In The Kind Diet | Alicia Silverstone | Talks at Google

Speaker 0:00 So you guys probably know her as an actress, um, but you may not know that she actually, um, has been an avid vi- environmentalist for years and years. In fact, she, she was green before it was very cool to be green. And she's gonna share with you her most recent body of work, um, called The Kind Diet, and she's gonna talk about her journey through, um, the experience of going from a vegetarian to a vegan and how that's changed her life and her perceptions of, um, the world and the community. So with that, I will keep it short and, and welcome up, um, Alicia. [audience applauding]

Alicia Silverstone 0:45 Thank you. Okay, here's the book. [chuckles] Um, so I-- this book i- is-- I just wanna... Well, thank you all for coming. That's so great. And having me here. Um, I'm really honored to be here, and I'm really, really so... Oh, I'm gonna take that, quick. Thank you. Um, I'm so excited about what I'm gonna talk to you about, so I may talk really fast 'cause I get really excited. But, um, basically, uh, I'm not-- this is not a book for vegetarians, so you should know that. This is a book for anyone who's eating whatever the American diet is right now. So if you're feeling like, "Well, I don't wanna be a vegetarian, why am I sitting here?" It's exactly who I wanna be talking to, just so you know. [chuckles] Um, this w- w- I guess I'll start by just telling you sort of what happened to me, and it-- in, in the book, I go into great detail, but I'll give you sort of the, the brief version, I'll try. Which is that, you know, I, uh, about 11 years

Alicia Silverstone 1:46 ago, uh, decided that I could no longer hurt animals. That was my thing. And at that time, I, um, you know, being in Hollywood, people were saying, you know, that I had to lose weight and all this annoying stuff. [chuckles] And, um, and at that time, I was very rebellious, so the idea of being healthy was a no-no. I was not-- I didn't wanna be healthy, I didn't-- nobody talked to me about being healthy. If I lose my career, that's fine. Like, I don't wanna know anything about this. So, um, so when I w- made this decision for the animals, it was really, uh, an-- like I had no idea if I'd ever have a good meal again. I had no idea if I'd be healthy. I just thought, "This is what I have to do in order to look at myself in the mirror knowing that I loved animals so much," blah, blah, blah. So, but what happened was about two weeks into being vegan, um, 'cause I didn't-- I just went straight vegan 'cause I had known enough. You know, from about age eight to 21, I was a flirt. You know, I would decide to be vegan for, or vegetarian for a few weeks because, you know, my brother would make animal noises of the animals I was eating. [chuckles] So I'd be vegetarian for like a month 'cause he'd be going making lamb noises. And then, and then I'd forget, 'cause I was eight. So, [chuckles] um, so basically, um, by the time I was 21, and I made this hardcore commitment, the reason I did it was because I saw, um, how animals are raised for food. So that really got me. But about two weeks into it, I'm thinking, I never knew, I thought maybe I'd be really unhealthy. I didn't really care, 'cause again, I didn't care about my health at the time at all. So when, um, when I, uh... all of a sudden people started saying to me, "You're, you're glowing. What's happening? Why are you... And you look different." And my-- the biggest thing I noticed right away was that I felt this huge weight lift off of me. Like, I just felt lighter walking through the world, and that sounds really weird, but once you experience it, it's just this amazing thing. And I couldn't figure out if that was, you know, g- you know, um, the... Well, I'll let you read the book to get more details

Alicia Silverstone 3:46 'cause I could go on forever. But, um, the point is that I started to have these amazing, amazing, uh, reactions and from people and inside of myself. My nails started to get really, really strong and thick. I started to lose weight. My, um, and weight that I was happy to lose. It wasn't a problem. Um, [chuckles] and, uh, my, uh, my hair was getting stronger. Like, everything was just growing, and I was getting really healthy. And when I was a-- I had allergies, and I had an, um, asthma inhaler, and I had to have allergy shots twice a week. And suddenly I stopped going to the allergist, and I didn't think of it, and the allergist said to me by email, "Hey, Alicia, I haven't seen you in a long time. What's going on?" And I was like, "Oh my God, it's been like a year or something I haven't been there." I said, "Well, I've, I've stopped eating all this stuff." And he was like, he goes-- I go, "I guess that's why I haven't come," uh, 'cause I was experiencing zero symptoms. And he said to me, "Oh, I hear that a lot." I was like, "You hear it a lot that people change their diet and then don't have to come for shots and inhalers anymore?" He says, "Yeah." "Why didn't you tell me?" [chuckles]

Alicia Silverstone 4:48 And, um, he just laughed and by, you know, like an email, he was like, "Ha ha." Um, [chuckles] so anyway, basically my life changed, and I went on this-- I started to-- I thought this was a miracle. This must just be really good karma or something for my decision. But I started to research it and realized that there's all kinds of doctors out there, and there's all kinds of medical research and science supporting this way of living, and that this is actually a healthier way to be. This wasn't just some fluke that happened to me. That people like Bruce Lee and people like, um, you know, amazing athletes that I highlight in the book, who are bodybuilders, who don't care-- who didn't necessarily care about the environment or animals or anything like that. They just wanted to be the best performers that they could be and feel their best, and they adopted this lifestyle. And so I started to figure out that there-- this was not just some, like, I, you know, emotional, s- like, uh, moral thing that I was experiencing. This was an actual, um, healing modality. And started to see that, you know, Colin Campbell and, uh, Joel Fur- Fuhrman and Dean Ornish and all these doctors who are doing incredible work healing cancer and heart disease and diabetes over and over and over again, um, they just, their voices aren't as loud because there's a lot of forces out there telling us, you know, to make-- for in order for them to make money, they're asking you to eat all kinds of nasty things that are hurting you. So- My journey's been incredible. And at-- When I was about 25, I was doing a play

