From Fast Food to Lasting Lifestyle Change

My whole-food plant-based (WFPB) journey started around 2010 when my twenty-year-old son came home and said, “Mom, I’m going vegan.” And she said, “What the hell is that?” We watched him eat this way for one to two years before he commented to us, “You guys need to take better care of yourselves.” He was … Continued

Success Stories

From The Jungle to Ag-Gag: How the Meat Industry Still Fears the Truth

Earlier this year, a US federal judge upheld an “ag-gag” law in Iowa that prohibits unauthorized access to private property for the purpose of recording footage inside animal agriculture facilities.[1] To many, this decision may seem like a minor issue of property rights. But its implications reach far deeper, striking at the core of transparency, … Continued

Food Sustainability

From Survival to Thrival: Connecting with Our Food, Our Planet, and Our True Selves

My name is Jose Rosa, and I am the founder of The Thrival Network and co-creator of Everest Eats, a plant-based culinary and wellness brand based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. My journey into a whole-food plant-based lifestyle began in 2016 through my wife, Katy. While she was studying environmental science, one of her first classes opened … Continued

Success Stories

Persistence, Not Perfection, Is Key to Change

When I was diagnosed with prostate cancer at thirty-five, one of the six urologists I saw urged a plant-forward diet. He told me to cut red meat and dairy and load up on cruciferous vegetables, berries, mushrooms, and wild salmon. I grew up in Texas on barbecue brisket, chicken-fried steak, Whataburger, and Mexican food like … Continued

Success Stories

From Pain to Purpose: How MaryEllen and John Are Improving Food Security and Reducing Food Waste

I (MaryEllen) found whole-food plant-based nutrition in 2020 while desperately searching for answers to the chronic Lyme disease I had been living with for more than ten years. My husband John and I decided to jump all in together—and it completely changed our lives. My body began to heal in ways I hadn’t thought possible, … Continued

Success Stories

Make It Tasty: How Food Descriptions Impact Our Choices

What sounds better—a healthy, low-fat vegan black bean burger or a 10-spice smoky black bean burger? What if I told you they were exactly the same? Research has shown that most people gravitate more toward foods described by flavor, not healthfulness. Buffet-style dining halls located at five different college campuses were assigned to use three … Continued

Nutrition Science

The Hidden Universe Within: Feeding and Nurturing the Microbiome

Imagine stepping into a vibrant zoo or, better yet, a bustling planetary system where trillions of creatures of staggering diversity roam, interact, and shape entire worlds. That might sound fantastical, but it’s the everyday reality tucked within us: our microbiome. A landmark study estimated that a typical adult has approximately 30 trillion human cells and … Continued

In The Kitchen

Seeds of Resilience: Why Dwindling Food Biodiversity Matters for Our Future

Our future food security depends as much on what we eat as on the seeds we choose to protect. A diverse diet generally promotes better human health, while crop diversity strengthens the resilience of farms and ecosystems. Yet, over the past century, we have lost the vast majority of our seed varieties, leaving the global … Continued

Food Sustainability

A Perennial Future: Agriculture’s Next Evolution

For much of modern history, agriculture has relied on annual crops like corn, soy, and wheat. These crops dominate farmland and anchor global markets, but their short lifespans come at a steep ecological cost. In the conventional agriculture systems that dominate today, annual fields must be plowed, seeded, fertilized, and sprayed every year, creating constant … Continued

Food Sustainability

American Medical Association Names Plant-Based Diet Part of Breast Cancer Prevention Strategy

This summer, the House of Delegates (HOD) of the American Medical Association (AMA) convened for its annual meeting in Chicago.[1] The HOD, which comprises 733 delegates, is the policy-making body of the AMA. As such, they have the potential to influence medical practice and reimbursement nationwide. Their annual meetings cover many topics, including, this year, … Continued

Disease

The Undercover Vegan: How Ramona Is Changing Herself to Help Others

Let’s go back to 1999. That’s when my life was turned upside down. I had so many chronic illnesses that it would take a week to list them all. My doctors stopped all my medications, and I stepped away from meat, though I didn’t yet know about the whole food, plant-based (WFPB) journey. I had … Continued

Success Stories

The Once-Eradicated Screwworm Pest Is Back: Are We Ready?

