Plant Based Support: Community Makes Change Possible
⭐ A Kitchen Monk™ Recommended Resource · Start Here for Support
🎬 Featured replay · Plant Based Support
Can Fasting Save Your Life? (We Can Make It Better)
🌿 With Alan Goldhamer, DC · 📚 published in October 2026 in Plant Based Support’s Online Event Replays
⏱️ Start with the Q&A — 52:23
“I especially recommend watching the Q&A starting at 52:23.” — Nathanael Elijah Smith, FNP-C, DipACLM
🤝 With gratitude to Meryl Fury, MS, RN, and the Plant Based Support team for opening the door to education and community.
ℹ️ How to watch & what to know
- 🔑 The replay library asks you to sign in as a Plant Based Support member. Please check its current terms, trial and pricing before joining.
- 🧭 After signing in, choose the title above and move the player to 52 minutes, 23 seconds.
- 📺 As of October 26, 2026, we have not found a public YouTube copy of this recording. The public YouTube community playlist just below is a separate collection from the same organization.
- 🩺 Educational content, not individual medical advice. Prolonged fasting requires medical evaluation and supervision. Our recommendation is our own; neither the speaker nor Plant Based Support has endorsed our websites.
Celebrating Chef AJ
Good food. Shared laughter. A moment worth keeping.
Chef AJ, thank you for the joy, encouragement, and love of whole plant foods you have shared with me. This memory from TrueNorth Health Center in 2023 still makes me smile.
Nathanael & Chef AJ · A carotenoid-scan moment · Tap the video to play or pause.
Thank you, Chef AJ, for being part of this chapter of my flourishing journey. Here’s to nourishing food, human connection, and making room for joy.
Stay connected with Kitchen Monk™ & Flourishing Nursing™
KEEP THE JOY GOING · CHEF AJ’S OWN YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Keep watching Chef AJ
Enjoy the recorded celebration below, then explore Chef AJ’s own uploads, newest first.
On YouTube, choose Play all to start at the newest available upload and continue through the collection. Use the playlist menu to choose another video; turn shuffle off to keep the order.
The collection opens on YouTube because its current player restricts playback on other websites. Continuous playback depends on YouTube, video availability, and your browser. YouTube updates the uploads list as new public videos become available.
Our vision: make nourishment visible — read Nathanael’s story
Our vision: make nourishment visible
“An ultimate goal of Flourishing Nursing™ and Kitchen Monk™ is to help everyone enjoy God-made whole plant foods so consistently that their nourishment is reflected in their carotenoid scores.
Thank you, Dr. Alan Goldhamer, for making the scanner available to help people learn about their carotenoid status. My hope is that more healthcare organizations and certified lifestyle medicine clinicians will explore carotenoid screening as a routine nutrition measure alongside traditional vital signs. That’s this lifestyle medicine nurse practitioner’s vision.”
Nathanael Elijah Smith, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, DipACLM
Skin carotenoid scores can help estimate carotenoid-rich fruit and vegetable intake. They do not measure overall health or prove someone’s complete dietary pattern; this vision is not a claim that carotenoid screening is an established vital sign. Read the research.
🥦💪 Our everyday recommendation: while fasting may have some benefits, we predominantly recommend eating whole plant foods every day and keeping all the muscle we can as we age.
🏛️ The American College of Lifestyle Medicine put muscle health front and center on its Lifestyle Medicine 2026 conference program with the session “Managing and Treating Sarcopenia with Therapeutic Lifestyle Medicine & Emerging Technologies” (Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 2–3 p.m. Eastern Time), focused on spotting sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) earlier and supporting strength and function. Please talk with your own clinician before fasting or making big changes.
🎬 Plant Based Support · Replay Library
Learn, connect and keep watching. This YouTube playlist reflects the publisher’s current collection whenever you load the player. These are recorded videos, not a live broadcast.
🔊 Autoplay with sound is requested. If your browser blocks it, press Play and enable sound. The playlist supports playing videos in sequence; availability and continuation depend on YouTube, your settings and browser. Use the player’s playlist menu to choose a recording.
📌 Replay update · October 26, 2026: Plant Based Support has published “Can Fasting Save Your Life? (We Can Make It Better)” with Alan Goldhamer, DC in its member replay library (sign-in required). We have not found that recording in this public playlist, which is a separate collection whose order is set by its publisher.
