The producer of the acclaimed documentary films Forks Over Knives (2011) and PlantPure Nation (2015) has recently launched a health and weight loss company in St. Petersburg. Both films examine the health benefits of a plant-based diet not only in preventing chronic diseases but in reversing serious conditions, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

“Those films struck a nerve on Netflix and helped inspire thousands of people to try the plant-based diet,” producer John Corry states. “For some, natural weight loss is the best part of the diet, so we set out to create an entirely new diet program centered on motivational education and delivered plant-based food.” The plant-based movement continues to spread as thousands of people are regaining their health and stopping chronic disease using this lifestyle.

With help from bestselling author Dr. T. Colin Campbell (The China Study) and his son Nelson, and local plant-based advocates Steve and Sue Kehoe, Corry led the production of a five-hour seminar as a cornerstone of the weight loss program. The seminar is an immersive and compelling experience that includes many of the leading experts on plant-based nutrition. “While some people need to be convinced with scientific evidence, we also injected real life testimonies to deliver the message on an emotional level as we are literally talking about life and death,” Corry explains. 

Dozens of inspirational health recovery stories are shared by people, many who lost incredible amounts of weight, but even more importantly reversed their debilitating, chronic conditions. The Kehoes have one such story. They became involved in eating plant-based as a “last resort” when Sue was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer seven years ago. She was “given” about two years to live when she happened upon the documentary Forks Over Knives which convinced them both that a nutrient dense, plant-based diet was the best chance to optimize her immune system and overall health to fight the cancer. As a result of eating this way, Sue is cancer-free and has lost and kept off 100 pounds. Steve dropped 150 points off his cholesterol. They are healthier than they have ever been and determined to help others make a plant-based transition and combat the epidemic of chronic disease our country is facing.

  Steve explains, “As we regained our health, we were amazed by the dramatic improvements and wondered why more people didn’t know about this. We were determined to ‘pay it forward’ and help people reverse chronic conditions using a plant-based diet. We love teaching this program because we see dramatic health improvements in just 28 days. The weight and cholesterol drops are expected but we also see incredible improvement in blood sugars, inflammation, migraines, digestive issues and most other chronic conditions. The power of the human body to heal itself when given optimal nutrition truly is amazing!”

The 28-day program consists of a five-hour seminar (generally taught over two nights), a small group shopping trip, a cooking class and a reunion party. The focus is on education and practical tools to make the transition easy. Going through the program in a group provides both support and accountability. The goal is to help people transform their lifestyle for lifelong success rather than just going on a temporary diet.

PlantPure Health & Weight Loss programs are now being conducted in St. Petersburg, Palm Harbor and Fort Myers. To date, five programs have been completed. The groups have had an average weight loss of 8.5 pounds and a total cholesterol drop of 20 percent in 28 days. Grocery gift certificates are awarded for the most weight lost and the largest drop in cholesterol. The program is also being licensed to doctors, dietitians and nutritionists in several cities across the U.S.

  “Health professionals don’t often have the time to teach their patients lifestyle and diet skills,” Corry says. “We give them an exciting turnkey program to scale the instruction for large groups to help more people. You can watch a film or you can read a book about the whole food plant-based diet, but there is no substitute for changing your body’s chemistry completely to see what it feels like. Once you start experiencing what true health feels like, you will likely never go back to your old lifestyle.”

 

For Tampa Bay program locations, dates and more information, visit PlantPureHealthAndWeightLoss.com. See ad page 33.