Jumpstart Diet

A healthier planet starts with a healthier YOU!

 

The Rotary Club of St. Thomas East Eco is partnering with the Rochester Lifestyle Medicine Institute (RLMI) to offer a 15-day whole-food, plant-rich nutrition program to residents of St. Thomas and the broader VI community. As an eco-focused club, it is our mission to promote practices that support environmental sustainability by sharing information and programs that encourage people to develop a passion for caring for the environment in which we live. A vegan diet is one way that we can promote climate friendly practices and avoid the high levels of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the animal raising food industry.  Our desire to share information with the community has led us to the RLMI program which not only has environmental benefits but also focuses on the measurable impacts on health.

Receive healthy and tasty recipes, expert-led sessions, and lab testing to witness real changes to your health.

The club is partnering with RMLI and following their Jumpstart on-demand option where participants visit the RLMI website to watch daily lessons, interact with medical professionals, and receive tips, recipes and shopping lists while eating a whole-food, plant-rich, low-fat diet for 15 days. In addition to the RMLI program as described on their website, the STT Rotary East Eco club will also offer bi-weekly zoom check-ins with fellow Virgin Islanders also involved in the program to share their thoughts, experiences, and challenges throughout the program.

Program Dates:

  • Thursday Mar 19th at 6pm via Zoom: Program orientation
    • Participants will meet with STT East Rotary members via zoom to discuss various aspects of the challenge, including sharing pre-program shopping lists, information about lab testing procedure, and answering any questions.
  • Mar 19th - Mar 29th: Complete Lab 1
    • Receive blood test results for accurate markers of cholesterol, diabetes, and other health metrics.
  • Monday Mar 30th: Day 1
    • Starting on March 30th and for the next 15 days, participants will receive daily emails and visit the RMLI website for lessons and tips while following the diet guidelines.
  • Thursday Apr 2nd at 6pm via Zoom: VI Group Meeting 1
    • Expert-led meeting with doctors from RMLI program who are available to answer any questions participants may have about the program, their health or the benefits of a whole foods, plant-rich diet.
  • Monday Apr 13th: Day 15 - Program End
    • Final day of the jumpstart challenge which includes a low-fat, whole food and plant-rich diet for 15 days.
  • Apr 14th - Apr 20th: Complete Lab 2
    • Receive follow up blood test results to assess changes in cholesterol, diabetes, and other health metrics.
  • Thursday Apr 21st at 6pm via Zoom: VI Group Meeting 2
    • Final meeting to share experiences, challenges and reflections on the program. At this time, those who wish to share their blood test results and improvements are encouraged to do so, but are not required.

Program Requirements

  • Access to the internet and a good comfort level navigating websites and access to zoom, as the core of the program will be zoom (or in person) meetings and content shared on the RLMI website  (https://www.rochesterlifestylemedicine.org/).
  • The ability to pay for the doctor’s visit to get prescriptions for the before and after blood test.
  • Two blood tests to measure cholesterol levels and other relevant biomarkers – the first is taken prior to starting the challenge and the second is taken after so participants can see their improvement. A letter to take to your physician will be provided by RMLI upon registration into the program.
  • Agreement to read daily emails sent by RMLI and visit their website each of the 15 days to view videos, demonstrations, food lists, recipes, and other motivating information.
  • Willingness to participate in the diet challenge which involves eating a whole food, plant-based diet, avoiding processed foods, and cutting out high-fat foods such as nuts, seeds and oils.
  • Ability to cook or to have someone cook according to the diet guidelines which is whole-food, plant-rich and low-fat.
Lab Work Requirements
We encourage patients participating in Jumpstart to work closely with their health care provider throughout the program to ensure safe and appropriate medication management. To help document the effects of the diet, we recommend a lipid panel and fasting glucose taken as close as possible to both the first and last days of the program. For patients with concerns about diabetes, an HbA1c test is also recommended. A high-sensitivity C-reactive protein test may also be considered to assess inflammation, along with any patient-specific lab work your personal physician feels is appropriate.
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Program Costs

 

 

Register on RMLI website using the code USVIROTARY30

 

 

To make this program more accessible, the Rotary Club of St. Thomas East ECO covers part of the cost for participants.

This discounted rate is available to the first 40 registrants. Participants are responsible for their own lab work costs.

 
Concerned about the price but want to participate,
find out if you are eligible for our Low-and-Moderate-Income household program.
Please reach out to rotaryclubstthomaseast@gmail.com