by Peter Barclay
Earlier this week, I was pleased to see the Plantrician Project issue a clear statement on what whole-food, plant-based eating is about. Some criticised it as an attempt to produce an ‘alternative’ food pyramid, but for WFPB followers, it was a welcome, easy-to-follow explanation of where we stand and why.
And, it was delivered with some very appropriate and forceful comments as well.
In a LinkedIn post, Plantrician Project educator Jill Edwards said: “In the wake of the new Dietary Guidelines, many voices in the ‘food as medicine’ space have offered measured, careful, and at times surprisingly muted responses. Caution is understandable.”
I liked the comment for several reasons, but mainly because its tone reminded me of a teacher I had in school. He was one of those who firmly believed that education was a lifelong adventure.
Although I’ve never forgotten it, I can’t say it exactly inspired me at the time because I couldn’t get it out of my head that if the future consisted of a continuous series of his pop-up math tests, then what made it something to look forward to?
Earnie was also a man who believed in reading widely. “Read everything,” he’d say, “even if you disagree with it.” Overall, the guiding principle was that if you didn’t read widely, then how could you ever class yourself as ‘informed’? That was a kind of buzzword back then. In short, whatever you amounted to meant little if you weren’t ‘informed.’
Maybe it all boiled down to developing a pattern of thinking, which was an advantage to boys like me who mostly resisted that kind of endeavour. There were three steps to the process: read, review, and decide. That way, you know where you stand, because … “if you don’t know where you stand, you will fall for anything.”
Not sure how all that would go down with the TikTok brigade today, though. I feel like such a fossil sometimes.
Jill Edwards has a lot to answer for and, as you can see, she’s sent me through a few mental hoops over the last 24 hours – I guess that’s what good educators do. Honestly, I don’t know how they sleep at night!
So, when I read her comments and viewed the graphic at the same time, I thought, oh my gosh, they’re defining exactly where we stand and in these difficult times, that’s a brave thing to do.
And then there’s that brief but pithy observation, “Caution is understandable.” That’s bold.
By that, I assume she means all the ones that know what we all know but won’t say anything because, in the current political climate, it’s too dangerous. Meaning you run the risk of losing research and or health programme funding if you speak up against the administration. And heavens, so many of them talk really dangerous stuff like “health equity” and showing ‘empathy and inclusion’ for people that are ‘lower’ on the social scale. America is no longer a free society … caution is understandable.
Then comes the kicker: “But when the science is clear, silence and soft language do not serve patients, providers, or the planet.” And there’s a good reason for all this. She continues:
“At The Plantrician Project, our commitment is not to trends, politics, or palatability: it is to evidence. The body of research on dietary patterns, chronic disease reversal, food systems, and planetary health has grown stronger, not softer. Our response reflects that reality.
“We unapologetically follow the data where it leads, even when it challenges the status quo, because public health guidance should be anchored in truth, not tempered by comfort.”
And that, too, is where we stand. We do it because when we read, review and consider the evidence, it becomes obvious – the data points this way.
Down to detail
We urge you to check out the Plantrician Project’s Six Pillars explanation on why dietary guidelines must serve people, communities and the planet. Whole Food Living supports and endorses every one of them.