🌿 Plant Based Support guide · 🩺 Meet Meryl Fury · 🤝 Official support groups
Independent educational resource; no endorsement implied. Organizational recordings may feature many speakers and are separate from Meryl Fury’s individual interviews. Embedded playback connects to YouTube. Educational content does not replace individual medical care.
🌿 Plant Based Support: free weekly meetings
🤗 Plant Based Support, led by Meryl Fury, MS, RN, holds free online support meetings and classes every week, and you don’t need to be fully plant-based to join.
Dates and times are set by Plant Based Support and kept current on their own schedule. Registration is handled on their pages; some events may require membership. Independent recommendation: no sponsorship, partnership or endorsement is implied, and event content is not individual medical advice.
🪔 Start with a clear path: Who Nurses the Nurse? Sleep, Stress & Night-Shift Learning Path →
Selected Goldhamer passages · nursing evidence · access guide · printable checklist · team discussion.
🌙 Sleep, Stress & Night-Shift Care · Learning Together
Who nurses the nurse? If we discuss sleep and stress as important to health, how do we also support the people delivering care? The full learning path gathers selected video passages, an evidence-comparison table, occupational-health references from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a suggested ten-minute team discussion and clear public, membership and paid-access labels, all in one place.
For the team: Which interruptions are avoidable? Who owns the handoff and backup? What recovery time is realistic? What do night-shift colleagues say would help? Assign one change, one owner and a review date. Evaluate results without assuming a health benefit has been demonstrated. A breathing practice or coaching conversation does not replace attention to workload, schedules, recovery and safe coverage.
American Holistic Nurses Association is the professional association; American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation awards credentials; Integrative Nurse Coach Academy provides education. Some journal full text, continuing nursing education, training and certification require membership or payment. Plant Based Support has published a member replay with Alan Goldhamer, DC (see the featured replay card at the top of this page); its public YouTube collection is separate and includes other speakers. This is an invitation to interdisciplinary learning and caregiver support, not a review of current TrueNorth staffing or an announced collaboration. No endorsement by Dr. Goldhamer, Plant Based Support, American Holistic Nurses Association, American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation or Integrative Nurse Coach Academy is implied. Checked October 17, 2026.
🎬 Alan Goldhamer · Selected Sleep & Well-Being Discussions
A focused selection of recordings with identifiable sleep-related discussion. These are older recorded interviews, not a live broadcast or the October 16 Plant Based Support replay. The full interviews also cover other topics; the topic links below help locate relevant passages. New videos are reviewed for relevance before inclusion rather than automatically pulling an unfiltered channel.
🌙 PLANTSTRONG #255 · Sleep, daily habits and a clinician’s sleep anecdote
Alan Goldhamer discusses sleep among daily health habits, and later recounts an anecdote about his mentor Alec Burton’s own sleep concerns during supervision of very long fasts. This is a historical anecdote, not evidence about TrueNorth employee conditions or an occupational-health program.
▶ Approx. 4:13 · sleep among daily habits · ▶ Approx. 1:14:03 · mentor’s sleep-deprivation anecdote · Publisher’s episode and transcript. Times come from the publisher’s artificial intelligence transcript and may differ in the video.
🌿 PLANTSTRONG #142 · Sleep in the wider lifestyle conversation
The publisher’s transcript includes Goldhamer discussing sleep as part of healthful living. This is a broader patient and general-health conversation, not a staff-wellness presentation. The publisher also marks a rest-during-fasting section at 44:30; medically supervised fasting rest is different from workplace fatigue management.
📝 Work demands, sleep and stress · written companion
Mastering Diabetes E36: publisher’s transcript contains a discussion of work demands encroaching on sleep and the burden of commuting. A matching YouTube recording has not been verified, so this entry is labeled written material. These are general observations, not an assessment of TrueNorth employees.
Employee-health videos: no recording specifically addressing TrueNorth employees’ sleep, stress or well-being has been verified for this collection. Use the nursing-resource library for staff well-being and occupational-health context.
Open a recording and press Play; sound and playback depend on YouTube and your browser. Speaker opinions and anecdotes are not individualized medical advice. Educational pairing does not imply endorsement. Source relevance checked October 17, 2026.
🩺 Watch with a nursing lens
What did we learn? Note the speaker’s main point, the type of evidence offered and what remains uncertain. A case report or proposed mechanism does not by itself establish a treatment benefit.
