A New Website Helps You Find A Plant-Based Doctor!
Whenever someone starts a new diet or lifestyle change what’s the first thing that’s advised? “Talk to your doctor.” Switching to a plant-based diet is no different, it’s good advice to talk with your doctor about a major change like this. What if, however, your doctor is unfamiliar with or doesn’t support a plant-based diet? If this ends up being the case, you’re encountering your first road block on your journey to going vegan. Imagine another scenario, one where you have a plant-based doctor. How wonderful would it be to have your doctor not only support your new way of eating, but identify with it because they share a similar lifestyle?
“Great, but how am I supposed to find a doctor like that?” You’re in luck! A new website, plantbaseddoctors.org, just launched. Plant-Based Doctors is a website you can use to search for, add, or browse doctors…and as the name implies, they’re all plant-based.
“Our mission is to connect you with a nearby healthcare practitioner who can provide the support and guidance needed for your long-term success.”
Intrigued by this new website, I contacted Matt Jager, a co-creator of Plant-Based Doctors, and he was happy to answer a few questions about the site, it’s creation and their motivation to do this on a voluntary basis.
Clearly Veg: What prompted you to come up with the Plant-Based Doctors directory?
Matt Jager: My partner Regan and I are committed to helping others transition to a plant-based diet, and we run a website called Don’t Lose The Cow that provides support and resources for plant-based living. We were hearing many stories where someone would go in for a check-up and find that their doctor was either unsupportive or actively opposed to their diet, even when they were getting good results. One of the biggest barriers that people face is lack of support, and it’s especially hard when your health care practitioner isn’t on your team. We created the directory hoping to solve that problem and put people in touch with a health care practitioner that has an understanding of nutrition and recommends a plant-based diet as an adjunct to medical therapy.
Clearly Veg: There are three of you mentioned in the “About” section. How did you come together to collaborate?
Matt Jager: Lindsey Nixon of Happy Herbivore began collecting a list of plant-based doctors and displays them on a public Google Docs spreadsheet. I thought this resource was incredibly valuable, and thought it could be even better as a website with some additional search features and the ability for practitioners to manage their own listings. I approached her about turning her list into a website, and she graciously accepted. She has been amazingly supportive and the project would never have gotten off the ground without her. We list her two companies, Happy Herbivore and Meal Mentor on the site, along with a link to our site Don’t Lose The Cow.
Clearly Veg: How long has Plant-Based Doctors been in the works?
Matt Jager: We started building the site around seven months ago and launched last week.
This is a volunteer effort?
Matt Jager: We have been blessed to have incredibly generous teachers and mentors who have introduced us to this lifestyle, and are deeply committed to the health and healing of the others as well as our beautiful planet. It is an honor to be able to play our part and provide this free resource to help others thrive on a plant-based diet. However, there are ongoing management and maintenance costs and if anyone would like to consider making a small donation it would be greatly appreciated.
This website will provide an excellent tool for the veg community. Since my partner and I have a meat-free home, where he’s vegan and the kids and I are mostly plant-based, it’s important to me that we have a doctor that understands our family’s diet and can provide support where needed. I wish this website had been available when we were searching for a family doctor, it would have been much less complicated and time-consuming.
