An interesting approach to transitioning from our current food system to a Whole Food Plant-Based system is outlined by the Exsalus Food Continuum:

What's the Exsalus Food Continuum? My friend explained as follows: "This food continuum is intended to serve as a guide to help transition to a plant-based diet. The idea is to try and live to the right of the black line in the A zones. There are many ways to stay within that A range, the most obvious is eating 100% of your foods from the A and A+ categories. But you could also average an A over an entire day or over a specific meal. In this case, you might choose to eat 75% of your meals from the A+ column and 25% from the C column. Or 50% from the A+ column, 30% from A, and 20% from B-. The ultimate goal is to keep moving higher and higher up on the food continuum. So, while being 100% in the A range may bring more changes faster, the long-term results are more important than the speed in which you achieve those results. The continuum is intended to help take you where you are now to where you want to be. For some of you, in the initial transition stages, you may begin just by addressing your vegetable and fruit deficiency. For others, you may start substituting healthier foods for less healthy foods. And still for others, it may mean adopting a whole food, plant-based diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes with minimal processed foods."

Who Designed the Exsalus Food Continuum? The excellent image above was shared with me by a friend today. She learnt about it during the Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate by T Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. It's originally from a presentation by Dr Alona Pulde and Dr Matthew Lederman who headed the Exsalus Health & Wellness Center, Los Angeles, USA. Apparently, the center no longer exists. The two doctors also wrote a book: Keep It Simple, Keep It Whole (189 pages, 2009). Recently, they appeared in an interview with Chef AJ (63 mins, 2020).