In early August, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed a human case of New World screwworm in a Maryland patient who recently returned from El Salvador. As reported by Reuters, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services claims the public health risk is very low.[1] Nevertheless, the story illustrates … Continued

Food Sustainability

The EAT-Lancet Diet: A First Step toward a Healthier Planet and Healthier People

As the global population climbs toward ten billion and environmental pressures intensify, the connection between what we eat and the health of the planet is clearer than ever. Food production is a leading driver of environmental degradation, fueling climate change, deforestation, freshwater depletion, pollution, and biodiversity loss. In fact, agriculture is pushing us beyond at … Continued

Food Sustainability

Ocean Acidification: The Newest Planetary Boundary Breached This Year

In 2009, a group of twenty-eight internationally renowned scientists proposed the planetary boundaries framework, combining insights from various disciplines of environmental change research. Their assessment defined nine large-scale earth system processes and associated boundaries that, if crossed, could lead to catastrophic environmental change. The group of scientists determined that we have already breached seven of … Continued

Food Sustainability

Planetary Boundaries 101: What They Are, Why They Matter, and How Food Impacts Each One

Planetary boundaries are a set of scientifically defined environmental limits within which humanity can sustainably survive. These thresholds establish a “safe operating space” for human development, ensuring that the earth’s systems remain stable and resilient. Crossing these boundaries increases the risk of triggering large-scale, potentially irreversible environmental changes. The concept was introduced in 2009 by … Continued

Food Sustainability

Who’s Controlling the Health Narrative? How Media Trends Are Rewriting Public Health

In the not-so-distant past, most of our health information came from textbooks, physicians, and peer-reviewed journals. Today, it comes largely from viral social media posts, including TikTok videos and Instagram reels, many of which have more flair than facts. The line between education and entertainment has blurred, giving rise to what some now call “health … Continued

Social Issues

The Big Business of Infant Formula: A Case Study of Industry-Funded Research

This article is an edited instructor post from our Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate Program, in reference to the critical analysis assignment. In this assignment, students critically review published health claims and receive feedback from the instructor team. You can learn more about the program here. Our goal is not only to increase nutrition literacy but also … Continued

Nutrition Science

How to Reduce Your Water Footprint through Smarter Food Choices

Water is often described as the most essential element for life on Earth, yet it is a resource we frequently take for granted, especially when it comes to the food we eat. While we may be mindful of turning off the faucet while brushing our teeth or fixing leaky taps, the vast majority of our … Continued

Food Sustainability

Carbohydrates: Simple, Complex, Misunderstood

Lost in this noise, almost as if by design, is a basic understanding of carbohydrates, the functions they serve, and the many factors determining their health effects.

Nutrition Science

Does Industry Funding Affect Research Findings?

Assessing and discussing health claims can be difficult. Imagine a friend who tells you it’s important that you eat several servings of fish each week. Your plant-based lifestyle, they suggest, is putting you at risk of not getting all the nutrients you need to thrive. How would you respond? In an ideal scenario, you would … Continued

Nutrition Science

How Our Food Choices Could Help Reforest the Planet

The global food system lies at the center of some of today’s most urgent environmental challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and deforestation. Yet it also offers one of our greatest opportunities: the chance to reforest vast areas of the planet by rethinking what we eat. Nearly half of the world’s habitable land is currently … Continued

Food Sustainability

How to Plant a Fruit Tree Guild for a Resilient Backyard

If you are looking for a beautiful, resilient way to rewild some or all of your backyard, look no further than tree guilds. Also known as a permaculture garden, a tree guild is centered around a fruit or nut tree and incorporates a diverse group of plants that work together in harmony. What Is a … Continued

Food Sustainability

Everything in Moderation: Wishful Thinking or Wisdom in Action?

Moderate consumption of unhealthy food and beverages is frequently encouraged as a step in the direction toward better health outcomes. Is that true?

Wellness

Supporting Pollinators in Your Backyard

The next time you are biting into a fresh apple or crafting a delicious salad, be sure to thank pollinators. Pollinators are responsible for one out of every three bites of food we take every day.[1] Three-fourths of the flowering plants worldwide and 35 percent of the global food crop depend on pollinators to reproduce.[2] … Continued

Food Sustainability