Thuy Pham is the founder of Mama Đút in Portland, Oregon, and is known around the world for her vegan pork belly.

Appearing on the PBN Podcast, Pham tells PBN cofounder Robbie Lockie all about finding veganism and how she keeps her Vietnamese culture alive through cooking.

Vegan pork belly propels Pham to prominence

Pham’s food business started 48 hours after an Instagram live stream of her making vegan pork belly.

Inspired by Vietnamese roasted pork (and her fear of missing out at family gatherings), Pham created a vegan version of the traditional dish. Her daughter encouraged her to share a video of her cooking the vegan pork belly on Instagram.

The dish is “a melodic dance of textures,” she tells Lockie in the podcast. First, a layer of crispiness; then, a layer of fat, a chewy meat layer. “It’s a really fun food in your mouth to eat,” Pham says.

The video blew up and within two days Pham was researching how to start a business. The name was already set: Mama Mama Đút (“Mama, feed me”), one of Pham’s daughter’s catchphrases.

Portland street food

With orders of the pork belly soaring, Pham was soon expanding her operation. She opened Mama Đút restaurant in Portland. She then appeared on the Netflix series, Street Food: USA.

Portland has been Pham’s home since she was two years old. It was also recently named the most vegan-friendly city in the US.

“We are the two extremes,” says Pham. “There is a lot of meat consumption happening in Portland. But then there’s this other side of Portland where there’s so many vegan restaurants, dedicated vegan restaurants.”

Family at the heart of Pham’s story

It was her sister who first encouraged Pham to try veganism. In 2019, after learning the effects of animal agriculture on the planet, Pham went vegan. 

“I said I’m going to just take it one day at a time and see what I can do and do better each day,” says Pham. “And I’ve been vegan ever since then!”

As well as her daughter and sister, Pham explains how her culinary journey was inspired by her mom. The oldest of three children, Pham left Vietnam in a fishing boat with her mom as a baby.

“I’m really blessed to have been able to grow up with a family who worked really hard to hold onto our cultural cuisine,” she says.

The cultural roots of vegan cuisine

Growing up in the US, she speaks emotionally about how cooking Vietnamese food keeps the culture alive for her.

Pham explains that, as a child, she felt pressured to fit into the dominant culture. She often felt ashamed of the food her family cooked and would sometimes throw away lunches her mom had prepared out of shame.

Later, she realized how unhealthy this obsession with “feeling American” had become. “It was driving me crazy because it wasn’t who I am,” she says.

Vietnam inspires Pham’s cooking

Now, her passion for cooking keeps her connected with her roots. “As a Vietnamese person who isn’t connected to Vietnam physically, this is the only way to connect myself physically to Vietnam.”

Veganism has helped enhance this connection. “One of my biggest fears in becoming vegan was that I was going to lose the ability to enjoy the cultural foods that I grew up with. But I was so wrong!” she says.

“The moment I became vegan, it really opened up this new opportunity for me to rediscover my own roots as a Vietnamese person.”

Pham speaks about how choosing a compassionate lifestyle has allowed her to receive more compassion from the world. “For me, the feeling of success is knowing that I have put back a positive contribution into the world.”

An exciting next step?

After recording the podcast, Pham has since revealed that Mama Đút would close its doors in Portland.

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A post shared by Mama Đút | Plant-based Vietnamese Food (@mama.dut.foods)

“Please stick around,” she wrote on Instagram, “because with every closed door, many more will open.”

More like this:

• Most Vegan-Friendly City In The US Unveiled
• Joaquin Phoenix, Stephen Fry, And More Celebs Battle To Save Moon Bears From Extinction
• Why Drew Harrisberg Chose Plant-Based Diet For Type 1 Diabetes

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Animal agriculture is hugely destructive to our planet. Many campaigners, including George Monbiot, have pointed out that it’s just as damaging, if not more so, than fossil fuels. But despite this, the environmental conversation tends to ignore the huge costs of animal products.

Studies have shown that, even if all fossil fuels were eliminated immediately, the planet would exceed the 1.5C outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement. This is down to our food system alone. A report published in March 2023 found that high-methane foods like meat, dairy, and rice were mostly to blame.

Plant Based News founder Klaus Mitchell recently did a speech on this topic at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. You can watch an extract of the talk below:

Check out the Plant Based News YouTube channel for more content like this

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According to the UN, countries are not on track to reach their targets. If they were to have a hope of reaching net zero, the UN says, they should take “bold, immediate steps towards reducing emissions now.”

Much of the conversations about reaching net zero by 2050 focus on reducing fossil fuels. There’s no doubt such a reduction is necessary, but it’s not the end of the story. A growing body of research is pointing to an additional solution that could help us to cool the planet, provide a viable answer to combating the climate crisis, and become carbon negative: the food system.

