Food for Thought with Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Before we talk about symptoms, hormones, or interventions we have to examine the words we use to describe women, aging, and the most natural biological transitions of our lives. Because language doesn’t just reflect our attitudes—it actively shapes how we experience our bodies, our worth, and our place in the world.
Drawing from personal experience, cultural history, etymology, and media portrayals, I explore why menopause and women’s aging have been shrouded in silence, stigma, and shame—and how deeply sexist assumptions are embedded in the very words we use.
In this episode, we explore:
* Why women “age out” of relevance while men “age into” status
* The origins of words like spinster, crone, hag, hysterical, and old maid—and what they reveal about cultural bias
* How euphemisms around menstruation and menopause reinforce secrecy and shame
* Why even the word menopause frames it as a loss rather than a transition
* The surprising animal origins of words (“animalogies”) like estrus, estrogen, and crone
* How media has (rarely) addressed menopause
* Why reclaiming language is a powerful act of self-respect, agency, and healing
This conversation is for women navigating perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause—and for anyone who loves, lives with, or wants to better support them.
🎧 Listen to the full episode of Food for Thought, celebrating 20 years of practical inspiration for living compassionately, sustainably, and healthfully.
For the animals,—Colleen
Support the Podcast (20-Year Anniversary)!
To keep Food for Thought Podcast ad-free and accessible to all, I rely on the support of paid subscribers. If you’re already one—thank you. If you’re not, please consider becoming one. None of the companies below sponsored this episode. They’re simply brands I personally use, love, and trust—which is why I agreed to be an affiliate.
If you find this episode helpful, please consider giving it a like, share, comment, or restack. Remember Food for Thought is a listener-supported podcast, and your support as a paid subscriber helps me continue creating content that inspires compassion and action—for animals, people, and the planet.

If you make a purchase using the links below, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you—and you’ll receive exclusive discounts using the codes provided!
* Complement SupplementsEverything you need, nothing you don’t. Complement makes targeted supplements for plant-based eaters, including B12, D3, DHA, and more—all from clean, trusted sources.🔗 lovecomplement.com | Code: JOYFULVEGAN for 15% off all products!
* Plaine ProductsRefillable, non-toxic, plastic-free personal care products like shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and body wash. Gentle on you, gentle on the planet.🔗 plaineproducts.com | Code: JOYFULVEGAN for 20% off all products!
* Nama JuicerMy favorite cold-press juicer—quiet, powerful, and easy to clean. It’s become an essential part of my kitchen.🔗 namawell.com | Code: COLLEEN10 for 10% off all products!
Additional Resources
👉 Connect with me 1:1 – Get personalized guidance whatever you are looking for.
👉 Read A Year of Compassion – Daily inspiration to help you live with intention, kindness, and clarity.
👉 Travel with me! I host animal-friendly, luxury, all-inclusive vegan trips around the world, specifically curated to ensure high-quality, high-touch premium experiences. Check out our upcoming trips, and let me know if you have any questions.
👉 Check out my Recipe E-Books and my library of On-Demand Cooking Classes for recipes.


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

What does it actually mean to be vegan? For most people, the answer is simple—until it isn’t.
This week on Food for Thought (celebrating 20 years!), I explore what happens after someone stops eating animal products…when the (seemingly) neat definition starts running into the messy reality of the world we live in.
Most of us don’t actually live by strict definitions, but when real-life scenarios arise that defy simple answers, conflict and confusion can follow, leading to questions like:
What about plant-based foods made on shared equipment?
What about burgers cooked on the same grill as meat?
What about taking life-saving medications that may have been tested on animals
What about sugar filtered with bone char?
And then there’s the bigger question underneath all of it: Who gets to decide what “counts” as vegan? After all, this isn’t the Boy Scouts, where you take a pledge, earn merit badges, and defer to a Scoutmaster. Why does it feel like that to some people?
In this episode, I talk about how an intention rooted in compassion and wellness can unintentionally morph into something else entirely—a purity test. One that confuses the public, exhausts vegans, and sometimes pushes people away from even making kinder, healthier choices in the first place.
I also revisit the origins of the word vegan and why it was never meant to function like religious dietary law, a moral checklist, or a tool for policing one another.
In this episode, we look at:
* Why “becoming vegan” isn’t about dogma or doctrine
* How perfectionism undermines progress
* Why some grey areas are personal lines—not universal rules
* And why focusing on purity distracts us from the real problem: the billions of animals brought into this world only to be killed
If you’ve ever struggled with grey areas as a vegan, this episode is for you. And if you’re not vegan but have been turned off by what looks like rigidity or contradiction, this conversation is for you too.
🎧 Listen to the full episode: The Vegan Purity Trap: Grey Areas and Why Perfection Isn’t the Point wherever you listen to podcasts and check out the video version on my YouTube channel, where you can subscribe and get notifications about every new video I post.
And remember: Don’t do nothing because you can’t do everything. Do something. Anything.
For the animals,—Colleen
Support the Podcast (20-Year Anniversary)!
To keep Food for Thought Podcast ad-free and accessible to all, I rely on the support of paid subscribers. If you’re already one—thank you. If you’re not, please consider becoming one. None of the companies below sponsored this episode. They’re simply brands I personally use, love, and trust—which is why I agreed to be an affiliate.
If you find this episode helpful, please consider giving it a like, share, comment, or restack. Remember Food for Thought is a listener-supported podcast, and your support as a paid subscriber helps me continue creating content that inspires compassion and action—for animals, people, and the planet.

