The path to optimum health

Carla Christian

50plus Magazine

As a bicycle racer competing on the international stage, Scott Wagnon was no stranger to being fit. A few years after hanging up his bike, however, Scott found himself overweight and battling high cholesterol, high blood pressure and prediabetes.

As a Physician Assistant he saw many patients struggling with these diseases, giving him a glimpse of where his health was headed. “The blessing of being a physician is that you can see your own future ahead,” Wagnon says.

He decided to do something about it. Digging into medical journals he was surprised to find bountiful research on the impact of nutrition on health — information he wasn’t taught in medical school. “The evidence supports a plant-based diet,” he says.

Moving in that direction, over the next year Wagnon modified his diet to emphasize beans, vegetables and whole foods. Processed oils, sugars and meats came off his plate. In time he lost 46 pounds, lowered his cholesterol by 100 points and reversed his pre-diabetes status. Maladies he’d struggled with — including irritable bowel syndrome and acid reflux — disappeared.

Inspired by his ever-improving health, Wagnon began sharing what he’d learned with his patients. Their health began to improve as well. “I never thought I’d see people reversing medication. We always add new medicines,” he says.

Wagnon doubled down on his efforts to help his patients get healthy. He earned a board certification in Lifestyle Medicine and began offering classes in collaboration with Lebanon osteopath Charles Ross. Soon, the pair was hearing from surgeons, cardiologists, nutritionists and other healthcare providers who wanted to incorporate a plant-based diet in their own patient care.

As their group swelled to 37 professional members, they launched Eugene Plant Based Providers (EPBP), a nonprofit dedicated to educating patients and healthcare providers about the benefits of a whole food plant-based diet. EPBP hopes to see nutrition and healthy lifestyle become the standard of care for prevention and treatment of chronic disease.

Members host community events like potluck meals, walks with providers and dietitian-led grocery store tours. Wagnon and Ross’s online nutrition classes are free and open to all.

Tips for exploring a plant-based diet

• Know your “why.” Are you seeking to improve your health and prevent disease? Do you wish to support animal welfare, social justice or a sustainable planet?
• Check out films featured on the EPBP website, like Forks over Knives or Game Changers.
• Become aware of what you eat. Recall your diet over the last 24 hours and write it down.
• Consider what you are willing to change and results you hope to achieve.
• Pick one meal to change rather than changing your entire diet at once.
• Try healthy modifications to favorite meals, like spaghetti with veggie-rich sauce and whole-grain pasta.

For resources, including a list of participating providers, links to documentaries, podcasts and nutrition classes, visit eugeneplantbasedproviders.com