Plant Powered Metro New York

The Inside Scoop: The 2025 Dietary Guidelines Explained

Mon, Jun 8 · 7:00 PM EDT

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Nutrition advice can feel like a moving target. Every five years, the federal government publishes the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, which is supposed to be based on the best available evidence for a healthy diet. In reality, the process and the final guidelines include political compromises — and this year is no different.

Join Plant Powered Metro New York for a timely and engaging conversation with Christopher Gardner, PhD, Stanford professor and member of the 2025 U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Drawing on decades of research and his firsthand experience, Dr. Gardner will break down the science and the political interests behind the guidelines, offer insights into hot topics like ultra-processed foods and protein, and translate the evidence into practical, everyday choices.

Bring your questions and leave with a clearer, more confident approach to nourishing yourself and your family.

Christopher Gardner, PhD, is the Rehnborg Farquhar Professor of Medicine at Stanford University and a longtime leader at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, where he directs the Stanford Nutrition Studies Research Group. For over 30 years, his research has focused on how different dietary patterns – including Mediterranean, ketogenic, vegan, low-fat, and low-carb diets – impact cardiometabolic health. A nationally recognized expert in nutrition and behavior change, he recently served on the 2025 U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee and previously chaired the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee. His current work explores personalized nutrition, the gut microbiome, and how to make healthy eating both practical and appealing.

Plant Powered Potluck & Demo in Astoria

Wed, Jun 10 · 6:00 PM EDT

The Lifestyle Building, Astoria, Queens County, NY, US

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Share in great company and enjoy a wholesome potluck meal with Plant Powered Metro New York when we gather at The Lifestyle Building in Astoria, hosted by Enrica Sacca, PPMNY co-founder and lead organizer.

This month, we welcome special guest Shalu Nijhawan, joining us from India! A certified holistic nutritionist and plant-based consultant based in Bengaluru who has worked with the plant-based health organization SHARAN, Shalu will speak informally and lead a seasonal food demo.

For the potluck, please choose a plant-based recipe with whole plant foods — whole grains, beans, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Please, no animal-based foods, vegan processed foods, white flours, or added oils, and we ask you to minimize added sweeteners and salt.

If this sounds intimidating, don't worry! Contact Enrica at enrica.sacca@ppmny.org to discuss simple dish ideas or check out our recipes at: ppmny.org/recipes.

It's a good rule of thumb to double a recipe you would make at home! Please bring a serving utensil for your dish.

Heart to Healthy Heart: Plant-Based Conversations That Can Save Your Life

Wed, Jun 17 · 7:00 PM EDT

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Heart disease touches us all. It holds the long-standing title as the leading cause of death in the US despite the millions of statins, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, anticoagulants, and aspirin prescribed every year. Fortunately, there’s another promising path we can take to protect our hearts. In this series, you’ll hear the powerful and evidence-based facts about the relationship between cardiovascular health and the food on your plate. We’ll explore the science and the health benefits of consuming a low-fat, whole food, plant-based diet with our guest medical experts, including cardiologists and nutritionists.

This month on Heart to Healthy Heart, meet Heather McDougall, CEO of the McDougall Program. Heather is an experienced program director, group facilitator, and whole food, plant-based home chef dedicated to empowering people with the knowledge and practical tools to transform their health. She leads a renowned lifestyle medicine program started by her father, John McDougall, MD, that has been helping reverse chronic illness for over 40 years through a whole food, low-fat, starch-based diet.

The Heart to Healthy Heart series is created and hosted by PPMNY community members, Ben Martens, Judy Zerden, and Jim Spellos, who have each experienced heart conditions and found healing and hope through a whole food, plant-based lifestyle.

Growing Health: A Regenerative Farm Tour in Central NJ

Fri, Jun 19 · 10:00 AM EDT

Location not specified yet

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Head out to Central New Jersey for a one-of-a-kind immersive farm experience as we visit two inspiring regenerative farms — Cold Brook Farm in Oldwick and Ethos Farm in Long Valley — for a day of learning, connection, and fresh air. We’ll get closer to the source of our food while deepening our understanding of plant-powered living and sustainable agriculture.

