Posted September 8, 2026

Have you noticed how convenience stores have changed their idea of a healthy snack?

Today, in the middle of the high-protein craze, when you walk into a convenience store looking for something healthier, you are likely to find chicken bites, packages of cheese and pepperoni, beef jerky, and hard-boiled eggs. Many of these are products we probably would not have seen so prominently displayed at a 7-Eleven, Stripes, or Circle K just five years ago. Clearly, something is changing in the way travelers eat.

But the demand for truly healthy options hasn’t quite been met yet. Many of these products may be marketed as healthier choices because of their high protein content, but they can also be high in saturated fat, sodium, and highly processed ingredients. High-protein doesn’t automatically mean healthy. What travelers are still missing are fresh, balanced, nutritious options that are both convenient and genuinely good for us.

Road Trip!

A week ago, I was driving from Austin to Houston, Texas. It was around 4:30 p.m. and I had skipped lunch before hitting the road. I wasn’t too concerned because I thought, “Well, stopping somewhere for lunch is part of the road-trip experience.”

My innocent thought was simple: I’ll make today’s lunch part of the journey. I was wrong. Sadly, I couldn’t find anything I actually wanted to eat.

And yes, I know what many of us assume: you are probably not going to find an amazing, healthy restaurant in the middle of nowhere. But that experience made me wonder why, in 2026, we still accept that assumption.

Restaurant and food-service operators already know that consumers are increasingly concerned about their health, what they eat, and the impact their choices have on the planet. So why is it still so difficult to find fresh, appealing, genuinely healthy options while traveling?

I continued my trip and stopped at three different stores. At the first store, the “healthy” section consisted primarily of nuts and granola bars. I left. The second revealed the now-familiar packages of cheese and pepperoni. I left again. A third store was larger and offered more sophisticated options: fancy charcuterie-style packages and beef jerky in almost every flavor imaginable.

Still, there was nothing for me. Eventually, I gave up on the idea of having a delicious meal on the road. I decided I would just wait and have dinner with my cousin once I arrived in Houston.

But when I returned to Austin, one question kept running through my head, “Do travelers really want to eat this way?”

The Traveler Is Changing

My question led me to start researching how travelers are changing their eating habits, and what I discovered was fascinating. Travelers are dramatically changing what they consume while traveling, and the food and beverage industry is beginning to recognize that shift.

Research and industry initiatives are increasingly examining how travel environments—from airports to road trips—can offer healthier and more plant-forward food choices. One initiative that caught my attention is the 2035 Airport Food & Beverage Manifesto(opens in new tab), which proposes a roadmap for transforming food and beverage offerings across the travel industry. Although the initiative begins with airports, its broader vision extends beyond airport terminals. The goal is to influence airlines, catering partners, cruise lines, rail travel, road travel, and eventually destination food environments.

Why Start with Airports?

Airports have an extraordinary ability to shape consumer expectations. What travelers encounter inside a terminal can influence what they begin to expect from the travel experience elsewhere. As the Manifesto explains, travel hubs offer a particularly high degree of structural influence over food environments.

For years, airports and other travel locations have often been treated differently from everyday food environments because travelers are considered temporary consumers simply passing through. But that perspective is beginning to change.

The Data Helps Explain Why

According to research cited in the initiative, nearly “25% of Americans are actively limiting their meat intake, while 44% of consumers say they would likely choose a plant-forward dish when it features familiar flavors.” Those numbers represent more than a food trend. They point to a change in consumer expectations.

Influence This Shift

So, we can be encouraged to see that initiatives like this are gradually responding to what consumers have been asking for. The industry has recognized a significant gap between what travelers want and what is currently being offered, and the goal is not only to close that gap, but also to create a more sustainable food system by reducing food waste and controlling costs. Looking toward 2035, we can expect to see more plant-forward options across travel environments than ever before—and, eventually, this shift could influence the broader food industry as well.

Even more exciting is that professionals can be part of this conversation. Whether you are a vegan lifestyle coach and educator, chef, physician, researcher, or food-industry professional, you can contribute your expertise, support, or experience to the initiative. Those interested in participating can “reach out to Sushanta Das at sushanta.das@tretaillabs.com(opens in new tab), Prof. Dr. Thorsten Merkle at thorsten.merkle@tretaillabs.com(opens in new tab), or Abby Fammartino at abby.fammartino@culinary.edu(opens in new tab) to add their voice to the project,”and help travelers have a promising healthier and sustainable food and beverage future.

References

https://www.ciaindustryleadership.com/airport-fb(opens in new tab)
https://moodiedavittreport.com/travel-food-beverage-manifesto-2035-a-menus-of-change-perspective-for-the-next-decade/(opens in new tab)

Laura Leal is a hospitality leader, chef, Main Street Vegan Academy(opens in new tab) graduate, theologian, and Christian content creator based in Austin, Texas. Her career has taken her from leading hotel operations to founding and directing a culinary school, co-founding a bowl-centric restaurant brand, and developing a vegan ice cream business in Mexico. With a passion for food, people, and meaningful experiences, Laura loves exploring how hospitality and food and beverage are evolving alongside the way we live, travel, and connect. Find her on LinkedIn(opens in new tab) and Instagram @bonmotland(opens in new tab).

