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What would you say to someone on the fence about plant based eating? I see a lot of people going back to eating meat because they say they were told by doctors to eat meat again.

Beyond Recipes

Deb Kennedy, PhD - Beyond Recipes

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This event was on March 6, 2025

Teaching others to cook is about more than just recipes—it’s about meeting people where they are, honoring cultural traditions, and building confidence in the kitchen. This live event explores how to adapt cooking instruction for different skill levels, backgrounds, and learning styles while emphasizing intuitive cooking over rigid steps. Learn how to empower others with essential skills, inspire creativity, and make cooking an accessible, enjoyable experience for all.

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Question

Michelle Aston

What would you say to someone on the fence about plant based eating? I see a lot of people going back to eating meat because they say they were told by doctors to eat meat again.

Answer

With a plant-based diet, you can easily get enough protein in your diet, you just need to make sure that you're adding nuts and seeds and legumes and whole grains into your, into your diet. And if you're on the fence, well, I'm not gonna kick you off the fence, Michelle, but I'd say can you get off the fence sometime? Can you try introducing, uh, one plant-based meal a week and then go for two, maybe have your lunches all be plant-based and see how you enjoy it. I don't know what your specific needs are, but if you were pregnant and lactating and things like that, you need to see a dietician to make sure you're getting enough protein and iron.

Deb Kennedy, PhD

PhD Nutritionist

drdebkennedy.com

*Deb Kennedy, PhD* nutritionist, chef and Value-Based Medicine certified, is dedicated to helping people improve their health through food. She received her Ph.D. in Nutritional Biochemistry from Tufts University, and previously held roles with Tufts Human Nutrition Research Center for Aging, Yale’s Prevention Research Center, Babies and Children’s Hospital at New York Presbyterian, Cornell University, and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. She also held the position of first Chair for Best Practices at the Teaching Kitchen Collaborative (CIA) and was an instructor in Culinary Nutrition at the New England Culinary Institute. A pioneer in the growing field of culinary medicine, and self-proclaimed food warrior, Dr. Kennedy is the author of multiple books, including The Culinary Medicine Textbook, a five-volume publication to date that uses her research in food, flavor, eating and nutrition to lay out the concepts and fundamental topics needed to master culinary medicine. For the last several years, Deb, along with 40 nutritionists and a dozen chefs from around the world, created culinary competencies for nutrition recommendations. She has developed the Food Coach Academy based on this work, which is delivered in a science-based modular format that provides individuals with expertise needed to use the power of food to transform health.