My plant-based journey started in my second year of medical school when I adopted a vegan, plant-based diet after being vegetarian for the preceding 3 months. I noticed improvements in my concentration in classes and PMS symptoms, and had more energy during the day, and I was hooked. 

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During medical school, I was shocked and disappointed by how few lectures we had on nutrition despite diet playing such an integral role in the management of many diseases. I educated myself through reading medical journals, and in 2018, I spent a month under the guidance of Dr Jim Loomis and Dr Neal Barnard, witnessing firsthand, the power of nutrition. Daily, I interviewed patients that reduced or eliminated many of their chronic medications, lost weight and improved their quality of life by switching to a plant-based diet. 

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My experience of medicine in South Africa and around the world is that we are treating the symptoms of disease, while ignoring the root causes. We hand out medication like candy, without addressing lifestyle. And while medication is absolutely necessary in many cases, we cannot write a prescription and consider our jobs done. We need to be more proactive in preventing the diseases of lifestyle that plague our populations, and need to have a more holistic view of treating our patients, by addressing their diets and lifestyles. 

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This blog started as a passion project to provide evidence-based resources and articles  for both doctors and the general population regarding a plant-based diet and other lifestyle factors in the prevention and management of many of the diseases we face today.