Episode 569, air date September 3rd, 2026. Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or your favorite podcast app.

Catholicism, Compassion, and the Call to Veganism with Fr. Daniel Mascarenhas, SJ

What might Catholic spirituality have to say about veganism, compassion, and our relationship with other animals?

In this fascinating conversation, Victoria Moran speaks with Fr. Daniel Mascarenhas, SJ, a young Jesuit priest and vegan, about Catholic teachings, contemplative prayer, spirituality, and the possibility of a kinder world.

The conversation begins with a deeper exploration of Catholicism and the Jesuit tradition. Fr. Daniel shares insights into contemplative prayer and the teachings of St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuit order, including his understanding that the world remains inherently good despite the suffering and hardship we encounter.

Victoria and Fr. Daniel also explore the remarkable range of perspectives within the Catholic Church. They discuss how the same spiritual tradition can be home to figures as politically different as Dorothy Day and J.D. Vance, and what that says about the breadth and complexity of Catholicism.

Then the conversation turns to veganism. Fr. Daniel explains why he sees compassion for animals and a vegan way of living as a natural conclusion for a follower of Christ, even though veganism remains uncommon within the Catholic community.

Together, they consider what could happen if religious communities became more engaged with animal compassion and the movement toward a kinder food system.

In This Episode

• Catholic teachings and their relationship to compassion
• What it means to be a Jesuit
• Contemplative prayer in the Catholic tradition
• The spiritual teachings of St. Ignatius
• How Catholicism can encompass very different worldviews
• Why Fr. Daniel became vegan
• The connection between Christianity, compassion, and veganism
• How faith communities could help create a kinder world
• The potential for Catholic institutions to move toward greater compassion for animals

About Our Guest

Fr. Daniel Mascarenhas, SJ is a Jesuit priest whose work explores spirituality, faith, compassion, and the call to live more consciously. A vegan himself, Fr. Daniel brings a thoughtful perspective to the relationship between Christian teachings and compassionate living.

In this conversation, he shares his experience of the Jesuit tradition and explains why he believes veganism can be a natural expression of the teachings of Christ.

A Special Visit from Chef Mark Reinfeld

Chef Mark Reinfeld, founder of Vegan Fusion, makes a special pop-in appearance during the episode to share information about his upcoming culinary course.

If you’re interested in taking your plant-based cooking to the next level, listeners can receive 30% off the course through Victoria’s special link.

Learn more and claim your 30% discount: https://veganfusion.com/(opens in new tab)

More from Fr. Daniel & the Compassion Consortium

Watch Fr. Daniel’s appearance as a Special Spiritual Guest for the Compassion Consortium:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTJEL7XzGm0(opens in new tab)

Victoria also spoke with Swami Chidananda of the Compassion Consortium about his spiritual calling and the journey from a successful secular career toward a life of spiritual service:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYscIyFRH8s(opens in new tab)

And watch Victoria’s 2019 film, A Prayer for Compassion:

https://watch.unchainedtv.com/videos/a-prayer-for-compassion(opens in new tab)

Sign up for the Main Street Vegan blog and newsletter at https://mainstreetvegan.com(opens in new tab) and receive your FREE e-book, Recipes to Help You Age Like a Yogi.

And become an insider by joining the Main Street Vegan Podcast Listeners Group on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/207997266555049(opens in new tab)

Complement are supplements made by vegans, Pamela Fergusson, RD, PhD, Matt Frazier, and Joel Kahn, MD, to enhance diet. Check out their new product Sulfora HERE, and enter ‘MAINSTREET’ in the discount box to save yourself 10%.

Posted September 1, 2026

This is a challenge. An invitation. A call to action that, if you take it, you’ll remember for the rest of your life.

Starting September 12, 2026, people who care about animals, about humans, about knowledge and science and health and decency, will gather at the New York state capital in Albany to kick off a historic 2-week march to the notorious animal breeding and testing facility, Marshall BioResources near Rochester. Those who participate for the full march will be putting in 15 miles a day. That means blisters. Shin splints. Knees that feel their age. And you know what? It’s going to be the most incredible 14 days these marchers ever experience. And you can be one of them.

Why People Who Care About Animals Are Walking 207 Miles for Better Science

Those of us who share our lives with dogs know that they are individuals. They have likes and dislikes. Fears. Favorite people. Funny habits. They are family members who learn, communicate, make choices, form relationships, seek safety, and trust us with immense openness.

Learning about dogs that are being bred and sold for laboratory research creates a discomfort that is hard to reconcile with the animals we care for and love in our homes. And the more we think about it, the more we see that other species are also individuals and that they don’t belong in research, either.

This September, we are doing something very physical about it.

From September 12–26, 2026, the March to Abolish Animal Testing (MAAT) will travel 207 miles across New York, from Albany to the gates of Marshall BioResources in North Rose.

For 14 days, people will join for a mile, a day, a weekend, or the entire route. Our destination is intentional. And so is our every step.

