My whole food, plant-based (WFPB) journey started well over a decade ago. In 2009, I was looking to expand my evidence-based knowledge of the impact of diet on disease and enrolled in the Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies (CNS). The program changed my life both personally and professionally—compelled by the mountains of science that the certificate presented on plant-based diets, I realized that my then-vegetarian diet was not the answer to chronic disease, and that neither was a vegan diet. It was a WFPB dietary lifestyle. I began incorporating WFPB nutrition education into my work as a nutrition educator and exercise physiologist in cardiac rehabilitation. The outcome was amazing. Patients who adopted a WFPB diet were able to stop the progression of their heart disease; they looked better, felt better, reported better quality of life, and were able to reduce or eliminate their medications. Meanwhile, those patients who maintained their standard Western diets experienced worsening conditions, more medications, more stents, and more surgery.

One of my favorite responsibilities is overseeing the very same Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate program that so radically transformed my life. While it has been updated over the years, its core lessons and credibility are the same as ever, and it has been so rewarding for me to see how it has enriched the professional and personal lives of so many others since I completed it.

I was so inspired by the teachings of the certificate and wanted to educate as many people as possible about the power of diet. While I still loved my position in cardiac patient care, I wanted to combine my two passions—education and healthy eating—on a bigger platform. And so I started teaching for CNS in 2012. Almost a decade later, I am the executive director of education and still loving it. One of my favorite responsibilities is overseeing the very same Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate program that so radically transformed my life. While it has been updated over the years, its core lessons and credibility are the same as ever, and it has been so rewarding for me to see how it has enriched the professional and personal lives of so many others since I completed it. During my tenure as director of education, more than 20,000 students have completed the Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate!

Earn your plant-based nutrition certificate

Learn more

There is a growing awareness of the health benefits of plant-based eating, and many people are adapting their career paths to participate. Whether you are just starting off in the workforce, pursuing a career that requires an advanced degree, or integrating your passion for plant-based nutrition into a completely new career, a Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition is proof to the world that you have completed a robust course of education in the field.

This revolutionary online certificate program will help you understand the importance of diet and nutrition to your life. Created by CNS with the participation of over 25 experts (MDs, PhDs, RDs, and RNs), the courses provide research and perspectives to emphasize why following a plant-based diet is optimal for health —including:

• Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s 8 Principles of Food and Health
• The role nutrition plays in chronic disease, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and autoimmune disorders
• How nutrition and the environment affect gut health and the microbiome
• Common topics of concern to athletes and fitness enthusiasts, including supplements and protein consumption
• The psychological reasons we are drawn to unhealthy foods
• How government and industry can affect dietary choices and the environment
• The importance of nutrition at each stage of life, beginning with pregnancy through adulthood
• Strategies to support sustainable positive lifestyle change and inspire others

Through three 2-week online courses, you’ll have the opportunity to examine historic and contemporary research; identify the steps for practical application in your life; and be better prepared to engage in productive conversations with friends, colleagues, clients, or patients about the science behind plant-based nutrition. The foundation of the program is based on Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s lectures, experience, and decades of research.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Campbell has participated in the development of national and international nutrition policy, authored 300+ research papers, and been awarded 70+ grant years of peer-reviewed research funding. He co-authored the worldwide bestselling book The China Study and authored The New York Times bestsellers Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition, The Low-Carb Fraud, and The Future of Nutrition. Several documentaries feature his research, including Forks Over Knives, Eating You Alive, Food Matters, PlantPure Nation, Code Blue, and The Game Changers. Dr. Campbell continues to share evidence-based information on health and nutrition whenever given the opportunity and has delivered thousands of lectures around the world.

Our mission is to promote optimal nutrition through science-based education, advocacy, and research. I believe that the public has the right to better health and better information about the impact of our food choices on personal, communal, and planetary health. That information changed my life, and I am confident that it can change yours too, arming you with the resources and knowledge to join us in advocating for health in all areas of our existence.

To learn more about the Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate call/text 607-319-3209 or email us at enrollment@nutritionstudies.org. For healthcare professionals, our program is approved for continuing education credits.