If you make a purchase using the links below, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you—and you’ll receive exclusive discounts using the codes provided!
* Complement SupplementsEverything you need, nothing you don’t. Complement makes targeted supplements for plant-based eaters, including B12, D3, DHA, and more—all from clean, trusted sources.🔗 lovecomplement.com | Code: JOYFULVEGAN for 15% off all products!
* Plaine ProductsRefillable, non-toxic, plastic-free personal care products like shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and body wash. Gentle on you, gentle on the planet.🔗 plaineproducts.com | Code: JOYFULVEGAN for 20% off all products!
* Nama JuicerMy favorite cold-press juicer—quiet, powerful, and easy to clean. It’s become an essential part of my kitchen.🔗 namawell.com | Code: COLLEEN10 for 10% off all products!
Additional Resources
👉 Connect with me 1:1 – Get personalized guidance whatever you are looking for.
👉 Read A Year of Compassion – Daily inspiration to help you live with intention, kindness, and clarity.
👉 Travel with me! I host animal-friendly, luxury, all-inclusive vegan trips around the world, specifically curated to ensure high-quality, high-touch premium experiences. Check out our upcoming trips, and let me know if you have any questions.
👉 Check out my Recipe E-Books and my library of On-Demand Cooking Classes for recipes.


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Food for Thought podcast remains listener-supported. To support this work and receive perks and exclusive engagement, please consider becoming paid subscriber (but don’t go anywhere if you’re a free subscriber)!

Welcome to 2026—and to the 20th anniversary year of Food for Thought! I’m kicking off the new year with an episode about stretching our comfort zones through small, intentional practices that help us live with more clarity, resilience, and purpose.
In this episode, I explore:
* Why the idea of “doing hard things” isn’t new at all—and how it’s rooted in Stoic philosophy
* What thinkers like Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius actually meant by hardship (hint: it wasn’t suffering for suffering’s sake)
* How we can manifest this ancient practice in our modern lives
* Why trends like cold plunges miss the point if we focus only on promised (and alleged) health benefits
* How Dry January fits perfectly into this framework—not as a detox or moral stance, but as an experiment in awareness, habit, and choice
I also reflect on looking back at 2025—what I learned, what I practiced, what I shared with you—and why I still believe that setting intentions (whether for 24 hours or 365 days) is a powerful way to orient our lives.
If you’re feeling curious about:
* Doing something different this year
* Letting go of what’s familiar just long enough to learn from it
* Or giving yourself a gentle nudge instead of a total overhaul
…this episode is for you.
🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts or watch on YouTube.💛 And if you’re a paying Substack subscriber, I’ll see you in our weekly live chats.
Happy New Year—and thank you for being part of this journey with me.
For the animals,Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
Support the Podcast (20-Year Anniversary)!
To keep Food for Thought Podcast ad-free and accessible to all, I rely on the support of paid subscribers. If you’re already one—thank you. If you’re not, please consider becoming one. None of the companies below sponsored this episode. They’re simply brands I personally use, love, and trust—which is why I agreed to be an affiliate.
If you find this episode helpful, please consider giving it a like, share, comment, or restack. Remember Food for Thought is a listener-supported podcast, and your support as a paid subscriber helps me continue creating content that inspires compassion and action—for animals, people, and the planet.