Alicia Silverstone 6:19 on Broadway with Kathleen Turner, and it was super fun, and it was snowing, and I was, uh... I had kind of gone through a little bit of a raw kick, the raw food kick. I don't know if you've heard of the raw food kick. But anyway, I was on that. And, um, but it was snowing, and I was trying to eat mangoes, and mangoes don't grow in the snow. And somebody pointed that out to me because, um, at the same time, my husband came home and said that he really wanted to start this thing called the r- the macrobiotic diet. And I was like, "I don't need to be macrobiotic," 'cause I thought those people eat fish, and I'm already vegan. Like, I don't need more rules or whatever. And I, and I actually didn't feel like I had rules, but I was just sort of being stubborn as we do sometimes when your husband says something. And [laughs] so I was just like, "Meh." And, but... And he-- Oh, and especially 'cause he also said that it was, you know, he'd read Gwyneth Paltrow was doing this, and I was like, "Well, just 'cause Gwyneth Paltrow says, you know. Like, what about me?" [laughs] "I'm on the raw food kick. Why don't you wanna do that?" And, um, but, um, R- Gwyneth Paltrow is a very smart lady, and, uh, and so is Madonna and all these women that are doing this. So anyway, I was being resistant, and I went to New York, and I was, I was doing this play, and he was coming to visit me for Christmas and for his bir- his birthday's on Christmas. And so I took him to see this macrobiotic counselor because at the ex... It's like everything always happens at once, right? So he says M- you have-- Gwyneth Paltrow wants to do this, and then, um, I'm in New York, and the director and Jason Biggs are making fun of me constantly because of my diet, you know, and saying anytime I was tired, it was like, "Well, you better eat some meat," you know? And I was just really frustrated. [laughs] And I was literally running around trying to find green juice and mangoes and all this stuff, and it was freezing. And, um, so I met this girl, Temple, who s- who I'd known for years, and she looked amazing. And I said, "What happened to you?" Like, her transformation was so extreme. She was glowing. Her hair was amazing. Her body was amazing. Everything was on fire with this woman. And sh- we walked 50 blocks home, and she told me about macrobiotics, and I was like, "Oh my God." So when Christopher came into town, my husband, I decided to give him an, um, a counseling session with this, uh, macrobiotic counselor. And I sat in the back while he was getting his thing, just like, "This is so lame." And, um, but he was seeming to love it. And finally, she turned to me and she said, "You know, I don't know why you're so resistant. That acne you have..." 'Cause I had just gone... And she didn't say it nasty like that. But, um, [laughs] but that-- But she, she was really loving and sweet, and she just said, "You know, you could really heal that acne." And the reason I had acne was because I'd gone off the pill a few years earlier 'cause as I was getting healthier through being vegan, I just won- noticed every day, why am I putting th- Not to say you shouldn't take birth control pills, but this is my journey. I just was like, "I don't wanna put this weird pink pill in my body every day. This is weird." And so, um, I stopped doing that, but my skin started to erupt because, you know, birth control pills are doing all kinds of crazy things to our bodies. And so anyway, that's what's happening to me. And, um, I, uh... What am I talking about? Oh, okay. Birth... So acne. [laughs] Okay, macrobio- So sorry. Um, [laughs] so I got this acne, and, uh, she says, "I can clear your acne up." Now, I'd had it for like two years, and it was so frustrating. And, um, you know, I still had the glowing skin. My skin was really, really glowing from the vegetarian diet or the vegan diet. But there was just these breakouts that were happening from the, the pill detox. And, um, so I was blaming it. And it was that, but there was soon to discover r- other reasons. So the macrobiotic counselor says to me, "I can heal this, and I can give you more energy." And so I fi-- And she also told me that mangoes don't grow in the snow. And I was like, "Okay, this is all starting to make sense." And she said, "You know, the ma- a mango's designed to cool you off in the heat. That's why it's in hot climates. It's a tropical fruit." So that started to make sense to me, and we're fly... And then on the environmental asp- I'd already become an environmental conscious person, so now she's talking about the energy it requires to fly all this food all around the place, and I started to understand the local aspect and the, you know, having food be seasonal and local,

Alicia Silverstone 10:22 and I was just like, "This is amazing." So I decided to try it. And again, I'm reluctant. But about two weeks in, my skin is, like, clearing up magically. And all I really had to do, the adjustments that I'd made, because I was already vegan, the adjustments were to g- kick sugar, 'cause I was eating a lot of sugar, and white flour and processed foods. So now right now you're probably going, "You just took away all my food. How am I supposed to eat?" And you have to know that I'm a foodie, and I love food. I get so, uh, f- y- you know, I'm obsessed with food. There's no part of me that became, like, a s- you know, boring eater. I love to taste food, and, um, that never changed. And in fact, it's become m- I'm more of a foodie now, and I feel like I have more of a sophisticated palate now. Because back in the day, when I ate regular American diet, I sort of thought, "Oh, well, should I have chicken, fish, beef, or pasta?" Like, those are sort of my brain choices. I don't know about you guys, but that's sort of how I thought. And you don't really think beyond that very much. There may be a little bit, maybe I'll have a burger instead of that. But, like, you don't really have a huge, um, uh, array of foods to choose from. And when I started to become vegan, I started to learn all these different cultures' foods and all these different tastes that I'd never tasted. So my, my food thing grew, and I started to taste differently too because my tongue was freed up from all the chemicals and all the things that were, you know, kinda coating it, the dairy and the processed stuff. So anyway, even though it sounds like I've just taken all your food away, what I wanna guarantee you is if you go on this journey and this book, inside here I've got amazing recipes that I promise you, you will not feel deprived. Because I have to tell you that even though I did give up these things that I... I was on a steak and donut diet before I went vegan, just so you know. It's pretty much all I ate. And I can show you pictures of me, and it doesn't look very good on you. Um, [laughs] but I ate that and, um... So I understand. I loved pork chops. I loved bacon. I, and I ate all of those things. And, um- And, uh, but I don't lo- like, I know they tasted good, but everything else I'm having now tastes just as good or better. So it's not about taking away something good and only having things that don't taste good. It's about taking one thing that tastes good and another ta- thing that tastes good, and one of those things is really bad for you and really bad for the planet and has really serious consequences that are really destroying our planet and your body, and the other thing is just doing nice, happy things. It's just nice and happy for your body. It's nourishing for your blood. And so if you have a choice and they both taste good, wouldn't you wanna pick the one that's doing good things for you? So that's what I'm here to say, is that you--

Alicia Silverstone 12:55 there's, this is a no deprivation diet, and the reason I call it The Kind Diet is kind of a trick because the actual definition of diet in the s- in the 1600s was a day's journey, a way of thinking, and I wanna restore that word back to its nice place 'cause we all think of diet as, like, deprivation and calorie counting and misery and, and I want diet to be a way of thinking and a way of life that isn't about restriction. It's about freedom, freedom of, from your brain being all consumed with what you can and can't have because of how it's gonna affect you on a, you know, how, how big or small your body's gonna be, but more about how do I eat that will heal me and nourish me so that as I get older, I, I actually feel like I'm getting younger. And I know that sounds insane because most of us think of getting older as slowly falling apart. But I promise you that I'm getting stronger and feel more alive than I ever have before, and, um, I think that's a pretty amazing thing. And so

