August 13, 2023 • 41 mins
Journey along with us as we sit down with the ever-inspiring, health-conscious mom, wife, businesswoman and podcast co-host Vesime Schroering. In this episode we delve into her captivating transformation towards a plant-based lifestyle. Vesime's quest for wellness has led her to create a nutritionally rich world for herself and her family. From almond milk and oatmeal to veggies and starchy carbs, Vesime's choices reveal the power of plant-additive nutrition and its undeniable influence on her health and fitness goals.
As we briefly discuss the food culture of Europe, Vesime shares her experiences in maintaining her vegan lifestyle while traveling. She candidly discusses the challenges and rewards of raising her children to be plant-positive. Armed with invaluable tips and insights, Vesime demonstrates how a busy working mom can still juggle a plant-based diet amidst the chaos of life.
As we shift gears, we'll delve into the profound impact of diet on health and the critical role nutrition education plays in society. We discuss the myths and misconceptions surrounding traditional bodybuilding diets and animal proteins, and the stranglehold Big Pharma has on our society. Learn about the blue zones, where meat is used more for celebration than daily consumption, and understand the link between nutrition, animal cruelty, and our environment.
We wrap up this enlightening chat by encouraging everyone to take slow, sustainable steps towards change, spreading the seeds of positivity and empowerment. Whether you're a seasoned vegan or just starting your journey into plant-based living, this episode has something for you. Tune in, be inspired, and here's to healthier living!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Daphne Bascom (00:04):
Welcome, welcome, welcome.
You are tuned in to PerfectlyPlanted, where the podcast is
dedicated to growing together onour journey towards a healthier
, happier and more sustainablelifestyle.
Good morning.
I'm your co-host, daphne Bascom, vegan Health and Fitness Coach
and advocate for all thingsplant-based.
(00:24):
If you're new here at PerfectlyPlanted, we believe in the
power of positivity and thestrength of community.
We're here to empower you, tonurture your growth and to help
you bloom into the best versionof yourself.
We're not just talking aboutfitness and nutrition, but about
self-love, about mental healthand fostering a deep respect for
(00:46):
this beautiful planet that weall live on.
Whether you're a seasoned vegan, whether you're dipping your
toes into plant-based living orjust curious about a healthier
lifestyle, you're in the rightplace.
So let's dig deep, let's learntogether and let's get Perfectly
Planted.
Bessame, good morning.
Good morning, today is such aspecial episode because I get to
(01:12):
interview you.
I want to touch on several keytopics, including your travels
abroad this summer and yourpersonal health and fitness
goals.
But first, I know that thereare those in the audience who
follow Perfectly Planted, whoknow you very well, but I want
to make sure that you get toshare your story.
(01:34):
Can you share with ourlisteners and viewers a little
bit about who you are, yourjourney to veganism and what
influenced you to make thislifestyle change.
Vesime Schroering (01:45):
Yeah, of course, stephanie, first of all
I thank you and I'm absolutelyhonored to have you interview me
today, just really humbled byit, and I love doing this
podcast with you.
So, for those who may know ornot know, I am Bessame Schwering
, co-host with Daphne ofPerfectly Planted podcast, and
(02:10):
I'm the mom of three amazingboys who are very active a wife,
gosh, 18 years daughter, sister, friend, so very busy.
I also have a profession inhealth care as well and my
journey started actually moretowards a plant-based lifestyle,
(02:31):
actually before that with you,daphne.
I remember after I had my thirdson, remembering look, I just
want to be that person, the momwho can run and play tag and not
feel winded, and I just wantedto feel stronger and healthier
overall, just to be there, bepresent, be healthier and feel
(02:54):
better.
Because I was over-caffeinated,did not prioritize my sleep,
was running, like my dad says,burning the candle on both ends,
and I knew I wasn't necessarilyprioritizing myself.
Through it all I felt that themore I gave others was
self-satisfying and gave me thatsatisfaction of feeling
(03:17):
achieved and it wasn't so.
It was actually hurting me andhurting my health.
So I remember reaching out toyou directly saying look, I have
a milestone birthday coming upand I really want to feel
stronger.
I just want to be able to runbetter and play around and just
feel energized and not sosluggish.
I just remember feeling sosluggish, and rightfully so.
(03:40):
Having little kids, you do geta bit sleep deprived.
But I knew that, again, Iwasn't prioritizing myself, and
so I went ahead and took theplunge and I think you helped me
so much with just having thatroutine, having a fitness plan,
having a nutrition plan, whichis so important, and then also
(04:02):
the accountability tied to it,and so making sure that I was
doing what I said I was going todo was so important.
Then we started dipping intodifferent nutrition topics and I
remember through this journey,you were like well, I think I'm
going to try to do moreplant-based.
And I remember asking you whyand you're like, just watch Game
Changers and the documentarywhich we did, my husband and I
(04:25):
did and we were just baffledthat so much science and so many
results have come from justplant-based eating and what it
does to your body.
And why aren't we making thismore of a societal norm?
(04:45):
Why aren't we making thetalking about it more?
And so it was one of thosethings where I said, ok, look, I
came from, that I'm atraditional thought that lean
meats, vegetables and the rightkind of carbs to eat healthy.
And so I still battle with it,daphne, with knowing that I can
(05:10):
eat a starchy carb for dinnerand still be OK and not feel
like I'm going to gain weight,because they always,
traditionally, they would alwayssay take out the starchy carbs.
And so I think in general I wasjust wondering why isn't
anybody else talking about this?
And so I think that's whatstemmed the purpose really for
(05:34):
us to start sharing it, and so Idipped my toe in.
So again I will say I'm not 100%plant-based.
I do have occasional animalprotein here and there.
It could be very seldomlyPeople now eat an egg and I
remember thinking, ok, how do Istart this?
And it started with just almondmilk instead of regular milk,
(05:58):
and then oatmeal instead of eggs, and then at dinner I remember
filling up my plate more of thevegetables and taking less of
the meat and adding a little bitof the starchy carb but good,
starchy carb brown rice, sweetpotato or quinoa, and just
adding a little bit of that andI remember eating the meat.
(06:19):
I'm like, why am I even eatingthis meat.
Now it's starting not to tastethat great to me.
It's just I don't even reallywant it.
The vegetables have, as long asyou season it well, it's have
so much flavor, and so that'skind of how my journey started,
through it all.
Daphne Bascom (06:38):
So you practice plant-additive nutrition.
That's right, that's right, andso I just want to pull the
thread a little bit aboutnutrition, because, I mean,
we've worked together in thepast and we both spent a lot of
time on the road, and I alsoknow that you spent quite a bit
(06:58):
of time in Europe this summer onyour sabbatical.
There are lots of things we candeep dive into nutrition for so
many reasons, and it wouldprobably take two hours for us
to have all the conversationsthat we have offline.
But one thing I find withclients that I coach is that
(07:20):
they struggle with help easilywhen they're traveling.
Do you have any tips or thingsthat you do, and not even just
traveling?
You said you're a busy mom, sohow do you navigate being a busy
mom?
How do you navigate being abusinesswoman who's on the road?
How do you navigate holidaysabroad where maybe you don't
(07:40):
have access to all the thingsyou have in your kitchen, but
you still want to have plants atthe center of your plate?
Vesime Schroering (07:48):
It's not easy , and I'm not going to say that
it is.
It is not easy becausespecifically so I'll start with
work travel.
So work travel often is earlymorning, get to the airport and
you're going to fly to aspecific city.
Now I have a job where I know alot of restaurants already in
(08:09):
the cities that I'm traveling to, but it's that in between, it's
the airports, it's the drive,it's that time, and so
oftentimes I will pack a ton ofsnacks and or buy them at the
airport, and so what?
These snacks are like?
More nut trail mixes, socranberry, raisin nuts, and I'll
(08:29):
have that to satiate myappetite in between where I'm
going and going to.
I will say that when so manypeople, if you're in a business
dinner, it's difficult becauseyou're at a restaurant that is
five star restaurant or whateverit may be.
(08:51):
It may not be, it may just be arestaurant down the street, and
it's like oh, how do you pickthe right ones?
