Following an interview with vegan environmentalist Suzy Amis Cameron, Oprah Winfrey decided to give Cameron’s “One Meal a Day” (OMD) program a try.
Cameron is co-founder of the U.S.’s first plant-based school, the MUSE school, in Calabasas, California. The idea for the OMD program came about when MUSE was working to make the school more sustainable.
She maintains that ditching meat isn’t just good for the planet, but it’s also beneficial for overall wellbeing. “There is something that happens when you go plant-based,” she explained. “Not only do you have all of these health benefits, your taste buds change, everything changes. You have this clarity.”
Winfrey said in a video on her Instagram Story, “if you’ve been thinking about going vegetarian or vegan this is a good way to lean into it, where you don’t have to give up everything you’ve been eating your whole life all at once.”
Together with her chef Raymond Weber, Winfrey made a fig salad with pumpkin risotto and wild field mushrooms. She announced that Weber will be coming up with 30 different plant-based recipes for her to share with her followers.
As the 30-day period came to a close, Winfrey spoke about the month on her Instagram story. She said that in the past, trying to go vegan had been difficult because she’d tried going all in. But just doing one meal a day was “the easiest thing.” She rounded out the month a root vegetable pot pie on Day 29 and a warm soup and salad dish on Day 30.
Suzy Amis Cameron’s One Meal a Day Program
Winfrey’s interview with Cameron was published in “O” magazine and aired on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). The pair talked about the vegan lifestyle and how simple diet changes can help save the planet.
During the interview, they spoke about Cameron’s book “OMD: The Simple, Plant-Based Program to Save Your Health, Save Your Waistline, and Save the Planet.”
According to Cameron — who is married to director and fellow environmentalist James Cameron — ditching animal products for just one meal a day and going plant-based can have a huge positive environmental impact.
She told Winfrey “[it] saves 200,000 gallons of water and the carbon equivalent of driving from Los Angeles to New York.” She added, “that’s one person.”
Winfrey chimed in, “[think about] if everyone just did that.” The host continued, “so you’re saying, you’re not even trying to convert the whole world, just one meal.”
Will Oprah Go Vegan?
In the past, Winfrey has flirted with the idea of going plant-based. She once undertook a 21-day vegan challenge with her staff.
She wrote in an essay about her experience, “I learned a lot about how animals are treated and mistreated before they get to our tables.” She added, “it is appalling and beneath our humanity to allow the torture of animals for the sake of our gluttony.”
The billionaire entrepreneur is passionate about healthy food. Her restaurant chain True Food Kitchen promotes healthy eating and has several vegan and vegetarian options on the menu.
She told Cameron that the idea of going plant-based for one meal a day is “graspable.” She added, “my mind can hold that. I can receive that, that’s a doable thing. I can turn that into a fun exercise.”
The “SuperSoul Sunday” interview aired on Sunday, October 13. The interview is now available on the podcast, “Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations.”
