Many people that push back against me when I promote plant-based nutrition have the mindset that if plant-based nutrition was so important for health their doctor would have told them about it.

Here’s the scoop: doctors do not teach plant-based because it was not part of their schooling. Medical schools have a shockingly low focus on nutrition. This raises an intriguing point about the education and training of medical professionals.

The traditional medical curriculum has indeed been called out for not adequately emphasizing nutrition, especially plant-based nutrition, as a central component of health and wellness. This has created a gap in knowledge and practice that can impact patient care and overall well-being. It is like the schools teach the importance of ingested medications, but fail to teach the importance of ingested veggies. It is a contradiction that I find impossible to disregard.

It is important to recognize that medical education is changing, we are learning more about digestion and the gut microbiome everyday. So there is a growing movement to integrate more comprehensive nutrition education into the curriculum of future doctors. By addressing the significance of plant-based nutrition, medical professionals would enhance their ability to support patients by guiding patients towards smarter food choices that can contribute to overall health. From my perspective, it is crucial that nurses, therapists, and aids be brought up to speed on nutrition as well.

Unfortunately, it is not that easy to simply sneak more broccoli and kale into the training of medical professionals. The pharmaceutical industry, Big Food, and the alcohol and sugar industries have billions of dollars to lose were society to level up their nutrition skills. Therefore, it may help you to try to pay closer attention to where the food messaging that bombards you daily comes from.

Why wait for the medical professionals to be equipped? I mean, that could take a long, long, long, long, Long. Long. Time.

As the understanding of the link between diet and health expands, take time to equip yourself with the knowledge and skills to make choices toward plant-based nutrition when appropriate. By doing so, you can be in charge of your own health using a holistic approach to that encompasses not only medical interventions but also lifestyle (including dietary) considerations.

In my book, I share the transformation of my mindset. As I embraced the nourishing power of food, I moved away from mindless munching toward mindful nutrition. I also share some frequent barriers like time, family, cost, skills, and eating out.

My doctor did not tell me about plant-based nutrition and now I understand why. I had to figure out for myself how to get started. It could have been smoother if I had had more support. If your doctor is not talking specifically about nutrition and you are looking for support on how to get started with a more plant-based focus on nutrition I am happy to help with 3 Simple Strategies To Start Plant Based Eating.

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