And sometimes I do find myselflooking at side dishes to put
them together, or asking forjust make me a plate of, whether
it's pasta but light on thebutter or whatever it may be.
You just try and make themodifications and I just do the
best I can.
(09:12):
Will it be 100%?
No, but definitely alwaysvegetarian based.
And so that leads me to Europe.
So Europe we traveled throughItaly, switzerland and France
and I think if anybody's evertraveled to Europe you've
already had the sense that it'sso different.
(09:32):
Europe bans 1300 ingredientsthat the US bans 11.
And so the food naturally thereis just better, and I remember
just eating more bread than Iever would have ever and feeling
like, oh, this is going to getme in the long haul and not
(09:56):
Normally I feel bloated withgluten.
Didn't feel bloated.
Oftentimes I'll feel like myblood sugar shift a little bit
if I have a sweet or somerefined carb.
It didn't.
And I think that it all startswith the process, the land that
they have and the respect thatthey have for not only farmers
(10:19):
but also the respect that theyhave for their animals.
So I, during my Europe trip, Iwas like, okay, if I could just
stay within my guardrails ofdefinitely vegetarian, I'll be
good, because there's a lot ofcheese there and there's also a
lot of chocolate, especially inSwitzerland, which I was like
(10:42):
I'm going to eat the chocolate.
And you know they, we did amake your own chocolate.
It was so amazing to learn theprocess and to make your own
chocolate bars, and through thatthey talk about how, what does
Swiss chocolate?
Why Swiss chocolate so different?
Well, it actually starts withthe milk.
Because they treat their cowswith so much respect.
(11:03):
They have acres of land.
The farmers and the owners ofthe cows will make sure that
their land, their acres of lands, have certain types of grasses
or wildflowers or whatever, inorder for the milk to be sweeter
, and so they also, duringsummer months, will, just to
(11:23):
show the level of respect, theywill move their cows up to the
cooler climates at the top ofthe mountains in order to Swiss
Alps, in order for them to staycool in their body, not overheat
, and so they are really treatedhumanely, and I think that
that's one of the things wherewe fall short on.
(11:45):
You know, we are that massproducing country and society of
everybody needs meat on theplate at every meal, and that's
not the situation there.
You know you go to through Italyand its pasta.
It might be with vegetables, itmight be, you know, the sauce
is homemade, and so it's justthat different.
(12:08):
You know, I had the best vegandish I think I've ever had in
Lake Como, italy, where it wasrice with zucchini mixed in and
surrounded out with, like this,tomato sauce and a basil
emulsion and flowers on edibleflowers on it.
(12:29):
It was so pretty.
I actually posted it on ourInstagram account, and not only
did it taste amazing, but Ithink I didn't even take a sip
of water in between bites,because it's so good I finished
it so fast, but it was, you know, normally, historically, daphne
.
You know, when we try to,through my fitness journey and
(12:49):
through trying to lean up andfeeling better, it's, you know,
take out those, some of thosecarbs, and it's that that was
the main blueprint in my brainand so to shift.
It has been interesting.
But, like you said, we couldtalk about nutrition for hours.
But you know, it's just sodifferent in Europe, and so I
(13:10):
would classify myself morevegetarian when we traveled.
Because of that, because of thedairy piece of it.
But the fruits, the vegetables,everything is locally sourced,
everything is grown with pride,and the culture and the society
is just so different that it'sjust healthier.
(13:31):
They don't have the same levelof chronic conditions that we do
.
Because of it, I truly believethat that's my opinion.
Daphne Bascom (13:40):
Well, there, there's so many things about the
food systems in the UnitedStates that and and I know we
have a podcast coming up on that, so I won't dig, I won't lift
that scab today, because it's awound that's deep and it's one
that we need to talk about.
I guess the other thing that Iwould love for you to share with
(14:03):
everyone listening or watchingis how do you do, how do you
manage this as a mom, becauseyou eat very healthfully.
I see your photos, I love whatyou cook, the.
Do the boys like it?
Do you have to cook two meals?
How do you navigate the mealpreparation part of life and,
and you know the shopping, theprepping and everything else.
Vesime Schroering (14:26):
Yeah, so so I have not transitioned my boys
to be plant-based yet.
I say yet, because we'reworking on it.
We all.
I grew, I raised them to alwayseat vegetables.
They're very good at eatingtheir vegetables, which is very
Opposite of some families.
I know that the moms have ahard time with their kids eating
(14:48):
any vegetable, anything that'sgreen.
In general my boys did not, andI I don't know if it was
because we started them early onor not, but you know the
avocados, the peas, the greenbeans, the salads.
You know they love salad, andso those are some of the things
that are just staples and sothey they will eat that.
Now, for me it's always the theyhave their meal like, let's say
(15:14):
, girl chicken, and so they mayhave girl chicken.
Now I buy less, so my grocerybill has been slashed in half,
so they have a little piece ofchicken, but then I will put the
roasted vegetables that I make,and you know they have another
salad or something else, and sofor breakfast I also like to
alternate.
So you know, no cereal, I don'thave them eat cereal just
(15:40):
because of the refined, refinedway it's made.
But we do a lot of oatmeal andvariations of oatmeal, so a lot
of times, sometimes I'll putchocolate chips in it, peanut
butter and banana cinnamon.
It's like it kind of makes itsown banana bread.
Now, when I try new recipes,like recently, I posted, how you
(16:02):
know, brooke had her chickpeablondies and I made that the day
of and it was gone.
They loved it.
They're like I also made herbreakfast cookies and those are
delicious, and so those weregone immediately.
And so they, they do they, youknow, for those types of things
they will absolutely try.
You know my they're.
(16:24):
Each of my sons are differentand their palette is different,
but two of them have thesemature palates that they want to
try, and so it's like the bowlof A beans in a red sauce with
with rice is like comfort foodFor them so it's just
eliminating and I love to useSusie Cameron's analogy of omd
(16:45):
one meal a day.
So I always have At least tryone meal a day for my kids to
just be plant-based, and thatway I know that's just one meal.
It's helped.
Not only is it helping ourearth, but it's helping their
health as well.
And so we, we, we, go that way,but it's always the roasted
(17:05):
vegetables that I have with,like the quinoa, and they'll
have, you know, maybe the theanimal protein with it.
Daphne Bascom (17:13):
And those are great tips for anyone who's a
mom or an auntie or a grandmomand trying to navigate,
encouraging their kiddos to havemore plants, but knowing that
it's a journey.
It's not, it's not going to besomething necessarily that
happens overnight, unless theywere Started that way from birth
.
The you know.
(17:34):
One other thing on nutrition,and then I'd love to hear more
about your fitness journey asyou went from omnivore to
plant-based.
But what it?
What are the foods like whenyou go to soccer games?
Because I know I had a mom sendme a picture of she was at her
daughter's swim meet and shesent me a picture of the food
(17:54):
that was on the table and she'sjust like, oh, mg, we are.
Vesime Schroering (18:02):
I will say that because of my, you know,
definitely I, for our viewersand listeners.
I Grew up not in a sport, but Iwas classically trained in
ballet, so I'm a dancer, so Iwas around a lot of eating
disorders, and so that made mecreate this desire.
This, you know, added interestin nutrition and to learn more,
(18:22):
because I knew that there wasthat wasn't healthy, but I
needed to find out what was, andso I've always had this really
passion for nutrition and my, myfather, is type 2 diabetic and
so I see what, you know, what itcan be.
I also had gestational diabeteswhen I was pregnant with my
(18:44):
last son and so, you know, I wastold, you know, stay away from
all of these carbs and just eat,you know, the, the meat and the
vegetables, and no dairy, no,you know, no refined anything.
And I'm like I don't reallythink that's right.
And though my blood sugar wasout of whack, I was like there's
, there's another reason forthis.
(19:06):
So, having said that, I'vealways had this desire and
interest and passion for, fornutrition and to learn more.
Some a student of nutritionconstantly.
My boys playing soccer.
We are very strict in what theyeat and consume when they're
(19:28):
During soccer season.
