Exploring the Plant-Based Movement: A Conversation with Author Nina Guilbeault
Today we're thrilled to share a conversation with the author of the new book The Good Eater: A Vegan’s Search for the Future of Food – An enlightening and delicious look at how vegans—and their critics—are redefining the way the world eats in the twenty-first century.
Nina Guilbeault, a Harvard-trained sociologist, author, and co-founder of Plant Futures sat down with us in anticipation of the upcoming book launch on Tuesday April 16th in honor of Earth Day.
Nina has a few events coming up during the month of April, including a free ticket giveaway for students for her event at Little Saint in Healdsburg, California (see below).
Together, we dove into Nina's journey leading up to the book, experience of writing, and wisdom for those looking to follow in her footsteps. Enjoy!
April 23rd In Conversation with Naomi Starkman of Civil Eats at Books Inc. in Berkeley.
Free tickets.
April 28th In Conversation with Will Rosenzweig of Plant Futures
at Little Saint in Healdsburg.
We are excited to announce that we are offering 8 first-come free student tickets. Contact ninaguibeault@gmail.com to confirm your spot!
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What motivated you to explore the history and tensions within the plant-based movement?
How did your PhD journey lead to you writing this book?
My academic background is as a cultural sociologist, and I completed my PhD at Harvard University. After my PhD, I was a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Sustainable Food Initiative at Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. Like many book journeys, mine began with a personal story involving my grandfather, whose early death from chronic illness inspired me to look into the connection between diet and disease. That path eventually led me to adopt a plant-based diet, and to wonder, what was the history of this movement? For my dissertation, I ended up doing over 150 interviews with entrepreneurs, investors, doctors, researchers, influencers, and activists all around the world. When I got to UC Berkeley, I decided I wanted to tell the story of how veganism went mainstream through a book.
In your book, you delve into the question of whether there is a truly ethical way to eat.
How do you approach and define ethical eating in the context of a plant-based lifestyle?
At the heart of the book is the question Is there a truly ethical way to eat? It turns out that this simple question doesn’t have a simple answer, precisely because the food system itself is complex. To one person, eating a meat alternative like the Impossible burger is ethical, while to another it’s choosing to eat a grass-fed steak. In a way, there is truth to both these perspectives. The Impossible burger represents a way of eating that does not harm animals, and in that sense it’s ethical, but it’s still made with non-organic monoculture crops and is harmful for human health. The grass-fed steak represents an agriculture system in which animals are treated better, but it’s still a system that assumes animals are here for humans to use as they wish, and obviously that kind of meat is not accessible to most consumers. One of the take-aways of the book is that no matter which food system we choose, there will be trade-offs, and we need to grapple with those consequences and think deeply about what values are most important to us. To me, being a “good eater” means eating not only healthfully and deliciously, but ethically too.
The plant-based movement has faced internal conflicts and differing visions. Can you elaborate on some of the challenges and tensions you explore in your book regarding the perception of the healthful plant-based lifestyle and the role of high-tech meat alternatives?
When I set out to write the book, I thought it would be a relatively straightforward account of how a movement that was once on the social fringes became mainstream. But as I delved further into the vegan movement, I sensed internal frictions surfacing, and these were most obvious among my various vegan friend groups. There were my health-conscious social media influencers living in Los Angeles who cared most about the healthfulness of a whole foods plant based diet, my vegan activist friends who worked in animal advocacy non-profits, and my biotech enthusiast friends in San Francisco who wanted to create “alternative proteins”. Then I got to UC Berkeley and met people in the food movement more generally who were quite critical of veganism based on their views of regenerative agriculture. At first, seeing all these different perspectives led me to becoming quite confused about my own. It seemed to me that there was truth in all of them, and I did not know how to synthesize them effectively. It only dawned on me later that exploring these tensions is exactly what I wanted to write about in the book, and you’ll have to read the book to find out what I discovered along the way.
In your journey, how have you navigated engaging with critics of the plant-based movement, and what strategies would you suggest for fostering constructive conversations about plant-based living?
