Our Mission
Our Founder’s Story.
PBNSG's founder, Paul Chatlin, was 54 years old when he was told he had three blocked coronary arteries: one at 100% and two at 65% blocked. He also had leaky valves. Minutes before being wheeled into the operating room, his cardiologist suggested Paul try a unique nutrition plan and diet change.
Paul decided to proceed with a plant-based nutrition plan to reverse his heart ailments, and within weeks his chest pains had ceased. Soon his cholesterol levels dropped dramatically. Championed by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, this diet reduces, and sometimes reverses, the effects of cardiovascular disease, as in Paul’s case.
Today, Paul is as healthy and active as ever. If you, too, are willing to make changes to live a longer and healthier life, the “Plant Based Nutrition Support Group” is here to offer you kindness, support, and the resources necessary to do so!
The “Plant-Based Nutrition Support Group” (PBNSG) was initially established to support those who had been diagnosed or were at risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Now, PBNSG empowers all who want to optimize their health by following a whole food plant-based lifestyle!
In February of 2014, we held our first Plant-Based Nutrition Support Group meeting. We thought 20-40 people would be a great showing, 123 people attended! The following month, we held our second meeting and thought there would be a significant drop off of participants, but we were wrong! We again had over 100 people attending, 40 of whom were new. In both April and May 2014, we continued to grow and as of 2024, we have over 10,000 subscribers!
When COVID-19 impacted the world in 2020, we implemented a first of its kind virtual plant-based community to continue helping those in need of support with this lifestyle and to build a relationship building platform. Moving into 2021 we pivoted into a 100% virtual setting where we host nationally renowned speakers/doctors, cooking classes with plant-based chefs, a FREE monthly support group meeting, plus specialized support groups tackling various health issues, all in our brand new membership platform!
The reason why WE at Plant-Based Nutrition Support Group use the word "plant-based," rather than "vegan," is because vegan does not necessarily mean healthy. Vegan can also mean potato chips and licorice. To us, optimal health and disease prevention for our families is through real food and simple ingredients.
Why does this matter? Today, heart disease and cancer are the top two killers in the US. The sad part is they are primarily preventable! Approximately, 70% of cancer and heart disease cases could have been prevented through a plant-based diet. Heart disease kills more Americans than any other disease and studies recently report that heart disease starts in childhood. Research also shows that there is an astounding link between diet and psychological, mood and neurological disorders, such as ADHD and autism. In fact, studies report that at least 2/3 of all ADHD cases were preventable through diet! Pause for a moment and think about that. 67% of the kids being dosed with toxic pharmaceutical drugs to treat ADHD simply do not need them! This number is monumental. In the US alone, that represents an estimated 5 million children. In one notable study, when scientists switched children with ADHD to a plant-based diet, they were flabbergasted by the changes. Dr. Natasha McBride, author of Gut and Psychology Syndrome said, "After the diet, they were just normal children with normal behavior. They were no longer easily distracted or forgetful, and the temper tantrums subsided."
It is for these reasons, any so many more, that we believe it is so important that we feed our children proper fuel from the start. Plus, there is the added benefit that we are setting the foundation for healthy food choices in their future. Want some more information on this? We highly recommend watching the documentaries What the Health or The Game Changers. Each film covers everything from heart disease, obesity, cancer and diabetes. They are life changing films that will certainly make any parent rethink what they eat and serve their families.
Please reach out to connect@pbnsg.org with any questions you may have and we hope to see you soon!