So summertime it's been like,yeah, whatever you want to eat,
it's fine, but once it's soccerseason we're very strict on not
so strict, but like forbreakfast.
If you're gonna have something,you have to eat something, and
it has to be something that'sgoing to be give you sustained
energy.
So I will give them oatmealwith peanut butter or an almond
butter or some type of nutbutter and banana, and then, if
(19:52):
they want another fruit, itcould be a berry tied to it,
because I don't want them tohave too much of the Like.
Grapes have a lot of sugarassociated to it, so I don't
want them to have grapes rightbefore, before they're games.
And then for lunch we never getanything fried and so oftentimes
(20:14):
people go to Chick-fil-A andit's like, oh, we're having
Chick-fil-A.
I will not, unless I'm going toget them a salad with grill.
If they want grilled chicken,they have grilled chicken.
I often get the salad withoutthe grilled chicken or I'll give
them mine, and so that you knowI tend not to do that we go to.
The big thing is firehouse subs.
They love subs and they willget their, you know, lean meats.
(20:38):
Now I we try not to go there asoften because of the process
meats, but that is an that isoftentimes a sample and it's
always better.
I was.
You know I do fear soccerseason because sometimes we do
go to these towns that all theyhave is like a Wendy's, and so
(21:00):
sometimes we'll just try andfind a grocery store to get like
veggies and hummus or you know,the peanut butter and jelly or
something like that that couldgive them what they need, as
opposed to the junk thatoftentimes people think.
Other kids, they have highmetabolism, they could eat
whatever they want.
And you know I don't believethat.
Daphne Bascom (21:21):
You still need to feel them like they're athletes
.
That's right, yeah, and youknow you are an athlete.
So how has your fitness journeychanged over the years?
Vesime Schroering (21:35):
So I was scared that I wasn't going to
maintain my muscle mass withbeing more plant forward and
plant based.
And you know you gave me aworkout that was challenging but
at the same time reallymotivating me to do higher
(21:56):
weights.
And you know you're supposed to, you should lift heavy and it's
not because I want to bulk upor anything, but it's really to
maintain muscle mass so thatreally to protect your bones and
to prevent any type of breaksor anything.
So so I found that I liftbetter plant based than I did
(22:22):
not, and it's still.
It still baffles me because youknow again that blueprint,
initially that I was told waslean meat and then vegetables
and no refined carbs, or youknow, and it's like, okay, and
here I am lifting up the highestamount of weights, like when
I'm just plant based.
It try, you know, and I thinkthat that's many reasons I keep
(22:48):
thinking about you know, the,the nutrients that are in my
bloodstream during lifting andalso the oxygen, like everything
.
All the goodness in my bodywith being plant based is so
much better.
And now, when I do seldomlyhave animal protein and I
workout, I feel sluggish.
(23:08):
So it's just, it's shifted forme particularly.
Yeah, it is.
I would have never, becauseeven people that are in you know
when I'll share a story Beforewe went to, before I got married
, I wanted to lean up and Iwanted to have that Jennifer
Aniston toned arm look in mywedding dress, and so I went to
(23:30):
a gentleman who did trained theBaltimore Ravens cheerleaders to
slim, slim down.
He also was a physiquecompetition trainer, and so he
taught me things to eat and itwas a traditional thing that
people still do.
It was like start with four eggwhites and you know, a third of
(23:51):
cup of oatmeal, no sugarberries.
You could use cinnamon and uselike stevia or Splenda or
something like that.
And so then for lunch, then youhave a snack and it's a you
know, processed protein bar, andthen for lunch it is sweet
potatoes and grilled chicken andyou know that's it Typical
(24:14):
bodybuilder diet and then fordinner.
it's just your veggies and yourprotein, and if you get hungry
then you can have more proteinlike chicken.
Just eat some chicken beforeyou go to bed and you'll be fine
.
Or turkey, and I'm like, okay,and I did slim down Daphne.
I did, like it worked.
But that was the first, myfirst encounter of how to train
(24:37):
and lean up, because I didn'tneed to through dance and
everything, but that's kind ofhow was ingrained in my brain.
And so now you know, throughyour help and guidance and
everything that we've learnedand all the studies that have
been conducted, it's, it's just.
You know it's so differentYou're not supposed to do that.
(24:58):
Forget about the.
You know the.
You still have fats and chickenlike it's not.
It's not the leanest protein asone may think, and so you know
it's and honestly, I don't missit.
Daphne Bascom (25:13):
I don't miss it.
I mean your gains have beenamazing and you look wonderful,
so I mean that you're fuelingyour body with what it needs and
a lot of what we talk about.
I'm perfectly planted.
Yes, we focus a lot on themeals.
We talk about movement in termsof fitness, but you touched on
(25:35):
the fact that your dad has typetwo diabetes and I guess my
question is, as you've movedthrough the past, I was looking
back and you know we've beenworking together almost six
years and over that journey, howhas your perspective on
lifestyle and its impact onhealth and, knowing that you are
(25:57):
also in the healthcare industry, what are your thoughts on?
What are we doing wrong?
Why is why are we less healthy?
Now?
I mean, to your point, we haveall this knowledge, we have
things like the game changers,we have T Colin Candle's book,
we have Dr Esselstyn's work, butwe're less healthy than we were
10 years ago.
It's it.
This does not compute.
Vesime Schroering (26:19):
It doesn't, and we've we've had this
discussion too.
I mean, it's why?
Why are other countries notbattling the amount of the
population in that are sufferingfrom chronic conditions?
And it's really big pharma thathas taken over our society.
And also the.
(26:40):
You know, the initial blueprintof my brain is probably stamped
in 100 other different people'sbrains.
You know where.
This is what's needed.
Your, your muscle needs protein,and protein is animal protein.
You know, oftentimes I,everybody, looks at me when
they're like, how are yougetting your protein?
It's like um, through thedollar.
(27:01):
For every time we got thatquestion, I know, and it's like
that because somehow somewheredown the line, we have, you know
, meats used to be it.
Let's look at the blue zones.
You know meat.
Meat was you would have chickenor whatever it may be, but that
was like for Christmas, forThanksgiving, for a celebratory
(27:22):
event.
You have this meat.
You know, and, and, but all theother time you're eating grains
, you're eating legumes, you'reeating, you know, pastas and
rice and vegetables that aregrown in the garden, and it's
somehow we've kind of createdthis.
Every single meal needs to havethat protein which is coming
(27:46):
from an animal, and it's nottrue.
How are all of these animalsgetting their protein?
They're getting their proteinfrom the vegetables, so, and the
grains that they're eating.
So how do we, why do we thinkthat our muscle, to you know,
fuel ourselves?
We need this meat.
I still don't understand why,you know, I do know it's just
(28:07):
this society and our culture hascreated this.
This is what you need and thisis part.
This is your.
This is what your meal shouldlook like, you know?
I mean, how many times have weseen a healthy plate and it has
like a picture of an egg or achicken, and then you have the
vegetables, and then you havethe potato or the, you know, the
(28:28):
grain, more of the starchycarbs, like rice or potatoes.
It's like why?
Why did we say that that wasthe healthiest?
The nutrition pyramid for thelongest time had that as well,
and so I think, just through theeducation process and as we've
grown, it's just become that'swhat you need to have a
(28:48):
well-rounded diet, and it'sfalse, it's all false, and I
think that that's why I love ourpodcast, because I feel as
though we can share some of theknowledge that we've learned and
from those and others that havethat have adopted this type of
lifestyle as well.
Daphne Bascom (29:08):
Yeah, because you mentioned Dr Bessard, who was
on our podcast on our lastepisode and talking about her
book.
Chew on this, and I wouldencourage people to purchase it
because the recipes aredelicious.
But you're right, the I meanunwinding what we've learned and
(29:28):
restarting.
I mean, I don't know whatthey're teaching in schools
around nutrition anymore, orconnecting what you eat with
where it comes from in terms ofchicken isn't chicken.
Chicken comes from a chickenand that chicken is part of an
ecosystem and there's so manyintricate connections between
(29:52):
what we put in our body, crueltyto animals and harm to our
environment that I don't thinkis actually taught and I know I
didn't learn it.