Veganism has many critics, who come to it from many angles. Some of the most common ones are that a plant-based diet is not nutritionally adequate, especially when it comes to protein; that veganism is elitist and out of touch; and that vegans are self-righteous and annoying. On the first point, there is plenty of evidence for the fact that a well-rounded wholesome plant-based diet is perhaps the healthiest diet of all, and can prevent diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and even certain cancers. Second, it’s true that veganism is often marketed as a glamorous lifestyle, but the basic elements of a wholesome plant-based diet—grains and legumes—are among the healthiest and cheapest foods available. This is also a strange reversal of history, since it is meat, not plants, that has always held the highest status precisely because it was rare. On the last point, it’s true that vegans can sometimes be self-righteous, but most of the time, that’s because many of them truly care about the well-being of animals, and know that social norms still generally accept animal cruelty on a mass scale. That being said, as vegans we have to remember that people are rarely swayed by things they find aversive, so it’s better to attract people to the movement by showing them the abundance and positivity of this way of being in the world.
For students aspiring to build a career in the plant-based world, what advice would you give on forging a values-aligned career that aligns with ethical and sustainable principles?
I would suggest taking time to truly get clear on your deepest core values, and trust that if you stay true to those values, something that is aligned with these will come your way. I have benefited enormously from mentors who have inspired my career path, and those mentorships formed organically over time. Be prepared to work hard and show your enthusiasm for the sector you want to join, and eventually, your dedication and passion will show. If you cannot find the job you want, you can create one for yourself. It’s challenging to be an entrepreneur, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. Plant Futures was born when my co-founders and I realized that UC Berkeley did not offer the kind of course we wish existed, so we made one for ourselves. We never expected that it would grow into a non-profit, but here we are, and now we’re inspiring other students to get involved.
Based on your research and insights, what do you envision as the future of food, particularly in terms of plant-based living, and how can individuals contribute to this transition realistically?
The “future of food” is not merely something that will happen one day, but it’s something that we can envision and build together. It’s up to us to understand the problems in our food system, and to collaborate together to build the future we want to see. I envision a future of food that is nourishing, sustainable, affordable, and culturally inclusive, and where everyone has access to the foods that have sustained humanity for millennia—grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits. In order for that vision to become reality, each of us has to figure out what part we want to play. Some of us, like myself, feel the best role they can play is that of an educator and writer who engages in story-telling and meaning-making for the movement. Others among us are meant to be founders of companies, researchers in labs, advocates in the public policy and political domains, lawyers on behalf of animal rights, activists in animal welfare organizations, or chefs and social media influencers who show how appealing this lifestyle can be. We must each ask ourselves, how can I help to build a better food system and strive to contribute in the way that is most suited to us.
Lastly, on a more personal note, how has your own plant-based journey influenced your approach to life and your connection with the broader food system?
For me, veganism is not merely a diet or a lifestyle, but a spiritual practice. The Buddhist monk and spiritual teacher Thich Nhat Hanh once said, “What shall I eat today? Is a very deep question.” By this, he meant that eating is the most profound and intimate relationship we have with the world—with our bodies, the Earth, and with the beings (human and non-human) we share it with. If we are lucky enough to have a choice about what to eat, I believe we also have a duty to think carefully about how our food choices impact the world, and to strive to do our best to build a food system that serves us all. Not only are you literally what you eat, but so is the world you live in. So every time you ask yourself that question, remember that what you are truly asking is What kind of world do I want to live in?
We hope you all are as eager to read Nina’s book as we are! Nina would like to invite our community to her book launch party on April 16th in San Francisco. Featuring Q&A with the author, book signing (buy the book in person or pre-order), and delicious chef-prepared vegan, organic, and seasonal hors d'oeuvres made from local ingredients.
Location: Manny's (3092 16th St, San Francisco in the Mission)
RSVP: Book Launch Party for The Good Eater
Pre-Order: https://geni.us/thegoodeater
“The Good Eater reminds us that what we eat plays a definitive role not only in our physical, but also our emotional and even spiritual well-being.”
— John Mackey, cofounder and retired CEO of Whole Foods Market
