Plant Based Eating for Health

Do older adults need meat to maintain muscle and strength? Registered dietitian Brenda Davis joins Kathleen Gage to discuss what the research says about plant-based protein and healthy aging.
Brenda, co-author of Plant-Powered Seniors, explains why protein needs deserve more attention as we age and why eating a whole food plant-based diet still takes planning. She and Kathleen discuss age-related muscle loss, resistance training, creatine, calcium, vitamin B12, and vitamin D.
Brenda also shares the conversation that led her to become vegan in 1989. Later, she offers simple ways to eat more plants, from adding beans and greens to familiar meals to finding recipes you genuinely enjoy. The episode closes with a discussion of chronic inflammation, hydration, and alcohol.
Listen to Episode 179: Brenda Davis on Plant-Powered Seniors, Protein, and Healthy Aging
https://www.veganvisibility.com/179-Brenda-Davis
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What happens when compassion becomes more than a feeling and turns into a lifetime of action?
Kathleen Gage welcomes Ella Magers, a vegan of more than 30 years, holistic fitness coach, speaker, animal rights advocate, and co-founder of the March to Abolish Animal Testing.
Ella's journey began at seven years old when she connected the food on her plate with the living animal it had once been. By age 15, she was fully vegan and actively campaigning for animals.
In this conversation, Ella shares how she built strength and muscle without animal products and why fitness should be about far more than appearance. She explains how strength training, functional movement, mobility work, and a strong core can help people remain active, capable, and independent as they age.
Ella also takes listeners behind the scenes of Hogs and Kisses Farm Sanctuary, where rescued farmed animals receive lifelong care. She discusses the financial and physical realities of sanctuary work and how creative events, monthly donations, matching gifts, and meaningful donor relationships help sustain that care.
One of the most powerful moments in the episode is Ella's story of Jane, a beagle bred for laboratory experimentation. Jane spent the first year and a half of her life in a small wire cage without grass, walks, a bed, or a loving home. After being released during the campaign that helped close Ridglan Farms, Jane was placed in Ella's arms, fell asleep, and began snoring. Ella knew she was home.
Ella also discusses the 207-mile March to Abolish Animal Testing and the growing movement to replace animal experimentation with modern scientific alternatives.
This episode is a powerful reminder that meaningful change does not belong only to professional activists. Every person can take action by choosing cruelty-free products, volunteering, donating, supporting legislation, sharing reliable information, or helping others expand their circle of compassion.
Learn more and listen to Episode 178:
https://veganvisibility.com/178-Ella-Magers

What happens when your compassion for animals begins to shape not only the way you live, but also the work you choose to do?
In this episode of the Plant Based Eating for Health Podcast, Kathleen Gage talks with Stephanie Mathers, founder and CEO of Grants 4 Animals. Stephanie shares how her journey from animal lover to vegan advocate inspired her to create a purpose-driven business that helps animal nonprofits secure sustainable funding.
Since launching Grants 4 Animals, Stephanie and her team have helped animal-related nonprofits secure, manage, and report on more than $6 million in grant funding.
Stephanie's journey began when she adopted her first cat, Shakespeare. That relationship led her into animal rescue, TNR work, sanctuary advocacy, and eventually veganism. After learning about the treatment of dairy cows, she committed to a 30-day vegan experiment in 2012. That decision became a permanent way of living that aligned her food, purchasing decisions, and professional life with her compassion for animals.
Kathleen and Stephanie also discuss her transition from a 20-year career in education to entrepreneurship. Although her first business idea did not unfold as planned, it introduced her to animal sanctuaries and helped her recognize where her skills could make the greatest difference.
Is Your Animal Nonprofit Grant-Ready?
Many animal nonprofits begin searching for grants before they have the foundation needed to apply successfully. Stephanie explains why receiving 501(c)(3) status does not automatically make an organization grant-ready.
Grant readiness may include:
• Clear financial and animal-tracking systems
• Established policies and procedures
• Strong organizational and program descriptions
• A compelling and consistent story
• An active and engaged email list
• Realistic funding goals
• The ability to manage and report on awarded funds
Becoming grant-ready takes time, but the process can strengthen every area of nonprofit fundraising. The same information required for grant applications can also improve donor communication, email marketing, major-gift conversations, social media campaigns, and corporate sponsorship proposals.
Grants Are Only Part of the Solution
Grants can provide valuable support, but they are rarely the answer to an immediate financial crisis. Stephanie explains why animal nonprofits need multiple sources of revenue, including individual donations, monthly giving programs, corporate sponsorships, merchandise, educational programs, tours, events, and grants.
She also shares why nonprofit leaders must consider the time, labor, and resources required for each fundraising activity, not simply the amount of money it might generate.
In This Episode, You'll Discover
• How Stephanie's love for animals led her to veganism
• Why learning about dairy cows became a turning point
• How an unsuccessful business idea helped reveal her true path
• What animal nonprofits frequently misunderstand about grants
• The essential elements of grant readiness
• Why grants should not be an organization's only funding strategy
• How an email list supports fundraising and grant compliance
• Ways to develop multiple nonprofit income streams
• How to create work that reflects your vegan values
• Why grant-writing systems are essential for long-term sustainability
Train Your Own Grant Writer
Stephanie created Train Your Own Grant Writer to help animal nonprofits develop grant-writing skills within their own organizations. A staff member, board member, or committed volunteer can learn the tools, systems, and strategies needed to build and maintain a sustainable grant campaign.
Learn more about Train Your Own Grant Writer:
https://www.grants4animals.com/TrainYourOwnGrantWriter
Listen to the full episode:
https://www.VeganVisibility.com/177-Stephanie-Mathers

