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Good nutrition is the basis for healthy living, and the key element is simple: Whole plant foods. These foods best meet our nutritional needs. They have the power to heal us and sustain a healthy and vibrant life.
A diet high in animal-based and highly processed foods makes people sick and overweight. But many of these sicknesses can be prevented, halted, and often reversed by eating a whole-food, plant-based diet. There is medical proof. There is living proof.
My goal is to provide motivation, practical guidance and a support system to profoundly improve people’s lives.
I believe . . .
Letting food be your medicine is the smartest step you can take to ensure excellent health for a lifetime.
Americans are sick, tired, and over medicated. Current research on plant-based, whole-food health shows the effectiveness of including more plants in the diet because of the role they play in combating chronic and preventable disease, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
1. “I need to drink milk to have strong bones.”
Many people equate dairy with calcium, strong bones, and the prevention of osteoporosis (low bone density). Generations of advertising slogans have perpetuated this idea. However, dairy isn’t the answer here. Studies show that dairy products may actually increase the risk of fractures related to osteoporosis!
The biological purpose of cow’s milk is to support the rapid growth of a calf. Humans have no nutritional or medical needs to consume the milk of cows or any other nonhuman species. Cow’s milk naturally contains female hormones, and can contain antibiotics, pesticides, saturated fat, and cholesterol — substances that definitely do NOT do a body good! Dairy has been specifically linked with prostate, ovarian, and uterine cancer, as well as heart disease and early death.
The best sources of calcium come from the earth, in foods such as kale, broccoli, bok choy, and Brussels sprouts. As a bonus, these vegetables are high in vitamin K, which is also important for strong bones. (Some greens, such as spinach and Swiss chard, are high in calcium but the calcium is not well absorbed due to the high oxalate content of these foods.) Fortified plant milk and calcium-set tofu are other good sources of calcium.
2. “I can’t eat carbs.”
Many people are mistakenly led to believe they should avoid carbohydrates, particularly for weight management and diabetes control. Instead, they focus on proteins—especially animal proteins—and fats. Sadly, this approach actually increases the risk of chronic disease and death, and it deprives people of the numerous nutrients found in carbohydrate-containing foods.
It is true, however, that not all carbohydrate-rich foods are created equal. Refined, highly processed carbohydrates can raise triglycerides, promote weight gain, and drive up blood sugar. On the other hand, starches that come from whole grains bring fiber, essential fatty acids, B vitamins, zinc, and protein, and other essential nutrients into our diets and provide an excellent source of energy. Beans, lentils, peas, starchy vegetables, and fruits are other healthy carbohydrate sources. Balancing these foods with non-starchy vegetables is an optimal way to eat for weight loss, diabetes control, and reversal of heart disease.
You don’t need to shop at a gourmet health food store to find nutritious foods. Actually, some of the healthiest foods are the least expensive, and they are readily available at most grocery stores and many local farmers’ markets. Beans, lentils, brown rice, and frozen vegetables are usually inexpensive, especially when bought dried and in bulk. (Organic fruits and vegetables can cost more, but eating nonorganic plant-based foods is still more nutritious than eating meat, chicken, fish, eggs, and dairy, organic or otherwise.)
Even when processed foods and animal products are sold cheaply, they are expensive in terms of the cost to your health. What you may save now, you could end up spending later in pharmacy co-payments and medical bills!
A whole-food, plant-based diet is centered on whole, unrefined, or minimally refined plants. It’s a diet based on fruits, vegetables, tubers, whole grains, and legumes; and it excludes or minimizes meat (including chicken and fish), dairy products, and eggs, as well as highly refined foods like bleached flour, refined sugar, and oil.
You will be eating in a way that people have thrived on for thousands of years. You will find that the diet and foods are very tasty and satisfying. Following are the food categories from which you’ll eat, along with a few examples of each. These include the ingredients you’ll be using to make familiar dishes, such as pizza, mashed potatoes, lasagna, and burritos:
Fruit:
mangoes, bananas, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, cherries, etc.
Vegetables:
lettuce, collard greens, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, carrots, etc.
Tubers and starchy vegetables: potatoes, yams, yucca, winter squash, corn, green peas, etc.
Whole grains:
millet, quinoa, barley, rice, whole wheat, oats, etc.
Legumes:
kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, lima beans, cannellini beans, black beans, etc.
Now that you know generally what sorts of foods you’ll be eating, let’s delve further into what the diet is and what it most definitely is not.
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