Plant-Based Diet Transition Tips to Empower Your Health Journey: Panel Discussion

“Don’t worry so much about what you don’t know. Just step into it and try it.” ~ Kathy Davis

For some people, going plant-based can be intimidating. There are so many unknowns:

Does it require shopping at special stores?

Subsisting on mock meats and cheeses?

Spending countless hours trying recipes that may or may not taste good?

Cyd Notter, Kathy Davis and Chuck Carroll agree that the answer is a resounding NO.

In fact, they can all say from experience that going plant-based was much easier than they expected—and it’s led to other positive changes in their lives, including better health and more confidence. So much so that Chuck calls the plant-based lifestyle “Life 2.0.”

Together, they offer encouraging insights to help others transition to a plant-based diet regardless of background, age, location or personal food preferences. (Just ask Kathy, who used to hate beans!)

The prevailing theme? Going plant-based is not only easy but also delicious and highly customizable. It’s all about moving away from foods that trigger emotional or binge eating, experimenting with delicious whole plant foods to find the ones you can love for a lifetime and enabling yourself to eat well no matter what the circumstances.

But to stick with the plant-based lifestyle in the long term, there needs to be a central “driving force” behind the decision, something to act as a north star when temptation strikes.

Kathy suggests asking yourself: “Why do you want to eat this way? What outcome are you looking for?”

Chuck adds that staying the course is truly life-changing, and what you gain from “giving up” animal products can be an ongoing source of motivation. Seeing that you can, in fact, make food choices that are both satisfying and great for your health—and feeling the positive effects—boosts confidence and inspires you to keep going.

“You do not have to be a statistic,” he says.

🥗 Episode Highlights

• Tips for going all-in with a plant-based diet if you don’t know where to start
• Why it’s important to talk to your family about your motivations for going plant-based
• A particularly amusing exchange about Kathy’s experience with learning to love beans
• Encouragement for anyone who’s afraid going plant based will be too hard
• How to overcome the struggles many people face when going plant-based
• Why it’s important to have a solid reason—not just a short-term goal—for adopting a plant-based diet
• Why plant-based diets are the gateway to long-term health
• How going plant-based can inspire confidence and vitality in other areas of life</aside>

Top Takeaways for Brands

The insights Cyd, Kathy and Chuck share in this episode provide a window into what your customers are looking for when choosing plant-based products or transitioning to completely plant-based diets—and the information they’re getting when they turn to others for advice.

Here’s how you can apply their advice and tips to improve your products and connect more effectively with your audience:

1. Be mindful of the fact that a lot of people are still confused about what being plant-based actually entails. Marketing messages perpetuating the idea that 1:1 analogs are necessary **for plant-based diets can act as barriers to adoption. Consider positioning your products as enjoyable enhancements to plant-based diets instead of daily essentials.
2. Instead of focusing solely on what your customers want from a product, discover the outcomes they’re hoping for when they go plant-based. Engage with them through messaging that touches on these personal motivations.
3. People need to know that going plant-based isn’t difficult. Think about how your product can make the transition—and long-term adoption—easier, and communicate that in your messaging. Whether it’s a quick and healthy option people can grab when they don’t have time to cook or an ingredient that can make adapting favorite meat-based recipes easier, aim to come alongside your customers as a guide on their plant-based journey.
4. Plant-based eaters who make the switch for health will read labels and hold you accountable for ingredients they don’t view as being in line with their personal dietary goals. Know what they’re looking for and either avoid it or incorporate educational content into your marketing to explain what role each ingredient plays in your product.
5. With the prevailing theme of simplicity and preparedness, there’s an opportunity for brands to simplify plant-based food prep for those who want to make more from scratch but don’t have the time or resources to do so on a regular basis. Kits or starters for popular plant-based recipes like burgers, cheese and energy balls or staples like soups and stews reduce barriers to adoption by giving people a starting point—and more confidence in the kitchen.

About Cyd, Chuck and Kathy

Cyd Notter is a graduate of the Center for Nutrition Studies, a certified instructor for The Starch Solution and other dietary courses, a past newspaper columnist, and the author of the award-winning book The “Plan A” Diet: Combining Whole Food, Plant-Based Nutrition with the Timeless Wisdom of Scripture. Cyd has been helping people transition to a plant-based diet for over 25 years and offers coaching through her 6-week online course.

Kathy Davis is a plant-based lifestyle and mindset coach, the CEO of VegInspired, and the author of three plant-based cookbooks. Kathy empowers high-achieving professionals to elevate their energy by adopting healthy living habits so they can show up at their optimum performance and achieve their goals.

Chuck Carroll is known as “The Weight Loss Champion” for a reason — he has lost and kept off 280 pounds for more than 10 years! Before overcoming a severe food addiction, Chuck weighed a jaw-dropping 420 pounds and had a 66-inch waist. Now he is using his new lease on life to inspire others and host The Exam Room Podcast by the Physicians Committee, which has been downloaded millions of times to become the No. 1 nutrition podcast in nearly 80 countries!

Connect with Today’s Guests

Cyd

• https://cydnotter.com
• Free Webinar: https://cydnotter.com/register
• Plan A Diet Facebook group
• Buy The Plan A Diet

Kathy

• https://veginspired.com
• Instagram @veginspired, @eatmoreplantsacademy
• Amazon author page

Chuck

• The Exam Room podcast
• Instagram: @chuckcarrollwlc
• Twitter: @chuckcarrollwlc
• Facebook: WeightLossChampion