Alicia Silverstone 13:56 I just wanted to share all that with you, and is there anything else I need to tell you about that? Um, yeah, that it's, it's really simple, and I lay it in, in the book, I sort of d-do it in this way where I give you sort of the inspiration of what you might want. Like, either you just wanna feel better or have more energy or be free from, you know, taking all these prescriptions and you needing coffee to get through the day. Like, you know, I don't need coffee. I mean, [chuckles] I like the taste of it, and every blue moon I'll have a sip, but I don't need coffee. And I never ha- I never really drink it at all. And, um, and I don't take antibiotics un- unless, like, you know, I get in a dog fi- I got in a dog fight one ti- I wasn't fighting with a dog, but I was trying to break up some dogs, and I got 26 stitches in my leg, so I needed some a- you know, I needed some antibiotics that time [chuckles] and, um, and some pain pills for that day. But, um, but you know, I u- I just think of medicine as something that is a last resort. I don't take any, um... I never need to. I don't really get sick anymore. If I get sick, it's, like, for 24 hours, and it passes through really quickly. I know how to eat so that I'm... And if I do get sick, I know it was... And not like I'm blaming myself, but I go, "Oh, I know what I did. I ate that. That's what did this." So I always kind of n- it's bringing the control and power back into your life, so we're not these slaves to our doctors. Like, we're these, you know, sort of victims where we go and, "Help me, I don't feel good and I need all this," and it's like, the doctor is just gonna give you medicine and just gonna give you, um, or cut you open if you're really unlucky. And, um, really all of that is preventable. Most, in most cases it's preventable. So I'm really excited about that. And so anyway, what I was saying is if you are interested and inspired to do any, to feel your best, or you care about the planet. How about the planet? I mean, Google seems very interested in the environment. And I don't know if you guys know this, but, you know, to produce one pound of beef, one 16-ounce steak, it requires the amount of water that could shower you for six months. That's crazy time. You know, I, I really save water, but six months showering water for one piece of meat? Like, that's a big deal. And the amount of oil we're using. We're using 20 to 28 b-b-billion gallons of oil a year alone in America for our, our meat consumption, so for beef. So that's an insane amount of oil. So when you're looking at trying to restore our planet, um, and the precious resources that we're just dwindling away, the coal, like I said, the water, the oil, the rainforest, it's pretty much out of control. So if you're in- concerned about the environment or you care about the environment, what I've done in the book is each, I have four nasty categories of food, and those foods, you go through each of them. We say why it's nasty to you, you know, health-wise, why it's nasty to the planet, and then why it's nasty to all the other creatures, and we just go through each of those things. And then you go through the kind foods and talk about what foods are not only not nasty, but actually nourishing you, and this is the way we used to eat. This isn't, like, a new thing. What-- all of this is just taking you back to your ancestors' way of eating. It's a more natural, more simple, more delicious, um, way of eating, and it's eating with purpose 'cause you have to ha- it's your fuel. It's like buying a beautiful Porsche and then shoving it with, like, the worst fuel ever. That's what we're all doing most of the time, and you need to be prote- you to protect yourself, and so you can feel your best. Um, so I go through that, and then I give it... It's a very easy how-to book. It gives you step by step how to do it, and

Alicia Silverstone 17:31 there's three different plans. You can be a flirt if you want to, which means no commitment. You don't have to get married. You're just trying it on. You know, you can date your local vegetarian restaurant. You can date some new recipes in the book. Just see how you feel, and start adding the good foods and ridding yourself of the bad foods and then knowing that it's not all or nothing. So the more good choices you make, the better off you'll be. You'll feel better. You'll notice a difference, and the planet will thank you. And if, um, and then if that, you know, after doing that flirting thing for 30 days, if you wanted to, you could move on to, uh, the next section, which is more committed- ... gonna try this. And then when you're doing that, if you fall off, it's okay. You just get back on. I think this all, this whole all or nothing approach really allows us to do nothing, you know? [laughs] And it's a good excuse, but if we keep trying, like call it maybe you wanna be an aspiring vegetarian. You're just gonna try to move in that direction, or maybe you just wanna stay a flirt forever, but you keep adding and being open. So it's really just about opening and softening your h- what this diet will do also is soften your heart and make you feel more grounded and connected to the universe and not have anxiety and feel really purposeful, and that's m- those are magical things. So, and there's magical foods in the book. I go through foods that are literally magical and how they affect you and what they can do for you. And there's frequently asked questions, so all your nutritional needs are 100% met in here, and we just tell you exactly what you need and ex- and, and how to answer all those questions about iron and calcium and all those things that you might be concerned about, omega-3s, B12, everything is addressed in here. But the bottom line is you don't need supplements when you eat well. The only supplement you need on this diet, if you do this diet, is a B12 supplement 'cause we have, um, depleted our soil so much that there's no good bacteria in it anymore. We clean things so well that we don't have the good bacteria, and B12 is, lives in bacteria, and so when you eat meat, it lives in the organs of the animals, so that's kinda gross. And, um, [laughs] and

Alicia Silverstone 19:32 but that's where you're getting it. So there's a vegetarian form that us- we used to get from the soil. [lips smack] Um, and so when I'm making food from the garden, if there's a little dirt on it, I leave it on because I figure, yay, bacteria. Yay, B12. Um, 'cause I know that everything was cool in that garden. But I don't do that when friends come over. It's only for me. Um, [laughs] so don't worry. But, um, anyway, I think that's everything that I cover. Oh, and then there's this amazing website that I have up and running right now called thekindlife.com, and that is for anyone who's curious, wants to know more, wants to engage with a community. It's kind of like a, you know, it's a community basically for you to engage with other people who are interested and curious, and people come on and say, "I've just been doing it for three days and it's amazing," or, "I need help," or whatever your deal is, and there's all kinds of people helping each other. And it's pretty exciting, and we're constantly updating it with new information as it comes, and all my groovy-- I find all kinds of amazing products. I'm obs- I really love, um, you know, m- good makeup products and hair and makeup stuff and, um, all the things that you could possibly need, but in an environmentally sound, cruelty-free manner that happens to also be delicious or fabulous. So that's what we're putting on the site, [lips smack] like clothing and stuff like that. Um, I think that's everything. If you guys have any questions, I'd love to answer them.

Speaker 20:56 There's a mic right here.

Alicia Silverstone 20:57 [laughs]

Speaker 21:02 The, uh, hair and nails getting stronger that you mentioned, is that vitamin K?

Alicia Silverstone 21:06 [laughs]

Speaker 21:06 Which I understand vegetables tend to have a lot of.

Alicia Silverstone 21:08 Well-

Speaker 21:08 Or green vegetables at least.

