Research also suggests that plant-based diets lower LDL and blood pressure, and reduce body mass
and cancer rates.^13
Plant-Based Nutrient Rich® eating is not only good for you and your family; it's also good for
Mother Earth. From farm to table, plant foods (such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains) exert a
much lower impact on the environment than foods such as meat, poultry, fish, dairy and eggs,
according to an October 2010 scientific report from the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition, in
which researchers conducted an environmental impact assessment on foods in the old Food
Pyramid.^14 This finding is only one of the latest in a long and growing list of such data.
"Eating just one to two vegetarian meals a week is more effective than driving a Prius in terms of
global warming," reports Nussinow.^15
Make friends with plants. It's not as hard as you think; even if you're a meat lover, you can still
make positive changes in your diet to emphasize more plant foods that are rich in nutrients.
Get Started While You Read
Early in the introduction, I instructed you to read this whole book before you actually take the steps
laid out in it or try to execute the whole Nutrient Rich® Healthy Eating Plan. However, you can
begin priming and revving up with some exercises, practices, assessments and experiments. Start
some of these now—and keep reading!
- Assess where you are.
Keep a one-week diet record and notate how many times you eat nutrient-poor animal and refined
foods. If you eat them at every meal, you’ll know have plenty of room to cut back.
Create a personal goal for how many meatless and junk-food-free meals you want to eat. You can
start out slowly, with one completely plant-based dinner per week, if that’s all you feel you can
handle.
However, do know that “small and slow” has been proven by change research to be not the most
effective or successful way to change. Making big, bold, consistent change is actually easier and
more supportive to the change process. I know change can be a bit disorienting at the start, but
trust that will ease quickly as you continue to become more motivated and confident in your eating
style.
(^13) Campbell TM II, Campbell TC. The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the
Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health. Dallas, TX: BenBella Books; 2003.
Eyre H, Kahn R, Robertson RM. Preventing Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, and Diabetes: A common agenda for the
American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Heart Association. Diabetes Care.
2004;27(7):1812-24.
(^14) Barilla Center. Double Pyramid: A Model for a Healthy and Environmental Friendly Life. 2010.
(^15) Palmer S. The power of plants in your diet. Chicago Tribune. Aug 26, 2011.