The other morning, I walked downstairs to an interesting sight:

My father standing in the dining room, and this on the table…

The conversation went like this:

Me: Dad, what’s that?

Dad [looking hesitant]: A container.

Me: Mmm hmm. Where’d you get it?

Dad [gives up the act]: I had to go there and get a fruit cup because I didn’t have time to make breakfast this morning before I left.

Me [smiling, so proud]: Oh, ok. I guess that’s acceptable.

Dad: Yeah, I also got a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit and as I walked over to sit down, I dropped it and the whole thing spilled out onto the floor.

[At this point I start to get really excited because of course, I think this story is turning into a big sign from the Universe]

Dad continues [laughing]: So I walked back to the counter and the girl gave me a new one!

[Ok. Maybe not a sign.]

I surprised myself by taking a deep breath, and laughed along with him. Everything in moderation, right?

Since coming back into my parents’ house in October, I have been doing a lot of the cooking and subtly trying to help them make healthier eating choices. (Ok, maybe not that subtly.) I’ve been through my own journey in and out of veganism, but still maintain a vegan diet about 98% of the time. I do it for many reasons, but when it comes to my family, my #1 concern is their health.

Now is a good time to give a little bit of background here. I come from a family of doctors, scientists and generally left-brained thinkers. I’ve always been the more creative, free-spirited one, and ever since my journey into holistic health and yoga, to say I’m the odd one out is an understatement.

DISCLAIMER: I love my family dearly and they have been nothing but supportive in my decision to follow this path. But when it came to influencing healthier change in their own lifestyle habits, I never seemed to make much headway.

Not that my parents are “unhealthy” in the standard sense. Quite the contrary. For the most part they always ate well-balanced meals and keep very active. But I know first-hand how good it feels to go from your standard “well-balanced American diet” to a mostly plant-based diet rich in whole foods. Better digestion, immunity, energy levels, clearer thinking…the list goes on! And that’s just what we see and feel. There is a whole host of other things happening (or not happening) at a cellular level that we don’t even notice. Disease prevention being benefit numero uno!

What better way to approach my logic-based parents with health information than with the results from a big, widely respected study? Enter The China Study.

The take-home message of the study is that by eating a plant food/vegan diet, you minimize or even reverse the development of chronic diseases. One of the most memorable findings from the book is that a diet consisting of 5% or more animal protein activates pre-cancerous cells in the body, leading to higher cancer rates, and therefore death rates.

While traveling last year, I emailed my Dad to check out this book. He wrote me back an email a few days later that said “You’ve got me convinced. I’m going vegan.” I was so proud, but this was short-lived, as my Mom was the one doing the cooking. He did, however, change his breakfast habits and started eating tons of fruit. Baby steps, right?!

Actually, there have been a lot of baby steps. This past summer in Michigan, both my parents came to my weekly Yin Yoga class. At first I thought they were just being supportive, until I realized how helpful the practice was for each of them. (Of course it was! Yin is so powerful.)

Sometimes, though, the most influential people are your peers. My mother found out their life-long friends – also in their late-60s – recently went vegan and have never felt better. They’d made the decision after reading The China Study. Hmm…sounds familiar!

My mother promptly bought the book and her chemist-brain was instantly hooked. The book, dog-eared and marked up, finally made its impact. So now, with my help, my parents are slowly transitioning to a mostly-vegan diet and I couldn’t be more proud. To see them making changes like this at their age shows that people can always make positive changes, no matter their situation. And as my mother sends emails to family members about the undeniable findings presented in this ground-breaking book, I’m already seeing a ripple effect. My sister is the latest one on-board, which means both her young children are following suit.

I’m reminded of the mission statement of my school, The Institute For Integrative Nutrition:

“Our mission is to play a crucial role in improving health and happiness, and through that process, create a ripple effect that transforms the world.”

Cheers!