Alicia Silverstone 21:09 Well, some people say that the, um, the white marks are calcium marks. I didn't even talk about the mount- the marks. You know those white marks you get on?

Speaker 21:16 Yeah.

Alicia Silverstone 21:16 And some people say, "Oh, it's a lack of calcium." And then other people, a more macrobiotic approach... Oh, by the way, the macrobiotics, I just want to say one thing 'cause I just remembered, sorry. That in the book, I make, I, I sort of, I don't, uh, we have a superhero diet if you decide you wanna be a superhero, if you're already veggie or you've already gone through the steps and you wanna get there. The superhero thing is, like, the ter- the ultimate, and I've call it that and not macrobiotics because macrobiotics can be complicated for some people, so this is like the z- the CliffsNotes, all-you-need-to-know version for now, unless you wanna go further. But anyway, in macrobiotics, they say it's sugar. So most people say it's calcium. Macrobiotics say it's sugar. Either way, they're all gone. That I know. So, um, I think that if it is the calcium, it's because you're suddenly eating so many leafy greens and you're eating a lot of, um, seaweed, which has massive amounts of calcium. But maybe it's vitamin K2, and I'm not familiar.

Speaker 22:07 Okay. Also, it seems like you've said there's a lot of synergy between what's good for you and what's good for the earth.

Alicia Silverstone 22:11 Yeah.

Speaker 22:11 Other than the B12, are there any, like, conflicts or foods that are really one and not the other?

Alicia Silverstone 22:16 No, that's the beautiful thing. It's amazing to me. It, that's the thing that moves me so much, that the same thing that is healing the planet is healing our bodies and also healing the animals. Like, what an amazing thing. Mother Nature took care of everything at the same time.

Speaker 22:31 Okay. Do you think there's, like, an evolutionary reason for that or-

Alicia Silverstone 22:34 I do. I mean, Einstein said so. Um, [laughs] and I do. I think that this is, I think this is naturally the way we were. I think that people were not so, um, gluttonous and trying to get theirs, and while you're trying to get yours, you're missing out on everything, you know? And I feel like this convenience thing, this sort of moving... I mean, there's some things that are really make m- wonderful that are convenient, but some things are just so overwhelming and distracting. Like, at first email was so awesome, but now it's like-

Speaker 23:03 [laughs]

Alicia Silverstone 23:03 ... swallowing me. I don't know what, I c- I need help to get out of the, like, how do you have boundaries with email, you know? [laughs] And so it's a similar thing with the food. We've made all these things so convenient, and we're just destroying everything. So, you know, all your grandparents m- tend to be so inspired when you kinda come with your glass jar. They're like, "I used to do that." You know?

Speaker 23:24 Thank you.

Alicia Silverstone 23:25 Thank you.

Speaker 23:25 Oh, and try Gmail filters.

Alicia Silverstone 23:26 Gmail filters.

Speaker 23:27 [laughs]

Alicia Silverstone 23:27 Okay, I will. Thank you. [laughs]

Speaker 23:30 [laughs]

Alicia Silverstone 23:30 I'm just becoming technical s- technically savvy, so I'm m- I'm, I'm very far away from getting there, but thank you. [laughs] Yes?

Speaker 23:37 Um, I feel like eating is a really big part of socializing in our society.

Alicia Silverstone 23:40 Yeah.

Speaker 23:40 Um, so do you have any advice for, like, reconciling that with family and friends who just don't understand this way of life?

Alicia Silverstone 23:45 Yeah. Well, I go into that in extreme detail in the book because that has been my journey for, for sure, and eating with family in-laws and, I guess that's called in-laws, right? Um, [laughs] and, um, and, uh, and just eating with friends over the years. Yeah, I found really easy ways to deal with it. Some of those ways are, you know, just taking, making it fun and light 'cause when I first went this way, you know, I wanted to scream. When you read this information, it's like I just wanted to run around screaming at everybody, "Fire." You know? [laughs] Like, 'cause it is. There's a huge fire, [laughs] and it's like you want everybody to know what's going on and- But I realize nobody wants-- nobody really listens to you when you are [laughs] screaming fire. So, I just found that the best thing for me was to take care of myself and feel my best, and really keep it, mind my own business and keep contributing to the world in the way that I know how, and keep improving upon my own choices. Every time a, a new choice presents itself that I could make a better choice, I do. And, um, and in that process, people just come to you and they ask you, and they wanna know. So, so family members who I used to try and tell them, now I don't tell them anything, and they're just like, "I wanna know everything." And you're like, "Okay, just calm down. I'll tell you, or just read the book." Um, [laughs] so, so it's really-- there's a lot of ways to socialize. And there's also way-- I mean, I go through it all. It's suggesting to your friends, like, "Hey, can we go here? This would be really fun." You know, so we're kind of in more neutral territory. Or just going there and eating delic- finding the best things for yourself at that place. And then Thanksgiving. But basically, it's like chapter, so I don't wanna bore you right now with that. But yes, it's all there. And this community will help you with that too, the Kind Life community, 'cause they have great ideas and tips for all over, all over America and all over the world.

Speaker 25:30 Thank you.

Alicia Silverstone 25:30 Thank you.

Speaker 25:32 Hi.

Alicia Silverstone 25:33 Hi.

Speaker 25:33 Um, so spending lots of time with some of my friends who enjoy raw food, and we go out to eat, I've often found that sometimes it's a little bit expensive.

Alicia Silverstone 25:41 Yeah.

Speaker 25:41 And unfortunately, as the structure's set up now, it's like, maybe a pound of chicken is way cheaper than-

Alicia Silverstone 25:46 Yeah

Speaker 25:46 ... a pound of apples. So how do you kind of reach out to the population that might not be able to afford this lifestyle?

