Michael J Moore, PT
Why Does FPT Care About Nutrition?
As we are quickly closing May 2026, FPT has announced our quarterly whole food/plant-based (WF/PB) potluck for our entire FPT community.
People may ask: What is WF/PB about? Why is a PT practice wanting to hold such an event? Why not just get some KFC and a pepperoni pizza and chow down?
The answer stems from our clinic’s philosophy that in order to have optimal physical therapy outcomes, you not only have to train your body with home exercises, but your whole body will also have better outcomes if it is in a healthy state and not in an inflammatory state.
The idea of having a group potluck meal together for people who already exercise together seemed like a natural fit for our human condition to enjoy and thrive with social interaction.
As some of you may know, our group exercise concept goes back to our beginnings in the mid-1980s. When we think of the group meal, it stems from our roots of viewing nutrition as a contributing factor to more optimal physical and mental outcomes.
How FPT Began Exploring Whole Food Plant-Based Eating
This heavy influence on WF/PB began in 2012 when one of our PTs, Suzanne Talbert, gave me an insightful book by Campbell titled The China Study. I do not like to read books if they are over 100 pages, so I chose to listen to the six-CD set during my different rides in the car.
The book was so full of strong evidence that I listened to it five different times. Because I am a slow learner, repetition is helpful. My wife could write a book on how long it takes for me to learn all the things she has been trying to teach me.
The China Study discusses worldwide epidemiology and describes places in the world, specifically rural China, that had none of the developed first-world countries’ top killers like heart disease, lung cancer, and GI cancer.
Up to 75% of an individual’s health can be dependent on what they take into their body several times per day, while 25% of being healthy is related to physical training.
Because our group training has been so successful at getting people to have a wonderful time under spectacular leadership personalities who create safe training environments, the FPT staff felt we should begin promoting healthy eating so our community could reach a new level of optimal health.
Since 2012, the whole PT staff at that time transitioned to WF/PB simultaneously. There was a strong bond among the staff because we were all in it together.
Since that time 14 years ago, staff has changed. Some have wavered off the plan and some, like me, have pushed on. Admittedly, for me, having two different cancer diagnoses has helped inspire ongoing motivation, to say the least.
We have found resistance among our patients, and we have found resistance in our nation as a whole. The evidence is quite strong for plant-based eating, but government policy often waters down the evidence into generalized recommendations with soft pronouncements such as:
• Eat more vegetables and fruits
• Eat less red meat
• Limit processed meats
• Limit dairy, especially cheeses
Why FPT Continues Promoting Healthy Eating
One must realize that within our branches of government, there are conflicts of interest that can influence policy. Groups such as the Cattlemen’s Association and Dairy Association, to name a few, lobby heavily for their industries. There are lobbying groups that launch their own biased studies to contradict scientific evidence. This tactic serves as a smokescreen in the eyes of the public and creates confusion. This tactic of confusion by self-interest groups is reminiscent of the tobacco industry’s fight against scientific evidence that was critical of tobacco use. Any baby boomer reading this newsletter will easily remember how prevalent smoking was in all aspects of society. Ashtrays were common all over the house. Cigarette lighters and ashtrays were in every car. But perseverance of true scientific evidence pushed a more informed public to eventually override the financially generous tobacco lobby and change government policymakers. That same scientific perseverance is alive today, trying to provide strong evidence in support of a WF/PB lifestyle for more optimal health for ourselves, our families, and our nation.
Common Nutrition Myths
There are many myths that have been spread through tainted studies or unreported facts.
Myth 1 — We need dairy for osteoporosis prevention.
Fact — The three highest per capita dairy-consuming nations in the world are Sweden, Switzerland, and the USA. These three countries are also world leaders in per capita osteoporosis.
Myth 2 — We need animal protein because vegetables are insufficient.
Fact — Legumes and nuts, in the approximate amount of two handfuls per meal or about a half cup, can supply a human being’s protein requirements in conjunction with the variety of vegetables an individual eats, enhancing the efficient absorption of plant protein.
