On my 80th birthday, I was dealing with a host of medical problems. I had been a Type 2 diabetic for over 20 years, and I’d had high blood pressure since I was 35. One doctor called it “resistant” high blood pressure, because the standard medicines failed to bring it down. It took five medications at full doses to keep my blood pressure under control. I think it’s hereditary; my father died at 31 from repeated small strokes because they couldn’t control his blood pressure, and both his sisters were diagnosed with high blood pressure, one of them when she was in her teens. I counted myself lucky that there were medications to help me avoid suffering my father’s fate.

On top of high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes, I had high triglycerides and high cholesterol. And now, on my 80th, I was dealing with the latest bad news from my doctor: I had chronic kidney disease, stage 3C.

Surprising Improvements

Much to my surprise, after only a couple of months of eating WFPB dinners—only dinners!—my A1C improved enough that my doctor started stepping down my diabetes medication, and before long, without fanfare, I was off of all of it.

I watched the Forks Over Knives documentary and felt my objections to eating vegetables weakening. Then, while browsing my health care provider’s website to see what it had to say about my latest diagnosis, chronic kidney disease, I saw that the advice for CKD patients was to avoid animal protein. Here was my medical team saying pretty much exactly what the documentary said. That was it. I was on board. I said goodbye to my beloved bacon-and-egg breakfasts. My daughter happily started making us both steel-cut oats every morning.

My health improvements accelerated. My cholesterol dropped enough that my doctor was able to take me off statins. My limp, thinning hair plumped up, and one day, while going through the motions of putting on makeup, I realized I had eyelashes again; the mascara was actually coating something. My splitting fingernails toughened up. My age spots lightened. My BMI had been in the “obese” range for decades, and I began to lose weight, with ease, at a healthy rate. My kidney numbers turned around. I began to look forward to going to the doctor, knowing my weight would be lower and my blood work would be better, not worse.

Undoing a Family History of Disease

It’s been five years since I made the switch. My A1C has been lower than my daughter’s for years now (and she’s never been diabetic). My total cholesterol is consistently 170 or lower. My kidney numbers continue to look better at each checkup.

Most amazing of all is the improvement in my blood pressure. I didn’t think anything could affect my blood pressure this much! Even my skeptical doctor commented, “Your plant-based diet is doing well for your blood pressure.” One by one, she has cautiously taken me off medications. I’m down to two, from the five I’d been taking for decades, and my blood pressure is so good that I wouldn’t be surprised if she takes me off the final two. It’s almost incredible. If only my father had known.

My lunch is often homemade soy yogurt, dressed up with raisins and orange slices. Our favorite dinners are bulgur-wheat pilaf; orange tofu; black bean tacos; bean chili; and a lot of variations on brown rice and beans. We also like to do potato bars, where we make baked potatoes and set out different toppings. For holidays, one favorite is a lentil shepherd’s pie. We use Forks Meal Planner and cookbooks by plant-based doctors.

My friends are interested in my successes, and at least two of them have started their own plant-based journeys. Now I’m 85 and in better health than I was at 45. I know I’m not immortal; something is going to take me out eventually. But eating a WFPB diet has given me the chance to enjoy good health until then. I’m so grateful.

Ready to get started? Check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path. To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer.

The post It’s Never Too Late: How I Improved My Health at Age 80 with a WFPB Diet appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Protect Your Bones (and Avoid Kidney Stones)

The more salt that you eat, the more calcium your kidneys will excrete through your urine. Eating too much salt not only increases the risk of kidney stones; it can also cause calcium to be leached from the bones, leading to bone weakening and osteoporosis. A 2016 study published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at research data on more than 1,000 men and found that a preference for salty food was independently and significantly associated with osteoporosis. 

Reduce Bloating

Sodium’s water-retaining effect can cause swollen ankles, facial puffiness, and uncomfortable bloating in the gut. A 2019 study in The American Journal of Gastroenterology looked at data from a large clinical trial comparing high- and low-sodium levels in two dietary patterns: the high-fiber DASH diet and a low-fiber control diet. The high-sodium version of both diets increased bloating among participants. So did the high-fiber diet, but the effect lessened when they ate less sodium. A high-fiber diet can exacerbate bloating for some people, says the study’s lead author. “Our results suggest that they might be able to reduce that bloating, without compromising on healthy fiber, by lowering their sodium intake.”