Yeah, Daphne.
Vesime Schroering (30:04):
It starts in the schools too.
We talked about education andwhat's taught in the schools.
Look at the school lunches.
I I mean, I think this could bea whole nother episode for us,
right, but I was.
I was, you know, on socialmedia and I saw a picture of
what a school lunch in Italywould look like, and it was so.
(30:29):
It was all locally sourced fromthe farmers surrounding that
community for that school andfor those schools, and it was
also very healthy, you know,with fruits, with the vegetables
, with some pasta that was madeby the grandma down the street
or the, you know, the merchantdown the street, and it had a
very small portion of likeanimal protein in there, which
(30:53):
is not necessary.
It could just be beans.
And and then look at ours.
Look at ours.
I, you know, I think I visitedmy son at school, at elementary
school, and I was.
He loves the grilled cheesewith the tomato soup, and then I
was surprised they actually hadsteamed broccoli and they had
grapes and other andstrawberries and fruit, and I
(31:17):
liked that lunch, but I took ataste of the broccoli and it was
not.
It was heavily seasoned somehow, and so you know, it's one of
those things where it's like whothey're getting the most.
They're trying to stretch thatdollar so far and by doing that
it's the cheapest way of makingmeals, you know that's.
(31:38):
Then they have Friday pizza,then they have ice cream, then
they have breakfast.
The breakfast is ridiculous,it's donuts.
I mean I.
You know, I'm sorry, but Idon't think to get to keep the
level and attention and focusthat you need for your brain.
You're not going to feed yourbrain donuts, and so you know
it's.
It all starts in our schools andhow we feed our kids and they
(32:00):
emulate and the kids now go homeand then they're like oh, I
want that too.
You know I want, I had that atschool, can you get that for me?
And it's like.
You know you don't want to bethe mean mom and be like no, but
oftentimes I've created a let'sfind the healthier choice of
this.
You know, let's try.
Okay, don't us us to not havehealthier choice.
Sorry, but you know.
Daphne Bascom (32:20):
Blondies, blondies.
Vesime Schroering (32:21):
Yeah, the blondies we can make it at home,
yeah, or the breakfast cookies,you know.
And so those are some of thethings that I think needs to
change.
It all starts, you know, fromthe beginning.
Daphne Bascom (32:31):
Yes, but there's a lot of subsidy that happens in
the school system and there's alot of.
You're right, we should befeeding our children.
I'm not a mom, but I am acommunity advocate.
And as you were talking aboutthe donuts, in my head I was
seeing the glucose spikes.
Vesime Schroering (32:49):
Yeah, exactly that's exactly what I see too.
I'm like, oh my gosh, they'regoing to be hyper.
And then the couple.
Why would any teacher?
Daphne Bascom (32:54):
want that and they're going to crash?
Yeah, no, and why should we bedoing that to our kids anyways?
Vesime Schroering (33:02):
Exactly, but it starts those eating habits in
our children that are tough tobreak, and so I think that we
really do need to have.
It's a lot of work, becausethen you have to advocate on the
district and state level forhealthier lunches, and that's
what it's driven.
(33:22):
Here's the amount of money thatyou have and here's the amount
of money that you can use, andif you don't use it all, you can
keep it and spend it indifferent ways, and so the
schools want to stretch theirmoney as much as possible.
Daphne Bascom (33:35):
But I mean just thinking about conversations
that I've had with Switch forGood, who are advocating for
removing dairy as a requirementfor school lunches.
If you look at the number ofmilk cartons that go into the
waste bin and the number ofdollars that are wasted, there's
(33:59):
so much waste in the system.
I mean probably the broccolithat was overseas and probably
over salted too.
So I call foul on money as theyes, incentive dollars.
Yes, but are there ways torecoup what we're wasting?
I think that there areopportunity dollars there that
(34:22):
we're not exploring and there'sjust no energy or incentive to
do it.
Vesime Schroering (34:27):
I agree.
Daphne Bascom (34:30):
But talking about the school system and then
Switch for Good veganism andadvocacy, I mean, I know that
you are plant positive, but hasthis journey changed in other
ways your thoughts around whatwe do for the animals, how you
(34:50):
know what are we going to leaveas a legacy for your boys in
terms of the environment, andhow do you become a better
advocate?
Oh, absolutely.
Vesime Schroering (34:59):
I mean, I think that you know, we can
learn from our friends acrossthe pond With you know their
lifestyle and how they treattheir planet and their portion
of the planet and the beauty ofour land.
You know, I think we do have alot of beauty in our country as
(35:20):
well, but we also take it forgranted.
I think there is a level of anissue with entitlement and
feeling as though this issomething that you know we're
entitled to do.
But let's think of the longerterm, and what are we really
trying to accomplish?
We want our family, our youknow children, our friends'
(35:42):
children, our children'schildren, to all live in a
healthy, healthy lifestyles, andI think that change needs to
happen, and it should start nowwith just the amount of waste
that we have.
You mentioned Daphne and also,you know, just in general, the
weather you could see has beencrazy across the planet, and a
(36:06):
lot of that is just from thecarbon emissions.
And what's the cause of that?
It's not only traffic, right,it's not only that, it's a lot
of.
It is our mass production ofanimals so that they can
continue to feed us with the waywe think we should be eating.
Yeah, Yep.
Daphne Bascom (36:26):
So many, and we have episodes coming up related
to just that, you know, deepdiving into our food system and
talking about the environment.
So for those of you listeningor watching, stay tuned.
This is just kind of a ticklerfor all of the things that
Vesemé and I talk about, that wewant to be able to share with
(36:47):
you.
So I need to ask you a question, because we always like to talk
about our why.
Yeah, what does perfectlyplanted mean to you and what
seeds of positivity andempowerment can you plant with
our listeners today?
Vesime Schroering (37:07):
Yeah Well, first of all, perfectly planted
has brought me so much joy andhope, and it really has been an
honor to work it with you,daphne.
I've learned along the way aswell, and I think we all can
continue to learn from eachother.
(37:27):
I think that I'm very gratefulfor this opportunity really to
be here with you.
I'm also very grateful for youand what you have done for me
(37:47):
through my journey and my healthjourney that I've learned so
much about.
I think that the one thing Iwould love to the seed of
empowerment I would love toplant for everybody is that it's
never too late to change, andyou don't have to change
everything at once.
(38:08):
So I run on, daphne.
We need to announce that we'regoing to be doing the Kiewa half
marathon.
We will be getting thatofficially later.
Daphne Bascom (38:20):
Oh, it's done.
Vesime Schroering (38:22):
Yeah, we will be running the half marathon,
and so I've been running moreand training more and I've been
using my treadmill and one ofthe iFit trainers was saying
some of the elite marathonersare there's a slogan and it
really translates into slowly,slowly.
You can't change somethingimmediately, and I really think
(38:43):
that if we want to make a change, it's never too late.
You could make it and make itso that it's sustainable for
your life, and then you cancontinue to add just slowly,
slowly, give yourself grace andalso it's really happened.
Slowly, so that you can enjoythe journey, because that's the
beauty of it all To see thedifference, the changes in your
(39:06):
body, the changes in yourmindset, the changes in the way
you sleep, the habits thatautomatically start to change
and shift, and then yourcomplete joy for your life
because you're just feelingbetter.
So I would absolutely make sureeverybody just knows that it's
never too late to startsomething new.
Daphne Bascom (39:30):
Words to live by.
Thank you.
So I know we've gone over as wealways do.
That's an eight.
I am so blessed to have you asmy co-host and to have a chance
for our community to hear fromyou.
I think the last time we had anopportunity to interview you
it's been almost two years, sowe definitely won't wait that
(39:54):
long, and I think that now thatwe've committed publicly to the
half marathon, we will keepeveryone up to date, so that'll
be a standing part of our nextcouple episodes how our
training's going.
But for those of you who joinedus today, we hope that you're
walking away with new seeds ofknowledge and ideas to cultivate
(40:17):
and the inspiration to keepgrowing on your personal journey
.
And I think Besseme said itwell slowly, slowly.
You don't have to do everythingtoday and you don't have to be
perfect with everything you do.