We Have Been Taught That This Is Just How Science Works

Most of us have been mis-taught the connection between animals and science in elementary schools. Maybe it was a frog on a dissection tray. Exploiting animals was presented as part of learning science—we were not invited to question it. This has left us with a powerful assumption early on in our education: Animal experimentation may be unpleasant, but it is necessary.

But Science Has Changed

Researchers are developing  New Approach Methodologies/Non Animal Methods, or NAMs(opens in new tab). These include human organoids, organs-on-chips, advanced cell and tissue systems, computational modeling and artificial intelligence.

NAMS are far more accurate, more efficient, more cost-effective, and faster than animal models. And this is no longer happening only at the fringes of research.

In 2026, the FDA issued guidance intended to help drug developers use validated human-relevant methods in place of some animal testing and stated that it is working to move away from animal testing as the default approach in drug development.

The NIH has also invested more than $150 million in developing and scaling human-based research methods and created a new office dedicated to advancing these technologies and reducing reliance on animals. But these agencies are still using animal models, even in the face of this knowledge. That’s why we march.

Why Walk 207 Miles?

Because that’s the distance between Albany, the seat of power in a powerful state, to the gates of one of the largest lab animal

breeders in the country.

Our visibility matters. When we march peacefully to the gates, day after day after day for two weeks, it brings visibility to the issue.

This is not about fitness. It’s about showing up.

You Can Walk Just One Mile.

Walk any number of miles you choose.

Meet us in Albany. Join us at the gates of Marshall BioResources. Or somewhere along the route.

Because more footsteps require more feet. And more feet mean more people willing to show up.

A Hopeful Vision for The Future

It is essential to say what we are against. But it is more important to say what we are walking toward:  Science with compassion. Human-relevant research that’s good for the animals and for us.

Every step of our 207 miles makes that future more visible.

Learn more and join the March to Abolish Animal Testing(opens in new tab)

Gretchen Primack is an animal activist, poet, and author who lives in New York’s Hudson Valley. Ella Magers is a vegan fitness trainer and influencer, a board member of Hogs and Kisses Farm Sanctuary, and resident of Miami. They met when Gretchen was on the Our Hen House Podcast(opens in new tab) and Ella contacted her to join forces and make history. Both women are proud vegans with a long history of work for farmed animals, and they’re currently focusing on the work, picking up so much speed of late, to end the use of living being as laboratory subjects and replace them with effective, modern methods. As part of this effort, they’re seeing “animal lovers” embrace vegan living, putting the pieces together. Gretchen and Ella are guests on the episode of the Main Street Vegan Podcast(opens in new tab) that went up on August 27 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Victoria Moran’s YouTube channel, Victoria Moran Official. Victoria will speak for marchers on the evening of the first day’s trekking when they reach Schenectady.

Episode 568, air date August 27th, 2026. Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or your favorite podcast app.

March to Abolish Animal Testing with Gretchen Primack & Ella Magers

What does it take to challenge one of the most deeply entrenched systems of animal suffering—and what can each of us do to help end it?

In this powerful conversation, Victoria Moran speaks with animal rights advocates Gretchen Primack and Ella Magers, co-founders of the March to Abolish Animal Testing, about their fight to end the use of animals in laboratories.

The two are coming together to undertake a 200-mile march calling attention to the millions of animals used in experimentation and to demand a future beyond animal testing. Ella shares the story of Jane, a beagle bred for the laboratory industry who came into her life following the open rescue effort at Ridglan Farms. Jane’s transformation from a laboratory animal to a beloved family member offers a deeply personal reminder of what is at stake.

Gretchen and Ella also talk about why they chose a march as their form of activism, how their work with farmed animals led them toward the fight against animal experimentation, and what they would say to anyone who cares about animals but feels powerless in the face of such a massive system.

This is a conversation about courage, compassion, direct action, and the belief that change becomes possible when ordinary people decide that the status quo is no longer acceptable.

In This Episode

• Why Gretchen and Ella created the March to Abolish Animal Testing
• How the fight for farmed animals led Ella toward animal testing advocacy
• The story of Jane, a beagle rescued from the laboratory industry
• What happened at Ridglan Farms
• Why a 200-mile march?
• What Gretchen and Ella hope the March will accomplish
• How grassroots activism can create meaningful change
• What you can do if you care about animals but feel powerless
• Why ending animal experimentation requires both courage and collective action

About Our Guests

Gretchen Primack is a poet, author, and animal rights advocate. She is the co-founder and co-lead of the March to Abolish Animal Testing. Her books include Kind, a poetry collection exploring the relationships between humans and other animals, and The Lucky Ones: My Passionate Fight for Farm Animals, which she co-wrote with Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary founder Jenny Brown. Gretchen also taught in maximum-security prisons for 20 years.

Ella Magers, MSW is an internationally recognized animal rights advocate, professional speaker, and holistic fitness coach. A vegan for more than 30 years, she has spent her career encouraging people to embody fierce compassion through education, coaching, public speaking, and grassroots activism. Ella serves on the founding Board of Directors of Hogs & Kisses Farm Sanctuary and is co-founder of the March to Abolish Animal Testing.

Ella’s connection to the fight against animal experimentation became deeply personal after the open rescue at Ridglan Farms, when she adopted Jane, a beagle who had been bred for the laboratory industry.

