On a whole, we are all getting fatter and sicker — and it's the food we're eating that's the problem. The Standard American Diet (SAD) — rich in red meat, poultry, dairy products, processed and artificially sweetened foods, saturated fats, and salt, with minimal intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains — is killing us. The solution is simple:

"The ideal human diet looks like this: Consume plant-based foods in forms as close to their natural state as possible ("whole" foods). Eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, raw nuts and seeds, beans and legumes, and whole grains. Avoid heavily processed foods and animal products. Stay away from added salt, oil, and sugar. Aim to get 80 percent of your calories from carbohydrates, 10 percent from fat, and 10 percent from protein."
— Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition

It's really that simple! Keep scrolling down to learn more…

The Evidence Behind a WFPB Diet

Below are three websites that will get you started with transitioning to a plant-based diet.

Specifically, a whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) diet. They will give you the why? (health benefits, environmental impact, animal compassion), the what? (what foods to eat and what to avoid or minimize), and the how? (recipes, shopping lists, tips, and tricks, etc.).

If you've been eating a Standard American Diet (SAD) your whole life, it can be a challenge to wrap your head around a new diet and way of eating. And the fact that animal products (meat, dairy, cheese, eggs, etc) are not at all healthy foods, despite what we've been told!

Eating WFPB is simple, but not necessarily easy. These sites will get you started on your journey.

NutritionStudies.org

The T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies (CNS) provides a wealth of evidence-based education and resources supporting a whole-food, plant-based diet. View their online guide to plant-based eating, sign up for a 7-day kickstart program, and learn more about the science behind the lifestyle with the groundbreaking research in The China Study.

Nutriciously.com

 In addition to many articles covering the basics of vegan and whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) diets, the Nutriciously.com website offers a free 6-part course on plant-based eating, which I highly recommend. When you're ready to take it to the next level, their Vegan Starter Kit e-book is a great value — I bought it myself!

PCRM.org

The Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) is an amazing organization advocating for a healthy plant-based lifestyle. Check out their 21-day Kickstart Program and free Vegetarian Starter Kit with great tips for making the switch to a vegetarian/vegan diet. Lots of great content on their YouTube channel, too.

Plant-based Expert Advice

Do you prefer learning by video?

The first four YouTube videos will kick-start your knowledge about the benefits of a plant-based diet.

Dr. Lim's "An Introduction to a Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet" is a fantastic overview of plant-based eating and his personal journey. Dr. Barnard's "Plant-Based Nutrition Essentials" dives a little more deeply into the science and studies supporting the health benefits of a plant-based diet. Dr. Greger's "The Best Advice on Diet and Cancer" will give you a taste of the power of plants in preventing disease. Finally, Dillon Holmes discusses the "Top 10 Tips for Maximum Weight Loss from Dr. McDougall."

This is just the tip of the iceberg from these plant-based experts and advocates.

The last video, often labeled on YouTube as "The Most Important Speech You Will Ever Hear," by Gary Yourofsky is a passionate and inspirational speech about animal rights. The vegan food recommendations Gary makes are not the healthiest options, so try not to focus on that aspect. Gary will, however, present some very strong arguments about why we shouldn't be eating animals and why we should instead "be radically kind." I love that phrase!

Intro to a Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet

Dr. Anthony Lim

Plant-Based Nutrition Essentials

Dr. Neal Barnard

The Best Advice on Diet and Cancer

Dr. Michael Greger

Max Weight Loss Tips from Dr. McDougall

Dillon Holmes (Well Your World)

Inspirational Speech on Animal Rights

Gary Yourofsky

Finally, four documentary films. The first two documentaries below are classics. There are many other powerful vegan (WFPB) documentaries, but these two are a great place to start. The Game Changers is a new documentary that comes at the whole food, plant-based way of eating from an athletic performance viewpoint. Kiss The Ground reveals the first viable solution to climate change. All are well worth watching.

Forks Over Knives

Forks Over Knives examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us, can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods. The major storyline in the film traces the personal journeys of a pair of pioneering yet under-appreciated researchers, Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn.

What The Health

What the Health is a documentary from the filmmakers of Cowspiracy that follows Kip Andersen as he uncovers the impacts of highly processed industrial animal foods on our personal health and greater community, and explores why leading health organizations continue to promote the industry despite countless medical studies and research showing deleterious effects of these products on our health.

The Game Changers

The Game Changers is a revolutionary new documentary about meat, protein, and strength. Directed by Oscar®-winning documentary filmmaker Louie Psihoyos and executive produced by James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jackie Chan, Lewis Hamilton, Novak Djokovic, and Chris Paul, The Game Changers tells the story of James Wilks — elite Special Forces trainer and The Ultimate Fighter winner — as he travels the world on a quest to uncover the optimal diet for human performance.

