Fast food doesn't have to be junk food. Carleigh Bodrug from PlantYou is here to prove that!

The recipe genius, two-time New York Times bestselling author, and social media powerhouse joins Chuck Carroll on The Exam Room Podcast to share the fastest ways to make healthy plant-based meals when life is busy, groceries are expensive, and takeout is calling your name.

Carleigh's new cookbook, PlantYou Quickies, features more than 140 fast plant-based recipes for busy people, including five-minute prep ideas, Dump & Bake dinners, and S.O.S. Suppers — Save Our Sanity meals for the nights when you almost order delivery.

🧠 In this conversation, Carleigh and Chuck talk about:

• Quick healthy meals when you have no time
• Easy plant-based dinner shortcuts
• Frozen vegetables and pantry staples that save money
• High-fiber meals and plant diversity
• Plant Points for gut health
• Raising a plant-based family
• Healthy meals for busy parents
• How to make comfort foods healthier
• Why takeout tastes better when it is a choice, not desperation

Carleigh also shares details about PlantYou Quickies, her favorite recipe shortcuts, and a special pre-order bonus for Exam Roomies.

She is offering a six-month membership to her weekly plant-based meal plans and shopping lists for anyone who preorders PlantYou Quickies, so you can get cooking right away. Email a screenshot or photo of your receipt to support at plantyou.com, and mention you heard about it on The Exam Room Podcast.

Exam Roomies of the Week

• Annie Frassinello Earsley, RD
• Deborah J. Colbert
• Todd Ormsby

🙏 Support The Exam Room Podcast & PCRM
👉 https://bit.ly/SupportExamRoom

📕 PlantYou Quickies Book Pre-Orders
👉 https://amzn.to/4eTFWvT

🌱 Carleigh Bodrug Website
👉 https://plantyou.com

💪 NHA Conference in Cleveland
👉 https://bit.ly/NHAConf2026

🎉 ICNM - Washington DC - 8/13-15
👉 https://www.pcrm.org/icnm

This episode is not medical advice. Always speak with your doctor about any changes to your diet or lifestyle.

- About Us -
The Physicians Committee is dedicated to saving lives through plant-based diets and ethical and effective scientific research. We combine the clout and expertise of more than 17,000 physicians with the dedicated actions of more than 175,000 members across the United States and around the world.

• Why Food For Life is not a diet
• How "healthy" labels can mislead shoppers
• Why fruit is not the same as cake
• How cooking classes build community
• Why Food For Life instructors can create generational health
• What the instructor training is like
• How to apply to become an instructor

Exam Roomies of the Week

• Gary Hunt
• Susan Johnson
• Mark Reis-Henrie

Swapping animal protein for plant protein may help women lose weight after menopause.

Dr. Neal Barnard joins Chuck Carroll on The Exam Room Podcast to discuss a new study he co-authored that finds replacing animal protein with plant protein may be a powerful strategy for weight loss in postmenopausal women.

The study found that total protein intake did not need to change. Instead, the source of protein appeared to matter most. As women reduced animal protein and increased plant protein from foods such as soybeans, beans, and grains, they experienced significant weight loss.

Dr. Barnard explains why not all protein is created equal, how plant protein may affect metabolism differently than animal protein, and why this could be especially important for women after menopause.

🧠 In this episode:

• Why protein source matters for weight loss
• The connection between menopause, metabolism, and body weight
• Plant protein vs. animal protein
• Soy, beans, grains, and healthy weight
• Whether calories tell the whole story
• Methionine and metabolism
• Hot flashes, soy, and menopause symptoms
• Practical food swaps anyone can make

Exam Roomies of the Week

• Pauline White
• Alix Weisz
• Brenda Hoy

This episode is sponsored by The Gregory J. Reiter Memorial Fund, which supports organizations like the Physicians Committee that carry on Greg's passion and love for animals through rescue efforts, veganism, and wildlife conservation.

This episode is not medical advice. Always speak with your doctor about any changes to your diet or lifestyle.

📕 Menopause Study
👉 https://bit.ly/postmenopausal-weight-loss

🙏 Support The Exam Room Podcast & PCRM
👉 https://bit.ly/SupportExamRoom

🌱 Gregory J. Reiter Memorial Fund
👉 https://gregoryreiterfund.org

- About Us -
The Physicians Committee is dedicated to saving lives through plant-based diets and ethical and effective scientific research. We combine the clout and expertise of more than 17,000 physicians with the dedicated actions of more than 175,000 members across the United States and around the world.