Alicia Silverstone 25:51 Oh, it's a great, great question, and I actually s- I'm so happy you asked that. First of all, financially, um, well, I wanna talk about raw too, but financially, this is really, um... It doesn't have to be more expensive. If you're gonna go eat, like, at fancy raw food restaurants, yeah. But, and I actually am not a, a huge proponent of the raw food thing, which I'll explain to you why in a second. But, but, um, but basically, you know, the poorer people of our communities used to always be the healthiest, because they ate local, fresh, um, fruits and vegetables, grains, and beans. And the fat people were the kings. You know, the rich kings were always the fat ones 'cause they were eating all kinds of meat. So you-- it's a very interesting indication of where health lies. And so, you don't have to have a lot of money to eat this way. And y- basically, if you, if you follow The Kind Life, the things that are the most expensive in this book are the desserts, [laughs] because I don't like sugar. But I al- I also explain to you that you can use sugar if you-- if budget is the issue, you can use sugar. I just can't in good faith tell you to have it, 'cause it's not good for you. But there are alternatives, and there's cheaper al- you know, the ones that are really expensive is like the maple crystals, which is like maple syrup turned into like, uh, you know, like a granulated powder. Um, that's the more expensive ingredients. But buying Earth Balance butter instead of regular butter, it might be a little bit more expensive, but that tub's gonna last you forever. And when you're buying Vegenaise instead of mayonnaise, which are-- these are like, you have to get these ingredients 'cause they're so great. It might be a dollar more or something, but it-- I, I don't even know the price difference, but I know it's not a lot. And I know that where you really save your money is doctor visits. I don't go to the doctor. Prescriptions and time off work. [laughs] You know? You have so much more energy that you get more out of your life. So if, if, if you're-- I think after living this-- and by the way, steak is way more expensive than beans and rice. You can feed your family on beans and rice for very inexpensive. But, um, but I'm, I also give you much more interesting and exciting recipes than just beans and rice, so that's why it can kind of level out. But you can do this on any kind of budget that you want. You can do it really cheap, and you can do it at more fancy level, buying truffle oil and going crazy. Um, and buying things in bulk makes a big difference, or sharing with friends and buying in bulk, 'cause that's also better for the planet. But ultimately, you're gonna save on life force. That's big price to pay. And, um, you're gonna sa- uh, so if your grocery bill ends up being the same, you gain more. I actually think it ends up saving you money on your life. And, um, in terms of raw, the reason I ended up moving away from raw was because, like I said, I was looking-- I don't think it's absolutely the most sus- I l- if you love raw, fantastic.

Speaker 28:32 Mm-hmm.

Alicia Silverstone 28:32 But for me, I think it's very difficult to ask someone who's used to eating steak to suddenly convert to, like, Sun Burger. Do you know what I mean? Like, I feel like let's transition people in a direction. And also, I think it's m- macrobiotics is so ancient, and it's such an amazing thing from China and Japan, and they, they just have a way of looking at the body and going, "What's going on with your eyes?" It's very diagnostic. It's really scientific. So it's different than raw food, which is a beautiful concept, but isn't really actually healing specifically your organs. And, you know, um, and I also feel like raw food, it's like blenders and, like, dehydration, and that energy just feels kinda like this to me a little bit. Like, and, um, whereas macrobiotics is really balanced and really rooted and really about healing on a global level. So for me, that's the direction that I sort of... And also, by the way, it cleared my skin up and made me skinnier, so I, duh, like that better. Whereas raw food, I was kind of like, you know, pumping out a little 'cause I was eating nuts and it's so extreme. So much nuts, so much fruit, so much, um, you know, honey and agave and all these things. So I, I just felt a little bit unbalanced.

Speaker 29:43 Thank you.

Alicia Silverstone 29:43 Thank you.

Speaker 29:46 Thanks so much for coming.

Alicia Silverstone 29:47 Thank you.

Speaker 29:47 I totally agree with your mission. I've been vegetarian for 10 years.

Alicia Silverstone 29:50 Yay.

Speaker 29:50 I stopped wearing leather this year, which was the last step.

Alicia Silverstone 29:53 Mm-hmm.

Speaker 29:54 Um, my question is, sometimes when I go to restaurants where I travel, I end up eating really weird random food that's probably not that healthy for me.

Alicia Silverstone 30:01 Yeah.

Speaker 30:01 Say, you know, if you go to Asia, there's fish sauce in everything. If, or if you go to a steakhouse, there's You know, a salad with no protein. Uh, I was wondering if you had any recommendations for traveling or restaurants in the US.

Alicia Silverstone 30:13 For sure. So, in the book, again, I do go through, in detail, how to eat out, how to go travel. And what I do is I go to happycow.com wherever I go. I was just in Paris, and I expected, you know, how am I gonna eat in Paris? It's all cheese and foie gras. Like, what am I gonna eat? But, um, there were amazing little veggie places all over the place, and they were adorable, and they weren't hard to find. It's, it's kind of everywhere when you start to look for it, so you just have to do a little planning. And so, I go in this-- In the book, I describe this whole thing that I talk about planning for the next day, because once you make it your priority, which clearly you have, but, you know, for all of us who are so busy. I mean, I don't-- I'm so busy, I don't even know. I wish there were, like, 10 of me to, like, be able to do what I'm being asked to do, but... And I'm sure everybody can relate to that feeling. So, but I found that I can't be good at anything I do if I don't eat well, so I have to make that my first priority. And I, I really discovered that through macrobiotics, 'cause I used to sort of just, like, you know, be running around trying to fi-figure it out on the go. And it's like, rather than-- I'd rather not watch that show on TV or make plans to do this one thing and just take like 10 minutes before I go to bed and go, "Where am I gonna be for breakfast? Where am I gonna be for lunch? Where am I gonna be for dinner, and how do I get the best choice for myself possible?" So, when I'm traveling, I make things like my Rice Krispie treats, which I bring, like in, to London. I make, like, a big batch, and they sit in my suitcase so that if I'm on the go and I need something really quickly, I have it. I also bring miso paste, really good quality miso paste. So I had this morning, 'cause I didn't get to have breakfast and I was coming here. So, I had, like, my little miso paste and some hot water. It just sort of-- Just so you know, miso is one of those magical foods. Not the kind you get at a regular Japanese restaurant, 'cause they put a bunch of junk in it, but the kind you get at the whole food store. It's just trad-- It's, like, pure miso paste, and it's, like, loaded with enzymes, loaded, um... It's like an, a natural immune booster. It's good for your immune system and almost like a natural antibiotic. It just does wonders for your body. So, I like to have that when I'm traveling, um, as a quickie. And I bring-- And sometimes I bring, like, I bring nori. I love to bring nori with me. That way, if I have leftovers, I can always wrap my leftovers in my nori, and that is, makes everything delicious. Nori is the best thing on Earth, those sheets of nori that you get at a sushi restaurant. Um, so yeah, it's really, really manageable. And, and this community will also dial into you. You can say, "Oh, I'm going to Alabama. I don't know where in the world I'm gonna eat," and somebody in Alabama will come on, and you, you can say, "I'm going to Alabama. Can you help me out?" And somebody will come on and go, "I live in Alabama. You gotta go here." You know what I mean? So, it's out there.

Speaker 32:44 Thank you.

Alicia Silverstone 32:44 Yeah.

Speaker 32:45 Hi.

Alicia Silverstone 32:46 Hi.