So a big thank you to all ofyou who are listening and all of
you who are watching.
Your support helps us spreadseeds of positivity and
(40:39):
empowerment in our sharedmission to lead healthier lives
and more sustainable lives.
So remember, like any garden,change takes time and patience.
So water those seeds ofpositivity, give yourself some
sunlight and don't forget tonourish your body with the power
of plants.
We hope that you'll take a fewminutes to subscribe to our
(41:02):
podcast and our YouTube channelso that you'll never miss an
episode full of nourishingadvice, more inspiring
interviews and seeds of wisdom.
And if you enjoyed today's show, please feel free to share it
with a friend who could use alittle bit of sunshine.
So we appreciate you and untilnext time, be well.
Welcome, welcome, welcome.
You are tuned in to PerfectlyPlanted, where the podcast is
dedicated to growing together onour journey towards a healthier
, happier and more sustainablelifestyle.
Good morning.
I'm your co-host, daphne Bascom, vegan Health and Fitness Coach
and advocate for all thingsplant-based.
(00:24):
If you're new here at PerfectlyPlanted, we believe in the
power of positivity and thestrength of community.
We're here to empower you, tonurture your growth and to help
you bloom into the best versionof yourself.
We're not just talking aboutfitness and nutrition, but about
self-love, about mental healthand fostering a deep respect for
(00:46):
this beautiful planet that weall live on.
Whether you're a seasoned vegan, whether you're dipping your
toes into plant-based living orjust curious about a healthier
lifestyle, you're in the rightplace.
So let's dig deep, let's learntogether and let's get Perfectly
Planted.
Bessame, good morning.
Good morning, today is such aspecial episode because I get to
(01:12):
interview you.
I want to touch on several keytopics, including your travels
abroad this summer and yourpersonal health and fitness
goals.
But first, I know that thereare those in the audience who
follow Perfectly Planted, whoknow you very well, but I want
to make sure that you get toshare your story.
(01:34):
Can you share with ourlisteners and viewers a little
bit about who you are, yourjourney to veganism and what
influenced you to make thislifestyle change.
Vesime Schroering (01:45):
Yeah, of course, stephanie, first of all
I thank you and I'm absolutelyhonored to have you interview me
today, just really humbled byit, and I love doing this
podcast with you.
So, for those who may know ornot know, I am Bessame Schwering
, co-host with Daphne ofPerfectly Planted podcast, and
(02:10):
I'm the mom of three amazingboys who are very active a wife,
gosh, 18 years daughter, sister, friend, so very busy.
I also have a profession inhealth care as well and my
journey started actually moretowards a plant-based lifestyle,
(02:31):
actually before that with you,daphne.
I remember after I had my thirdson, remembering look, I just
want to be that person, the momwho can run and play tag and not
feel winded, and I just wantedto feel stronger and healthier
overall, just to be there, bepresent, be healthier and feel
(02:54):
better.
Because I was over-caffeinated,did not prioritize my sleep,
was running, like my dad says,burning the candle on both ends,
and I knew I wasn't necessarilyprioritizing myself.
Through it all I felt that themore I gave others was
self-satisfying and gave me thatsatisfaction of feeling
(03:17):
achieved and it wasn't so.
It was actually hurting me andhurting my health.
So I remember reaching out toyou directly saying look, I have
a milestone birthday coming upand I really want to feel
stronger.
I just want to be able to runbetter and play around and just
feel energized and not sosluggish.
I just remember feeling sosluggish, and rightfully so.
(03:40):
Having little kids, you do geta bit sleep deprived.
But I knew that, again, Iwasn't prioritizing myself, and
so I went ahead and took theplunge and I think you helped me
so much with just having thatroutine, having a fitness plan,
having a nutrition plan, whichis so important, and then also
(04:02):
the accountability tied to it,and so making sure that I was
doing what I said I was going todo was so important.
Then we started dipping intodifferent nutrition topics and I
remember through this journey,you were like well, I think I'm
going to try to do moreplant-based.
And I remember asking you whyand you're like, just watch Game
Changers and the documentarywhich we did, my husband and I
(04:25):
did and we were just baffledthat so much science and so many
results have come from justplant-based eating and what it
does to your body.
And why aren't we making thismore of a societal norm?
(04:45):
Why aren't we making thetalking about it more?
And so it was one of thosethings where I said, ok, look, I
came from, that I'm atraditional thought that lean
meats, vegetables and the rightkind of carbs to eat healthy.
And so I still battle with it,daphne, with knowing that I can
(05:10):
eat a starchy carb for dinnerand still be OK and not feel
like I'm going to gain weight,because they always,
traditionally, they would alwayssay take out the starchy carbs.
And so I think in general I wasjust wondering why isn't
anybody else talking about this?
And so I think that's whatstemmed the purpose really for
(05:34):
us to start sharing it, and so Idipped my toe in.
So again I will say I'm not 100%plant-based.
I do have occasional animalprotein here and there.
It could be very seldomlyPeople now eat an egg and I
remember thinking, ok, how do Istart this?
And it started with just almondmilk instead of regular milk,
(05:58):
and then oatmeal instead of eggs, and then at dinner I remember
filling up my plate more of thevegetables and taking less of
the meat and adding a little bitof the starchy carb but good,
starchy carb brown rice, sweetpotato or quinoa, and just
adding a little bit of that andI remember eating the meat.
(06:19):
I'm like, why am I even eatingthis meat.
Now it's starting not to tastethat great to me.
It's just I don't even reallywant it.
The vegetables have, as long asyou season it well, it's have
so much flavor, and so that'skind of how my journey started,
through it all.
Daphne Bascom (06:38):
So you practice plant-additive nutrition.
That's right, that's right, andso I just want to pull the
thread a little bit aboutnutrition, because, I mean,
we've worked together in thepast and we both spent a lot of
time on the road, and I alsoknow that you spent quite a bit
(06:58):
of time in Europe this summer onyour sabbatical.
There are lots of things we candeep dive into nutrition for so
many reasons, and it wouldprobably take two hours for us
to have all the conversationsthat we have offline.
But one thing I find withclients that I coach is that
(07:20):
they struggle with help easilywhen they're traveling.
Do you have any tips or thingsthat you do, and not even just
traveling?
You said you're a busy mom, sohow do you navigate being a busy
mom?
How do you navigate being abusinesswoman who's on the road?
How do you navigate holidaysabroad where maybe you don't
(07:40):
have access to all the thingsyou have in your kitchen, but
you still want to have plants atthe center of your plate?
Vesime Schroering (07:48):
It's not easy , and I'm not going to say that
it is.
It is not easy becausespecifically so I'll start with
work travel.
So work travel often is earlymorning, get to the airport and
you're going to fly to aspecific city.
Now I have a job where I know alot of restaurants already in
(08:09):
the cities that I'm traveling to, but it's that in between, it's
the airports, it's the drive,it's that time, and so
oftentimes I will pack a ton ofsnacks and or buy them at the
airport, and so what?
These snacks are like?
More nut trail mixes, socranberry, raisin nuts, and I'll
(08:29):
have that to satiate myappetite in between where I'm
going and going to.
I will say that when so manypeople, if you're in a business
dinner, it's difficult becauseyou're at a restaurant that is
five star restaurant or whateverit may be.
(08:51):
It may not be, it may just be arestaurant down the street, and
it's like oh, how do you pickthe right ones?
And sometimes I do find myselflooking at side dishes to put
them together, or asking forjust make me a plate of, whether
it's pasta but light on thebutter or whatever it may be.
You just try and make themodifications and I just do the
best I can.
(09:12):
Will it be 100%?
No, but definitely alwaysvegetarian based.
And so that leads me to Europe.
So Europe we traveled throughItaly, switzerland and France
and I think if anybody's evertraveled to Europe you've
already had the sense that it'sso different.
(09:32):
Europe bans 1300 ingredientsthat the US bans 11.
And so the food naturally thereis just better, and I remember
just eating more bread than Iever would have ever and feeling
like, oh, this is going to getme in the long haul and not
(09:56):
Normally I feel bloated withgluten.
