Foundations
The six pillars
Two standards sit under everything we serve and everything we teach aboard. One governs the food. One governs the life around it. Both come from aPlantBasedDiet.org, the nonprofit that runs this cruise.
01 · Healthy Vegan Food
Six pillars of Healthy Vegan Food
Food that does not harm humans. Every item must meet all six, using ingredients that are as organic and chemical free as possible. Non-refined sugar sources follow the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies guidelines.
Whole plant fiber
Every item is built on whole plants. Condiments are the only exception, where no fiber is required.
Zero animal products
No meat, dairy, eggs or honey. The organization is one hundred percent vegan.
Zero added oil
Calories from fat stay at ten percent maximum. Coconut is reduced or removed, and all saturated fat is avoided.
Zero added salt
No sodium is added to any item.
Zero alcohol
No alcohol in the food or the preparation.
Zero refined sugar
Dates, maple syrup and molasses are allowed. Agave, cane sugar, corn syrup, brown rice syrup and the rest are not.
02 · Lifestyle Medicine
Six pillars of Lifestyle Medicine
The nutrition standard covers one pillar. The other five are what turn a good week of eating into a way of living. The three sea days are built around all six.
Nutrition
A whole food, plant-based way of eating, held to the standard above.
Physical activity
Daily movement. Aboard, that is sunrise yoga, the track, pickleball and the pool.
Restorative sleep
Consistent, sufficient sleep, treated as medicine rather than a luxury.
Stress management
Practices that lower the load rather than mask it.
Social connection
Time with people who are doing the same thing. A week at one table does more than a leaflet.
Avoiding risky substances
Tobacco, alcohol and known carcinogens, left out.
Where this comes from
Both standards are published by aPlantBasedDiet.org, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit behind this cruise. Its stated goal is to eradicate non-communicable disease in humans by practicing the six pillars of both.