Plant based doctors guide
What 14 plant based doctors and experts say about weight loss, topic by topic. Each position is a short summary in our words with a link to where they said it.
Topics
- Calorie density Choosing foods with fewer calories per pound is the main way to lose weight without counting calories. 10 agree, 3 partly, 1 disagree.
- Nuts and seeds Nuts and seeds should be cut out or strictly limited for weight loss. 7 agree, 4 partly, 1 disagree.
- Oil Added oil should be cut out completely for weight loss. 12 agree, 1 partly, 0 disagree.
More topics are on the way: fruit, starches, protein, meal timing, sugar, salt and exercise.
Experts
- Alan Goldhamer DC (chiropractor, not a medical doctor). Founder of TrueNorth Health Center, co-author of The Pleasure Trap.
- Chef AJ Chef and TV host, no medical credential. Host of Healthy Living with Chef AJ and creator of the Ultimate Weight Loss program.
- Dean Ornish MD. Physician who founded the Preventive Medicine Research Institute; wrote Eat More, Weigh Less (1993).
- Doug Lisle PhD. Clinical psychologist; research director at TrueNorth Health Center; co-wrote The Pleasure Trap.
- Hana Kahleova MD, PhD. Physician-researcher, director of clinical research at PCRM.
- Jeff Novick MS, RDN (registered dietitian). Registered dietitian known for teaching calorie density.
- John McDougall MD. Physician, founder of the McDougall Program and the starch-based diet (died 2024).
- Michael Greger MD. Physician, founder of NutritionFacts.org, author of How Not to Die and How Not to Diet.
- Nathan Pritikin Engineer, no medical degree. Designer of the Pritikin program (1915 to 1985); positions here are the Pritikin Longevity Center's.
- Neal Barnard MD. Physician, founder and president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).
- Peter Rogers MD. Physician and YouTube educator.
- Rip Esselstyn Former firefighter and triathlete, no medical credential. Author of The Engine 2 Diet, founder of PLANTSTRONG.
- T. Colin Campbell PhD. Nutritional biochemist (Cornell), co-author of The China Study (2005).
- Walter Kempner MD. Physician who ran the rice diet program in Durham, North Carolina.
How this guide works
A position is credited to a person only from their own byline, newsletter or voice on video. Organization websites are labelled as such, because several contradict their founders. Where we found no clear statement, we say so instead of guessing.
Each topic compares everyone against one plain statement and marks who agrees, partly agrees or disagrees, with the strength of the evidence behind their advice.
This guide summarizes what each person has said in public; it does not recommend any diet. Every position links to its source, to the exact second for videos. Sources checked 2026-10-10.