Curb Cravings 

Consuming salt stimulates the brain’s reward system, and a study from Duke University Medical Center found that the genes activated by salt cravings are the same as those activated by cocaine and heroin addiction. The flip side? “You can change your palate,” says Sharon Palmer, MSFS, RDN, author of California Vegan. “Eventually, those foods can seem overly salty, almost unbearably so.” Though there’s no exact timeline for how long it takes to kick a salt addiction, studies have found that people develop a heightened sensitivity to salt after two to three months on a reduced-sodium diet.

Promote Better Brain Health 

In 2019, researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine found that high-salt diets can cause deficiencies in nitric oxide, a vital compound for maintaining cerebrovascular health. When nitric oxide levels dip too low, the brain accumulates deposits of the protein tau, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s. The study authors concluded that lowering salt intake may help stave off dementia.

How to Reduce Your Sodium Intake

The official U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend consuming less than 2,300 mg of sodium daily—about a teaspoon’s worth. The American Heart Association is even more conservative, recommending a max of 1,500 mg for most adults. A handy label-reading hack to keep you on track is to look for foods that have no more than 1 mg of sodium per calorie. But an even more effective strategy? Skip the highly processed foods and takeout meals. 

A 2017 study published in Circulation found that more than 70 percent came from commercially processed foods. Salt added at the table or during home cooking accounted for just 11 percent of participants’ total sodium intake. “People think their salt is coming from the salt shaker, when really it’s mostly coming from prepared foods,” says Palmer. Palmer notes that many of the worst offenders aren’t even noticeably salty. “Bread is a big one.” Cheese and processed meats are other top sources, but highly processed vegan foods aren’t off the hook: “A lot of plant-based meat alternatives can be very high in sodium,” Palmer says. She recommends instead eating whole plant foods—fruits, vegetables, and whole grains—which contain little to no sodium.

To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

The post 5 Reasons to Cut Back on Sodium appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

My husband, Steve, had already been diagnosed with high cholesterol and on medication for several years. Both of us were fatigued and experiencing daily acid reflux and heartburn. The heartburn and reflux were so bad that we were going through a large container of Tums every few weeks. 

The heartburn was annoying but, being a nurse, I was more concerned about our weight. Steve’s family has a long history of cardiovascular disease and early heart attack. His grandfather died at 43 of a sudden heart attack, and his father had his first of several heart attacks in his 40s. To my dismay, Steve often joked about when he would have his first heart attack. 

Because we were worried about our weight, we stayed physically active—hiking, biking, walking, and lifting weights—and tried to eat what we thought was healthy. We used a lot of butter and cheese, but we bought low-fat varieties. We cooked with olive oil, because we thought it was good for us. We limited our intake of red meat and ate mostly chicken, ground turkey, and some fish. We tried many times to lose weight through calorie restriction, and we would shed a few pounds here and there, but we were not able to make significant or sustainable progress. 

Seeds of Change

On Aug. 5, 2020, Steve had surgery for a condition that could arguably be attributed to his weight. The seeds for our going whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) were planted while I sat in the waiting room that day. My thoughts wandered, in the way thoughts can when a loved one is under general anesthesia; I thought of how we’d only shared 17 years of marriage so far, and I didn’t want to lose him. I was worried about my own health, as well, and being healthy enough to spend lots of quality time with our grandchildren someday. I started researching healthier lifestyles and came across The Forks Over Knives Plan. 

I ordered the book and read it. Afterward, I discussed it with Steve, and he was game right away. He had gone vegetarian a couple of times in the past and had dropped weight, but it had never been a full-on lifestyle change. This time, we were both on board and all-in. 

On Aug. 10, we made the switch. We jumped in feet first and went fully WFPB—with no added sugar, salt, or oil—on Day 1. I referenced The Forks Over Knives Plan a lot at first, though we did not actually follow the plan outlined in the book. I also subscribed to Forks Meal Planner and started weekly meal prepping right away as well. Using Meal Planner and learning how to do weekly meal prep were instrumental in keeping us on track. I transformed our pantry door into a dry erase board and used it to detail our menu each week. We encouraged one another to stay on track. All in all, we found the transition pretty easy. 