The March to Abolish Animal Testing

The March to Abolish Animal Testing is a 200-mile march calling for an end to the use of animals in experimentation and for meaningful change in the systems that allow animal testing to continue.

Learn more and follow the March at:

Website: https://www.marchforanimals.org(opens in new tab)

Connect with Gretchen & Ella

Gretchen / March to Abolish Animal Testing: https://www.marchforanimals.org(opens in new tab)

Ella Magers: https://ellamagers.com/(opens in new tab)

Ella on Instagram: https://instagram.com/sexyfitvegan(opens in new tab)

March to Abolish Animal Testing on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marchforanimals/(opens in new tab)

Subscribe, rate, and review the Main Street Vegan Podcast to help more people discover the joy of living with vitality, spirituality, and compassion.

Sign up for the Main Street Vegan blog and newsletter at https://mainstreetvegan.com(opens in new tab) and receive your FREE e-book, Recipes to Help You Age Like a Yogi.

And become an insider by joining the Main Street Vegan Podcast Listeners Group on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/207997266555049(opens in new tab)

Complement are supplements made by vegans, Pamela Fergusson, RD, PhD, Matt Frazier, and Joel Kahn, MD, to enhance diet. Check out their new product Sulfora HERE, and enter ‘MAINSTREET’ in the discount box to save yourself 10%.

Posted August 25, 2026

Begin Scene

Racing into the house after an invigorating run, Jeffrey knew he only had 30 minutes to shower and dress before heading to the vegan potluck at Brandon’s Way Vegan Café. The cafe held these events once a month for local folks who shared a common lifestyle. Jeffrey never missed a chance to catch up with vegan friends at this event. Brandon’s Way was like a portal for all things good in the vegan world, and the people showed up with food, music, poetry, and positivity. A “don’t-miss” vegan/plant-based party so far as Brandon was concerned. And this month’s theme was Tastes Like Chicken!

After showering and quickly dressing in his favorite baggy Kente cloth drawstring pants and comfy cream-colored linen shirt, Jeffrey slid his feet into some circadian sandals. Gliding throughout the kitchen, he opened the fridge door and pulled out the big bowl of chick’n salad he’d made the night before from chickpeas, chopped celery, chopped red grapes, sage, and a few seasonings—the perfect combination for vegan chicken salad if you let it sit overnight marinate. He knew this salad would be a big hit at the event.

Entering Brandon’s Way there were big hugs, smiles, and hand slaps all around. Brandon was there in his usual style, more energetic than anyone in the room, even at 79 years old. He was the perfect example of what the lifestyle can do for longevity, optimal health, and spreading love through the community and world. Brandon and Jeffrey were longtime friends who jokingly called themselves the Banana Brothers because they both ate about 10-15 bananas a day. No kidding.

There were more people at the café than Jeffrey had seen in a long time, probably because it was early fall and folks were getting back from summer vacations and time away. The potluck table was full of “Tastes like Chicken” vegan/plant-based magic. Jeffrey picked up an index card and marker and wrote, “GF Chick’n Salad” along with the ingredients, so people would know what was in the bowl. Looking at the other dishes and index cards, he saw all kinds of delicious vegan foods—Chickun Taquitos, Chikken Noodle Soup, Cluck Tenders, Buffalo Winngs, Chickin and Dumplings, Chik Nuggets, and the list went on. How exciting!

Everyone was hungry and ready to eat. All the folks took seats and Clark, aka Chef Divine, who was one of the lead chefs and spiritual guides at Brandon’s Café, asked everyone to join hands and close their eyes. Clark guided the meditation, “Welcome to all who have gathered here tonight for this divine experience in communal spirit. We are blessed to be here in unity as we enrich ourselves nutritionally, spiritually, and healthfully to honor the animals, the environment, our wellness and each other. Together we take a deep breath… bringing our hands together at our hearts, and together we say, ‘Shanti, shanti, shanti.’”

Everyone was ready to dig in as they all went around the table announcing the food each had prepared:

“Chickun Taquitos!”

“Chikken Noodle Soup!”

“Cluck Tenders!” The oohs and aahs getting louder with the name of each dish.

“Buffalo wi…”  and suddenly, the music stopped playing, the lights shut off, and all stood still.

An ominous voice echoed, “WHO YOU CALLIN’ CHICKEN?!” Every head swiveled in alarm. Eyes darted frantically. Shrieks were all about, startled by this unexpected and unknown interrogation. “WHO YOU CALLIN’ CHICKEN?” the voice demanded for a second time.

The walls shook! The potluck table and dishes rattled uncontrollably! Everyone stared, frozen and eyes fixed on the table.

Unbelievably, the voice was coming from the food, “WE ARE NOT CHICKEN! WE COME NOT FROM CHICKEN! WHY EAT US AND PRETEND THAT WE ARE CHICKEN? WHO YOU CALLIN’ CHICKEN?!”

End Scene
###

Who You Callin’ Chicken?

