Whole Food Plant Based Resources for the Initiated

These resources are aimed at those who already know about the benefits of whole food plant-based nutrition, but want to go deeper or are looking for reference material:

Databases & Numbers Related to Food

1. Information on additives, toxins and things to avoid
   1. BeFoodSmart – Rates food additive in terms of safety with a simple A-B-C-D rating system plus references.
   2. Beyond Pesticides – database of research articles on pesticides and their relation to disease. See also US Right to Know.
   3. Goodguide – database about chemicals & cancer
   4. What’s on my food – detailed data on the number of pesticides on different foods (see also EWG)
   5. Tox Town – US Government site with good information on chemicals & toxins.
   6. Environmental Health Perspectives – Open access journal with many good articles.
2. Food Inflammatory Scores – I’m not aware that this is validated, but still interesting
3. Glycemic Index & Load – database 1,   database 2
4. Diet Grail list of food databases (eg sugars, K2, protein, iron, minerals)
5. Self Nutrition Data – Database of nutrient inf on 1000’s of foods, caloric ratio, detailed analysis.
6. Free websites that lets you track and analyse the nutrient content of your diet  here or here.
   1. Foodstruct.com
   2. Cronometer.com
   3. MyFitnessPal.com
7. Foodstruct.com – ability to compare the nutrients in two different foods & analyze your diet. Lots of lists of ‘Foods high in..’
8. USDA Resources:
   1. Interactive Calculator for RDAs
   2. Tables for RDAs  – broken down by gender & age.
   3. Food Composition Database – 1000’s of unprocessed and processed foods.
   4. Supertracker – lets you look up food nutrition information & track your diet & physical activity
   5. ORAC Database of antioxidant values for different foods.
9. Canadian Nutrient File (2015) – Searchable database of Canadian foods with nutrient breakdowns.
10. Other numbers related to food:
    1. Database of polyphenol content of foods here.

Good Information Sources About Food & Disease Prevention

1. Nutritionfacts.org (Dr Greger – over 1800 referenced videos on diet & health). Also see his YouTube channel where he has groups of videos dealing with Alzheimer’s, Arthritis, Cancer, and Diabetes.
2. World’s Healthiest Foods – nice referenced summaries of health benefits of different foods.
3. Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine – excellent group which also does research:
   1. NutritionMD – many resources including CME & nutritional aspects of many diseases
   2. Publications & Fact Sheets – numerous topics, usually referenced (more here).
4. T Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies – offers a certificate in plant-based nutrition.
5. Green Med Info – huge database of scientific abstracts on food and natural health topics
6. Plant Based Research – Searcheable database of recent papers about plant-based nutrition
7. Plantrician Project Resources – multiple resources to assist people transitioning to a plant-based diet
8. USDA Nutrition Evidence Library – meta-analyses addressing diet & health questions.
9. Food Facts (Dr Mercola) – by an osteopath (not vegetarian), some advice is controversial
10. National Resources Defense Fund – multiple resources on toxins, pesticides, etc
11. University of Maryland – Alternative Medicine Guide – updated lists of medical conditions, herbs, supplements
12.  WebMD Vitamin & Supplement Center – referenced articles on supplements & conditions.
13. Today’s Dietician – referenced articles & nice CME (eg flax seeds).
14. Linus Pauling Micronutrient Information Center – excellent referenced articles on specific vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals & disease.
15. JackNorrisRD.com – dietitician with an excellent blog on vegan diet topics
16. VeganHealth.org – articles on getting enough nutrients as a vegan/vegetarian as well as some common diseases.

Physicians with programs based on these principles:

1. Dr Caldwell Esselstyn’s Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease Program
2. Dr John McDougall’s Health and Medical Center
3. Dr Ornish Lifestyle Medicine

Other Resources

1. 4Leaf Survey – 3 minute web-based survey which assesses your percent of calories from whole-food plant sources.
2. Plant Pure Communities Toolkits (great for group meetings etc):
   1. Transitioning Toolkit – Action & Information sheets & FAQs
   2. Dining Out Toolkit – Choosing a Restaurant, Writing Reviews, at a friends
   3. Leadership – Running meetings, Newsletters, Cookbooks
   4. School Lunches – Ideas & advocacy
3. Pamphlets and brochures:
   1. Earthsave Canada – Calcium, Protein, and the Power of a Plant-based Diet.
   2. Real Food Action Guide (23 pages) – Food Revolution Network 3/2019