“Nutrition is the master key to human health.”
—T. COLIN CAMPBELL, PHD
Living a Whole Food, Plant-Based Life
Are you curious about a whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) diet? The T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies is here to help you get started.
The term whole in WFPB describes foods that are minimally processed. This includes whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes (beans, peas, and lentils), nuts, and seeds.
Many eventually give up the diet label in favor of lifestyle. Perhaps that’s because the popular notion of dieting has become so confusing. A WFPB lifestyle should be simpler. It’s not a short-term punishment charged by guilt. It’s not a set of complicated meal plans. It’s a return to whole foods, natural flavors, and optimal health.
Plant-Based 101
What do I eat?
Keep it simple—eat whole, unprocessed foods derived from plants.
Why?
The benefits of a healthy lifestyle are enormous. When you adopt a WFPB lifestyle, you can increase the odds that you will:
- Lower risk of prostate, breast, and other cancers
- Prevent, even reverse, heart disease
- Prevent and treat diabetes
- Achieve a healthy body weight and increase your energy levels
- Live longer
- And much more!
The price? Simply changing your diet. You can achieve profound health benefits by including more whole plant-based foods on your plate.
Let’s break it down into what should and shouldn’t be on your plate...
Whole Food, Plant-Based Guide
Yes! Eat these in abundance**
Whole Grains & Ancient Grains
amaranth, barley, brown rice, bulgur, farro, millet, quinoa, sorghum, steel cut and rolled oats, teff, wheat berries, whole wheat, wild rice
Legumes (dried or canned with minimal salt)
adzuki beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, fava beans, green beans, kidney beans, lentils, lima beans, mung beans, peas, pinto beans, soybeans
Greens (fresh or frozen)
arugula, bok choy, chards, cilantro, collards, kale, lettuces, parsley, spinach
Roots
beets, carrots, daikon, garlic, ginger, leeks, onions, potatoes (all colors), radishes, turnips
Other Veggies
asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery, mushrooms, peppers, sea vegetables, squash, tomatoes, zucchini
Fruit (fresh or frozen)
apples, apricots, bananas, berries, cherries, grapes, kiwi, mangoes, melons, papayas, pineapple, plums
Omega-3-Rich Seeds
chia seeds, flaxseed
**Organic Whole Soy Products (Recommend limiting soy to 2–3 servings per day)
edamame, miso, tempeh, tofu. Learn more with our Soy and Health Handout.
Spices
all spices
Beverages
decaffeinated coffee, green tea, herbal teas, unsweetened plant-based milk substitutes, water
Occasionally. Eat these sparingly.
Nuts
almonds, cashews, nut butters, pistachios, walnuts
Coconut
low-fat coconut milk, raw coconut, unsweetened shreds or chips
Avocado
Seeds (except omega-3 sources)
pumpkin, sesame, sunflower
Dried Fruit
organic and without added sugars or oils
Natural Added Sweeteners
date syrup, maple syrup, molasses
Beverages
caffeinated coffee and high-caffeine tea (without added sugar)
No. Avoid these foods.
Meat
fish, lamb, pork, poultry, processed meat, red meat, seafood
Dairy
butter, buttermilk, cheese, cream, half and half, ice cream, milk, yogurt
Eggs
chicken, duck, ostrich, quail
Processed Plant Fragments (these are often found in vegan replacement foods)
Added and Hydrogenated Fats
margarine, oils (including olive oil and coconut oil)
Refined Sugar
barley malt, beet sugar, brown sugar, cane juice crystals, confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar), corn syrup, fructose, white sugar
Refined Grains
white flour (including in pastas, bread, snack foods), white rice
Protein Isolates
isolated soy protein or soy protein isolate, pea protein isolate
Ultra-Processed Foods
Foods with additives, artificial colors, stabilizers
Beverages
energy drinks, fruit juice (even 100% fruit juice), soda, sports drinks
“The epidemic of chronic, degenerative disease that is sweeping the western world can not only be stopped, it can be reversed. The power lies in the hands of the consumer, in the choices we make about what to put on our plates.”
—Dr. T. Colin Campbell
Learn more about the science behind the lifestyle with the groundbreaking research in The China Study.
Plant-Based Shopping
Some of the most important health decisions you make will be in the grocery store. In a perfect world, we'd all go right out to our garden and just pick our fruits and vegetables. While that is not the reality for most of us, it is not hard to find healthy and nutritious foods at your local market.
Watch a grocery store walkthrough with Dr. Tom Campbell or check out our Plant-Based Shopping Guide
Watch a grocery store walkthrough with Dr. Tom Campbell or check out our Plant-Based Shopping Guide
Watch videoPlant-Based Success Stories
“People often call my mother’s recovery a miracle...I believe the miraculous thing may be that so much illness could be avoided if people could only move from foods that hurt to foods that heal.”
“Dr. Campbell’s book resonated with me to my core, and I switched to a plant-based diet before I was even halfway through it.”
“—I completed a 50K, and a 50 mile ultra marathon on some crazy trails. Imagine, I am supposed to be in a wheelchair, and my doctor now refers patients to me for advice!”
Plant-Based Meal Planning Tips and Ideas
Adopting a whole food, plant-based diet is like a marathon, not a sprint. If you are one of the majority of Americans with chronic health problems, you certainly didn’t get yourself into poor health overnight. It can take a good long while to untangle yourself from the habits and patterns you’ve had your whole life. Take into account the inevitable bumps and hurdles along the way. However, as you find foods you like, and you find new habits in shopping and cooking, this will just be a new lifestyle.