Of course, all of this did not really happen at the potluck. No walls shook. No dishes rattled and, certainly, no food spoke to interrogate all in attendance. But there are many potlucks taking place, many restaurants preparing and serving food, and many companies marketing and selling vegan/plant-based alternatives that carry the name chicken, or some similar-sounding derivative to name food that certainly is not chicken. Why is this happening, and as many non-vegans ask, “Why do you guys (vegans) refuse to eat animals and then name foods after animals? Why do you try to make food taste like the animals you don’t want to eat?”

We as vegans understand the simple answers, some of which are:

• Some of us like the taste of foods that we used to eat that came from animals, but we refuse to take part in the murder and torture of animals. We can achieve those tastes from non-animal-sourced foods.
• The food industry uses animal-sourced food names from the standard American diet as a marketing tool to help consumers identify alternatives so they can sell more product.
• How else would people know what they are ordering at a restaurant if it is not named after chickens, cows, fish…?
• We can call it what we want to call it so long as we are not murdering and eating animals.

We Can Do Better

With a little thought, these answers make little sense, and I think we can do better. We have a responsibility to do better. We owe it to the animals, the Movement, and ourselves to change the practice of naming foods that do not come from animals after animals. Why?

Simply put, continuing to use the names of animals to name foods that do not come from animals perpetuates the normalization of eating animals. I’ll say that again—continuing to use the names of animals to name foods that do not come from animals perpetuates the normalization of eating animals.

Continuing to use the names of animals to name foods that do not come from animals stops the progression and maturation of the vegan/plant-based food industry in its tracks.

Continuing to use the names of animals to name foods that do not come from animals sends a contradictory message to the non-vegan world, making the vegan movement look confused and weak. It sends a confused message to the vegan world, as well. As recently as 20 years ago, as we started to see new products emerging in the vegan/plant-based food industry, some of the animal-sourced naming made sense to help identify what the new products were. That may have been normal in the infancy of the development of products for the general public. But to continue to do so does not promote growth in the industry. As this movement and the dietary lifestyle within the movement progresses and evolves, so must the language that is used.

Our Responsibility as Vegans

We have a responsibility to develop and foster autonomy in the vegan/plant-based food industry. The way to do that is through transparency in the naming and presentation of food, offering food to the vegan consumer base as what it truly is on a consistent basis. Forgetting the approach based on capitalism and honoring an approach based on truth in a consistent manner will serve to normalize the consumption of real food…original food… vegan/plant-based food over which we, the vegan/plant-based, have ownership and autonomy.

The Movement is at a different place now. It has a long way to go, but it has advanced. I am so pleased and excited when I meet people who have been vegan since the day they were born, having never tasted or consumed animal products nor animal-sourced foods. If you are not one of those people, think of the absurdity of walking into a restaurant and ordering Vegan Chicken Nuggets, having no reference to what actual chicken nuggets taste like. Such a person only knows the taste of non-animal-sourced foods and has no thought of imitating the taste of nuggets made from a real chicken. It makes no sense.

Our Vision of the Future

Let’s go many steps forward into a future where food from animals is outlawed and does not even exist. Imagine this futuristic world with restaurants that still carry the names of animals in the food being served. Imagine in this same futuristic world, people who were born into a world where no animal-sourced food exists anymore and is not produced. How silly it would be to walk into a restaurant to order something called chicken, when food from a chicken isn’t even something that has existed from the day you were born. That being the case, any name could be used to identify that food; one that is the new norm and used universally to identify that particular food.

We must do better. We will do better. Let’s get started.

“May I take your order?

“Yes. I’d like a large order of garbanzo bean nuggets with bowl of cauliflower coconut soup. And please bring a booster seat and a plate of peas for my Rooster friend who will be joining me. He said he’s running a bit late. Thank you!”

Richard Weston Rogers, Jr. is a whole-food plant-based/vegan entrepreneur, speaker, coach, author, and yogi combining plant-based lifestyle with running and meditation for betterment and daily well-being. He is the director of Philadelphia VegFest (Philly VegFest Instagram and Philly Vegfest Facebook) and founder of the former Ambler Vegan Company, a high-raw vegan restaurant in Ambler, PA. He lives in the suburban Philadelphia area with his dog, Sherman and cat, Jade.

Richard is a legacy graduate of Franklin and Marshall College where he studied English and holds a Master of Science in Education from Drexel University. He has lived a whole-food plant-based/vegan lifestyle since 2013 and provides awareness and knowledge of the whole-food, plant-based/vegan lifestyle through coaching, speaking, writing, and healthful/purposeful living. Find Richard on Instagram @theplantbasedhuman.

He is a Main Street Vegan Certified Vegan Lifestyle Coach and Educator and Certified Master Coach of Personal Development through the Van Der Gaag Institute.

Episode 567, air date August 20th, 2026. Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or your favorite podcast app.

Sitcoms, Sanctuaries, and Showing Up for Animals Your Own Way with Felicia Greenfield

Every vegan is a spokesperson for the movement, whether they want the job or not. The good news is there’s a version of that role for exactly who you already are. Felicia Greenfield found hers creating Friends Not Food, a farcical sitcom pilot filmed at a Florida farm sanctuary.