Kiss The Ground

Kiss the Ground is an inspiring and groundbreaking film that reveals the first viable solution to our climate crisis; by regenerating the world's soils, we can completely and rapidly stabilize Earth's climate, restore lost ecosystems and create abundant food supplies. Using compelling graphics and visuals, along with striking NASA and NOAA footage, the film artfully illustrates how, by drawing down atmospheric carbon, soil is the missing piece of the climate puzzle.

Books Worth Reading

The China Study — In 2005, T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. and his son Thomas M. Campbell, MD, shared the China Project findings along with additional research with the world in The China Study. Their best selling book examines the connection between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes, and cancer and the source of nutritional confusion produced by powerful lobbies, government entities, and opportunistic scientists. The China Study is hailed as one of the most important books about diet and health ever written. [Buy on Amazon.com]

Whole — In The China Study, T. Colin Campbell (alongside his son, Thomas M. Campbell) revolutionized the way we think about our food with the evidence that a whole food, plant-based diet is the healthiest way to eat. Now, in Whole, he explains the science behind that evidence, the ways our current scientific paradigm ignores the fascinating complexity of the human body, and why, if we have such overwhelming evidence that everything we think we know about nutrition is wrong, our eating habits haven't changed.

Whole is an eye-opening, paradigm-changing journey through cutting-edge thinking on nutrition, a scientific tour de force with powerful implications for our health and for our world. [Buy on Amazon.com]

The Whole Foods Diet — From the founder of Whole Foods Market and the doctors of Forks Over Knives, The Whole Foods Diet simplifies the huge body of science, research, and advice that is available today and reveals the undeniable consensus: a whole foods, plant-based diet is the optimum diet for health and longevity. Standing on the shoulders of the Whole Foods Market brand and featuring an accessible 28-day program, delicious recipes, inspirational success stories, and a guilt-free approach to plant-based eating, The Whole Foods Diet is a life-affirming invitation to become a Whole Foodie: someone who loves to eat, loves to live, and loves to nourish themselves with nature's bounty.[Buy on Amazon.com]

The Engine 2 Diet — With this groundbreaking plan anyone can lose weight, lower cholesterol, reduce their risk of disease, and become physically fit – in just four weeks. Professional athlete-turned-firefighter, Rip Esselstyn is used to responding to emergencies. So when he learned that some of his fellow Engine 2 firefighters in Austin, Texas were in dire physical condition he sprang into action and created a life-saving plan. By following Rip's program, everyone lost weight (some more than 20 pounds), lowered their cholesterol (the biggest drop was 344 to 196), and improved their overall health. Now, Rip outlines his proven plan in The Engine 2 Diet. [Buy on Amazon.com]

Fiber Fueled — Inside Fiber Fueled, Dr. Will Bulsiewicz (a.k.a. Dr. B) — a board certified gastroenterologist and gut health expert — shares the special connection between fiber and our gut microbiome, and how eating an abundant variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, seeds and nuts can help you improve your overall health. [Buy on Amazon.com]

Recommended Cookbooks

Straight Up Food

Delicious and easy plant-based cooking without salt, oil, or sugar. Veteran cooking instructor Cathy Fisher guides you in preparing delicious meals made from the most health-promoting ingredients on the planet! [Buy on Amazon.com]

The No Meat Athlete Bookbook

Whole food, plant-based recipes to fuel your workouts — and the rest of your life. Most of the recipes are straightforward and quite easy to prepare. Quick, easy, and family-friendly meals. [Buy on Amazon.com]

The Whole Foods Cookbook

A great summary of the Whole Foods Diet's (WFPB) principles, the essential 8 foods to eat, tips on setting up a stress-free kitchen, and more. You'll also find specific guides on cooking beans and grains, building flavors, and impressive techniques like sautéing without oil and roasting to add layers of flavor. [Buy on Amazon.com]

The How Not to Die Cookbook

Michael Greger has educated millions through his NutritionFacts.org website, YouTube videos, and the How Not to Die book. This cookbook offers 100+ recipes to help prevent and reverse disease through whole-food, plant-based nutrition. [Buy on Amazon.com]

Plant Power Bowls

Buddha bowls are delicious, filling meals full of clean, whole foods, typically including leafy greens, raw or roasted vegetables, beans or lentils, grains, and sauces and toppings made with healthy fats. My favorite recipe is the Black Bean & Cilantro-Lime Rice Bowl with Creamy Herb Dressing. [Buy on Amazon.com]