The Stanford Plant-based Educational Study: Providers Learning About Nutrition Together (PLANT)

More than 70% of chronic illnesses can be prevented or reversed with a whole-food, plant-based diet (WFPBD). This dietary pattern is also more sustainable for our planetary health. The majority of physicians receive fewer than 20 hours of nutrition education during the entire course of their medical training. Although many physicians are aware of the importance of diet on their well-being, they face significant barriers in following a healthy diet. Because physicians' own habits strongly influence patient health habits, the investigators theorize that physicians who eat a WFPBD themselves will be much more likely to successfully counsel their patients on nutrition and recommend a WFPBD. The most effective methods that can be successfully used to encourage busy physicians to adopt a WFPBD have not yet been identified. Given the increasing rates of diet-related chronic illnesses, if proven effective, this study may offer a new scalable approach to encourage physicians, and ultimately their patients, to adopt a WFPBD. The aims of this study are to: 1. Assess the impact of a multimodal 6-week educational program on WFPBD on a) change in physicians' diet type and quality, b) change in mindset about WFPBD, and c) stage of change based on the transtheoretical model of behavior change (Figure 1), compared to the delayed-intervention (control group) from baseline to week 6. 2. Assess the impact of the 6-week educational program on the development of skills and knowledge required to a) adopt a WFPBD and b) counsel patients on the same.