A former marketing manager for MLB and the NHL, Felicia knows no single pitch connects with everyone and when she recognized that protests weren’t the right method for her, she built something that didn’t exist instead. She shares that vegan advocacy isn’t just about protests and boycotts, it exists in forms you’re allowed to invent, and yours might resonate with someone the existing options never would.

Together, Victoria and Felicia explore narrative transportation, the reason people let their guard down inside a story in ways they never would inside a debate, and why comedy can deliver a message that a lecture would only repel. Felicia also gets into Friends Not Food itself, a show built inside Cli-Fi, the climate fiction genre already dramatizing flooded cities and dystopian hellscapes, but one that has left out the industry actually driving the crisis it exists to depict: animal agriculture.

It’s a conversation about finding a lane that’s actually yours, and what happens when you let an animal just be itself and call it activism.

In This Episode

• Why every vegan can find their own form of advocacy
• How Felicia created Friends Not Food
• Why traditional protest wasn’t the right fit for her
• The power of storytelling to reach people differently
• What narrative transportation means and why it works
• How comedy can open people up to difficult ideas
• Why animal agriculture belongs in the climate fiction conversation
• Finding an advocacy approach that feels authentically yours

About Our Guest

Felicia Greenfield is a former marketing manager for Major League Baseball and the NHL who found her own creative approach to vegan advocacy through storytelling and comedy. She is the creator of Friends Not Food, a farcical sitcom pilot filmed at a Florida farm sanctuary that brings animal agriculture and veganism into the world of climate fiction.

Felicia’s work explores how stories can create connection and open conversations that traditional advocacy approaches sometimes cannot. Her message is simple: vegan advocacy doesn’t have to look one particular way. There is room to find the form that fits who you are.

About Friends Not Food

Friends Not Food is a sitcom pilot filmed at a Florida farm sanctuary. The project uses humor, storytelling, and the relationships between humans and animals to explore veganism and animal agriculture in a way that invites audiences in rather than talking at them.

The project also sits within the growing world of Cli-Fi, or climate fiction. While many stories imagine the consequences of climate change, Friends Not Food asks us to consider the role of animal agriculture in that conversation.

Connect with Felicia

Friends Not Food: https://www.friendsnotfood.tv/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/feliciag.nyc/

Subscribe, rate, and review the Main Street Vegan Podcast to help more people discover the joy of living with vitality, spirituality, and compassion.

Sign up for the Main Street Vegan blog and newsletter at https://mainstreetvegan.com and receive your FREE e-book, Recipes to Help You Age Like a Yogi.

Become an insider by joining the Main Street Vegan Podcast Listeners Group on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/207997266555049

Complement are supplements made by vegans, Pamela Fergusson, RD, PhD, Matt Frazier, and Joel Kahn, MD, to enhance diet. Check out their new product Sulfora HERE, and enter ‘MAINSTREET’ in the discount box to save yourself 10%.

Posted August 18, 2026

Bone-Building Is a Long Game and Doing It Cruelty-Free is the Only Way

I have a friend who calls me on the phone while she is is slurping through her serving of Greek yogurt because her doctor told her to protect her bones. She’s doing what she was told. But many doctors don’t know what I am about to share with you. It doesn’t work and may cause harm to our bones, the animals, and the planet.

When Plant-Based Whole Foods Actually Build, They Deliver More Than Calcium

The reason the dairy narrative persists is that it oversimplifies bone health into one nutrient, calcium, and one source, cow’s milk. Real bone biology is far more diverse. Bone isn’t stone, it’s living tissue that is continuously broken down and rebuilt, starting as soon as we are born. After 40, and accelerating through menopause, that balance tips toward breakdown. But that could be because we give our bones too much cow’s milk and not enough of what it actually needs. Rebuilding it requires not just calcium, but a whole ecosystem of nutrients working in concert. And they are not found in cow’s milk, yogurt, or cheese.

To be fair, the dairy industry correctly points out that Western nations have aging populations, widespread vitamin D deficiency from low sun exposure, and increasingly sedentary lives, all of which can weaken bones. But notice what that defense concedes: Dairy consumption alone does not guarantee strong, healthy bones. Once you’ve admitted that, the entire premise of the cow’s milk build bones marketing collapses.

Our Bones Are Not a Calcium Bank, They Are a Construction Site

Here’s the fascinating biology that gets skipped in most bone-building conversations: bone is living tissue. It tears down and rebuilds on a continuous cycle, managed by two competing cell types—osteoclasts that dissolve old bone and osteoblasts that lay new matrix. After 40, and dramatically after menopause, the demolition crew starts outpacing the builders. They need a bioavailable source of calcium and supporting bone-builders. Your job is to keep supplying the builders.

Roughly 60% of your body’s magnesium is found in bone, and deficiency doesn’t just weaken the matrix, it impairs calcium metabolism entirely, so the calcium you are eating stops landing where it should. Spinach, kale, and chard leaves, pumpkin seeds, black beans, dark chocolate, almonds are magnesium delivery systems.

Vitamin K2 activates specific proteins that direct calcium into bone tissue rather than letting it drift into arteries and research links it to reduced fracture risk through improved bone quality, not just density. You’ll find K1 in fermented foods and leafy greens, and gut bacteria converts some of it to K2. Some people supplement, but it may be that what the body makes is all that it needs.

