TRANSFORM Your Life With Food: Chef Babette On Fitness At 70+, Self Love & Reinvention | Rich Roll Rich Roll・2 minutes read
Chef Babette, a 72-year-old vibrant and fit vegan chef, overcame traumas and addiction to embrace love and self-acceptance, demonstrating the power of self-love and resilience. She encourages individuals to make healthier choices, promotes plant-based eating, and emphasizes the importance of love, self-care, and understanding in transforming one's life and choices.
Insights Chef Babette's journey showcases that it's never too late to start a healthy lifestyle, as she began her vegan diet and exercise routine in her 40s and opened her restaurant in her 50s. The speaker emphasizes the importance of love, self-acceptance, and living in the present moment, highlighting the transformative power of embracing these principles. The commitment to promoting plant-based eating and self-love resonates throughout the text, emphasizing the interconnectedness of personal well-being, dietary choices, and community health. Get key ideas from YouTube videos. It’s free Recent questions How did Chef Babette start her vegan journey?
By adopting a healthy vegan diet in her 40s.
What inspired Chef Babette to open her restaurant?
A desire to share healthy plant-based options.
What challenges did Chef Babette face in opening her restaurant?
Overcoming financial obstacles during a recession.
How did Chef Babette's personal journey influence her restaurant?
By embodying resilience and self-love.
What impact did Chef Babette's restaurant have on the community?
Fostering healthier eating habits and community bonds.
Summary 00:00
"Vibrant 72-Year-Old Vegan Chef Inspires" Chef Babette is a vegan chef and owner of the plant-based restaurant Stuff I Eat in Los Angeles, known for her unstoppable energy and movement. She has been featured on TV shows like Inside Edition, The Chew, and The Steve Harvey Show, and authored the dessert cookbook "Cash In on Cashews." Chef Babette started her healthy vegan diet and exercise routine in her 40s and opened her restaurant in her 50s, proving it's never too late to start. At 72 years old, she is incredibly fit, radiant, and a living testament to the idea that age is just a number. She began her fitness journey with one push-up a day, gradually increasing her strength and endurance. Chef Babette shares her inspiring story of overcoming childhood trauma, abusive relationships, and addiction to crack cocaine. She credits her current husband for introducing her to the vegan lifestyle, which has been transformative for her healing journey. Despite facing immense challenges, Chef Babette chose love and self-acceptance over bitterness and regret, emphasizing the importance of being in control of one's moments. Her journey of self-love and resilience has shaped her into the vibrant and unstoppable 72-year-old "hot vegan" she is today. Chef Babette's story serves as a powerful reminder that embracing love and self-respect can lead to healing and transformation, no matter the past experiences. 19:27
Embracing Love: Choosing Happiness in the Now The speaker recalls a moment at a church where OC Smith spoke about living in the present and making choices in the moment. OC Smith's message resonated with the speaker, emphasizing the importance of love and living in the now. The speaker reflects on taking control of their moments and choosing happiness, despite past struggles. Belief in the Oneness of the universe and embracing diversity is highlighted as a key to the speaker's resilience. The speaker acknowledges the challenge of transitioning from understanding to practicing living in the moment. Despite struggles, the speaker aims to make the most of their remaining years by choosing happiness and taking responsibility for their feelings. The speaker's journey towards a plant-based diet and movement led to a resurgence of vitality and energy. The speaker's past diet included various foods that negatively impacted their health, leading to skin issues and digestive problems. A pivotal moment for the speaker was meeting Ron Davis, who introduced them to veganism and books on reducing inflammation. The speaker emphasizes the importance of taking responsibility for one's feelings and experiences, embracing love, and understanding the interconnectedness of all beings. 36:38