At 84 years old, registered dietitian and bestselling author Vesanto Melina is a powerful example of what healthy, active aging can look like.
In this episode of Plant Based Eating for Health, Kathleen Gage talks with Vesanto about her decades of experience in plant-based nutrition, her new book Plant Powered Seniors, and the nutrition and lifestyle choices that can help us stay strong, active, and independent as we age.
Vesanto shares why being vegan doesn't automatically mean eating healthy, the importance of legumes and plant-based protein, maintaining muscle as we age, creatine, exercise, menopause and weight changes, and simple ways to make plant-based eating work in everyday life.
At 84, Vesanto takes five fitness classes and two yoga classes each week and recently completed a 12-session women's self-defense course. Her message is clear: healthy aging is not just about living longer. It's about staying engaged in life.
In this episode, discover:
How Vesanto stays active and strong at 84
Plant-based nutrition for healthy aging
Protein, legumes and maintaining muscle
Creatine and resistance training
Menopause, weight and belly fat
Why vegan doesn't always mean healthy
Simple ways to eat more plant-based
How to stay plant-based when your family isn't
Listen and learn more: www.VeganVisibility.com/176-Vesanto-Melina
#PlantBasedEatingForHealth #VesantoMelina #PlantPoweredSeniors #HealthyAging #PlantBasedNutrition

Can a whole food, plant-based lifestyle help you stay active, healthy, and vital as you age?
In this episode of Plant Based Eating for Health, Kathleen Gage talks with Donald Fries and Beverly Bow, co-founders of Healthy World Sedona and the Healthy World Vitality Plan, about plant-based nutrition, healthy aging, longevity, chronic disease prevention, lifestyle medicine, and the importance of increasing your health span, not simply your lifespan.
Don has followed a whole food, plant-based lifestyle for decades, while Bev made the transition at age 60 after exploring the science behind plant-based nutrition. Today, their work helps others discover how nutrition, movement, restorative sleep, stress reduction, and community can work together to support a healthier life.
Don and Bev share practical strategies for transitioning to a whole food, plant-based diet, including adding more plants to your plate, finding plant-based versions of favorite foods, reducing highly processed foods and oils, and approaching lifestyle change with curiosity rather than perfection.
They also explain why community and accountability can be critical for creating lasting change.
Through the Healthy World Vitality Plan, participants can join small-group Vitality Voyages, an 11-week virtual coaching experience focused on nutrition, exercise, restorative sleep, stress management, community, and sustainable lifestyle habits. Healthy World Vitality also offers ongoing educational programs, cooking demonstrations, Lunch and Learns, and community support.
Upcoming Event: Don and Bev's next Vitality Voyages begin the week of September 8, with an Orientation Open House on September 1 for those who would like to learn more about the program before joining.
Learn more about Don Fries, Beverly Bow, Healthy World Sedona, and their work at:
https://VeganVisibility.com/healthy-world-sedona
In this episode, discover how a whole food, plant-based diet can become part of a bigger approach to healthy aging, longevity, vitality, compassionate living, and creating a healthier future for people, animals, and the planet.