and surely had a huge and positive impact on promoting healthy vegan living. At the very least, Oprah has decided to incorporate a Meatless Monday program for her employee lunchroom and Mrs. Freston's book, Veganist, got the "Oprah bump" and leaped to the #1 bestselling spot on Amazon.com. That's sure to translate into countless new vegans!
Perhaps the most exciting news is that Oprah has put an incredibly well thought out and helpful Vegan Start Kit on her extremely popular website! Complete with a Going Vegan FAQ, vegan cooking lessons, a vegan grocery list, meal plans and more, Oprah has certainly helped push vegan living further into the mainstream.
Interested in taking the Vegan Challenge yourself? Check out Kathy Freston's Three Week Vegan Meal Plan to get started and then visit ChooseVeg.com for more information, helpful tips and even more delicious vegan recipes!