Promoting Plant-Based Eating in Inglewood Community The speaker emphasizes the importance of maintaining a calm energy while handling food in a restaurant setting, recalling moments of conflict and the need for awareness and appreciation of human fallibility. Introduces the Plant Power Meal Planner, offering access to customizable plant-based recipes and grocery delivery, aiming to support families in preparing healthy meals. Offers a $20 discount on meal planner gift cards until December 15th, encouraging individuals to join in consuming plant-based meals. Recounts the journey of the speaker and her husband, from dating in 1919 to opening a catering business in the late 90s and early 2000s, eventually transitioning to a plant-based restaurant in 2008. Describes the challenges faced in opening the restaurant during the recession of 2008, catering to a predominantly black and brown community in Inglewood with a transitional plant-based menu. Highlights the speaker's approach to educating customers about the benefits of plant-based eating, using personal anecdotes and examples to encourage healthier choices. Discusses the impact of the restaurant on the Inglewood community, serving as an entry point for healthier eating habits and fostering a sense of community and accountability. Reflects on the speaker's role as a healthcare practitioner, emphasizing the importance of education, follow-up care, and creating a community bond around healthy values. Acknowledges the speaker's influence as a role model in promoting accessible and affordable plant-based eating, particularly in food desert communities lacking healthy options. Emphasizes the speaker's commitment to offering organic, high-quality food at Stuff I.E., despite the financial challenges, to provide a healthier option for the community. 53:59
"Stuff I Eat: Plant-Based Health Inspiration" Emphasizes the importance of organic and plant-based food choices, serving as a valuable resource for the community seeking health advice. Describes the impact of the restaurant, Stuff I Eat, on the community during challenging times, offering guidance on health issues like asthma and dietary concerns. Details the restaurant's adaptation during the COVID-19 pandemic, reducing days of operation and staff, yet maintaining a commitment to quality and cleanliness. Considers expanding Stuff I Eat into a franchise, focusing on clean, plant-based options like burgers and revamped mac and cheese with a cashew sauce. Highlights the role of personal example in promoting a healthy lifestyle, showcasing the owner's vitality at 72 through diet and exercise. Discusses the owner's fitness routine, including early wake-up times, meticulous self-care, and dedication to workouts and restaurant preparation. Reflects on the owner's approach to aging gracefully, embracing natural changes and promoting self-love and acceptance. Mentions the owner's boldness in sharing body positivity through photos and calendars, inspiring others to appreciate their journey and beauty at any age. Reveals the owner's simple yet fulfilling daily life, balancing work, fitness, and self-care while prioritizing positive energy and avoiding negativity. Explores the owner's decision-making process, focusing on avoiding harm, maintaining simplicity, and prioritizing personal well-being and integrity. 01:10:00
"Push-up Challenge Leads to Health Journey" Starting with one push-up and adding one each day, or repeating the previous day's number if unable to increase. Recommending starting small in any endeavor, like push-ups, with the motto "inch by inch, life's a cinch." Planning to do 72 push-ups on their birthday and inviting others to join in at a restaurant. Switching from sets of 25 push-ups to sets of 10 for quicker progress due to shorter rest times. Participating in two docu-series, one about their life and the other focusing on Dr. Baxter Montgomery's healing methods through diet and exercise. Dr. Montgomery's practice includes a raw food restaurant where patients receive meals to improve health conditions. Engaging in fasting, particularly the Master Cleanse with cayenne pepper, maple syrup, and lemon juice for health benefits. Embracing intermittent fasting as a personal health strategy without relying on weighing scales. Advocating for plant-based lifestyles, emphasizing self-love, self-care, and educating oneself on the benefits. Criticizing Starbucks for charging extra for plant-based milk and advocating for fair treatment of customers with dietary restrictions. 01:27:57
"Self-love through mindful dietary choices" Factory farming in the industrial complex is unsustainable and toxic, leading to the slaughter and torture of billions of animals annually. The focus is on efficiency in using resources to quickly turn animals into food, but the waste produced is intolerable. The normalization of this practice is harmful on a soul level, eroding how we view ourselves as a species. Self-love involves understanding what we ingest to avoid harm, reflecting care for oneself and others. The speaker emphasizes the need to question what we eat and why, highlighting the importance of self-love in making dietary choices. The speaker advocates for a shift in mindset towards all life on the planet, urging individuals to consider the impact of their food choices. Practical advice includes omitting animal products from one's diet and exploring vegan recipes for familiar dishes. In areas with limited access to fresh food, the speaker suggests planting one's own food as a solution. Encouragement is given to educate oneself on food ingredients and make informed choices, promoting self-care and respect for all life.