Silicon stimulates collagen production and improves how calcium incorporates into bone structure. Oats, barley, bananas, and green beans, the foods that feel unremarkable, are doing significant work.

Eating for Protein Can Drain the Bones of Calcium

There’s one more thing worth naming: Animal protein creates acidic blood. The body, efficient problem-solver that it is, may neutralize that acidity by pulling calcium from bone to buffer it. Plant protein is not acidic and doesn’t trigger the same response.

A well-constructed, varied plant-based whole foods diet, rich in potassium, magnesium, and vitamins D, C and K, actively supports bone matrix synthesis. The key word is well-constructed. Which brings me to the part I won’t sugarcoat.

The Study That Complicates the Narrative (and Doesn’t Have to)

I’d rather tell you the complicated version than the clean one.

A 2021 meta-analysis pulling data from 17 studies and nearly 14,000 participants found that people following plant-based diets had measurably lower bone mineral density at the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and whole body compared to omnivores. That’s a real finding. It shouldn’t be buried. What it means, though, depends on why—and the why is not, “plants are bad for bones.” The why is inadequate calcium from varied plant sources, vitamin D gaps, and low B12, which affects bone metabolism. A vegan diet built on processed carbohydrates or junk food is not the same as a vegan diet built on legumes, seeds, fermented foods, fruits, and vegetables.

A 2023 case-control study found the healthy plant-based diet index was a positive determinant of bone mineral density in postmenopausal women, while the unhealthy plant-based diet index worked in the opposite direction. The variable isn’t whether you eat animals or drink their milk, the variable is whether you’re actually nourishing yourself with plant-based whole foods.

The Crucial Piece, Gardening

Get moving, lifting and pushing makes for strong bones and good balance. Bones want the message that they are needed at every age. Lifting weights, gardening with all its pulling, lifting and bending, rubber band on the closet doorknob, rowing, lifting children, walking up stairs, all are answering the question bones keep asking, “do I repair and build or break down?”

References

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9879057/

Sally Malanga is the Plant-Powered Powerhouse with a Philanthropist’s Heart. She is an eco-warrior by passion, entrepreneur by mission, wordsmith by necessity, and Main Street Vegan Academy graduate. Sally blends advocacy with mindful elegance—rallying communities, rewriting tired narratives, and elevating plant-based living into a movement. Sally is Founder of Boon For All. She is all in for replacing animal bone broth and animal collagen powder to save animals and glow skin.

Episode 566, air date August 13th, 2026. Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or your favorite podcast app.

Larry Carbone, DVM, author of The Hidden Lives of Lab Animals: A Vet’s Vision for a More Humane Future

Can meaningful progress happen when people who care deeply about animals disagree on the path forward?

In this thought-provoking episode, Victoria Moran welcomes veterinarian Dr. Larry Carbone, author of The Hidden Lives of Lab Animals: A Vet’s Vision for a More Humane Future. For most of his career, Dr. Carbone has cared for animals used in medical research, placing him at the center of one of the most ethically complex issues in animal advocacy.

Victoria approaches this conversation from her long-held abolitionist perspective, shared by many Main Street Vegan listeners. Nevertheless, she believes that meaningful dialogue requires listening to thoughtful people whose views differ from our own. Rather than debating from opposite corners, she and Dr. Carbone explore the difficult questions surrounding animal research, scientific progress, and our shared desire to reduce suffering.

Together, they discuss emerging alternatives such as organ-on-a-chip technology and artificial intelligence, as well as the legal protections currently in place for laboratory animals. They also consider what consumers can do to encourage more humane practices while supporting continued investment in alternatives that may one day eliminate the need for animal experimentation altogether.

Whether you agree with every perspective presented or not, this episode invites thoughtful reflection on a challenging subject. Above all, it reminds us that compassion can coexist with honest conversation.

In This Episode

• Why Victoria chose to have this important conversation
• Dr. Carbone’s journey as a veterinarian in medical research
• The promise of AI and organ-on-a-chip technology
• Current laws protecting laboratory animals and where they fall short
• Practical ways consumers can support alternatives to animal testing
• The role of ethics committees in laboratory research
• Finding common ground between animal welfare and animal rights advocates

About Our Guest

Dr. Larry Carbone is a veterinarian who has devoted his career to caring for animals in medical research laboratories. He is the author of The Hidden Lives of Lab Animals: A Vet’s Vision for a More Humane Future, which examines the ethical challenges surrounding animal research while advocating for improved welfare and continued progress toward replacing animals in science. Throughout his career, Dr. Carbone has maintained strong relationships with both scientific and animal protection communities, seeking dialogue where others often find division.

Connect with Dr. Carbone

Website: https://larrycarbone.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larry.carbone.7

Subscribe, rate, and review the Main Street Vegan Podcast to help more people discover the joy of living with vitality, spirituality, and compassion.

Sign up for the Main Street Vegan blog and newsletter at https://mainstreetvegan.com and receive your FREE e-book, Recipes to Help You Age Like a Yogi.

