From Managing Disease to Prevention and Reversal

Article by: Jarrod Roussel, PA & Anita Roussel, BSN

When Your Body Feels Weak

Do you ever wonder, “Will I ever feel like myself again?” I’ll never forget that morning in the shower when I raised my arms to wash my hair and pain stopped me cold. My arms felt so weak that even the light pressure of my fingers on my scalp hurt. I remember thinking, with tears rolling down my cheeks, “Other women are washing their hair right now and not even thinking about it. Why does this feel so impossible for me?”

By age 40, I was exhausted. Hot flashes. Extra pounds. Diagnoses stacking up: chronic bladder issues, fibrocystic breast disease, daily fatigue, and more. And the worst part? Even though my husband Jarrod and I are healthcare professionals who were doing all the tests and talking with all the “right” people, nothing was changing.

I finally looked at Jarrod and said, “I feel like I’m dying!” And I wasn’t being dramatic. At that time, we were preparing to travel to China to adopt our 2-year-old daughter, and I honestly didn’t know if I’d have the strength to pick her up and hold her in my arms when we first met. As a mom, that broke my heart!
We prayed, “Lord, please show us what to do.” And He did just that, one step at a time.

Glimmer of Hope

I’ll never forget the day Jarrod came in from the mailbox holding one of his favorite research journals. Inside, he discovered an article about omega-3 and omega-6 fats, explaining how the balance of these fats in our diet can either fuel health or feed inflammation.

It was such a lightbulb moment for us! We had been cooking with oils that we thought were healthy, like grapeseed oil, all the while not realizing that those very same oils had been fueling inflammation, working against our bodies and the vibrant lives we were created to enjoy!

So, we started switching things up. We removed the oils, and within weeks, began noticing some real improvements. Everything wasn’t healed all at once, but it was the glimmer of hope we needed.

Because here’s the thing: when you do something natural and finally start to feel even a bit better, you start asking yourself, “Could it really be just this simple?” That one small change opened the door for us to keep learning what naturally works, stacking one new enjoyable healthy habit on top of another until they became our simple, exciting, daily way of living.

Finding the Framework for Lasting Health

As we kept going, God brought people into our lives who were living in ways we had never seen before. One sweet friend, who had reversed her cancer diagnosis, shared meals with us, opening our eyes to how enjoyable whole food, plant-based living can be and should be.

Later, the beautiful truth of these healing foods was blown wide open to us as we enjoyed the movie What The Health, and over time, my symptoms kept melting away. Joy and opportunity started sneaking back into everyday moments, and we realized that when food is flavorful + God’s best, feeling good naturally becomes uncomplicated.

Anita Roussel before & after

Jarrod Roussel before & after

Looking back, I wish we had known then everything we know now. But the reality is, by walking our journey to optimal health out, piece by piece, stacking one happy discovery on top of the next, is what led us to uncover The 5-Step System for exciting food and lasting health…the very one that’s allowed us to finally live the full, abundant lives God created us to enjoy.

We call it The Accelerator Framework, because it’s the exact blueprint that helped us, and regularly fast-tracks our clients, to whole food plant-based living the joyful way:

• M is for Mindset – Partnering with God, asking the right questions, and replacing the lies of the enemy with the truth.
• E is for Environment – Developing and continually nurturing your personal, intimate relationship with the One true God, and then surrounding yourself with the people, places, and things that set you up for lasting success.
• D is for Delicious – Because the food must taste amazing, or the results just won’t last.
• R is for Rapid – Plant-based meals you love because they not only taste as good or even better than your old favorites, but they fit your busy life without requiring hours lost to the kitchen.
• S is for Simple – Real-world solutions like how to navigate dining out, host guests, be a guest, travel, and be the only one in your family who currently eats whole food plant-based. This step is about creating the simplicity that works when you’re juggling family, business, and all of life’s demands.

Plant Stacking: The Secret to Simple Variety

One of the biggest shifts we made, and one of the easiest ways to finally start feeling good so you can begin thriving, is something Jarrod and I call Plant Stacking. Simply put, it means finding the ways that you enjoy packing many different whole plant foods into your life, and especially when you can, into one single dish – no extra work required.

Take Jarrod’s morning oats, for example. He’ll start with oats, then add pumpkin pie spice (which includes cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger). That’s already five plants! Now add vanilla bean, dates, blueberries, and mango. Can you see just how quickly you could have nine delicious plants in one single bowl?

That’s the power of Plant Stacking!

Try this one simple tool today: build one satisfying, WFPB dish you love instead of trying to juggle multiple sides. I grew up watching my mom lovingly spend hours in the kitchen making all those separate dishes, and I remember it well. But, when you layer a variety of whole plants into one bowl, such as grains, beans, veggies, herbs, and spices, you get a rainbow of delicious nutrients in every single bite, without so much work. It’s much easier to make, easier to clean up, and it can make a real difference for your health, because you’re Plant Stacking.

Want to know how many plants you’re really eating? Set a timer for five minutes and quickly jot down everything you regularly eat in a week. Count fruits, veggies, beans, grains, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices. Many are shocked to discover that they’re eating the same 9 meals over and over again on repeat, without much variety. But with Plant Stacking, reaching 30 plants in a week is not only doable – it’s delicious.

Busting the Myths that Keep You Stuck

Here’s what shocked us most: so many of the “truths” we had been taught, even as healthcare professionals, are simply not true at all. Here are just a few, for example:

Myth 1: Chronic conditions are forever.
I was told my bladder condition and fibrocystic breast disease were lifelong, and even started on steroids for one of them. But what’s really incredible is that both of these “chronic” conditions…are now gone! Friend, I want to encourage you to walk away from this article, no longer seeing any diagnosis you’ve been given as your identity. What I know is this: Jarrod and I regularly see our clients reverse the following conditions: Type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, IBS, reflux, high blood pressure, excess pounds, unexplained headaches, low energy, joint pain, and more. And it all happens through the simple 5-step approach that makes whole food, plant-based eating delightful and doable without long hours in the kitchen.