Within two weeks, we both noticed that our heartburn and acid reflux were gone. I did have one episode of reflux (the choking, wake-you-up-from-your-sleep kind) after eating store-bought marinara sauce that I later figured out had oil in it. Also around the two-week mark, I checked my blood pressure and was shocked to see that it was in the 115/75 range—and it continued to decrease from there. My resting heart rate, which had been in the 70s, dropped to the low 60s to high 50s. 

Full of Energy, Free from Symptoms

It’s been about seven months since we adopted this new lifestyle. I have more energy. I no longer have heart palpitations, and I’ve lost 30 pounds. (I lost the first 20 pounds within three months; the last 10 pounds came off a little more slowly.) I have a bit more excess weight to lose, but I know it will come off. I find that I lose about 1 pound a week, on average, just as a natural side effect of fueling my body the way it’s supposed to be fueled, with whole plant foods.

Undergoing my own transformation has been great, but to watch Steve transform before my eyes has been truly amazing. He has more energy than he’s had in years. In addition to losing his heartburn and acid reflux, he’s lost 50 pounds. He had 34 percent body fat when we started this journey back in August; today, he’s at just 20 percent body fat. Back in November, he had bloodwork done, and his doctor had no problem with discontinuing his cholesterol medication. His numbers weren’t perfect yet, but they were so improved and close to the healthy range that the doctor didn’t feel the medication was necessary any longer. 

Meal-Prepping for Success

These days, we like to start our mornings with oatmeal, Banana Breakfast Wraps (a Forks Meal Planner recipe that Steve is especially fond of), or a chickpea scramble. (Steve is becoming quite the pro at scrambles!) On Sundays, I prepare big batches of salad and soup that we eat for lunch throughout the week. Dinner is usually something from Forks Meal Planner. That has been our routine for more than half a year now.

We are both so thankful to everyone who promotes this way of eating, this way of life. It has been the missing piece for us, and our only regret is not finding it sooner. I have no doubt that this way of eating is sustainable and that our health gains and weight loss will be sustainable, too. 

Ready to get started? Check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path. To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer.

The post Getting Healthier Together on a Plant-Based Diet appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

A few years later I started having acid reflux, so my doctor started me on a medication for that, too. It helped a bit, but I found that whenever I ate a little too much, I developed a pain in the right side of my abdomen. After hearing this, my doctor advised me to get an ultrasound. That’s when I found out that I had fatty liver disease. Four more pills were added to my daily regimen. 

The medications seemed to keep things in check for a few months, but then the pain started again. Around the same time, I started having heart palpitations, which got so bad that I was admitted to the hospital. There the doctors did an angiogram to evaluate the health of my blood vessels. The results showed that although there was no blockage, my blood pressure was out of control. So I was prescribed two new blood pressure medications, which had side effects that left me feeling fatigued.

Discovering a Path Toward Better Health

One day a friend suggested that I watch the documentary Forks Over Knives. I immediately decided to try out the whole-food, plant-based diet advocated in the film. 

It was very difficult initially: Giving up dairy was hard for me. But my only options were to take six to eight medications daily that weren’t even helping me, or to live a healthy, long life by adopting a plant-based diet. So I stuck with it. I began to eat lots of fruits, salads, nuts, and whole grains, with no added sugar or oil. I started walking two miles daily, too. 

After four months of the new diet and walking routine, my blood pressure started coming down and my doctor reduced my medications. I was feeling more energetic and could easily climb stairs. I spent more time online researching whole-food, plant-based nutrition, and discovered insightful interviews with plant-based experts such as Caldwell Esselstyn, MD, and T. Colin Campbell, PhD. The more I learned, the easier it became to stay on a healthy path. 

Reaping the Benefits of Plant-Based Eating

After eight months, my doctor found that there was no need for me to continue taking blood pressure medications or cholesterol-lowering medications. My liver was recovering, and my acid reflux had disappeared. After 10 months, all of my chronic health issues had resolved. As a bonus, I’d lost 35 pounds of excess weight. 