Didn't feel bloated.
Oftentimes I'll feel like myblood sugar shift a little bit
if I have a sweet or somerefined carb.
It didn't.
And I think that it all startswith the process, the land that
they have and the respect thatthey have for not only farmers
(10:19):
but also the respect that theyhave for their animals.
So I, during my Europe trip, Iwas like, okay, if I could just
stay within my guardrails ofdefinitely vegetarian, I'll be
good, because there's a lot ofcheese there and there's also a
lot of chocolate, especially inSwitzerland, which I was like
(10:42):
I'm going to eat the chocolate.
And you know they, we did amake your own chocolate.
It was so amazing to learn theprocess and to make your own
chocolate bars, and through thatthey talk about how, what does
Swiss chocolate?
Why Swiss chocolate so different?
Well, it actually starts withthe milk.
Because they treat their cowswith so much respect.
(11:03):
They have acres of land.
The farmers and the owners ofthe cows will make sure that
their land, their acres of lands, have certain types of grasses
or wildflowers or whatever, inorder for the milk to be sweeter
, and so they also, duringsummer months, will, just to
(11:23):
show the level of respect, theywill move their cows up to the
cooler climates at the top ofthe mountains in order to Swiss
Alps, in order for them to staycool in their body, not overheat
, and so they are really treatedhumanely, and I think that
that's one of the things wherewe fall short on.
(11:45):
You know, we are that massproducing country and society of
everybody needs meat on theplate at every meal, and that's
not the situation there.
You know you go to through Italyand its pasta.
It might be with vegetables, itmight be, you know, the sauce
is homemade, and so it's justthat different.
(12:08):
You know, I had the best vegandish I think I've ever had in
Lake Como, italy, where it wasrice with zucchini mixed in and
surrounded out with, like this,tomato sauce and a basil
emulsion and flowers on edibleflowers on it.
(12:29):
It was so pretty.
I actually posted it on ourInstagram account, and not only
did it taste amazing, but Ithink I didn't even take a sip
of water in between bites,because it's so good I finished
it so fast, but it was, you know, normally, historically, daphne
.
You know, when we try to,through my fitness journey and
(12:49):
through trying to lean up andfeeling better, it's, you know,
take out those, some of thosecarbs, and it's that that was
the main blueprint in my brainand so to shift.
It has been interesting.
But, like you said, we couldtalk about nutrition for hours.
But you know, it's just sodifferent in Europe, and so I
(13:10):
would classify myself morevegetarian when we traveled.
Because of that, because of thedairy piece of it.
But the fruits, the vegetables,everything is locally sourced,
everything is grown with pride,and the culture and the society
is just so different that it'sjust healthier.
(13:31):
They don't have the same levelof chronic conditions that we do
.
Because of it, I truly believethat that's my opinion.
Daphne Bascom (13:40):
Well, there, there's so many things about the
food systems in the UnitedStates that and and I know we
have a podcast coming up on that, so I won't dig, I won't lift
that scab today, because it's awound that's deep and it's one
that we need to talk about.
I guess the other thing that Iwould love for you to share with
(14:03):
everyone listening or watchingis how do you do, how do you
manage this as a mom, becauseyou eat very healthfully.
I see your photos, I love whatyou cook, the.
Do the boys like it?
Do you have to cook two meals?
How do you navigate the mealpreparation part of life and,
and you know the shopping, theprepping and everything else.
Vesime Schroering (14:26):
Yeah, so so I have not transitioned my boys
to be plant-based yet.
I say yet, because we'reworking on it.
We all.
I grew, I raised them to alwayseat vegetables.
They're very good at eatingtheir vegetables, which is very
Opposite of some families.
I know that the moms have ahard time with their kids eating
(14:48):
any vegetable, anything that'sgreen.
In general my boys did not, andI I don't know if it was
because we started them early onor not, but you know the
avocados, the peas, the greenbeans, the salads.
You know they love salad, andso those are some of the things
that are just staples and sothey they will eat that.
Now, for me it's always the theyhave their meal like, let's say
(15:14):
, girl chicken, and so they mayhave girl chicken.
Now I buy less, so my grocerybill has been slashed in half,
so they have a little piece ofchicken, but then I will put the
roasted vegetables that I make,and you know they have another
salad or something else, and sofor breakfast I also like to
alternate.
So you know, no cereal, I don'thave them eat cereal just
(15:40):
because of the refined, refinedway it's made.
But we do a lot of oatmeal andvariations of oatmeal, so a lot
of times, sometimes I'll putchocolate chips in it, peanut
butter and banana cinnamon.
It's like it kind of makes itsown banana bread.
Now, when I try new recipes,like recently, I posted, how you
(16:02):
know, brooke had her chickpeablondies and I made that the day
of and it was gone.
They loved it.
They're like I also made herbreakfast cookies and those are
delicious, and so those weregone immediately.
And so they, they do they, youknow, for those types of things
they will absolutely try.
You know my they're.
(16:24):
Each of my sons are differentand their palette is different,
but two of them have thesemature palates that they want to
try, and so it's like the bowlof A beans in a red sauce with
with rice is like comfort foodFor them so it's just
eliminating and I love to useSusie Cameron's analogy of omd
(16:45):
one meal a day.
So I always have At least tryone meal a day for my kids to
just be plant-based, and thatway I know that's just one meal.
It's helped.
Not only is it helping ourearth, but it's helping their
health as well.
And so we, we, we, go that way,but it's always the roasted
(17:05):
vegetables that I have with,like the quinoa, and they'll
have, you know, maybe the theanimal protein with it.
Daphne Bascom (17:13):
And those are great tips for anyone who's a
mom or an auntie or a grandmomand trying to navigate,
encouraging their kiddos to havemore plants, but knowing that
it's a journey.
It's not, it's not going to besomething necessarily that
happens overnight, unless theywere Started that way from birth
.
The you know.
(17:34):
One other thing on nutrition,and then I'd love to hear more
about your fitness journey asyou went from omnivore to
plant-based.
But what it?
What are the foods like whenyou go to soccer games?
Because I know I had a mom sendme a picture of she was at her
daughter's swim meet and shesent me a picture of the food
(17:54):
that was on the table and she'sjust like, oh, mg, we are.
Vesime Schroering (18:02):
I will say that because of my, you know,
definitely I, for our viewersand listeners.
I Grew up not in a sport, but Iwas classically trained in
ballet, so I'm a dancer, so Iwas around a lot of eating
disorders, and so that made mecreate this desire.
This, you know, added interestin nutrition and to learn more,
(18:22):
because I knew that there wasthat wasn't healthy, but I
needed to find out what was, andso I've always had this really
passion for nutrition and my, myfather, is type 2 diabetic and
so I see what, you know, what itcan be.
I also had gestational diabeteswhen I was pregnant with my
(18:44):
last son and so, you know, I wastold, you know, stay away from
all of these carbs and just eat,you know, the, the meat and the
vegetables, and no dairy, no,you know, no refined anything.
And I'm like I don't reallythink that's right.
And though my blood sugar wasout of whack, I was like there's
, there's another reason forthis.
(19:06):
So, having said that, I'vealways had this desire and
interest and passion for, fornutrition and to learn more.
Some a student of nutritionconstantly.
My boys playing soccer.
We are very strict in what theyeat and consume when they're
(19:28):
During soccer season.
So summertime it's been like,yeah, whatever you want to eat,
it's fine, but once it's soccerseason we're very strict on not
so strict, but like forbreakfast.
If you're gonna have something,you have to eat something, and
it has to be something that'sgoing to be give you sustained
energy.
So I will give them oatmealwith peanut butter or an almond
butter or some type of nutbutter and banana, and then, if
(19:52):
they want another fruit, itcould be a berry tied to it,
because I don't want them tohave too much of the Like.
Grapes have a lot of sugarassociated to it, so I don't
want them to have grapes rightbefore, before they're games.
And then for lunch we never getanything fried and so oftentimes
(20:14):
people go to Chick-fil-A andit's like, oh, we're having
Chick-fil-A.
I will not, unless I'm going toget them a salad with grill.