The problem with animal farming

A move away from animal agriculture is essential for continuation of the planet as we know it. Livestock farming contributes to at least 14.5 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, but emissions themselves are just the start of the problem. Arguably a more pressing issue is the huge amount of land it uses up (sheep farming alone in the UK takes up four million hectares).

Experts have long argued that freeing up this land could prove vital in avoiding climate collapse. A study from Harvard found that if the UK adopted a plant-based diet and rewilded farmland, we would draw down enough carbon to offset 12 years’ worth of the UK’s current emissions.

Plant Based News founder Klaus Mitchell explored the issue in a talk at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. You can watch a clip of the presentation below:

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It’s certainly true that avoiding using planes is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Greenhouse gas emissions from aviation have doubled since the mid-1980s, and the industry as a whole is responsible for around 2.5 percent of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Most jets are either run on gasoline or biofuels, which convert to CO2 when burned. Many high profile environmentalists, including Greta Thunberg, avoid flying on planes.

While the environmental impact of planes are well-known, many people have no idea that they are responsible for a fraction of the damage caused by animal agriculture. Livestock farming is responsible for at least 14.5 percent of emissions, and it’s also driving deforestation, biodiversity loss, and water pollution. Despite this, much of the public have little idea of the environmental cost of food.

With this in mind, Plant Based News founder Klaus Mitchell recently took to the streets to ask people one simple question: would you rather give up meat or flying to help the environment?

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“We all want to be healthy. We all want to protect the planet and we all want to be kind. Yet today we are facing a health crisis, an environmental crisis, and an ethical crisis affecting people and the economy,” the film’s synopsis reads.

But how much difference can one individual make?

Directed by Rebecca Cappelli and Abhi Anchliya, Let Us Be Heroes shares the stories of athletes, entrepreneurs, activists, and experts in the food and fashion scenes, among others, in a bid to empower people to make positive changes.

“We are the leaders of the world we want to live in,” filmmakers wrote. “Let us be heroes.”

Watch the vegan documentary on the Plant Based News YouTube channel below:

More like this:

WATCH – ‘Vegan: Everyday Stories’ Documentary

How To Watch ‘Eating Our Way To Extinction’ For Free

WATCH: Paul McCartney-Approved Vegan Documentary H.O.P.E.

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Georgia Tech Research Institute announced that it would be experimenting with VR to help people who work in chicken slaughterhouses. The machines are able to kill chickens while being controlled remotely, meaning people will not have to slaughter animals with their hands. Instead, they will be able to do so while at home. 

The researchers who developed the machines did so in response to the mental and physical costs of working in slaughterhouses. Such a job is, as Winters put it, “notoriously awful,” and some US operations have a turnover rate of 100 percent each year. 

“With this technology you could be sitting in West Virginia, put on a VR headset, and work from the comfort of your home,” Gary McMurray, a Georgia Tech principal engineer stated. “You’re no longer tied to geography, and that’s really powerful.” 

The problem with VR in slaughterhouses

While Winters acknowledged that this technology could indeed help the workers, it does not take into account the other victim: the chickens. Watch the video below to find out all the issues associated with the technology. 

For more from Earthling Ed, check out his YouTube channel, as well as his recent award-winning short film MILK.

The post WATCH: Earthling Ed On Virtual Reality In The Meat Industry appeared first on Plant Based News.

Austrian author and filmmaker Nina Messinger is the creator of the film, which features experts such as Dr. Jane Goodall, Dr. Vandana Shiva, Dr. Melanie Joy, and Dr. T. Colin Campbell.

The documentary has also won the approval of other high-profile names, including Sir Paul McCartney. The musician reportedly stated: “This important film highlights the choices we must make to help protect this planet and all its inhabitants.”

The English version of the movie is available for free online with Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, French, Hungarian, Indonesian, Korean, Portuguese, Slovenian, and Spanish subtitles. There is also a German version called HOPE FOR ALL: Unsere Nahrung – Unsere Hoffnung.

Watch the English version of H.O.P.E. – What You Eat Matters on the Plant Based News YouTube channel below:

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More like this:

WATCH – ‘Vegan: Everyday Stories’ Documentary

How To Watch ‘Eating Our Way To Extinction’ For Free

WATCH: 5 Times Dairy Farmers Went Vegan

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Despite its growing prevalence, however, there remain many misconceptions about veganism. It’s often mistakenly thought of as a niche fad diet, followed by mostly young privileged people living in cities. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.

There are now millions of vegans from all walks of life following the vegan lifestyle, eliminating animal products from all aspects of their life. Most go vegan for ethical reasons, and many more adopt plant-based diets over health or environmental concerns.

Vegan: Everyday Stories, released in 2016, follows the lives of four very different people who share one common thread – they’re all vegan.

