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Plant-Based Diets: Recipe for Disaster or Vitality?


Noah Praamsma, MS, RDN, Nutrition Education Coordinator, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, will deliver this lecture.

From ethical herbivores to planet-conscious vegans to plant-powered triathletes, more and more people are leaving animal products off the menu. But can eating only plants really give you everything you need for good health? The nutrition science is clear: YES! And not only can a vegan diet hold its own against an omnivorous one, it actually outshines animal-based eating patterns on a range of measures including chronic disease prevention (and reversal), longevity, quality of life, and even athletic performance. This presentation offers evidence-based answers to common questions about protein, soy, diabetes, bone health, vitamin supplements, affordability, and the concerns that plant-based diets are impossibly boring and difficult to follow.

Noah Praamsma graduated from Calvin in 2017, where he developed a strong interest in preventative approaches to healthcare, environmental sustainability and ethical relationships towards animals. Before going on to earn his Masters of Science in Dietetics from the University of Vermont, Noah also completed a term with AmeriCorps, another formative experience that exposed him to community- and population-level practice environments. Noah worked for Vermont’s Health Department for a year and a half after earning his registered dietitian credential, serving low-income mothers and children in Vermont’s WIC program and coordinating the state’s public COVID testing program. In 2022, his passion for policy led him to move to Washington, DC, where he began working for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a health education and advocacy non-profit. In his role there Noah speaks, manages projects, contributes to research projects, and supports coalition building among stakeholders to make positive changes in legislation and people’s lives.

A vegan reception will follow the lecture. 

This lecture is sponsored by the Biology, Nursing, and Philosophy departments; the School of Health; and the Calvin Alumni Association . 

April 2024
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