Local health professionals in St. Louis, Mo., will team up this April to provide city residents with all the tools they need to follow a healthful plant-based vegan diet.
The Kickstart Your Health St. Louis program, created by the nonprofit Physicians Committee, provides St. Louis residents with a nutrition blueprint to reach optimal health and reduce the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, certain forms of cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease later in life.
The dietary pattern—rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes—is scientifically proven to boost metabolism, lower blood pressure, improve cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar, and provide a cost-effective solution to today’s chronic health problems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that 92 percent of Missouri adults fall short of consuming at least two servings of vegetables each day.
Rosa Kincaid, M.D., an integral part of the Kickstart Your Health St. Louis campaign, will star in three billboards around the city encouraging residents to beat heart disease by switching to a plant-based diet. The billboards post the week of April 9 and feature colorful beets and taglines to capture travelers’ attention: “You can beet heart disease”, “Let’s beet heart disease”, and “Go plant-based!”
“Heart disease is the leading cause of death in St. Louis,” says Rosa Kincaid, M.D., owner of Destination Natural Antiaging. “And we know that when you follow a plant-based eating pattern you can prevent and even reverse heart disease.”
Dr. Kincaid, alongside Kickstart Your Health St. Louis leaders James Loomis, M.D., Fred and Ricky’s, Kayli Dice, R.D., and STL Veg Girl, in partnership with Neal Barnard, M.D., will provide the entire city with a free health fest showcasing local health organizations and offering free health screenings, a free Zumba class, nutrition and healthy lifestyle tips, a movie screening, and cooking demos.
The Gateway City Health Fest will take place at the Third Degree Glass Factory on April 10 from 6-9 p.m. with a screening of the film Forks Over Knives, which provides case studies to support Hippocrates’ quote “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
To learn more about the plant-based nutrition campaign and supporting events, visit www.KickstartYourHealth.org.