Speaker 32:46 Um, I wanted to first thank you so much for coming.

Alicia Silverstone 32:48 Aw.

Speaker 32:49 I, I'm the biggest fan. I love and own Clueless, et cetera.

Alicia Silverstone 32:52 Aw. [laughs]

Speaker 32:52 But, um [laughs] ...

Alicia Silverstone 32:54 Thank you.

Speaker 32:56 But, um, Alex is one of my good friends. She's obviously been a vegetarian for a long time. I'm a convert, at least, to pescatarianism five months ago-

Alicia Silverstone 33:04 Nice

Speaker 33:04 ... today. Um, but one of the big things, i-for me at least, is exercise, and I wanted to find out for you, you know, they always say diet and exercise. How has-- Have you changed your exercise, or what do you do to be healthy, not just from an eating standpoint?

Alicia Silverstone 33:18 Well, the amazing thing about The Kind Diet is it's so flexible. So, it's like, if you love exercise, you can keep exercising. If you hate exercise, you don't have to. Like, this diet, when I was on-- When I first started doing, um... I mean, like I said, I, I lost weight from going vegan, and then I lost weight from doing, like, the macro thing even more, and I never had to, um, I never had to exercise in that process. Whereas before I was doing this diet, I had to exercise a lot, and people were always harassing me to exercise. They were like, "You have to do this much, and you have to do this thing." And I-- It was just so un-fun, you know? And, um, so for me, exercise has become something that I've slowly learned to appreciate, but for me. Not to appease anyone, not to get to a certain goal, but just more like, my husband's really taught me that sweating feels good. I mean, that sounds really weird. [audience laughs] Sorry. I don't mean it like that. But I mean [laughs] but I-- That was really weird. But I mean, um, he always was saying, like, "I bet you'd really like to run or, like, you know, spin or whatever, and swim." And I was like, "Ugh," you know? And then, um, but over time, I do really love those things. I don't h-- I don't make as mu-- I make my number one priority my food, and exercise comes after that. But I often don't real-- My work comes before exercise, so I feel-- Not, it probably shouldn't, according to husband. But in terms of, like, you know, my life and my priorities, if I eat well, I don't have to worry, and that's the amazing thing to me. 'Cause I see people in the gym, and I th-- and I, I'm kind of-- I hate gyms, so I don't like that. But I go to, like, a spin place sometimes, and I see these women who come in day after day, and they're not getting slimmer, and their skin still looks gray, and they don't have a glow to them. And so, they're working out like maniacs, but nothing's happening 'cause they still eat the cheese, they still eat the dai- uh, the meat, all those things that are clogging their organs. So, like, maybe it's keeping them from being, like, 400 pounds or something, but it's not really doing the magic they want it to do for them. So, I think you don't have to exercise. It depends on your thing. If you wanna be an a-- I mean, in the book, there's all kinds of amazing athletes that, you know, um, ha-have done this because they wanna have better performance. So, this works for athletes, and it works for a person who hates exercise and really doesn't wanna do it. So, you can kind of use it however you want to. Um, I do think that we all need to walk more, you know? I think we all need to, like, walk, and ideally with your feet, bare feet, like, feel the Earth and feel the grass and, you know, enjoy what this Earth has. Um, but, uh, even just tennis shoes work, too, if you can't walk on grass, [laughs] um, 'cause there's not a lot of grass anywhere. But, um, you know, getting a good walk feels great, so that's what I kind of do.

Speaker 36:04 Thank you.

Alicia Silverstone 36:04 Yeah. And dancing and yoga and anything you feel like.

Speaker 36:10 Hello. Uh, I wanna thank you for coming.

Alicia Silverstone 36:12 Thank you.

Speaker 36:13 And, um, I wanted to ask you about these, like... I, I don't know, have you heard of, like, Medifast?

Alicia Silverstone 36:19 Medifast? I don't think I have.

Speaker 36:21 So it's, it's one of these programs where you, um, y- you know, you sign up and, and you, you, you buy their food, you know. And, and, and you, you go in, like, three times a day and get, get weighed or whatever. And, and you, and you stay on their program for quite a while. And, and, you know, then, like, after a year you can lose 75 or 100 pounds. Um, I just wanted to ask you about that 'cause I, 'cause I know people that have done Medifast-

Alicia Silverstone 36:47 Mm-hmm

Speaker 36:48 ... and, like, um, they lost 75 pounds over a year.

Alicia Silverstone 36:53 Yeah.

Speaker 36:53 And then they, they moved, and they, they got off of Medifast, and then they, um, they gained it all back.

Alicia Silverstone 37:01 Yeah.

Speaker 37:02 And yeah, uh, y- and you know, it's, it's ... You have to buy their prepackaged food, you know, and you blend it, you know, and you, you drink their-

Alicia Silverstone 37:10 That sounds-

Speaker 37:10 ... their shakes five times a day, and then you have, like, one meal a day.

Alicia Silverstone 37:12 I don't like the sound of that.

Speaker 37:13 But-

Alicia Silverstone 37:14 [laughs]

Speaker 37:15 [laughs]

Speaker 37:15 ... um, yeah, I just wanted to ask, you know-

Alicia Silverstone 37:18 Yeah

Speaker 37:18 ... like, 'cause, 'cause this person now, you know, I know them and, and they wanna lose their weight again, you know.

Alicia Silverstone 37:23 Yeah.

Speaker 37:23 And they're thinking about getting on one of these Medifast programs again-

Alicia Silverstone 37:26 Yeah

Speaker 37:26 ... where they lose the weight, but-

Alicia Silverstone 37:27 Well, I'd recommend-

Speaker 37:28 So I was just wondering what-

Alicia Silverstone 37:29 Mm-hmm

Speaker 37:29 ... what, what to tell them to-

Alicia Silverstone 37:30 Yeah

Speaker 37:30 ... uh, help them, uh-

Alicia Silverstone 37:32 Yeah. So what I'd recommend is that they read this.

Speaker 37:34 Okay.

Alicia Silverstone 37:34 Because this will free them for that, that brain thing of like... I mean, the whole idea of going somewhere where they weigh you three times a day, did you say? Did I just make that up?

Speaker 37:41 Three times a week.

Alicia Silverstone 37:42 Oh, three times a week.

Speaker 37:42 Or whatever, yeah.

Alicia Silverstone 37:42 That doesn't sound very good either. And then the whole blending thing constantly and the sh- the pro- the processed ... It doesn't sound like real food. And sure, I don't know what the, is in there, but I know that the real food is what we're looking for. It's to get people back to eating nourishing, delicious, real food. And if it takes a little bit of time, just a little bit, to make that effort to find it or make it yourself, um, it's worth it. And then you don't have to be on a diet ever again, and you can go to France and you can go to Italy, and you can go wherever you want in the world and be free and not have to have your little Medifast shake. You know what I mean? Yeah. Thank you.

