An Interview with Laura Theodore: The Jazzy Vegetarian

Laura Theodore, The Jazzy Vegetarian, is a television and radio host, vegan chef, sustainable lifestyle blogger, cookbook author and award-winning jazz singer and actor. She is the proud creator of the “Jazzy Vegetarian,” and author of Jazzy Vegetarian Classics: Vegan Twists on American Family Favorites and Jazzy Vegetarian: Lively Vegan Cuisine Made Easy and Delicious. You can read her complete bio here.

I recently had the privilege of interviewing Laura about her own path to plant-powered eating and how she is able to help and inspire others with her radio show, television show, and cookbooks.

Read my full interview with this plant-powered mover and shaker below.

When and why did you decide to become vegetarian?

I stopped eating red meat first – way back in the early 1980’s. I had been experimenting, on and off, with eating more vegetarian meals for about two years; I was walking by a fast food restaurant one day – and it dawned on me – I no longer wanted to eat meat! Several years later I gave up chicken, then eventually cut out fish, eggs and dairy products and now, I am vegan.

What made you want to develop, produce and host your radio show, The Jazzy Vegetarian?

I wanted to create a platform to share my plant-based recipes, tips and eco-friendly ideas where anyone and everyone would have the opportunity to listen on a regular basis. We have recently celebrated our 200th Jazzy Vegetarian Radio show! The weekly podcast radio show focuses on entertaining and informative interviews with respected doctors, nutritionists, vegan cookbook authors, musicians, actors, animal rights groups, environmental activists and many more. In addition, Jazzy Vegetarian Radio serves up some fabulous music on the side!

As a radio host for a nutrition and health based program, what are some of the biggest misconceptions you hear regarding a vegan diet?

The biggest misconception is that vegan or plant-based food tastes “blah.” Quite the contrary! My mission has been to provide tasty and easy to prepare vegan recipes that are inspired by traditional America dishes. My new cookbook, Jazzy Vegetarian Classics, does just that – unites my love of compassionate cooking with delicious and simple recipes. Included in the cookbook are all of the recipes featured in Season Three of my PBS cooking show, which presently airs all across the country on public television and four times weekly (8AM and 2PM, EST on Tuesdays and Thursdays) on the Create Channel. It is in these forums, that I am best able to prove and share that vegan food is exciting, enticing, tasty, satisfying, fun and can be easy to prepare!

What are some of your own biggest challenges in following a vegan/plant-based diet?

Finding good restaurants that serve innovative and creative vegan dishes is a real challenge. The best remedy to this that I have found is to ask the chef at your favorite local eatery to either add a few vegan options to their everyday menu, or make several vegan options available to be custom prepared by the chef. My husband and I have frequented a small, local Italian restaurant for years and the chef has invented a few “regular” dishes that he prepares for us when we are there. I have found that most restaurants are happy to accommodate vegan diners if they ask – “Can this dish be made without animal products?” (Make sure to reinforce the fact that you do not want butter, cheese or meat/seafood broths used in the food preparation for your plant-based dish)!

What has been the general response to people in regards to your radio and television show?

It has been wonderfully positive and supportive! I regularly receive hundreds of Facebook posts, tweets and emails every week from viewers and listeners saying how much the show has helped and inspired them to look toward a healthy and compassionate lifestyle! Awesome! Mission accomplished!

In what ways has your radio show helped people?

By making vegan recipes, tips and health information available online to anyone who is looking for delicious and easy to prepare vegan/plant-based recipe alternatives. The radio podcast is available online for free, all across the nation and can be accessed at anytime. For anyone who has health questions regarding a plant-based diet, we frequently feature top nutritionists, naturopaths and doctors on the show. The first Wednesday of every month we feature Dr. Pam Popper who is a naturopath, an internationally recognized expert on nutrition, medicine and health, and the Executive Director of The Wellness Forum. She answers many questions that listeners and viewers have had concerning health vs the plant-based diet. We regularly feature top vegan chefs/authors to share recipes, tips and ideas. In general, the show helps people who are deciding whether to begin following the plant-based path, by giving and sharing needed information for shopping, cooking and serving plant-based meals any day of the week.

What was the most shocking thing you heard while on-air in regards to a vegan diet?

I have been asked on several occasions: “Do you have to give up desserts when you go vegan?” I say…oh no! Many vegan desserts taste even better than the dairy and egg laden versions!

What are some of your favorite plant-based resources for recipes and other health inspiration?

I love these books: Perfect Formula Diet, by Janice Stanger Ph.D., The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition by Julieanna Hever M.S., R.D., C.P.T., and Becoming Vegan, Express Edition: The Everyday Guide to Plant-based Nutrition by Brenda Davis R.D., and Vesanto Melina, R.D., M.S. Of course I love The Plant-Powered Diet, by Sharon Palmer, R.D.! A great online resource is the Wellness Forum (https://wellnessforum.com/) and PCRM (https://pcrm.org/).

As someone in the media, do you feel that individuals are beginning to embrace plant-based eating, or do we still have a ways to go?

We certainly still have a long way to go, but I feel that plant-based eating is here to stay. Everywhere you look in the media – whether it be in print, television, radio, or online – we are seeing more stories in the media and segments on broadcast television  that feature vegan recipes, compassionate viewpoints and plant-based information. I feel that more people are becoming interested in bettering their overall health, prevention of animal cruelty and the positive environmental impact on the planet that a vegan diet can make.