Today, I am medication-free and remain committed to the whole-food, plant-based way of eating. I have way more energy than ever. Every day, I walk or run about 6 miles and meditate. I feel healthy, happy, and unburdened by disease. I pray that more people will discover the benefits of this lifestyle. 

Ready to get started? Check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path. To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer.

The post From Cheese-Loving Vegetarian with Sky-High Blood Pressure to Whole-Food, Plant-Based and Healthy appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

A ‘Second Epidemic’

Li, who is president of the Angiogenesis Foundation and has published COVID-19 research in The New England Journal of Medicine, said that the long-term cardiovascular damage in COVID-19 patients may be serious and widespread enough to constitute a “second epidemic.” “This virus causes a lung infection,” Li noted, “but it also makes a beeline for the vascular endothelial cells,” destroying them “from the inside out.” Endothelial cells line the blood vessels throughout the body. In addition to causing blood clots, endothelial damage leads to circulatory problems and subsequent damage to organs. 

Li cited a recent JAMA Cardiology study that looked at 100 patients who had recovered from COVID-19. The patients had relatively few pre-existing conditions, and more than half had recovered at home, without any hospitalization. Yet medical imaging showed that 78 of these patients had some form of residual cardiac damage, and 60 had an inflamed heart muscle. 

Vascular damage accounts for some of COVID-19’s seemingly disparate symptoms, including anosmia—the loss of a sense of smell. “We can lose our sense of smell from lots of different respiratory viruses, but this clearly is one of the cardinal signs of this infection,” Li said. “Well, now we’ve been able to figure out what happens. When you breathe in this virus, it actually affects your vascular endothelium and starts damaging the circulation supporting the olfactory glands.” 

The vascular component of COVID-19 may also explain why some patients experience trouble breathing and elevated heart rate even months after overcoming the viral infection, according to a Sept. 14 Washington Post op-ed Li co-authored with former FDA commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach, MD. 

Dual Pandemics: COVID-19 and Heart Disease

In a separate presentation at the conference, Dr. Kim Williams, former president of the American College of Cardiology, described heart disease and COVID-19 as “dual pandemics” with the same risk factors. He pointed to high blood pressure, which elevates risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19. “Hypertension really does vascular damage, and COVID-19 damages blood vessels further, which means that people with pre-existing blood vessel damage or microvascular disease from hypertension are going to suffer more,” he said. 

Williams also noted the link between COVID-19 and cholesterol, citing a recent study that found the virus needs cholesterol in order to approach cells for infection, and that the more cholesterol is present, the more opportunities the virus has for entry. “Anything that you can do to lower your … cholesterol, even during an infection, seemed to be helpful,” Williams says. 

Williams and Li both advocate a healthy plant-based diet because of its ability to significantly lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

“Whole foods—plant-based—are good for our blood vessels. They keep our endothelial cells robust and healthy,” Li said in his PBNHC lecture. “And if we needed another reason [to keep our blood vessels healthy], COVID-19 gives us a really great reason.”

The post Leading Plant-Based Doctors Discuss Recent COVID-19 Research at PBNHC Conference appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Crucial Guidance

I began hanging out with a good friend, Tammy, who appointed herself to become my unpaid coach and accountability partner. She had me send her a photograph of every meal that I was eating. At the time, I really, really liked pizza, ice cream, and a whole host of other processed foods. I don’t think Tammy liked what she saw, because she soon asked if she could supply all of my meals and snacks for three weeks. I (rather skeptically) agreed. 

For those three weeks, I only ate the food that Tammy provided, which was nothing but whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) meals and snacks. It wasn’t that bad, and I started seeing results on the scales. She then convinced me to try eating WFPB for a little while longer. 

Cooking is not my favorite pastime, but I was able to find easy yet delicious recipes to prepare. We amassed quite a collection of plant-based cookbooks, including several from Forks Over Knives, and found the quarterly FOK magazine and the recipe app to be particularly useful. Little by little I began to embrace the WFPB diet. 

Running, Cooking, and Thriving

I’ve been WFPB now for a little over two years, and I have transformed. I no longer need blood pressure medication. I am no longer prediabetic. My BMI is now in the normal range. I’ve had to get a whole new wardrobe, as I went from wearing size 22 or 24 to wearing size 8 or 10.

