Farm Sanctuary’s Gene Baur Talks Food, Friends, and Vegan Corned Beef on the Daily Show With Jon Stewart (VIDEO)

When you have a renowned animal advocate on your show, it’s inevitable that the conversation will turn toward eating corned beef while an old Jewish man yells at you, right? Well, if you take into account that we’re talking about The Daily Show with Jon Stewart the likelihood is much higher.

With his book Living the Farm Sanctuary Life: The Ultimate Guide to Eating Mindfully, Living Longer, and Feeling Better Every Day in tow, Farm Sanctuary founder Gene Baur talked plant-based eating and animal welfare with the notoriously hilarious host, who seemed very open and receptive to not only the mission of Farm Sanctuary itself, but also the dietary information included in the book.

“So, it’s interesting, the Dietary Council just released, I mean, on the heels of this book, that this vegan lifestyle is sort of the solution to so many of the issues that are going on in the world.” Stewart commented, referring to findings recently released by The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee that state a diet less dependent on animal foods is not only healthier for people but has less of an environmental impact as well.

Baur agreed, saying, “We could save 70 percent on health care costs if we shifted to a whole foods, plant-based diet in this country. We could save so much in terms of resources, water for example, – half of the water used in this country is used to raise animals for food.”

Given the recent drought concerns in California and elsewhere in the world, it seems like subbing in more fruits and veggies in place of that burger might just be a better bet for curtailing excess!

The discussion goes on to outline all of the ways that going plant-based is easier than ever before, with non-dairy milks and cheeses becoming more readily available and “meat-less meats” improving in quality every day. (Stewart would like the next phase in veganism to include coming up with a better term than “meat-less meat” just for the slogan factor. Got any ideas?)

Interested in trying out a plant-based diet for yourself? Check out our Green Monster’s Weekly Meal Plan: The Whole Foods Vegan Menu for seven days worth of scrumptious breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas!