The Badass Vegan: John Lewis on PYP 552
Channel: Sick to Fit | Plant Yourself Podcast
Date: 2023-03-23

John Lewis, the Badass Vegan, is making waves with his documentary, They're Trying to Kill Us.

Co-produced by basketball star Chris Paul and musician Billie Eilish, the movie explores the intersection of various kinds of violence directed at people of color.

And by juxtaposing police violence with the health impacts of easy access to drugs and guns, poverty, junk food marketing, lack of access to quality health care, Lewis and his collaborators reveal the underlying coherence of a system that's designed to lower the life expectancy of Black and brown people.

As one of the interviewees in the film points out, "Keeping people sick is very lucrative."

Lewish is also the Badass Vegan, in which role he is wholly positive and inspiring; creating brilliant and hilarious social media posts, spreading love, and contributing the groundswell of plant-based athletic achievement.

In our conversation, we talked about Lewis's story.

His start as a crack baby, raised by his grandmother, and not meeting his father until age 21.

How he grew up eating a junk food diet rich in animal products, and saw the toll it took on his family's health.

When a doctor told him that these health issues weren't hereditary, but instead caused by his diet and lifestyle, Lewis adopted a plant-based diet and immediately saw benefits in his own athletic career.

Over time, as he became more and more knowledgeable and passionate about sharing the message of healthy living, Lewis gathered a large social media following and became a powerful influencer, at first within the Black community and then extending far out into the world.

In our conversation, we spoke about healing intergenerational trauma, personal power, and the tricky issue of personal responsibility within a rigged system.

We talked about the making of They're Trying to Kill Us, as well as Lewis's newly published book, Badass Vegan: Fuel Your Body, Ph*ck the System, and Live Your Life Right.

If that title doesn't give it away, this episode is extremely NSFW if your workplace doesn't encourage people saying "fuck" -- excuse me, "phuck" -- I mean, "ph-ck" -- a lot.

Enjoy!