Food For Life: Helping people regain their health through food.
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Food for Life is an award-winning nutrition education and cooking class program that provides an innovative approach to diet-related chronic diseases. Since 2001, Food for Life has been a pioneer in delivering hands-on information about the direct role of plant-based nutrition in health and disease prevention to communities around the world.
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Designed by physicians, nurses, and registered dietitians, Food for Life promotes healthful eating based on the latest scientific research.
YOUR BODY IN BALANCE
Based on the book Your Body in Balance: The New Science of Food, Hormones, and Health by Neal Barnard, MD, FACC, this set of classes addresses hormone-related problems including infertility, hot flashes, diabetes, and depression. Dietary choices have a surprisingly powerful effect on hormones and the problems they cause. The information provided in these classes explains the latest research and offers a new approach to treating, prevention, and even curing many of the most common and persistent health problems.
FOOD FOR A HEALTHY HEART
Research shows a plant-based diet doesn’t just prevent heart disease, but it can manage and sometimes even reverse it. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and around the world. Eating habits and other lifestyle factors play a key role in determining the risk of heart disease. Pioneering studies by Dean Ornish, MD, Caldwell Esselstyn Jr., MD, and others have shown a low-fat, plant-based diet, combined with regular exercise and a healthful overall lifestyle, can prevent, delay, and even reverse heart disease and other cardiovascular events. Dr. Ornish’s landmark study tested the effects of a plant-based diet on participants with moderate to severe heart disease. There were no surgeries or stents—just simple diet and lifestyle changes.
Within weeks, 90 percent of chest pain diminished. After just one month, blood flow to the heart improved.
After a year, even severely blocked arteries reopened. At the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Esselstyn tested the same
approach on patients with severe heart disease and published similar results. Thirty years later, all of the compliant patients are still thriving. Plant-based diets benefit heart health because they contain no dietary cholesterol, very little saturated fat, and abundant fiber. Meat, cheese, and eggs, on the other hand, are packed with cholesterol and saturated fat, which cause plaque buildup in the arteries, eventually leading to heart disease. A plant-based diet can also help improve several risk factors for heart disease:
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High Blood Pressure: A plant-based diet, rich in potassium, improves blood pressure.
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High Cholesterol: Aim for high-fiber foods, which can help lower cholesterol.
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Atherosclerosis: Diets rich in saturated fat and cholesterol cause plaque buildup in the arteries, restricting blood flow.
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Inflammation: Plant-based diets help reduce inflammation, which can lead to heart disease and other conditions.
DIABETES INITIATIVE
Developed by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, this plant-based nutrition and cooking program focuses on the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. It is designed for people with diabetes, prediabetes, risk factors, or a family history of the disease, as well as their adult family members. Health care professionals can also benefit from learning the basics of plant-based nutrition for prevention and treatment.
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Diabetes is a growing epidemic, affecting over 12% of U.S. adults and more than 25% of those over 65. Millions more live with prediabetes, often without symptoms, yet already at risk for serious complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and vision loss. Research shows that weight loss, dietary change, and increased activity can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes and its complications.
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Fortunately, type 2 diabetes is largely preventable—and in many cases, its progression can be slowed or even reversed—through significant lifestyle changes, starting with the food on your plate.
NUTRITION ESSENTIALS
This program, part of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine’s successful 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, highlights the power of a plant-based diet—rich in whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits—to prevent and even treat chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
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Nutrition Essentials helps participants shift from restricting food amounts to choosing the right foods, leading to benefits such as weight loss, better blood sugar control, lower cholesterol, and improved energy and mood. Attendees will explore topics ranging from digestion to blood pressure and leave equipped with practical tools for lasting health.
POWER FOOD FOR FITNESS
For centuries, athletes have been following plant-based diets to achieve a competitive advantage. Recently, plant-based diets are gaining popularity in a variety of sports. Perhaps that’s because vegan athletes are leading in endurance sports, weightlifting, and even Formula One racing. However, you don’t have to be a professional athlete to benefit from a plant-based diet. A low-fat vegan diet comprising whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables provides the ideal fuel for any physical activity. It also demonstrates qualities for enhanced recovery over high-fat and animal-based diets. The Food for Life: Food for Fitness class aims to empower attendees with the knowledge and skills needed to prepare simple, nutritious meals that fuel optimal fitness and recovery.
EMPLOYEE WELLNESS PROGRAM
A plant-based diet can help prevent and treat diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, well-planned vegetarian and vegan diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and effective in disease prevention and management.
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PCRM’s Employee Wellness Program offers:
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Plant-based nutrition education and cooking classes with demonstrations, tastings, and group discussion
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Guidance for management on affordable, healthful food service choices
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Resources for tracking participant biometrics
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Program marketing support
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Staff members gain practical tools for lasting health, discovering that choosing the right foods—rather than restricting amounts—leads to weight loss, better blood sugar and cholesterol control, lower blood pressure, and more energy. Results are often immediate and impressive.
This curriculum is based on PCRM’s successful 21-Day Vegan Kickstart and Food for Life programs, with
introductions to cancer and diabetes prevention.
FOOD FOR LIFE: LET'S BEAT BREAST CANCER
More than 50 years after the U.S. declared a “war on cancer,” one in eight women is still expected to develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Research shows that over one-third of all cancer deaths in the U.S. are linked to poor diet—yet many remain unaware of this connection.​
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In response, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine created the Let’s Beat Breast Cancer curriculum, building on its groundbreaking Cancer Project program. The first four classes explore how specific foods and nutrients can either promote or discourage cancer growth, with simple, practical recipe demonstrations. The final class focuses on foods shown to reduce breast cancer risk and support survival.
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​These classes are designed for cancer survivors, their families, and those seeking prevention. They are not intended for individuals currently undergoing treatment.