The tour begins at Cold Brook Farm, where farmers Jason and Deb DeSalvo will guide us through their diverse and abundant landscape. Their farm showcases permaculture in action, with over 70 varieties of nuts, grains, fruits, and vegetables.

We’ll then caravan to Ethos Farm, 20 minutes away, a regenerative organic farm and healthcare model, where Jason and Nora Pugliese, Ethos Farm Manager, will continue the conversation. You’ll gain insight into how the production of whole plant foods grown in healthy soils serve as “living medicines” to prevent and reverse chronic disease and advance planetary health.

Following the tour, enjoy a relaxed picnic (please bring your own lunch in a cooler) on the beautiful grounds of Ethos Farm, with the option to purchase freshly-harvested offerings from the Doctor’s Farm Market and nearby farms. Ron Weiss, MD, Ethos Farm to Health founder and PPMNY Healthcare Advisor, will join us over lunch, adding to the opportunity for meaningful discussion and connection.

Participants are welcome to stay into the early afternoon, with the option to attend Ethos Farm’s Farm & Garden Tea Social beginning at 2:00 PM — please register for that event separately if you intend to stay.

About Our Speakers:

Jason DeSalvo grew up in suburban New Jersey, co-founded Strategic Outpatient Services in 1995, and continues to serve as its CEO while also contributing to several nonprofit boards and community organizations. Now a regenerative farmer at Cold Brook Farm, he combines his business background with a passion for sustainable agriculture, whole foods, and an active outdoor lifestyle.

Deb DeSalvo began her career in New York radio before becoming a stay-at-home mother, later evolving into a Master Gardener and environmental educator focused on birds and native plants. She now supports conservation efforts through leadership roles while embracing her interests in nature, baking, reading, and family life.

Nora Pugliese started as a backyard gardener, becoming an apprentice organic farmer in 1994 at Farmer John’s Organic Produce — the first organic farm in New Jersey. By 2000, she started her own organic CSA and ran it for over twelve years. In 2014, Nora became the farm manager at the Ethos Farm to Health, where she transitioned the farm to a certified organic operation and acquired certification from The Real Organic Project.

Ron Weiss, MD, is board certified in Internal and Lifestyle Medicine and is Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. He is the founder of Ethos Farm to Health and practices primary care in New Jersey and New York.

Presented in partnership with Cold Brook Farm and Ethos Farm to Health

To Register:
A suggested donation of $20, though any amount is welcome.

In addition to on-site purchases at the Ethos market, you can pre-purchase certified organic, regeneratively grown grains from Cold Brook Farm at this link. Please make your purchases by Wednesday, June 17, so they are ready to pick up that Friday.

• Glenn Wheat Berries — 5 lbs. $30 / 10 lbs. $56
• Glenn Wheat Flour — 5 lbs. $34
• Streaker Hulless Oat Groats — 5 lbs. $30 / 10 lbs. $56
• Streaker Cold-Rolled Oatmeal — 5 lbs. $34

Hulless oats are especially notable for their nutritional integrity. Unlike most commercially available oats, they require no steaming or processing to remove their hulls, preserving their full, natural nutrient content.

Cold Brook Farm t-shirts, made from 100% organic cotton grown on a small family farm in Texas, will also be available:

• Short sleeve — $20
• Long sleeve — $25

This is an outdoor event. We plan to proceed (light) rain or shine. Please dress appropriately for the weather and farm conditions, including comfortable shoes that can get dirty, sun protection, and water.

The farm is not easily accessible by train or bus. Participants may drive out on their own or request to be part of a carpool. Contact Corey Simoneau, PPMNY’s Marketing and Outreach Coordinator, corey.simoneau@ppmny.org with any questions about carpooling.