Become an insider by joining the Main Street Vegan Podcast Listeners Group on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/207997266555049

Complement are supplements made by vegans, Pamela Fergusson, RD, PhD, Matt Frazier, and Joel Kahn, MD, to enhance diet. Check out their new product Sulfora HERE, and enter ‘MAINSTREET’ in the discount box to save yourself 10%.

Posted August 11, 2026

I was vegan for many years, trying to find my place in a movement that felt urgent, overwhelming, and deeply personal. I wrote children’s books, explored different ways to contribute, and kept asking myself the same question: Am I doing enough?

Searching for a Meaningful Contribution

I was not a doctor, a dietitian, or a scientist. I did not have technical expertise to lean on, only a growing awareness of the pain animals endure and a sense that I needed to do something meaningful with that knowledge. But what? And how?

For a long time, I could not quite find the right angle.

What I did have was a willingness to listen, learn, and create. So, in 2024, I launched the Better Life for Animals podcast, something that began as an experiment and grew into a platform I am deeply proud of. It became a space to elevate voices that often go unheard, especially those doing the quiet, relentless work of animal sanctuaries.

Through these conversations at BetterLifeForAnimals.com, I found what I had been searching for: not a title or a credential, but a role. The podcast became a way to support sanctuary leaders, share their stories, and help more people understand what sanctuaries truly represent. It nurtures me. It gives me a sense of purpose. And I like to believe it contributes, in some small way, to a better world for animals.

Sanctuaries as Places of Transformation

What I have learned through this work is that sanctuaries are far more than safe havens. They are places of transformation for animals and for people.

They are, in many ways, schools of empathy.

When people visit a sanctuary, something shifts. The walls between us and them begin to soften. A child meeting a rescued chicken for the first time does not see a nugget; they see someone. A family hearing the story of a pig who escaped slaughter begins to understand resilience, fear, and the desire to live in a way that no statistic can convey.

Sanctuaries bring to light what industrial systems keep hidden. They do not overwhelm. They invite. They create space for people to witness, feel, and reflect. And when we allow ourselves to truly see animals as individuals, it can gently challenge long-held assumptions about how we live.

How Sanctuary Work Changes People

Through my podcast conversations, I have heard countless sanctuary founders and caregivers describe this same experience, not just for visitors, but for themselves. Being in close relationship with animals changes you. It deepens your awareness, expands your empathy, and often raises questions about alignment.

One of those questions is about veganism, not as a demand or a measure of worth, but as a natural extension of what sanctuary work reveals.

Three Ways Sanctuary Work and Veganism Often Connect

1. Alignment Between Values and Daily Life

Sanctuary work creates alignment between what we feel and how we live. It is rooted in protecting animals from harm and honoring their individuality. Choosing veganism can feel like carrying that same ethic beyond the sanctuary and into everyday decisions.

2. Expanding Empathy Beyond Individual Animals

It expands empathy, rather than containing it. While it’s easy, and human, to form deep bonds with the animals we know personally, sanctuaries often show us that the traits we cherish in those animals are not unique to them. A vegan lifestyle can be a way of honoring that realization, reducing the emotional divide between these animals and those animals.

3. Strengthening Integrity and Consistency

It strengthens the integrity of the message we share. Sanctuary workers are often seen as guides, people who help others understand animals in a new way. When actions and values are aligned, it can create a clearer, more cohesive invitation for others to reflect on their own choices.

A Journey Without Judgment

None of this is about judgment. If anything, my own journey has taught me how complex and personal these shifts can be. Sanctuaries themselves model patience. They allow animals to heal at their own pace, without force or expectation. Perhaps we can offer that same grace to each other.

What matters is that we stay open. That we continue to learn. That we allow what we witness to shape us.

Bringing What Is Hidden into the Light

Factory farming and the slaughter industry depend on distance, on keeping suffering out of sight and out of mind. Sanctuaries do the opposite. They bring us closer. They help us see.

Once we see, it becomes harder to look away.

For me, the Better Life for Animals podcast became a way to stay close to these stories, these individuals, and this growing understanding of what compassion can look like in practice. It is not perfect. But it is real.

And sometimes, doing something real, something that connects, informs, and invites reflection, is enough to begin changing the world.

Cheryl Moss is the host of the Better Life for Animals podcast, where she shares uplifting stories from sanctuaries and highlights the work of vegan activists, ethical consumers, and animal welfare leaders. She is also the founder of the Funding Blueprint for Sanctuaries summit designed to empower those involved with sanctuaries to create sustainable funding streams.

A passionate advocate for animal welfare, she is dedicated to ending factory farming and supporting underrepresented sanctuaries.

Beyond podcasting, Cheryl is a banking professional and an accomplished children’s author. A Main Street Vegan Academy graduate, she recently added Vystopia Transformation to her resume. The Vystopia work, created by psychologist Clare Mann, focuses on the emotional impact many people experience after becoming aware of animal suffering and exploitation. It offers tools for resilience, communication, and emotional well-being while continuing to advocate for positive change.

Cheryl is also the author of three illustrated children’s books, Gabriel, Cluck, and Pickle the Pig, all focused on kindness and compassion toward animals. Find her on Facebook and LinkedIn.