Speaker 38:22 Thanks, Alicia. Um, I wanted to say that, um, uh, as someone who got a copy of your book and, and, uh, bought one and, and went through some of the recipes, uh, it was so much fun to just sort of explore parts of the grocery store that I never really knew existed.

Speaker 38:39 [laughs]

Speaker 38:40 Um, uh, asking the people there, the, the people that worked in the store sort of if they know about these products and sort of having them investigate too, 'cause they actually also didn't know that these-

Alicia Silverstone 38:50 [laughs]

Speaker 38:50 ... products existed. Um, but the, the greatest thing I think about the book, and maybe you can speak to this too, is just sort of how, uh, it can be a project.

Alicia Silverstone 39:01 Yeah.

Speaker 39:01 And just sort of a collaborative thing with friends to do on a Sunday afternoon. Get some friends together and, uh, cook some things, like maybe your, uh, peach cobbler. I told you about that earlier.

Alicia Silverstone 39:10 Yeah.

Speaker 39:10 Um, but it's so awesome. It's so tasty. And-

Alicia Silverstone 39:15 Mm

Speaker 39:15 ... I would never have known that it didn't contain butter or any other dairy or anything fattening in it.

Alicia Silverstone 39:21 Yeah.

Speaker 39:21 So it was pretty incredible.

Alicia Silverstone 39:23 Yay.

Speaker 39:23 It's better than, like, a, a diet book that I've tried that kinda makes you feel, I don't know, cheap, like you're, you're, you're skimping out on something. This doesn't feel like that, so-

Alicia Silverstone 39:32 Oh, good

Speaker 39:33 ... just wanted to speak it to that, or if you have any comments.

Alicia Silverstone 39:35 Well, thanks. And I think that the ingredients that you're talking about maybe are, like, umeboshi vinegar, which for some of you might be familiar. Maybe your moms had it or... But it's, um, umebosh- Is that, was that what you were looking for, or?

Speaker 39:47 It was, like, kuzu-

Alicia Silverstone 39:48 Oh, kuzu. Okay

Speaker 39:49 ... and shoyu.

Alicia Silverstone 39:49 So kuzu, and shoyu is really-

Speaker 39:51 Right.

Alicia Silverstone 39:51 What shoyu is, is it's soy sauce. We all know what soy sauce is.

Speaker 39:54 Mm-hmm.

Alicia Silverstone 39:55 But shoyu's just a cleaner version of it, so it's not with all the yucky stuff in it. And, um, and, uh, and kuzu is a seaweed that, um... Well, no, sorry, agar-agar is a seaweed. Kuzu is a seaweed too, isn't it? I can't even remember. Let me see.

Speaker 40:10 [laughs]

Alicia Silverstone 40:10 Um, have to look it up.

Speaker 40:11 I know it's a-

Alicia Silverstone 40:11 I'm pretty sure it's a seaweed

Speaker 40:12 ... it's a thickener of some kind.

Alicia Silverstone 40:13 Yeah, but it's, um, it looks like crack. It's really awesome. [laughs]

Speaker 40:17 [laughs]

Alicia Silverstone 40:17 I wanna show you a picture of it. Kuzu's this amazing-

Speaker 40:20 It, it does come in little plastic baggies. I do, I did see that.

Alicia Silverstone 40:22 It does. [laughs]

Speaker 40:22 That's true.

Alicia Silverstone 40:23 It does. Okay, look. This is kuzu.

Speaker 40:24 [laughs]

Speaker 40:26 [laughs]

Alicia Silverstone 40:26 Doesn't it look like pow- you know?

Speaker 40:27 [laughs]

Alicia Silverstone 40:28 But what it, but it, um, it's so good for you, kuzu. It really is. It's not crack, I promise.

Speaker 40:34 [laughs]

Alicia Silverstone 40:34 Um, but it's so good for you. And, um, but it's, it's in the macrobiotic section, so you might have to, like, move over to the macrobiotic section. Um, but even in, like, regular grocery stores these days, like Ralphs and things, there's this amazing new product called Gardein.

Speaker 40:50 Mm-hmm.

Alicia Silverstone 40:50 It's not that new, but he's m- developing newer, um, products, and he has this, you know, fake chicken. But it's not fake, like processed, gross chicken. He uses quinoa and, um, all kinds of great things, but somehow it turns into this amazing chicken breast thing.

Speaker 41:04 Mm-hmm.

Alicia Silverstone 41:04 And my husband's been making it, grilling the, um, um, sautéing the chicken cut up with, um, onions and then putting it on these pizzas. This is for when he w- I try not to have this kind of food around me too often 'cause I'll go crazy. But it's really yummy for if you have ki- well, you guys don't have kids. But you know, I mean, maybe you do.

Speaker 41:22 Well.

Alicia Silverstone 41:22 Um, [laughs] I don't know. But, um, but kids and husbands and whatever, um, because it's just fun food. So it's Amy's makes these amazing frozen pizzas, and she makes them with no cheese, and they're, like, whole wheat spelt crusts and things like that. And you can take the, the roasted vegetable Amy's pizza and put this chicken that is from Gardein with grilled onions, and then you, on top, and he adds more cheese, too, from Earth- Um, there's a few great new cheeses out there, but Follow Your Heart makes really a great one. And, and, uh, and then, uh, he makes a milkshake on the side with, like, you know, rice milk and things like that. And, um, ice cream and, not regular ice cream, but Rice Dream ice cream. And they're delicious.

Speaker 42:01 Mm-hmm.

Alicia Silverstone 42:01 So it's, you can do so many great things, and I'm so glad that you're loving the recipes. And I'm glad that you feel like it's a project. That's how I feel.

Speaker 42:08 Mm-hmm.

Alicia Silverstone 42:08 I feel like everywhere I go is an adventure.

Speaker 42:11 Yeah.

Alicia Silverstone 42:11 And I love engaging with the waiters at restaurants and saying, "What would make you sad if I didn't have while I was here?" And sometimes they're like, "I don't wanna talk to you at all," and they just look at you like you're the most annoying person ever. And sometimes they're so excited, and they're like, "Oh my God, you have to get this." And then you're engaging in a fun conversation with someone. So- I really think of it, life as a big adventure and project, so taking the effort to take care of myself and the planet and these creatures all at the same time is so much fun and it's such a pleasure. And putting something in the compost bin thrills me at h- we have a compost at home, and you know, seeing the lizard that wait, Larry the lizard, who waits for us every day on our compost bin thing. I believe it's the same guy, it might not be, but we like to believe he is, looking up at me, like it's so much fun. And, um, so yeah, I think it's all really exciting and I'm so glad you feel that way.