Myth 2: You’ll never get enough protein.
This is a big one, right?! Which is why Jarrod loves asking this eye-opening question so much: “Where is your protein getting its protein?” Cows don’t eat steak. Gorillas don’t eat chicken. The strongest animals on earth eat plants. And every single plant contains protein. The myth that we need to combine foods in certain ways to get “complete protein” (which has caused much of today’s lingering protein fear) came from a popular women’s magazine article published way back in the 1970s. Years later, the author herself retracted the myth – yet sadly, this lie still lingers today.

Myth 3: Healthy food is boring “rabbit food.”
I was once known as the “Dairy Queen,” because I really loved all things creamy and cheesy, and thought there was absolutely no way I could give those things up. But once I learned how to make my old favorites in the upgraded, flavorful way that actually nourishes my body – from lasagna and shepherd’s pie to chowders and even homestyle casseroles and cheezecake – I realized that this way of eating isn’t restrictive at all. It’s completely freeing!

Myth 4: “Clean” animal products are safe.
Here’s another shocking thing: When we reached 40, Jarrod and I both actually thought we were “clean eating” because we were intentionally choosing foods like free-range beef from local farms, cage-free eggs, wild salmon, and organic lunch meat, along with our sides of veg. But back then, we didn’t know the facts, such as all processed meats are Group 1 carcinogens, meaning they are known to “cause cancer,” or that even touching raw chicken can expose you to the bacteria that have been linked to UTIs and Rheumatoid Arthritis. When we discovered so many of these types of facts and started seeing such massive health improvements, we knew we could not stay silent!

Food Freedom, Not Food Fear

One of our clients, Brenda, said it best: “I finally found food freedom!” Her neck pain had been a 9 out of 10, yet within days of shifting her plate, she noticed a real change. The pain was gone! But what meant the most to her was being free from cravings and the shame that used to follow them. Peace around food. Joy at mealtime. That is freedom.

This is another beautiful place where God’s Word meets everyday health in the sweetest way. We see throughout the Bible that God wants His children well, and you don’t have to dig deep to discover this life-changing truth. One way we can see this clearly is by looking at Jesus, who perfectly re-presented our Father to us as He “healed them all.” God’s Word also clearly reveals the loving fact that God did not design us to live in fear or confusion…not of food, not of illness, not of the future. His Word tells us over and over again, “Do not fear.” Because it’s impossible to hold fear and trust at the same time.

Think about it: when we live in fear, we are saying to God, “You are not worth my trust. I need to figure out a better way.” But when we align our choices with His beautiful, original design (Genesis 1:29), and the reliable research confirms it (which shouldn’t surprise us at all), that’s where we find real, lasting freedom.

Instead of forcing yourself to white-knuckle through another round of a miserable diet or counting down the days until you can have a “cheat meal,” imagine what it would feel like to simply enjoy the way you eat every…single…day.

Picture having the way to eat for optimal nutrition that you loved so much, you looked forward to it, never feeling deprived of anything. You wake up with steady energy, a clear mind, and a joyful heart, knowing you’re fueling your body with the very foods God designed to bring you not only a long life, but an abundant life. That’s the kind of freedom that allows you to serve well, love fully, and step confidently into your God-given dreams!

A Faith-Filled Reminder: God Already Made the Way

From the very beginning, God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food” (Genesis 1:29).

Our loving Father has perfectly provided everything that our bodies need to thrive. He even placed them here for us before he created man. Whole plant foods are filled with tens of thousands of phytonutrients, many of which scientists have discovered but haven’t even named yet. We may never know them all this side of eternity, but we can trust that when we eat the life-giving foods, we are nourishing our bodies exactly the way He designed, not only to live long, but to live well.

Ready to Step into the Abundant Life That God Has for You?

The great news is you don’t have to keep struggling or wondering if things will ever get better. God designed your body with the incredible ability to heal as you fuel it according to His life-giving original design, with whole plant foods and the Bread of Life.

Our prayer for you is that you’ll be encouraged to start adding more of the delicious, optimally healing foods today, one simple new favorite at a time, to begin experiencing the freedom, joy, and vast opportunities that renewed health brings.

To help you take the next step, we would love to gift you our WFPB Beginner’s Guide. Inside, you’ll find the practical steps to sustainable WFPB eating, plus easy, delicious recipes that make it exciting and simple to nourish your body well. For ongoing encouragement and the proven strategies for creating lasting health, keep reading Terri’s helpful blog and tune in to the Power On Plants Podcast, where more than 350 actionable episodes are waiting for you. We are honored to come alongside you with the step-by-step help for natural healing in a quick, simple, and truly delicious way.

Also, be sure to check out our article, The Cholesterol Truth No One Explains: Even if You Eat Clean.

About the Authors

Jarrod and Anita Roussel are the husband-wife team behind Power On Plants. Together they’re Christian healthcare professionals, parents of four, and co-hosts of the Power On Plants Podcast, where they share the hope-filled message that whole plant foods can truly change your life.

Jarrod is a Certified Physician Assistant with a background in Cellular and Molecular Biology and advanced Certification as a Lifestyle Medicine Professional. Anita is a Nurse (BSN) and a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach who grew up in northwest Georgia, learning the art of flavor while growing up in her family’s restaurant.

Through their proven 5-Step Accelerator Framework, they guide purpose-driven Christians to optimize and even restore their health, so they can fully and actively pursue their God-given dreams, one completely nourishing and delicious bite at a time.