Quantcast Vegetarian StarOprah’s Vegan Challenge–Most Harpo Staff Could Handle It

Oprah Winfrey

In case you missed it, Oprah Winfrey hosted Kathy Freston and Michael Pollan on her show today in an episode which featured the story of how her 378 staffers at Harpo Studios went vegan for one week.

The Harpo Studios cafeteria has already implemented Meatless Monday. Could the entire staff abstain from all animal products for an entire week?

The short is answer is, most could.

Out of the 378 who signed up for the challenge, 300 successfully completed it.

Video editor Rich was overjoyed about his results. Rich lost 10 pounds as well as migraine headaches and his need for antacids. Rich said he opted for vegetables and whole grains versus simple carbohydrates.

Author Freston gave meal planning tips to staffers, some of which were clueless as to where to begin. One woman who admitted her family’s staples were pizza, spaghetti and tacos learned from Freston how she could use vegan meats and cheeses to replicate their favorites.

“Everyone [at Harpo] was so excited and interested in it. I think knowing that it can be such a game-changer—that it can really affect you in your body and your spirit—I think so many people were just excited to give it a whirl,” Freston said.

The episode also featured reporter Lisa Ling going into a factory farm to learn how meat was processed in a segment about getting to know your food, something that Pollan, who eats meat only twice a week, thinks most people are clueless about.

“It’s all opaque. You go to the grocery store and the meat doesn’t even have bones anymore. It’s just shrink-wrapped protoplasm, and kids don’t even know that it comes from an animal and that the animal had to be killed in order to put it on your plate,” Pollan said.

Interested  in taking the vegan challenge? Visit Oprah’s site for a vegan starter kit that includes menus, grocery lists and substitution suggestions.

Photo: PR Photos

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One Response to “Oprah’s Vegan Challenge–Most Harpo Staff Could Handle It”

  1. Katherine Says:

    I saw the episode. I think they did a good job of showing a vegan diet and it’s health benefits (and played both sides well) but left out the lifestyle and the whole ethics behind it. I wish they had shown more about chickens, pigs, fish, etc. but nonetheless, it will hopefully open a lot of people’s minds.
    I live in a rural dairy farming town and my boyfriend’s dad is a butcher, so I definitely felt for the woman who said her family had a hard time because her father in law is a dairy farming.