Speaker 42:58 Thanks.

Alicia Silverstone 42:59 Thanks.

Speaker 43:01 Hi.

Alicia Silverstone 43:01 Hi.

Speaker 43:01 I was wondering if you could talk a little bit about, uh, you know, why and how you decided to kinda make a transition in your career to focus so much on this stuff as, uh, as both a spokesperson to write the book and, um, and what are your plans, you know, in the, in the future with this?

Alicia Silverstone 43:17 Um, well, you know, I became famous when I was really young, and it was really scary and weird and freaky. And I wanted to isol- I kinda got really isolated, and I had these passions that were starting to grow about all this stuff, and it was just a way for me to foc- to s- to s- kind of ... I was just called. Like, I felt like this was more important than everything I was experiencing. So in some ways I kind of, you know, turned away from what was happening, but I hope I can, um, you know, it's sort of like this ... I never wa- I was always sort of being restrained from talking about this. It was often like, "Stop talking about the..." [laughs] Like, you know, 'cause it was sort of like that's all I wanted to talk about. And, but I think now that I'm a woman and I really know what I'm talking about, and I really know from experience of this being for so long, the decision to write the book was that all these, I'd helped all these people. I have a lot of friends who couldn't poo, you know, they were like constipated, and they, they didn't poo for days. And I was like, "You have to be pooing every day."

Speaker 44:24 [laughs]

Alicia Silverstone 44:25 It's pa- terrible. And so when you change their diet, suddenly they're going to the bathroom every day, and sometimes twice and three times.

Speaker 44:31 [laughs]

Alicia Silverstone 44:32 So, so I saw such great results, and I also had a fr- not from, I wasn't like studying their thing, but you know what I mean.

Speaker 44:39 [laughs]

Alicia Silverstone 44:39 So, and then I had other friends who had ovarian cysts, and it, there was this one girl who had ovarian cysts and she was gonna have to have surgery in one month, and I was like, "Can I please just have this month of yours?" Like, "You're gonna have your surgery, but just let's see what happens in this month." She did it, and after that month when she went to the doctors, they checked and she didn't have to have them. They were already shrinking. So it was, when you see those kinds of results firsthand, like I know those are happening to people all over the world. Like, you know, all the doctors I mentioned who are curing heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, and all these things, I knew that was happening. But when my little hands are able to be connected to that and help people, that's unbelievable feeling. Um, it's so remarkable. It blows my mind. And, um, so, uh, they kept telling me, "You have to write a book." And every time I'd give them my information, it kinda came in this big pamphlet or it was sort of like this big epic file on the computer. And finally, one particular person was like, "You need to write a book right now. Like, stop this nonsense. Stop kind of like spending all this..." I was spending so much energy as an activist for so long helping so many different people, but it was so exhausting and not organized. This is an organized sense of, and I can reach more people. And so that's really what I'm doing. But I've been doing, even though you haven't seen me in film, I've been doing plays for... I love the theater and I kind of went back to the root of what it all was so I could play again, and I found why I wanted to be actor in the first pla- 'cause I started to hate acting, and I found that I love acting and I love theater, and that's really what I wanna do. So I wanna be in movies too, but I've just been doing a bunch of theater. And so I did David Mamet plays. He directed me in a play that's fantastic. David Mamet's a genius. I'm doing Donald Margulies' play and I'm doing a play on Broadway this year with Laura Linney. And so I'm gonna continue to act and I'm gonna continue to ins- hopefully help change the world with this book and the website. And I, um, also made these, um, pro- these bags that are really cool, that are gonna be at Target and Walmart and places like that, that are totally environmentally sound. They're made with recycled PET. They're basically cosmetic bags that are made with hemp, recycled PET, and vegetable dyes, and then they're makeup brushes that are all beautiful and they feel really good, and they're made with bamboo and recycled metal. So we're trying to just create wherever we see a n- I, wherever I see a need, I'm trying to fill it as best I can in my little way, and that's kinda what I'm doing.

Speaker 46:56 Mm-hmm. Thank you.

Alicia Silverstone 46:57 Thanks. [laughs]

Speaker 46:58 Second question. Um, so, uh, we at Google are very lucky because we have chefs that make us incredible food.

Alicia Silverstone 47:05 Yeah.

Speaker 47:05 Uh, everyday vegetarian, so friendly-

Alicia Silverstone 47:08 Yeah

Speaker 47:08 ... and meat also.

Alicia Silverstone 47:09 Yeah.

Speaker 47:09 Um, I just was curious what you thought about the food here, and if you had talked to any of our chefs.

Alicia Silverstone 47:15 Yeah, I did. I loved Elizabeth. She's so sweet. And, um, she was the chef over at, uh, Slice. And she, I loved that you had coconut water. That was fun. Although, I do think like still it's traveling a long way to get here. We don't have coconuts growing here. But, um, [laughs] but it's a fun treat, so I had one 'cause it's delicious. And, um, I mean, I don't know if you've ever had coconut water, but it is tasty. And, um, and then I had those little energy bars which were really yummy as a ca- I would think that would be a dessert or a s- snack. Um, and, uh, she made some recipes for my book that were delicious, so [laughs] I could tell you that. The arame turnovers are amazing. And, um, arame's a really important seaweed to get into your life if you can get it in, and so I'm sure if you ask her to continue making the arame turnovers, she would here. They're so good for you. And, um, try and get some seaweed in your life. It's good. I like the food here. It was really good. I mean, I would love, I was talking to the guys and it would be so amazing if I, you know, they have that sort of art piece project of how the food is, the, there's that one vending machine where there's the stuff and it shows you kind of how much it would cost. It's the one place you have to pay. But that kind of inspired me to think, wouldn't it be amazing if here at Google you guys had all your plant-based food for free, and then you did the actual cost of what it actually costs environmentally, for your health, and all that for all the other products, so that you can make that choice, and it would make everybody a lot healthier.

Speaker 48:39 Awesome. Well, well, Alicia, thank you very much for speaking with-

Alicia Silverstone 48:42 Thank you

Speaker 48:42 ... us today. It was an awesome talk.

Alicia Silverstone 48:43 Thank you.

Speaker 48:44 Thank you very much.

Alicia Silverstone 48:45 Thanks so much. [laughs]

Speaker 48:49 [applause]