Last year, I had an amazing opportunity to complete the Center for Nutrition Studies’ Plant Based Nutrition Certificate – an online certification program focused on plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine. I wanted to write this blog post to share my opinions on the course, provide an overview of its structure, and hopefully encourage you to take it as well.

I came across the PBNC when I was looking to learn more about a healing diet, both for myself and to teach others. I felt most existing nutrition courses still saw nutrition as a minor part of healing the body rather than the leading factor. Fortunately, I found Dr. Brooke Goldner, a plant-based advocate and health coach, who had taken and then became a teacher in the same program.

The course is separated into three sections: nutrition and society, nutrition and chronic disease, and plant-based in practice. These then breakdown into five modules per section. The modules begin with broader concepts: plant-based researcher Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s nutrition principles and perspectives to reframe your understanding of nutrition. Part two contains the bulk of the nutrition research, detailing the interaction between food and chronic disease, and its amazing capabilities to both reverse and prevent disease. The program includes a panel of plant-based nutritionists, physicians, and doctors to teach and share their experiences. I found it very encouraging to hear the many success stories of those that switched to a plant-based diet. Part three, plant-based in practice, was a pleasant surprise. It showed me how to apply the principles of plant-based eating in my community and made me recognize what a positive impact it has on the environment. Admittedly, I was not much of an environmentalist before, but, in learning how easily I can protect the environment with a plant-based diet, my perspective certainly broadened.

One of my favorite modules of the course was Dr. Brooke Goldner’s due to her discussion of hyper nourishment with raw food. Again, it was amazing to see how many chronic diseases she was able to reverse (i.e. Lupus and Hashimoto’s) just with her raw food protocol and reinforced my understanding of the value in raw foods.

Apart from the academic benefit, Whole Communities, the platform on which the course is conducted, does a great job of building a community among plant-based educators, students, and those generally interested in the plant-based education. In fact, if you are simply curious about a plant-based lifestyle, I encourage you to join the community (for free) to explore the many resources and friendly connections this platform provides. I found myself learning from the shared doubts my peers were asking and feeling more reassured about what I was experiencing, as I myself was a transitioning to a plant-based lifestyle. Nutritionists, educators, and plant-based enthusiasts are all constantly active and available to answer questions.

I’m very thankful to have had the opportunity to take this course as it provided a better understanding of what plant-based nutrition is, its impact, and how I can apply it my life and the lives of others. My closing recommendation, other than to take the course, it to inquire about the program’s scholarship opportunities. If the price ($949), is the only factor preventing you from taking the program, CNS does offer scholarships for those passionate enough about plant-based education. Contact Meg at [email protected] or call 607-319-3209 for details.

Best of luck and please reach out me if you have any questions about my experiences or want to share your excitement while taking the course!