How could this apply to caregivers? Ask how the conversation about sleep and stress could inform staff scheduling, call routing, recovery and supportive leadership. These are our reflection prompts, not statements attributed to the presenter.
What questions remain? What evidence would change your view? What practical support do clinicians themselves need? Bring respectful questions to the organizer’s community.
🌙 Use the night-call rest checklist · 📝 Read Nathanael’s separate first-person reflection
🤝 A conversation we hope to grow
We would welcome a future discussion on caregiver rest involving nurses, other clinicians, patients and community members. This is an invitation from our independent project, not a scheduled Plant Based Support event or confirmed partnership.
Local faith communities, including neighbors from Santa Rosa Community Church, are welcome to explore our educational resources. Questions about visiting TrueNorth or joining Plant Based Support should be directed to those organizations; no visit has been arranged. Daniel-fast-inspired eating and prolonged water-only fasting are different practices.
Find official Plant Based Support groups · Share a caregiver-wellness topic with us
🌙 Put caregiver rest into practice
Open the PDF and use your device’s Print command. The checklist is an educational planning aid, not a validated instrument, regulatory standard or demonstrated intervention.
Replay status · October 26, 2026: Plant Based Support has published “Can Fasting Save Your Life? (We Can Make It Better)” with Alan Goldhamer, DC, in its member replay library (sign-in required); it is featured on our Plant Based Support page. We have not found a public YouTube copy; the public YouTube upload collection is separate and is not a live broadcast.
🌿 Learning notes from the October 16 conversation
Nathanael attended the online presentation with Dr. Alan Goldhamer. Topics shown in the attendee screenshots included cardiometabolic health, sleep and stress, proposed fasting mechanisms, medication discussions and lipoprotein(a) case examples. These are topics for further reading, not a verification of the presenter’s numerical claims or treatment conclusions. Nothing here is medical advice; decisions about fasting belong with your own clinician.
For context, see Plant Based Support’s member replay with Alan Goldhamer, DC, featured above. We link to the source rather than reproduce slides, screenshots or other attendees’ chat messages.
🪔 Who nurses the nurse?
During the event, Nathanael submitted a written question about employee wellness: specifically, the health and well-being of staff, including salaried night-call staff. His concern was the clinicians’ own sleep and working conditions.
His firsthand reflection tells the story of an earlier phone-system change he helped make to stop needless ringing that disturbed a night-call nurse around shift change.
🤝 Community, faith and an invitation to connect
Nathanael attends Santa Rosa Community Church and would welcome dialogue between local faith communities and health educators. His question for TrueNorth is whether pastors and people interested in Daniel-fast-inspired eating would be welcome for an educational visit. This is an invitation to dialogue, not an announced visit or partnership.
A Daniel-fast-inspired eating practice and a medically supervised water-only fast are different practices. No church endorsement or TrueNorth program offering is implied.
Looking for support? Plant Based Support lists a free monthly community support group on its official support-groups page. Check its current schedule and registration. Other groups or services may require payment or membership; community support is not a promise of free clinical care.
Explore Meryl Fury’s work → · Explore Nathanael’s books →
With compassion for people affected by war, including the people of Ukraine, and gratitude for nurses and caregivers serving their communities.
🤝 Find encouragement you can use today
You deserve a place to ask questions, learn practical skills, and meet people taking similar steps. Plant Based Support, led by President & Chief Executive Officer Meryl Fury, MS, RN, offers community education and peer support.
Start with free support: the official support-groups page lists a free monthly community Zoom meeting. Check that page for its current schedule and registration. Other groups, classes, and platform features may require membership; the homepage advertises a 14-day trial. Review the current price and renewal terms before joining.
Choose your next step: explore beginner cooking or mixed-diet household support, pick a session, check its time zone and access requirements, then register directly with the organizer. Bring one question and one small goal.
Official sources: support groups and Plant Based Support. Access details checked October 13, 2026.
Watch Meryl Fury, MS, RN
Meet the nurse behind this work through her recorded conversation about community, leadership and changing unjust systems.
🎙️ Watch here: Meryl on Plant Yourself, episode 429
Original episode 429 on YouTube ↗
Recorded independent interview; not a live broadcast or clinical review. Tap to play. Playback, sound and captions depend on YouTube and your browser.
