Resource Roundup: Plant-Predominant Diets & Planetary Health

As we learned from our guest writer, Dr. Amanda McKinney, earlier this month, transitioning to a plant-predominant diet is one of the single most effective and most affordable ways we as individuals can make a difference in the health of our planet. Transitioning from a Western diet heavy in animal products to a more plant-based approach can be intimidating; but there are many incredible individuals and organizations who work to make this process more approachable in simplified, evidence-based manners. We hope this resource roundup will help equip each of our readers to fight climate change by making more plant-predominant choices in their diets!

1. Simon Hill of Plant Proof: Simon is a New Zealand based physiotherapist and nutritionist who started Plant Proof to provide resources (blog content, recipes, podcast episodes, a new book) for those looking to transition to more plant-predominant diets. He caters particularly to an audience who desires to break down the science and evidence behind such lifestyle changes and their effects on both personal and planetary health. His humble, objective, evidence-based, and non-discriminatory approaches make his content both engaging and respectable.

   1. Website: www.plantproof.com

   2. Instagram: @plant_proof

   3. Podcast: Plant Proof

   4. Book The Proof is in the Plants coming May 4, 2021 – pre-order here!

2. Project Drawdown: Project Drawdown is a non-profit organization founded in 2014 and aiming to reach “Drawdown” or the point in time when greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere begin to steadily decline. Project Drawdown offers a wealth of evidence-based and up-to-date resources – most of which are FREE – to equip our population to achieve attainable solutions quickly, safely, and equitably at every level possible.

   1. Website: www.drawdown.org

   2. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn: @projectdrawdown

   3. Book Drawdown published in 2017, a New York Times best-seller – order here!

   4. Climate Solutions 101 – FREE course focused on actionable climate solutions!

3. Sherzai MD: Drs. Dean and Ayesha Sherzai are board certified neurologists who combat neurologic disease and promote planetary health through plant-based diets. Dr. Ayesha Sherzai is also a trained plant-based culinary artist. Together, they share and create content – including recipe plans – to make plant-based diets more approachable, less intimidating, and family friendly. Their welcoming and evidence-based approaches make their content both relatable and reliable.

   1. Website: www.teamsherzai.com

   2. Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook: @sherzaimd

   3. New book The 30-Day Alzheimer’s Solution provides plant-based recipes – order here!

4. For more evidence-based data and content (including recipes!) on plant-predominant diets…

   1. Dr. Judy Brangman, MD: board-certified internist and lifestyle medicine physician

      1. www.theplantbasedmd.com; @theplantbasedmd

   2. Dr. Jackie Busse, MD: board-certified pediatrician

      1. www.plantbasedpediatrician.com; @plantbasedpediatrician

   3. Catherine Perez, MS, RD: dietician and food blogger

      1. www.plantbasedrdblog.com; @plantbasedrd

5. For more food- and recipe-focused accounts (including decadent desserts!)

   1. Michaela Vais: www.elavegan.com; @elavegan

   2. Best of Vegan: www.bestofvegan.com; @bestofvegan

   3. Kim-Julie: www.kimjuliehansen.com; @veganreset

   4. Rene Barker: www.thissavoryvegan.com; @thissavoryvegan

   5. Arman Liew: www.thebigmansworld.com; @thebigmansworld

   6. Brooklynne: @beetsbybrooke

Remember: whether your transition is simply incorporating a “Meatless Monday” or going full-out vegan, any plant-predominant shifts you make in your diet WILL make a difference on your carbon footprint. We hope this resource roundup helps make a plant-predominant diet less intimidating and more fun! And we only covered a small speck of the wealth of resources and accounts available.

Want to learn more about how you can help save our planet? Visit the Earth Day website!

We would love to hear from you:

1. What are your thoughts on the planetary impacts of our dietary choices?

2. What other engaging, evidence-based resources are you aware of that we did not cover in this piece? What about resources that cover special circumstances such as plant-based cooking on a budget, with a busy schedule, and/or with considerations for more ethnically diverse and cultural cuisines?

Drop a comment below!