New Plant-Based Talk Show Stars RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Monet X Change
American drag queen Monet X Change will star in a brand new show all about plant-based living. The RuPaul’s Drag Race alum just revealed that she will host the weekly talker covering topics such as plant-based recipes, vegan living, and health in partnership with Alpha Foods. Debuting on YouTube this week, The Plant-Based Way With Monet will also feature celebrity vegan guests, all with the aim of encouraging people to adopt a more plant-forward diet.
The 32-episode series premiered on February 23 on Alpha Foods' YouTube channel, with new episodes dropping weekly. Monet and guests hope to open viewers' minds to the benefits of a more planet-friendly lifestyle.
"This series isn't about meat bashing," Monét said. "It's about inviting everyone to the conversation, no matter where they are on their plant-based journey. I hope THE PLANT-BASED WAY WITH MONÉT helps open minds to the fact plant-based eating can be fun, easy, and above all, absolutely delicious!"
Each week, Monet invites a new celebrity guest to talk about plant-based food. During the inaugural episode, Money is joined by the vegan chef Charity Morgan to talk about her new vegan cookbook Unbelievably Vegan and her personal journey to a more plant-based lifestyle. Other guests include drag queen Alaska Thunderf*ck; Jackie Beat – the drag persona of actor Kent Fuher; and model and fashion designer Isis King.
How Monet went plant-based
Monet decided to start eating plant-based when she moved to Los Angeles and felt that conversations regarding food were poisoned by judgment. The star decided to adopt a “flexitarian” diet inspired by Alpha Foods, believing it to be the most accessible entry point to vegan eating. Since then, Monet and Alpha Foods have fostered a relationship that resulted in the new, innovative plant-based talk show.
"We are so excited about this collaboration with Monét," Alpha's Chief Marketing Officer Kierstin De West said. "We couldn't have found a better ambassador for the kinds of conversations we want to start about plant-based eating. Alpha is committed to making plant-based food accessible to all, with no judgment – whatever their meal mood and wherever they are on their plant-based food journey."
Alpha Foods recently released a survey conducted with Harris Poll that found that two-thirds of Americans say that plant-based is the future of food. The study also noted that 83 percent of plant-based food eaters plan to continue eating vegan, vegetarian, or flexitarian in the coming years. The study signifies a growing need for conversation concerning vegan and plant-based dieting. Between Alpha Foods and Monet, the company believes that the talk show will cater to a new generation of plant-based consumers.
Alpha Foods’ Viral Campaigns
Last year, Alpha Foods released a prank campaign that featured major fast-food mascots filing a class-action lawsuit against Alpha Foods for tricking them into eating vegan without knowing it. The campaign shows blurred-out images of iconic fast-food figureheads including KFC’s Colonel Sanders, Wendy of Wendy’s, and Ronald McDonald frustrated with the realistic vegan options that Alpha Foods offers.
The vegan food brand continues to emphasize that it wants plant-based and plant-forward eating to feel accessible to all consumers. The company hopes that alternative meat can be for when a meat eater doesn’t want meat, not necessarily exclusively for vegans. Through the new video campaign, Alpha Foods hopes to encourage people to try plant-based and vegan living without feeling intimidated by rules or stereotypes.
“We believe that no matter if you’re a vegetarian, a pescatarian, a lacto-ovo-choco-taco-tarian, or just a plain ol’ fooditarian, anyone can enjoy Alpha plant-based products without any of the strings attached,” Alpha Foods’ website reads. “That means you can have a big juicy burger one night and a plant-based burrito the next, no eyebrows raised, no titles given, all health and environment benefits included. No matter what you eat, when or why you eat it, all eaters can enjoy Alpha.”
Fast-food restaurants have finally got the memo that their customer base isn’t just coming through for a burger, fried chicken, or a beef taco. Many now have plant-based foods and are coming up with creative, delicious ways to get more greens on the menu. Here are the 6 best fast-food chains with plant-based options on the menu.
1. Burger King
Turns out there’s a lot more to rely on than a salad if you’re eating plant-based. Burger King has the Impossible Whopper featuring a meatless patty as well as a few secretly vegan options such as the French Toast Sticks and Hashbrowns.
2. White Castle
Known for its mini square-shaped sliders, this hamburger chain jumped on the plant-based bandwagon at some participating locations. You can find an Impossible Slider on some White Castle menus.
3. Del Taco
This was the first national Mexican fast-food chain to offer Beyond Meat at the company’s 580 restaurants across the country. Del Taco has the Beyond Avocado Taco on the menu along with the Epic Beyond Original Mex Burrito and Avocado Veggie Bowl.
4. Carl's Jr.
Another brand synonymous with beef burgers, Carl’s Jr. offers several plant-based options for veggie and plant lover such as Beyond Famous Star Burger and Guacamole Thickburger.
5. Taco Bell
This fast-food restaurant may have been one of the first you frequented while transitioning to plant-based eating. That’s because Taco Bell has eight million vegetarian combinations and sells 350 million vegetarian items a year through menu substitutions or ordering off their vegetarian menu. In fact, they were the first quick-service restaurant to offer American Vegetarian Association (AVA) certified food options.
6. Starbucks
From the time it started offering breakfast sandwiches in 2006, the coffee conglomerate became a competitor in the fast-food space. You can get your favorite hot and cold beverages made with almond, coconut or oat milk but there are also plant-based food options available such as the Baja Black Bean Veggie Wrap, bagel with vegan cream cheese and Impossible Breakfast Sandwich.