📋 Plant Based Support at a glance
👥 Who it helps: Adults and families starting or keeping up plant-based eating, including people living with diabetes, heart disease, or weight goals.
✅ What you can do: Join the free monthly Community Support Group on Zoom; topic groups, cooking classes, recipes, and events.
💲 Cost: Mixed: the Community Support Group is free; other groups and features may need a paid membership (a 14-day free trial is advertised).
🌐 Where: 💻 Online (Zoom)
🔗 Our relationship: independent organization; featured, not affiliated. We receive no payment. Meryl Fury, MS, RN, is President & Chief Executive Officer of Plant Based Support (per its leadership page). Featuring her work does not mean she or the organization endorses us. Details checked October 14, 2026 on the official website; programs and prices can change.
🤝 You do not have to flourish alone.
🏛️ What it is: Plant Based Support is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps people improve their health and wellbeing through whole-food, plant-based nutrition education, practical resources, and ongoing community support. It offers more than 20 online education and support sessions every month, plus community programs, teaching kitchens, and hands-on experiences with whole plant foods.
🩺 Leadership: Meryl Fury, MS, RN, serves as President & Chief Executive Officer of Plant Based Support (per its leadership page). She is also President and Chief Executive Officer of Plant Based Nutrition Movement, a separate nonprofit, where she leads the 6 Million SEEDS Child Nutrition Project and hosts the Growing a Healthy Child podcast; Plant Based Nutrition Movement calls the two sister organizations, with Plant Based Nutrition Movement as the activist arm and Plant Based Support as the education and support arm. Plant Based Support was founded by Paul Chatlin.
👥 Best for: anyone beginning or continuing a plant-based journey, families (including households where not everyone eats plant-based), people who want accountability and friendship, and clinicians looking for a trusted support community for their patients.
👋 Find Your People
🤝 Support Groups
Online groups on topics such as getting started, cooking, omnivore households, and more.
📅 Events
Upcoming online and community events, classes, and gatherings.
🥣 Cooking & Recipes
Cooking classes and a plant-based recipe collection to practice at home.
✨ Also explore their podcast, studies and resources, and community stories. Some programs may have a cost or require membership; check their site for current details.
🌱 Help Plant Based Support Grow
Community grows when people give back. Join, volunteer, or support their mission directly through Plant Based Support’s official pages.
Donations go directly to Plant Based Support. Kitchen Monk does not collect or process them.
🗺️ Your Plant-Based Starting Trail
Start anywhere. This is a trail map, not a test.
1. 📚 Learn
2. 🤝 Find community: Plant Based Support (you’re here).
3. 🍳 Practice
4. 👪 Involve your family
5. 🩺 Work with your healthcare team: especially if you take medications, are pregnant, are feeding children, have kidney disease, food allergies, a history of disordered eating, are underweight, or have other special nutrition needs. Some people may be able to reduce certain medications, but only under their clinician’s supervision.
🌈 Everyone is welcome here: the person adding one more serving of beans, the lifelong vegan, the Mediterranean eater, and the curious omnivore. The goal is progress toward flourishing, not purity.
ℹ️ Independent recommendation. Kitchen Monk™ recommends Plant Based Support. This does not imply that Plant Based Support endorses, sponsors, or is affiliated with Kitchen Monk. Program details, pricing, and leadership are set by Plant Based Support and may change; please confirm on their website. Nutrition education complements, but never replaces, individualized medical care. Please consult your doctor or other healthcare provider before making any lifestyle changes. Information last reviewed: September 2026 · Page last updated: October 9, 2026.
🧭 Where to next?
🌿 Nursing knowledge belongs in the caregiver conversation
Who nurses the nurse? If we discuss sleep and stress as important to health, how do we also support the people delivering care? This learning pathway is for all clinicians and leaders; it is not a finding about an individual’s competence or current workplace practices.
🔬 Official American Holistic Nurses Association research directory · 🩺 American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation nurse coach credential information · 📰 Explore nursing news
American Holistic Nurses Association lists nurses’ well-being among its research priorities. Its public directory includes conference materials and research links; journal full text and services may require membership or payment. American Holistic Nurses Credentialing Corporation is the separate credentialing organization. Links do not imply endorsement by these organizations, Dr. Goldhamer or an individual nurse coach. Checked October 17, 2026.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” 