Watch it on the Plant Based News YouTube channel below:

Watch more videos like this on the Plant Based News YouTube channel

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The feature film — narrated by Academy Award-winner Kate Winslet and directed by brothers Otto and Ludo Brockway — explores the environmental impact of diet.

Eating Our Way to Extinction first premiered in September 2021, and has since earned widespread approval. Leonardo DiCaprio, for example, described it as “the film future generations will be wishing everyone watched today.”

With a running time of one hour and 22 minutes, the documentary brings to light the destruction caused by animal agriculture in various corners of the world. For example, the Amazon rainforest, the Mongolian desert, the Taiwanese Mountains, and the US Dust Bowl.

It’s this negative impact that is not given enough airtime, according to Otto and the film’s producer Mark Galvin.

“Something that we found incredibly frustrating is this subject and this story is left out of the debate so many times,” the pair previously told Plant Based News.

They added that even the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), which took place shortly after the film’s launch, neglected to properly address animal farming’s impact on the planet. “It’s still kind of taking the sideline,” they said. “The sad thing and the frustrating thing is it’s not actually representing the science.”

Who is in ‘Eating Our Way to Extinction’?

Filmmakers brought together dozens of experts across a wide range of fields, including nutrition, haematology, water management, economics, agriculture, virology, and arctic ice.

Former UN Special Rapporteur Olivier de Schutter lent his voice to the film, as did scientist Joseph Poore, physician Dr Michael Greger, and Sylvia Earle, the former chief of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Virgin Group’s Sir Richard Branson features in the project too. Branson is also an executive producer of the film, alongside Winslet and The Game Changers producer James Wilks.

To create Eating Our Way to Extinction, filmmakers spoke with Indigenous people in South America and Brazil, who are often most affected by the climate crisis yet largely spoken over. Including these silenced voices was “really powerful,” Otto and Galvin said.

“Most of the modern world has somewhat lost that connection to nature and to the planet in some way,” they explained. “[Indigenous] people very much still live in tune with nature and they see the cycles of the Earth and the cycles around them that have been relatively stable for hundreds and maybe even thousands of years – suddenly changing.” 

“And in such a way that to them they perceive it as violent. And you can see the fear in their eyes when they talk about it,” they added.

Inspiring change

But Eating Our Way to Extinction is about more than that fear. It also comes with a message of hope, spotlighting the ways humankind can come together to preserve and restore our planet. “Documentaries are an incredibly powerful tool to create social change,” Otto and Galvin said.

“We all have the power to make an impact. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner – three chances to change the world for the better,” the film’s website reads. “Are you Eating To Extinction, or Eating For Tomorrow?”

Those interested can watch Eating Our Way to Extinction on YouTube. It’s also available on Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, and VUDU, and can be viewed in nearly 15 languages. 

Find more videos like this on the Plant Based News YouTube channel

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Such transformations aren’t always about weight loss or the way we look. Removing animal products from your diet can improve mental health, physical health, and general outlook on life. 

In Plant Based News’ video on top 10 vegan transformations, we explore the huge impact ditching animal products can have on our lives. One of those featured is Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am, who describes himself as a “militant vegan.” The musician regularly endorses a plant-based diet on health (and ethical) grounds.

The clip also looks at Joey Carbstrong, who went from being a gang member to a vegan activist after discovering the truth about animal agriculture. 

Watch the full video below:

Watch more videos like this on the Plant Based News YouTube channel

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Dr Kim Williams is one of the many health experts who agrees with the latter. The former president of the American College of Cardiology has become known for coining the phrase: “There are two kinds of cardiologists: vegans, and those who haven’t read the data.”

This is in reference to the growing body of evidence linking meat consumption to heart disease. Back in 2018, he sat down with Plant Based News founder Klaus Mitchell to answer common questions on ketogenic and plant-based diets.

Speaking about keto, Williams says the “science of it is wrong.” He added that, while such diets could be effective for short-term weight loss, it may come at a cost of cardiovascular issues. He went on to say that ketogenic diets have been shown to increase mortality by around 22 percent.

Watch the full interview with Dr Kim Williams below.

Watch more videos like this on the Plant Based News YouTube channel

The post WATCH: Ending The Ketogenic Diet Debate With Dr Kim Williams appeared first on Plant Based News.

A great deal of doctors and nutritional experts, however, still think that dairy, eggs, and meat are vital for humans to consume. Challenging this view is the rising number of plant-based health experts, many of whom advocate for all-vegan diets. 

With this in mind, Plant Based News sat down with a number of meat-free doctors at a nutrition conference, including esteemed author Neal Barnard. As well as opening up about what they eat in a day, they spoke about their top plant-based food recommendations.

You can watch the full video below:

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The post WATCH: Here’s What These Plant-Based Doctors Eat In A Day appeared first on Plant Based News.

