Jumpstart Program

Whole food, plant-based nutrition is changing people’s health across the country.

Studies consistently show that eating mostly whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables can both prevent diseases and treat them — and for some people even reverse their conditions altogether.

We’ll show you how achievable it is to adopt this lifestyle through our intensive Plant Powered Jumpstart experience.

Lasting anywhere from 10 days to a full month, Jumpstarts are designed to support a large group of people in successfully making a complete dietary transition, building skills and healthy habits for life. We offer Jumpstarts in the fall, winter, and spring, and they’re open to anyone in a time zone that fits our live program schedule.

Should I Jump In?

The Jumpstart is for you if…

You’re curious about adopting a whole food, plant-based diet and want guidance and accountability.
You’re at least 18 years old.
You have internet access and are comfortable using Zoom.
You’re dealing with a health condition and want to see if changing your diet helps — or you want to get ahead of health issues.
You want to learn simple ways to prepare healthy meals.
You’re able to attend all (or most) of the sessions live.
You’re prepared to eat a whole food, plant-based diet for 21 days.

Take note: If you’re on medication for diabetes and/or high blood pressure, you’ll be required to attend a brief webinar before orientation where you’ll receive guidance from one of our plant-based clinical partners on how to mindfully manage medications with your provider(s) while you make dietary change.

Program Features

Educational Sessions

Throughout the Jumpstart, we meet for full-group learning sessions on Zoom to discuss the why and how-to of plant-powered living. These sessions are led by our nutrition and culinary educators, including chefs, dietitians, and physicians. You will:

Observe practical cooking demonstrations
Explore nutrition science
Learn how to define a “whole food”
Learn how to decode food labels
Understand the ways plant-based nutrition affects different types of chronic diseases

While these virtual sessions are recorded, we encourage you to attend live to get the most out of the experience.

Group Mentorship Meetings

You’ll meet at designated times throughout the program in a group of 5-10 people, led by one or two of our trained Lifestyle Mentors. Your group will:

Share successes
Troubleshoot challenges
Swap meal ideas
Cheer each other on

Our larger Jumpstarts enroll 100+ participants, so peer support through mentorship is a great chance to get personalized guidance on your journey.

Other Program Perks

Jumpstarts offer even more chances to learn and connect. Through the program, you also gain access to:

Resources and recipes in our program app
A private Facebook group for virtual support
If you’re local to the New York metro area: mentor-led tours at the grocery store or farmers market
Small prizes for participation — if you attend group sessions live, you’re automatically entered to win!
A complimentary, home-delivered produce box for participants who struggle to access or afford healthy food — if that’s you, check the box on the registration form.

Program Fees Pay What You Can

Jumpstart fees directly support our program costs. When you register, you’ll choose the rate that best fits your budget:

$150 sustainer rate – pays for your participation
$250 sponsor rate – pays for your participation, plus a donation or sponsorship of someone else
$50 community rate – discounted for those who need it

Sponsorship

Interested in funding our Jumpstart programs or providing scholarships? We welcome general donations or those made in honor or memory of a loved one. Contact Lianna Levine Reisner, PPMNY Network Director, for next steps.

SUNY Downstate Jumpstart Study

What’s the Impact?

Jumpstart participants voluntarily contributed labwork results and questionnaires to SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University’s School of Public Health as part of a study conducted from 2021-2023 over seven cohorts. We’re proud to share the results:

Quality of Life

This chart shows the percentage of improvement among those Jumpstart participants who initially reported that the items below affected their daily life:

Mental Health

PHQ-9 (Depression) Score: 2.85 Mean Reduction

Before Jumpstart: 5.18. After Jumpstart: 2.33.

PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) measures severity of depression. A 2.85 point reduction is a shift from a low level of mild depression to a state of low to no depression — a clinically significant change.

GAD-7 (Anxiety) Score: 1.82 Mean Reduction

Before Jumpstart: 3.54. After Jumpstart: 1.72.

A 1.82 point reduction in a GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) score is considered statistically significant and indicates an improvement in daily functioning and quality of life.

More reasons to say yes

Average Weight Loss: 4.09 lbs

Average Waistline Reduction: 1.45″

98% of Participants Recommend

…and these results are in the first 21 days! Participants who stick with the lifestyle often seen continual and additional improvements including more weight loss, improved eye health, lower resting heart rates, and many more benefits that are unique to each person.

The Jumpstart for Organizations

If your company or organization would like to sponsor your community’s or employees’ participation, or provide scholarships — learn more about sponsorships for nonprofits or corporate sponsorships, or reach out to us with questions.

There’s more than one way to partner with us! Learn about all of the opportunities available:

Partner with PPMNY

Testimonials Jumpstart Stories

When I joined the Jumpstart, I’d been suffering from severe long COVID for over a year and a half. Most days I could barely get out of bed, and I felt like a ghost of the active, cheerful person I used to be. I was in and out of doctor’s appointments and testing, and had lost hope that I would get significantly better.

By the end of the three-week program, I couldn’t believe the changes I experienced. In that short period, I lost twelve pounds, gained more energy, experienced decreased body pain, and achieved a much-improved emotional and mental state. I still have to manage my long COVID, but I feel like I got my life back.

I had been living with an average blood pressure of 160/100 for decades, in spite of using three medications for it. I thought it would never change due to my genetic history.

After the Jumpstart, my health started to improve. I now have an average blood pressure of 120/80 and no longer take two of my three original medications. As a diabetic, my A1c dropped three points, my hearing was restored, and my neuropathies disappeared.

In three weeks, I dropped 10 pounds and was able to get off blood pressure medicine. My wife who also went [plant-based] experienced a noticeable difference in her pain from arthritis. The guidance from the mentors was invaluable, and we are still talking even after the program ended. And not to be lost — the food we’ve made has been delicious.

The presentations were all incredibly insightful and have really made me look at food differently. Even though I had heard that certain foods were unhealthy, I never felt compelled to completely stop eating those foods until I was presented with all the facts. For a lot of people, it’s not enough to know processed or animal-based foods are unhealthy; it’s more impactful to hear exactly how.

I have already lost 13 pounds, and many of my aches and pains are starting to diminish. I experience more energy and, more than anything, feel so positive and hopeful. I’m actually eating more than before, but the right foods, of course. I’m preparing delicious meals, which has taught me this is a manageable way to cook. Shockingly, I no longer have cravings! I feel full and satisfied all day. More than anything, I feel empowered with something that truly works. I’ve shed happy tears with my husband.