If they want grilled chicken,they have grilled chicken.
I often get the salad withoutthe grilled chicken or I'll give
them mine, and so that you knowI tend not to do that we go to.
The big thing is firehouse subs.
They love subs and they willget their, you know, lean meats.
(20:38):
Now I we try not to go there asoften because of the process
meats, but that is an that isoftentimes a sample and it's
always better.
I was.
You know I do fear soccerseason because sometimes we do
go to these towns that all theyhave is like a Wendy's, and so
(21:00):
sometimes we'll just try andfind a grocery store to get like
veggies and hummus or you know,the peanut butter and jelly or
something like that that couldgive them what they need, as
opposed to the junk thatoftentimes people think.
Other kids, they have highmetabolism, they could eat
whatever they want.
And you know I don't believethat.
Daphne Bascom (21:21):
You still need to feel them like they're athletes
.
That's right, yeah, and youknow you are an athlete.
So how has your fitness journeychanged over the years?
Vesime Schroering (21:35):
So I was scared that I wasn't going to
maintain my muscle mass withbeing more plant forward and
plant based.
And you know you gave me aworkout that was challenging but
at the same time reallymotivating me to do higher
(21:56):
weights.
And you know you're supposed to, you should lift heavy and it's
not because I want to bulk upor anything, but it's really to
maintain muscle mass so thatreally to protect your bones and
to prevent any type of breaksor anything.
So so I found that I liftbetter plant based than I did
(22:22):
not, and it's still.
It still baffles me because youknow again that blueprint,
initially that I was told waslean meat and then vegetables
and no refined carbs, or youknow, and it's like, okay, and
here I am lifting up the highestamount of weights, like when
I'm just plant based.
It try, you know, and I thinkthat that's many reasons I keep
(22:48):
thinking about you know, the,the nutrients that are in my
bloodstream during lifting andalso the oxygen, like everything
.
All the goodness in my bodywith being plant based is so
much better.
And now, when I do seldomlyhave animal protein and I
workout, I feel sluggish.
(23:08):
So it's just, it's shifted forme particularly.
Yeah, it is.
I would have never, becauseeven people that are in you know
when I'll share a story Beforewe went to, before I got married
, I wanted to lean up and Iwanted to have that Jennifer
Aniston toned arm look in mywedding dress, and so I went to
(23:30):
a gentleman who did trained theBaltimore Ravens cheerleaders to
slim, slim down.
He also was a physiquecompetition trainer, and so he
taught me things to eat and itwas a traditional thing that
people still do.
It was like start with four eggwhites and you know, a third of
(23:51):
cup of oatmeal, no sugarberries.
You could use cinnamon and uselike stevia or Splenda or
something like that.
And so then for lunch, then youhave a snack and it's a you
know, processed protein bar, andthen for lunch it is sweet
potatoes and grilled chicken andyou know that's it Typical
(24:14):
bodybuilder diet and then fordinner.
it's just your veggies and yourprotein, and if you get hungry
then you can have more proteinlike chicken.
Just eat some chicken beforeyou go to bed and you'll be fine
.
Or turkey, and I'm like, okay,and I did slim down Daphne.
I did, like it worked.
But that was the first, myfirst encounter of how to train
(24:37):
and lean up, because I didn'tneed to through dance and
everything, but that's kind ofhow was ingrained in my brain.
And so now you know, throughyour help and guidance and
everything that we've learnedand all the studies that have
been conducted, it's, it's just.
You know it's so differentYou're not supposed to do that.
(24:58):
Forget about the.
You know the.
You still have fats and chickenlike it's not.
It's not the leanest protein asone may think, and so you know
it's and honestly, I don't missit.
Daphne Bascom (25:13):
I don't miss it.
I mean your gains have beenamazing and you look wonderful,
so I mean that you're fuelingyour body with what it needs and
a lot of what we talk about.
I'm perfectly planted.
Yes, we focus a lot on themeals.
We talk about movement in termsof fitness, but you touched on
(25:35):
the fact that your dad has typetwo diabetes and I guess my
question is, as you've movedthrough the past, I was looking
back and you know we've beenworking together almost six
years and over that journey, howhas your perspective on
lifestyle and its impact onhealth and, knowing that you are
(25:57):
also in the healthcare industry, what are your thoughts on?
What are we doing wrong?
Why is why are we less healthy?
Now?
I mean, to your point, we haveall this knowledge, we have
things like the game changers,we have T Colin Candle's book,
we have Dr Esselstyn's work, butwe're less healthy than we were
10 years ago.
It's it.
This does not compute.
Vesime Schroering (26:19):
It doesn't, and we've we've had this
discussion too.
I mean, it's why?
Why are other countries notbattling the amount of the
population in that are sufferingfrom chronic conditions?
And it's really big pharma thathas taken over our society.
And also the.
(26:40):
You know, the initial blueprintof my brain is probably stamped
in 100 other different people'sbrains.
You know where.
This is what's needed.
Your, your muscle needs protein,and protein is animal protein.
You know, oftentimes I,everybody, looks at me when
they're like, how are yougetting your protein?
It's like um, through thedollar.
(27:01):
For every time we got thatquestion, I know, and it's like
that because somehow somewheredown the line, we have, you know
, meats used to be it.
Let's look at the blue zones.
You know meat.
Meat was you would have chickenor whatever it may be, but that
was like for Christmas, forThanksgiving, for a celebratory
(27:22):
event.
You have this meat.
You know, and, and, but all theother time you're eating grains
, you're eating legumes, you'reeating, you know, pastas and
rice and vegetables that aregrown in the garden, and it's
somehow we've kind of createdthis.
Every single meal needs to havethat protein which is coming
(27:46):
from an animal, and it's nottrue.
How are all of these animalsgetting their protein?
They're getting their proteinfrom the vegetables, so, and the
grains that they're eating.
So how do we, why do we thinkthat our muscle, to you know,
fuel ourselves?
We need this meat.
I still don't understand why,you know, I do know it's just
(28:07):
this society and our culture hascreated this.
This is what you need and thisis part.
This is your.
This is what your meal shouldlook like, you know?
I mean, how many times have weseen a healthy plate and it has
like a picture of an egg or achicken, and then you have the
vegetables, and then you havethe potato or the, you know, the
(28:28):
grain, more of the starchycarbs, like rice or potatoes.
It's like why?
Why did we say that that wasthe healthiest?
The nutrition pyramid for thelongest time had that as well,
and so I think, just through theeducation process and as we've
grown, it's just become that'swhat you need to have a
(28:48):
well-rounded diet, and it'sfalse, it's all false, and I
think that that's why I love ourpodcast, because I feel as
though we can share some of theknowledge that we've learned and
from those and others that havethat have adopted this type of
lifestyle as well.
Daphne Bascom (29:08):
Yeah, because you mentioned Dr Bessard, who was
on our podcast on our lastepisode and talking about her
book.
Chew on this, and I wouldencourage people to purchase it
because the recipes aredelicious.
But you're right, the I meanunwinding what we've learned and
(29:28):
restarting.
I mean, I don't know whatthey're teaching in schools
around nutrition anymore, orconnecting what you eat with
where it comes from in terms ofchicken isn't chicken.
Chicken comes from a chickenand that chicken is part of an
ecosystem and there's so manyintricate connections between
(29:52):
what we put in our body, crueltyto animals and harm to our
environment that I don't thinkis actually taught and I know I
didn't learn it.
Yeah, Daphne.
Vesime Schroering (30:04):
It starts in the schools too.
We talked about education andwhat's taught in the schools.
Look at the school lunches.
I I mean, I think this could bea whole nother episode for us,
right, but I was.
I was, you know, on socialmedia and I saw a picture of
what a school lunch in Italywould look like, and it was so.
(30:29):
It was all locally sourced fromthe farmers surrounding that
community for that school andfor those schools, and it was
also very healthy, you know,with fruits, with the vegetables
, with some pasta that was madeby the grandma down the street
or the, you know, the merchantdown the street, and it had a
very small portion of likeanimal protein in there, which
(30:53):
is not necessary.
It could just be beans.
And and then look at ours.
Look at ours.