We are already seeing a rise of multi-drug resistance infections, known as “superbugs.” These are resistant to most antibiotics, and sometimes even those only used as a “last resort” in medical practice.

While many people are aware of the issue of antibiotic resistance, they may not realize that animal farming is largely to blame. Human prescriptions only account for 20 percent of the antibiotics produced in the world. The remaining 80 percent go to farmed animals.

The majority of these animals are raised on factory farms. The cramped and unsanitary conditions in which they’re kept leaves them vulnerable to disease, meaning antibiotics have historically been given out to keep animals alive. Antibiotics are also used as growth hormones to fatten animals up more quickly. While this practice is illegal in some areas, including in the EU, it is still routinely carried out in some countries in the world.

Find out more about antibiotic resistance in the video below:

Watch more videos like this on the Plant Based News YouTube channel

The post WATCH: Why The Next Pandemic Could Be Antibiotic Resistance appeared first on Plant Based News.

Throughout the world, there are more than 270 million cows producing milk for human consumption. A growing number of these live in factory farms. In order to produce milk, cows must first have a baby. They are artificially inseminated every year from the age of two. Each time, they have their newborn calf taken from them, often within 24 hours, so that their milk can be “harvested” for human consumption.

Mother cows often cry and out bellow for days after their calf is gone. Conditions like mastitis and lameness are common in dairy cows. When they stop producing milk, farmers take them to the slaughterhouse.

The ethical costs of the industry can take a toll on farmers, and many have decided to ditch dairy for good and turn vegan. Two of these farmers are Jay and Katja Wilde from Derbyshire in the UK. Jay said he felt like he was “betraying” his cows by sending them to slaughter, and decided to give his animals to a sanctuary.

Find out more about his farm, as well as four others, in the video below.

Check out Plant Based News’ YouTube channel for more videos like this.

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Soy is has been eaten for thousands of years, is hugely versatile, and is used to make everything from vegan meats and milk to edamame, tofu, and tempeh. Many soy products have long been highlighted as convenient and healthy sources of protein, but there is also a huge amount of misinformation surrounding it.

Can soy cause breast cancer, and should men really avoid consuming it? Is it actually driving Amazon deforestation? Is soy truly the worst thing on earth?

What Happens When is a new series that takes a deep dive into the topics that concern our health and wellbeing, and hear from experts who debunk some of the most common myths. Narrated by Plant Based News co-founder Robbie Lockie, episode one looks at all the misinformation surrounding soy, and explains the reality of the hugely popular food.

Keep an eye on the Plant Based News YouTube channel for future episodes of What Happens When.

The post WATCH: What Happens When You Eat Soy? appeared first on Plant Based News.

One of the most well-known of these was Miley Cyrus. The musician confirmed in a 2020 interview that she had introduced fish into her diet, claiming that eating plant-based had “affected her brain.” Toward the end of last year, actor Jenna Ortega confirmed she’d abandoned her veganism while filming for Netflix show Wednesday. She stated that she wasn’t meeting her “nutritional requirements” while on set in Bulgaria.

But it’s not just celebrities who have publicly moved away from plant-based eating. Some high profile figures in the vegan movement have also gone on to reintroduce animal products.

Former ‘vegans’

In February 2023, Alex O’Connor (known for his YouTube channel Cosmic Skeptic) released a statement confirming he was no longer vegan. He said he was “re-evaluating his ethical position on eating animals.” O’Connor had previously been a well-known vegan figure, and was even slated to speak at Vegan Camp Out this year.

So-called “ex-vegans” cite a range of reasons for renewed consumption of animal products. These often focusing on perceived health shortcomings of plant-based eating. The apparent trend of quitting veganism was the subject of a recent video called “Vegan Diets Don’t Work,” posted by popular YouTube channel “What I’ve Learned.”

In response to the arguments put forward, Plant Based News founder Klaus Mitchell has presented a new YouTube video.

In it, he examines popular vegan figures – including Cyrus, O’Conner, John Venus, Alyse Parker, and Bonny Rebecca – all of whom have moved away from plant-based eating.

With the help of plant-based doctor Dr Matthew Nagra, he debunks some of the ethical and health claims made by ex-vegans. These include the notions that fish and eggs (popular foods among ex-vegans) can be ethical. And, that diets high in meat are good for health.

Mitchell, who personally knows some of the subjects of the video, explains that their arguments often don’t add up. Perhaps most importantly, he points out that their credentials as true vegans were often in question in the first place.

Many “ex-vegans,” therefore, were far more likely to have been people on plant-based diets, rather than those truly following the lifestyle.

The video premieres at 7pm BST on April 7. Set a reminder here:

Check out Plant Based News’ YouTube channel for more videos like this.

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