Ep. 132: Carleigh Bodrug - The "PlantYou" Sensation

If you have extra banana peels at home, don’t throw them away! If you have extra pickle juice in the jar, don’t dump it down the sink! The same is true for broccoli stalks, chickpea juice, and potato peels. Hold on to them…Why? In this fun episode, Rip gets scrappy with food blogger, Instagram and TikTok star, and now – new author of the book, PlantYou – Carleigh Bodrug! In her creative video content, she shows her millions of followers how to turn those scraps into simple, delicious, and nutritious foods that people will absolutely adore. Carleigh is a plantstrong ball of light raised in Ontario, Canada on a small family farm. Like so many others, she was raised on the standard western meat and potatoes diet. All of that changed, however, when her Dad was diagnosed with colon cancer. I remember in 2015, the World Health Organization announced that red and processed meat were now classed as Group 2 and Group 1 carcinogens, and what I remember most about when that news broke was my dad was actually angry because it was like he had had this super invasive surgery and chemotherapy and then gone back to eating the very thing that at least was not helping the situation, right?

This feisty young woman (who really couldn’t cook, by the way) took it upon herself to start experimenting with plants! Her goal? Make this lifestyle approachable, easy to follow, and so, so fun.

You can't force it down people's throat, you kind of have to just lead by example so I try to talk as positively as possible about how many benefits that I've personally experienced from going plant-based rather than kind of shaming or dampering on people's food, because food is emotional and nostalgic, as you know.

Her new book, PlantYou includes, not just photos of the gorgeous finished products, but also photos of every ingredient you need, making it so easy to follow. You know what else I love? It features over 140 recipes that are not only plantstrong, but also OIL-FREE!

Instead of a glug of oil in the pan, why don't you try vegetable broth or water and I can guarantee the finished product of that dish is going to take almost identical if not identical, and you have now reduced the fat and caloric content dramatically.

Rip and Carleigh also dish on:

• The support she receives from her family and fiance

I was super lucky in that I was supported on that journey because I think a lot of people are going it alone, and the social aspect, I always say to people, the social aspect is the hardest I think, and in a way, because I wasn't doing it completely by myself, that was a little easier to swallow. Like you didn't have to explain as much if your parents were going the same route.

• Why she maximizes every ounce of food she can when preparing meals and snacks

So this scrappy cooking concept was all born by this desire to kind of like reduce food waste within our own homes and also reduce the amount of money wasted and I think something like 40 to 50% of edible food in North America goes to waste, so it's a huge issue. And I think a lot of people are going aimlessly to the grocery store each week with really good intentions and buying a lot of fresh produce that ends up in the garbage.

• Tips and tricks with leftover aquafaba, ginger, date seeds, potato skins, pickle juice and more!

• Tools for your plant-based kitchen

• Favorite recipes in her new book

• Leading by example with positive energy

I try to talk as positively as possible about how many benefits that I've personally experienced from going plant-based rather than kind of shaming or dampering on people's food, because food is emotional and nostalgic, as you know.

Trust me, you’ll be hearing a lot more from Carleigh in the coming months because the future is bright for this young broc-star.

Carleigh Bodrug Resources:

• Buy PlantYou: 140+ Ridiculously Easy, Amazingly Delicious Plant-Based Oil-Free Recipes

• PlantYou Website

• Instagram

• TikTok

PLANTSTRONG Resources:

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Theme Music for Episode

Promo Music - Creative Commons License - Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)