I, you know, I think I visitedmy son at school, at elementary
school, and I was.
He loves the grilled cheesewith the tomato soup, and then I
was surprised they actually hadsteamed broccoli and they had
grapes and other andstrawberries and fruit, and I
(31:17):
liked that lunch, but I took ataste of the broccoli and it was
not.
It was heavily seasoned somehow, and so you know, it's one of
those things where it's like whothey're getting the most.
They're trying to stretch thatdollar so far and by doing that
it's the cheapest way of makingmeals, you know that's.
(31:38):
Then they have Friday pizza,then they have ice cream, then
they have breakfast.
The breakfast is ridiculous,it's donuts.
I mean I.
You know, I'm sorry, but Idon't think to get to keep the
level and attention and focusthat you need for your brain.
You're not going to feed yourbrain donuts, and so you know
it's.
It all starts in our schools andhow we feed our kids and they
(32:00):
emulate and the kids now go homeand then they're like oh, I
want that too.
You know I want, I had that atschool, can you get that for me?
And it's like.
You know you don't want to bethe mean mom and be like no, but
oftentimes I've created a let'sfind the healthier choice of
this.
You know, let's try.
Okay, don't us us to not havehealthier choice.
Sorry, but you know.
Daphne Bascom (32:20):
Blondies, blondies.
Vesime Schroering (32:21):
Yeah, the blondies we can make it at home,
yeah, or the breakfast cookies,you know.
And so those are some of thethings that I think needs to
change.
It all starts, you know, fromthe beginning.
Daphne Bascom (32:31):
Yes, but there's a lot of subsidy that happens in
the school system and there's alot of.
You're right, we should befeeding our children.
I'm not a mom, but I am acommunity advocate.
And as you were talking aboutthe donuts, in my head I was
seeing the glucose spikes.
Vesime Schroering (32:49):
Yeah, exactly that's exactly what I see too.
I'm like, oh my gosh, they'regoing to be hyper.
And then the couple.
Why would any teacher?
Daphne Bascom (32:54):
want that and they're going to crash?
Yeah, no, and why should we bedoing that to our kids anyways?
Vesime Schroering (33:02):
Exactly, but it starts those eating habits in
our children that are tough tobreak, and so I think that we
really do need to have.
It's a lot of work, becausethen you have to advocate on the
district and state level forhealthier lunches, and that's
what it's driven.
(33:22):
Here's the amount of money thatyou have and here's the amount
of money that you can use, andif you don't use it all, you can
keep it and spend it indifferent ways, and so the
schools want to stretch theirmoney as much as possible.
Daphne Bascom (33:35):
But I mean just thinking about conversations
that I've had with Switch forGood, who are advocating for
removing dairy as a requirementfor school lunches.
If you look at the number ofmilk cartons that go into the
waste bin and the number ofdollars that are wasted, there's
(33:59):
so much waste in the system.
I mean probably the broccolithat was overseas and probably
over salted too.
So I call foul on money as theyes, incentive dollars.
Yes, but are there ways torecoup what we're wasting?
I think that there areopportunity dollars there that
(34:22):
we're not exploring and there'sjust no energy or incentive to
do it.
Vesime Schroering (34:27):
I agree.
Daphne Bascom (34:30):
But talking about the school system and then
Switch for Good veganism andadvocacy, I mean, I know that
you are plant positive, but hasthis journey changed in other
ways your thoughts around whatwe do for the animals, how you
(34:50):
know what are we going to leaveas a legacy for your boys in
terms of the environment, andhow do you become a better
advocate?
Oh, absolutely.
Vesime Schroering (34:59):
I mean, I think that you know, we can
learn from our friends acrossthe pond With you know their
lifestyle and how they treattheir planet and their portion
of the planet and the beauty ofour land.
You know, I think we do have alot of beauty in our country as
(35:20):
well, but we also take it forgranted.
I think there is a level of anissue with entitlement and
feeling as though this issomething that you know we're
entitled to do.
But let's think of the longerterm, and what are we really
trying to accomplish?
We want our family, our youknow children, our friends'
(35:42):
children, our children'schildren, to all live in a
healthy, healthy lifestyles, andI think that change needs to
happen, and it should start nowwith just the amount of waste
that we have.
You mentioned Daphne and also,you know, just in general, the
weather you could see has beencrazy across the planet, and a
(36:06):
lot of that is just from thecarbon emissions.
And what's the cause of that?
It's not only traffic, right,it's not only that, it's a lot
of.
It is our mass production ofanimals so that they can
continue to feed us with the waywe think we should be eating.
Yeah, Yep.
Daphne Bascom (36:26):
So many, and we have episodes coming up related
to just that, you know, deepdiving into our food system and
talking about the environment.
So for those of you listeningor watching, stay tuned.
This is just kind of a ticklerfor all of the things that
Vesemé and I talk about, that wewant to be able to share with
(36:47):
you.
So I need to ask you a question, because we always like to talk
about our why.
Yeah, what does perfectlyplanted mean to you and what
seeds of positivity andempowerment can you plant with
our listeners today?
Vesime Schroering (37:07):
Yeah Well, first of all, perfectly planted
has brought me so much joy andhope, and it really has been an
honor to work it with you,daphne.
I've learned along the way aswell, and I think we all can
continue to learn from eachother.
(37:27):
I think that I'm very gratefulfor this opportunity really to
be here with you.
I'm also very grateful for youand what you have done for me
(37:47):
through my journey and my healthjourney that I've learned so
much about.
I think that the one thing Iwould love to the seed of
empowerment I would love toplant for everybody is that it's
never too late to change, andyou don't have to change
everything at once.
(38:08):
So I run on, daphne.
We need to announce that we'regoing to be doing the Kiewa half
marathon.
We will be getting thatofficially later.
Daphne Bascom (38:20):
Oh, it's done.
Vesime Schroering (38:22):
Yeah, we will be running the half marathon,
and so I've been running moreand training more and I've been
using my treadmill and one ofthe iFit trainers was saying
some of the elite marathonersare there's a slogan and it
really translates into slowly,slowly.
You can't change somethingimmediately, and I really think
(38:43):
that if we want to make a change, it's never too late.
You could make it and make itso that it's sustainable for
your life, and then you cancontinue to add just slowly,
slowly, give yourself grace andalso it's really happened.
Slowly, so that you can enjoythe journey, because that's the
beauty of it all To see thedifference, the changes in your
(39:06):
body, the changes in yourmindset, the changes in the way
you sleep, the habits thatautomatically start to change
and shift, and then yourcomplete joy for your life
because you're just feelingbetter.
So I would absolutely make sureeverybody just knows that it's
never too late to startsomething new.
Daphne Bascom (39:30):
Words to live by.
Thank you.
So I know we've gone over as wealways do.
That's an eight.
I am so blessed to have you asmy co-host and to have a chance
for our community to hear fromyou.
I think the last time we had anopportunity to interview you
it's been almost two years, sowe definitely won't wait that
(39:54):
long, and I think that now thatwe've committed publicly to the
half marathon, we will keepeveryone up to date, so that'll
be a standing part of our nextcouple episodes how our
training's going.
But for those of you who joinedus today, we hope that you're
walking away with new seeds ofknowledge and ideas to cultivate
(40:17):
and the inspiration to keepgrowing on your personal journey
.
And I think Besseme said itwell slowly, slowly.
You don't have to do everythingtoday and you don't have to be
perfect with everything you do.
So a big thank you to all ofyou who are listening and all of
you who are watching.
Your support helps us spreadseeds of positivity and
(40:39):
empowerment in our sharedmission to lead healthier lives
and more sustainable lives.
So remember, like any garden,change takes time and patience.
So water those seeds ofpositivity, give yourself some
sunlight and don't forget tonourish your body with the power
of plants.
We hope that you'll take a fewminutes to subscribe to our
(41:02):
podcast and our YouTube channelso that you'll never miss an
episode full of nourishingadvice, more inspiring
interviews and seeds of wisdom.
And if you enjoyed today's show, please feel free to share it
with a friend who could use alittle bit of sunshine.
So we appreciate you and untilnext time, be well.
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