Blogs

Most people picture a 60-year-old easing into retirement. Rick Scott is on the ice five days a week. He plays competitive hockey, trains up to 14 times a week, and routinely keeps pace with athletes decades younger. At 5'5" and 133 pounds, he gives up size to nearly everyone he skates with, and time, too. His secret, he'll tell you plainly, isn't a supplement or a shortcut. It's the way he eats, trains, and thinks. Rick is an athlete, coach, and founder of Peak Performance Co

Some people change the world by standing on stages. Others change it by helping important ideas reach the people who need them most. For decades, Glen Merzer has done exactly that. While many people in the plant-based movement recognize the names of physicians, researchers, and advocates who have helped advance the science of nutrition, fewer realize that behind many of those messages stands a gifted storyteller whose work has helped shape how those ideas are communicated to

• Whole-food plant-based living acts as a tool for systemic change by focusing on minimally processed plant foods. • Unlike traditional veganism, WFPB shifts the food focus towards staples that minimize environmental impact and support local producers. • A WFPB diet can reduce the land needed for animal agriculture, leading to more land available for ecosystems and wildlife. • This eating pattern supports animal liberation not through overt activism but by changing mark

• Speciesism refers to valuing one group of beings above another solely based on their species and is as pervasive yet subtle in our daily routines as racism or sexism. • Countering speciesism involves small, daily actions such as mindful buying, using non-speciesist language, and co-habitating harmoniously with other species, rather than grand declarations. • There's a profound shift when our everyday routines begin to align with our ethics, transforming actions from sacri

• Sustainable creativity is described as the strategic, behind-the-scenes work that supports a more livable world and can be maintained over time without exhausting or demotivating the individual. • Focusing on behind-the-scenes change, like redesigning systems or defaults for more ethical options, can have a significant impact and provide a more comfortable mode of activism for introverted individuals. • The durability of creative projects relies on their ability to be used

• Living a plant-based lifestyle in a meat-eating family involves quietly navigating cultural and personal differences while respecting each other's choices. • Despite initial misunderstandings, showing resilience, patience, and compassion can help soften family members towards a new dietary regime. • Small acts of resistance, including reinventing family recipes using plant-based ingredients, can subtly influence family eating habits. • Even when considered the "difficult

• A whole-food plant-based lifestyle is a practical and non-confrontational mode of animal advocacy, creating change through daily food choices. • By shifting focus from meat to minimally processed plant foods, demands on resources and the environment are reduced, challenging the harmful economics of animal agriculture. • This diet not only minimizes environmental impact but also promotes personal health, potentially enhancing one's ability to engage effectively in long-ter

• Nutrition headlines can be misleading, often being "clickbait" rather than true reflections of the underlying research. • The impact of a diet should not be evaluated by fluctuating headlines, but by personal experiences such as improved health markers, affordability, and sustainability over time. • Questioning the methodology of studies mentioned in headlines, like what is compared and who is studied, can reveal their true relevance and validity to one's situation. • A hea

• Mobile markets and buying clubs offer practical solutions to bring affordable and healthier food options to rural areas often referred to as "food deserts." • A mobile market is essentially a grocery store on wheels, providing a predictable source of staple groceries to areas where supermarkets are sparse. • Buying clubs are groups that combine their purchasing power to order in bulk from wholesale suppliers, gaining access to lower prices and items typically available only

• Hiking offers a raw, authentic experience with no pretense, urging people to just be present and continue walking. • Slow hiking can be perceived not as a race, but as a moving meditation, focusing mindfully on each step and moment. • Choosing plant-based food on hiking trips can be a fulfilling alternative, tying into a broader goal of living lightly and with lesser impact. • Hiking trails can serve as reflective spaces where thoughts and emotions are unraveled, listened t

• Vitamin B12, necessary for red blood cell production, nerve function, and DNA synthesis, is crucial for maintaining brain health, energy levels, and overall longevity, especially for those on a plant-based diet. • While B12 is primarily obtained through bacteria in the environment and animal products, modern sanitary practices and dietary patterns have disrupted these sources, making supplements necessary. • Relying solely on fortified foods for B12 intake can be inconsis

• Iodine is vital for our thyroid and overall energy levels, but often overlooked, particularly by those following a whole-food, plant-based diet. • Despite being plentiful in traditional diets, iodine can be depleted when we switch to healthier eating patterns that exclude iodized salt, dairy and seafood. • Relying on seaweed as a primary source of iodine can be risky due to inconsistent iodine levels and irregular consumption patterns. • Iodine is not only important for in

• Low-profile advocacy involves influencing progress through personal habits, editing default choices in infrastructure, and asking thought-provoking questions. • Consistent personal habits, such as choices in food and transportation, quietly shift societal norms and provoke curiosity among peers. • Adjusting infrastructure, like food options at events or systems in a local community, can change behavior by making the sustainable choice the default. • Respectful questions

• Modern farming largely involves intensive systems which raise animals in unhealthy, confined spaces, causing both ethical and environmental concerns. • Environmental impacts from industrial animal agriculture include substantial deforestation for feed crops and livestock pasture, high greenhouse gas emissions, and deterioration of soil quality and waterways. • Despite marketing efforts suggesting improved welfare conditions, labels like “free-range” and “grass-fed” often

• Oil sparks intense debates due to its intersection with cultural values, health impacts, and diet choices in the context of whole and processed foods. • While some studies link certain oils to healthier lifestyles, it's essential to understand the nuances beyond sensational headlines and to focus more on overall dietary patterns. • Concerns surrounding oil often revolve around fears of missing the best dietary approach, social judgment, and substantial changes to traditio

Choosing a plant-based diet can be a more conscious way of living, marked by a continuous dialogue between body and mind. It is less about rules or perfection and more about treating each meal as a relationship instead of a transaction. The focus is less on "good" and "bad" foods and more on how you want to feel in your body after a meal. Essentially, the goal is to reshape your approach to food, allowing it to become a conscious act, prompted by constructive questioning such

The connection to nature can be found not just in forests and mountain ridges, but amidst the everyday activities of our lives, especially in our kitchens and our exercise routines. This connection manifests itself when we take the time to realize the journey and process our foods go through from the Earth to our hands. Cherishing a simple act such as slicing a tomato can evoke the understanding that we are partaking in a long conversation between the Earth and our bodies, as

Small, repeated consumption choices have a cumulative global impact. Despite depictions to the contrary, these decisions are not separate from the systemic change they can influence. An individual's regular choices contribute to market trends and can pave the way for policy changes and reshape infrastructure. Habitual behaviors such as choosing plant-based milk instead of dairy have a collective influence over time. Similarly, when alternative consumer choices are consistentl

Living with GERD doesn't mean having to deprive oneself of all enjoyable foods or reducing one's life to plain crackers. Shifting to a whole-food, plant-based eating pattern can provide a calmer, less restrictive and more predictable way to feed the body. Importantly, managing GERD goes beyond avoiding typical "trigger foods". It requires attention to the overall trend of one's dietary intake, bearing in mind factors like meal heaviness or fat content, portion sizes, the leve

Transitioning to a vegan lifestyle involves a slow, methodical shift in both mindset and eating habits. The first step is reconciling with the grief associated with leaving cherished family food traditions behind. The next is realizing that the goal is not to become an ideal vegan, but to build a lifestyle where personal values and habits are in harmony. Furthermore, changing “normal” or default foods at home plays a critical role in this transition; a plant-based diet can gr