If you make a purchase using the links below, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you—and you’ll receive exclusive discounts using the codes provided!
* Complement SupplementsEverything you need, nothing you don’t. Complement makes targeted supplements for plant-based eaters, including B12, D3, DHA, and more—all from clean, trusted sources.🔗 lovecomplement.com | Code: JOYFULVEGAN for 15% off all products!
* Plaine ProductsRefillable, non-toxic, plastic-free personal care products like shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and body wash. Gentle on you, gentle on the planet.🔗 plaineproducts.com | Code: JOYFULVEGAN for 20% off all products!
* Nama JuicerMy favorite cold-press juicer—quiet, powerful, and easy to clean. It’s become an essential part of my kitchen.🔗 namawell.com | Code: COLLEEN10 for 10% off all products!
Additional Resources
👉 Connect with me 1:1 – Get personalized guidance whatever you are looking for.
👉 Read A Year of Compassion – Daily inspiration to help you live with intention, kindness, and clarity.
👉 Travel with me! I host animal-friendly, luxury, all-inclusive vegan trips around the world, specifically curated to ensure high-quality, high-touch premium experiences. Check out our upcoming trips, and let me know if you have any questions.
👉 Check out my Recipe E-Books and my library of On-Demand Cooking Classes for recipes.


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

This podcast is listener-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

In this episode of Food for Thought, I explore the long, often-forgotten history of abstaining from meat during Advent and other Christian fasting periods, and how that tradition actually aligns beautifully with a modern vegan lifestyle.
Drawing from my own Catholic upbringing, I look at how rites and rituals like Lent and Advent once emphasized simplicity, self-restraint, and giving up animal products, and how language, church rules, and holiday foods still carry traces of that history.
I also invite listeners—religious or not—to consider their own version of conscious “fasting,” and I touch on traditional Advent/Christmas foods like Stollen that grew out of these practices.
Here’s the video version of the introduction to the re-broadcast:
In this episode, you’ll learn:
* Historically, Christians spent more days not eating meat (and often other animal products) than eating it, especially around Lent and Advent.
* The idea that being vegan is “incompatible” with culture or religion is new; religious abstinence from animal products is centuries old.
* Words like “Carnival” (from carne levare – “remove meat”) and traditions like Meatfare/Cheesefare Sundays reflect this meatless history.
* Advent used to be a serious season of fasting and abstinence, not just a time of treats, shopping, and countdown calendars.
* Different Christian traditions (especially Eastern and Ethiopian Orthodox) still practice very strict, essentially vegan fasts for many days of the year.
* Over time, church rules relaxed, and meat-eating became normalized and constant, while fasting became optional or symbolic.
* You don’t have to be religious to embrace the spirit of fasting: you can choose to simplify your diet, give something up (like alcohol, sugar, eating out, or processed foods), and let the feast feel more meaningful at the end.
* Many beloved holiday foods—like Stollen, fruitcake, and other Advent breads and sweets—arose from these traditions of fasting, scarcity, and then feasting.
* Part 2 will dive into Christmas feasting and traditional foods tied to the 12 Days of Christmas and Twelfth Night.
Support the Podcast
To keep Food for Thought Podcast ad-free and accessible to all, I rely on the support of paid subscribers. If you’re already one—thank you. If you’re not, please consider becoming one. None of the companies below sponsored this episode. They’re simply brands I personally use, love, and trust—which is why I agreed to be an affiliate.
If you find this episode helpful, please consider giving it a like, share, comment, or restack. Remember Food for Thought is a listener-supported podcast, and your support as a paid subscriber helps me continue creating content that inspires compassion and action—for animals, people, and the planet.

If you make a purchase using the links below, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you—and you’ll receive exclusive discounts using the codes provided!
* Complement SupplementsEverything you need, nothing you don’t. Complement makes targeted supplements for plant-based eaters, including B12, D3, DHA, and more—all from clean, trusted sources.🔗 lovecomplement.com | Code: JOYFULVEGAN for 15% off all products!
* Plaine ProductsRefillable, non-toxic, plastic-free personal care products like shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and body wash. Gentle on you, gentle on the planet.🔗 plaineproducts.com | Code: JOYFULVEGAN for 20% off all products!
* Nama JuicerMy favorite cold-press juicer—quiet, powerful, and easy to clean. It’s become an essential part of my kitchen.🔗 namawell.com | Code: COLLEEN10 for 10% off all products!
Additional Resources
👉 Connect with me 1:1 – Get personalized guidance whatever you are looking for.
👉 Read A Year of Compassion – Daily inspiration to help you live with intention, kindness, and clarity.
👉 Travel with me! I host animal-friendly, luxury, all-inclusive vegan trips around the world, specifically curated to ensure high-quality, high-touch premium experiences. Check out our upcoming trips, and let me know if you have any questions.
👉 Check out my Recipe E-Books and my library of On-Demand Cooking Classes for recipes.


