I became plant-based after receiving a baptismal-like introduction to the diet while volunteering in Malawi, Africa. It just so happened that the couple I lived with were health professionals who practiced what they preached. Not only did I learn that plant-based food could be palatable and enjoyable, but also the world of research out there supporting the lifestyle.
As summarized by the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine, led by Dr. Neal Barnard, a plant-based diet can prevent, manage, and even reverse two major diseases in North America- heart disease and diabetes.
And as shown by Dr. Michael Greger in his book “How Not to Die”, research is out now supporting a plant-based diet for the prevention of death from all our top killers.
Considering the hundreds of people I have interacted with personally who had either heart disease or diabetes (a lot of the time it's both) be it in the hospital or regular interactions, you could imagine why this diet caught my attention.
“Wait, wait, wait,” you might be thinking, “You’re telling me that you studied nutrition for 7 years and weren’t plant-based until AFTER you finished all that education?”.
That’s right. I had exactly one course on vegetarian nutrition through my Seventh-Day-Adventist university (proponents of vegetarian and vegan eating), and wasn’t even taught about the doctor’s that were reversing heart disease through a plant-based diet.
Thankfully, the knowledge came to me eventually, and I’ve been able to change the way I think about nutrition through my own research and self-enlightenment.
My main reason for being plant-based is this: I cannot live my life trying to help people who are dying from heart disease, cancer, diabetes complications, and more, who are suffering from poor body image due to being overweight, who are physically and financially entrenched in a treatment plan involving a handful of medications with little benefit, when I know there is a lifestyle out there that can help! Plant-based eating promotes personal efficacy, freedom from food addictions and treatments, and natural healing.
I refuse to be a Dietitian who understands the scientific answer to the healthiest lifestyle, not only for humans but for the world they live in, and does not live it out.
That being said, you won’t hear me telling you to become restrictive or lose the freedom to enjoy some ice cream or non-plant-based treats every now and then (more on that in a later post). However, I will be posting mostly articles that encourage and promote a plant-based diet because the world needs to hear MORE about this lifestyle and not less.
Hope to have you tune in for my input on a plant-based diet.