Educational Resources That Shaped My Thinking
As I stated earlier, my personal journey began with The China Study and has continued with books, podcasts, and nutrition conferences. For one’s reference, I list the following:
• NutritionFacts.org — founded by Michael Greger, MD, author of How Not to Die and How Not to Age
• The Brain Docs — Ayesha and Dean Sherzai, neurologists
• Ocean Robbins — Food Revolution Network
• The Plantrician Project — Scott Stoll, MD
• The Blue Zones — Daniel Buettner
What the Blue Zones Teach Us
The Blue Zones study examined five sites on the planet where people are living over 100 years of age at rates far above the rest of the world’s populations.
Those five zones are the mountain people of the island of Ikaria, Greece; the mountain people of the island of Sardinia, Italy; the mountain people of Okinawa, Japan; the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica; and the vegan enclave of Seventh-day Adventists in Loma Linda, California.
Buettner found five commonalities among these zones:
- People eat mostly plants that they have often grown and prepared themselves.
- They have a spiritual life and worship a higher power.
- They have daily purpose.
- They socialize daily.
- They remain physically active, often in low-key ways throughout the day.
The connection between these healthy habits is promoted by cardiologists, neurologists, gastroenterologists, and psychologists. In other words, healthy eating and these other lifestyle components are good for all systems of the body to function optimally.
Foods, Spices, and Daily Habits
Additionally, there are spices and foods used in other parts of the world that, when used on a daily basis, seem to promote reversal of unhealthy conditions that are common in our culture and often treated with lifetime medications.
Here are some examples that I have found have encouraging evidence and may potentially help people reduce reliance on medications, along with the side effects and expenses those medications can create.
1) Amla (dried gooseberry powder)
Amla has been shown to:
• Reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol
• Reduce A1c numbers for type II diabetes
• Reduce C-reactive protein levels in people who have this inflammatory marker
2) Turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon
Turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon have shown similar findings when used regularly in daily food preparation and meal seasoning.
3) Matcha green tea
Matcha green tea has also shown potential beneficial effects on blood-borne cancers, such as lymphoma and leukemia, although more randomized controlled studies are needed for this particular additive.
Matcha is currently undergoing unusual popularity, but the Starbucks version is quite heavy with sugar. Many who drink it admire its beautiful green color and enjoy positive thoughts that if it is green, it must be good for you.
What Does a WF/PB Lifestyle Look Like?
Many individuals in the FPT community have asked me how I implement this lifestyle of WF/PB. Here is a brief summary:
Breakfast
Five organically grown whole grains topped with walnuts, almonds, three kinds of berries, and one banana.
All of the spices mentioned above are included in this cereal, which is then topped off with soy milk.
Dinner
There are several go-to entrées that we commonly rotate through:
- Black beans Caribbean style
- Red bean chili
- Green lentils with stewed onions and carrots
- Vegan lasagna made with tofu and nutritional yeast to replace the cheese, along with collard greens or green chard, then topped with spaghetti sauce on whole-grain noodles
- JUST, a mung bean plant egg replacement product, which we use in a veggie frittata
- Impossible Beef or Beyond Beef brats accompanied by sautéed purple-flesh potatoes
- Asian stir-fry with Brussels sprouts, broccoli, mushrooms, onion, and garlic
Ninety percent of the time, all of these entrées are accompanied by huge amounts of salad.
The salad base is Earthbound Organic Power Greens (baby kale, spinach, and beet greens). Five additional vegetables are sliced in. The salad is dressed with olive oil, wine vinegar, salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
My wife does the cooking because she has a natural gift for making things taste wonderful and way better than my attempts.
Final Thoughts
In summary, I hope this newsletter article has been helpful in explaining why FPT places such importance on gathering for our WF/PB quarterly potluck events.
It is a wonderful time to eat well, sample other people’s creations that are good for us, and socialize in a way that allows us to visit more extensively than we typically do during exercise sessions.
I also hope the resources that have been helpful in my own education and efforts to stay current with the evidence may also help readers in their personal health efforts as individuals, for their families, and for our nation.
I hope the examples of my own eating patterns might also give “food for thought” regarding the multitude of possibilities that are available.
Finally, for further help in this direction, we have Kate, Chief of Operations at FPT, available for appointments. Kate has completed nutrition coursework and certification and has been implementing this lifestyle since 2012 with herself and her family, including her husband and two young boys.