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe

As part of our deeper series on protein, perimenopause, and hormone health, this episode kicks off a multi-part exploration of soy—one of the most misunderstood yet most powerful foods in our plant-based toolkit.
This podcast is listener-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

There’s so much confusion around soy—does it act like estrogen? Does it affect hormones? And what about breast cancer?
In this first episode of a multi-part series on soy, we walk through
* what phytoestrogens really are (and aren’t)
* how isoflavones behave in the body
* why soy foods are considered such a nutritional powerhouse
We explore:
* what soy actually is
* why it’s so misunderstood in the West
* the environmental realities behind global soy production
* the unique benefits of tofu, tempeh, and edamame
* estrogen-receptor–positive cancer and what the research really shows about it and its relationship to soy
All of this lays the groundwork for understanding soy’s real role in our health—far beyond the myths and misinformation—and prepares us for Parts 2 and 3, where we’ll explore soy’s impact on menopause symptoms, hormone health, and how to incorporate these nourishing foods into your daily life with confidence and joy.*
High-Protein Recipes Featuring Tofu, Tempeh, and Edamame
If you’re enjoying this series and want practical, delicious ways to bring more soy foods into your life, don’t miss my new recipe e-book, High-Protein Recipes Featuring Tofu, Tempeh, and Edamame. It features 12 savory, protein-rich recipes—spreads, soups, salads, sandwiches, and mains—all with 10-20 grams of protein per realistic serving. Each recipe includes a beautiful photo and full nutrition information to make meal planning easy and satisfying.
Related Episodes
* Protein-Packed Plant Foods (Ranked from Highest to Lowest)
* Are You Eating Enough Protein? (Part One)
* Are You Eating Enough Protein? (Part Two)
* Omega-3s: Skip the Fish, Boost Your Brain, but Make Sure You’re Getting Enough
* Your Daily Supplement Guide: The Non-Negotiables and the Helpful Boosts
* Building Strength and Muscle: Protein Intake, Protein Timing, and Lifting Heavy Sh*t
Support the Podcast
To keep Food for Thought Podcast ad-free and accessible to all, I rely on the support of paid subscribers. If you’re already one—thank you. If you’re not, please consider becoming one. None of the companies below sponsored this episode. They’re simply brands I personally use, love, and trust—which is why I agreed to be an affiliate.
If you make a purchase using the links below, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you—and you’ll receive exclusive discounts using the codes provided!
* Complement SupplementsEverything you need, nothing you don’t. Complement makes targeted supplements for plant-based eaters, including B12, D3, DHA, and more—all from clean, trusted sources.🔗 lovecomplement.com | Code: JOYFULVEGAN for 15% off all products!
* Plaine ProductsRefillable, non-toxic, plastic-free personal care products like shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and body wash. Gentle on you, gentle on the planet.🔗 plaineproducts.com | Code: JOYFULVEGAN for 20% off all products!
* Nama JuicerMy favorite cold-press juicer—quiet, powerful, and easy to clean. It’s become an essential part of my kitchen.🔗 namawell.com | Code: COLLEEN10 for 10% off all products!
Additional Resources
👉 Connect with me 1:1 – Get personalized guidance whatever you are looking for.
👉 Read A Year of Compassion – Daily inspiration to help you live with intention, kindness, and clarity.
👉 Travel with me! I host animal-friendly, luxury, all-inclusive vegan trips around the world, specifically curated to ensure high-quality, high-touch premium experiences. Check out our upcoming trips, and let me know if you have any questions.
👉 Check out my Recipe E-Books and my library of On-Demand Cooking Classes for recipes.
👉 Citations for some of the research and studies I mention in the episode.
* Among women already diagnosed with breast cancer, higher soy food intake is not associated with higher recurrence or mortality. In fact, many studies show a lower risk of recurrence and death among women who eat more soy. JAMA Network
* A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis found that soy isoflavones were associated with about a 26% lower risk of recurrence overall, with the strongest benefit in postmenopausal and estrogen-receptor–positive survivors. The greatest risk reduction showed up around 60 mg of isoflavones per day—roughly what you’d get from 2–3 servings of traditional soy foods. PMC
* Some studies suggest that women with ER-positive cancers who are taking tamoxifen and also eating more soy actually do better—they have lower recurrence risk compared to tamoxifen users who eat very little soy. PMC
* Major organizations like the American Cancer Society and American Institute for Cancer Research now state that soy foods are safe for breast cancer survivors and may even help reduce recurrence risk, including for women with ER-positive disease. They do, however, draw a line between whole foods and high-dose supplements, because we have far less safety data on concentrated pills and powders. American Cancer Society



This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.colleenpatrickgoudreau.com/subscribe