Fitness has been a big part of my transformation. I was always a walker, averaging 14,000 steps a day, but since going WFPB I’ve become a runner. In 2019, I logged over 3,000 miles! I have also started going to the gym four days a week. I keep the repetitions high, especially when working my abdominal muscles.

My cravings for other foods haven’t completely gone away, but I have learned to resist those temptations and make better choices. A big part of my success has been my teamwork with other plant-based friends. Three of us began a meal-sharing club. Each of us cooks enough food for a couple meals each week for our group of three. We have set days that we each deliver food, along with any necessary instructions for serving it. Because we are each only cooking once a week, we’re able to go above and beyond for every meal, putting forth our best effort. 

We have been doing this for almost two years now and we eat so well. Buddha bowls, especially ones with fruit, are a mainstay. We make a week’s worth of bowls at a time and package them in sealed containers, complete with homemade fruit-based vinaigrette. I grab one out of the refrigerator and take it wherever I am going for lunch. 

Sharing the cooking load definitely has helped keep me on track. It minimizes the temptation to grab take-out food after work. I used to eat out for at least seven meals every week. Now, because I always have healthy prepared food, I eat out a couple times a month, at most. 

Sharing the Lessons

I am the music director at a United Methodist Church and work with all ages, from preschool to senior adults. They always “examine” the food I bring to church dinners, and now they know all about tempeh, tofu, farro, and quinoa. I have shared WFPB recipes and meals with them. They eagerly update me about their weight-loss successes, and it makes me so happy to be part of their journey. 

I feel amazing and recently completed a 50K (31-mile) race and hiked the Grand Canyon. I just turned 56 years young and am in the best shape of my life. I am planning a hiking trip to Banff this summer, and that is only the first of many more active vacations that I’ll be taking. The best is yet to come!

My Keys to Plant-Based Success

1. Adopting the whole-food, plant-based way of eating. 
2. Meal-sharing with fellow WPFB eaters.
3. Reminding myself that I am not dieting but am making a lifestyle change.
4. Using chopsticks when possible. (It slows down my eating.)
5. Limiting how often I eat out.
6. Bringing home-prepared food with me to functions.
7. Rewarding goal achievements with non-food items (e.g., running shoes).
8. Enlisting the help of a friend/coach. Teamwork really does make the dream work!

Editor’s Note: This Success Story was co-authored by Tammy Than, Mary’s coach and friend.

The post At 56, I’m Fitter, Healthier, and Happier Than Ever, Thanks to a Plant-Based Diet appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

More Bad News

I was referred to a nephrologist who told me that I had chronic kidney disease (CKD). My glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was 42, which was not good. He said that CKD was irreversible and the best I could hope for was to slow the decline. 

Over the next year, I developed mild atrial fibrillation. I was becoming a poster boy for the effects of the Western diet. In early 2020, I started to look for dietary solutions to my health problems. I discovered keto and thought that it would suit me perfectly, because I wouldn’t have to give up meat. So in early March 2020 I started a strict keto diet, and within a couple of weeks I had lost about 5 pounds. But I wasn’t feeling great. So I decided to get more blood work to check on my kidney function. My estimated GFR had deteriorated to 33! The doctor said that if I went below 30, I should discuss dialysis and transplant options with the nephrologist. This came as a real shock.

Discovering the Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet

Around the same time, I got an email from Netflix that the Forks Over Knives documentary would be removed from the streaming platform soon, so I decided to watch it. The film, which showed that a whole-food, plant-based diet could prevent and reverse many chronic diseases, was a revelation for me. I thought, “Here is the solution to my metabolic problems.” 

I then bought the book The China Study, on which much of the information presented in Forks Over Knives was based. I was convinced. Over Easter weekend, I became a whole-food, plant-based eater, literally overnight. I followed the whole-food, plant-based diet religiously.

Wowing My Doctors

Earlier this month, after 12 weeks of WFPB, I had additional blood work done to see how my new lifestyle was working so far. When I called for the results I spoke to the manager of the clinic, who started reading the results to me then stopped and said, “This is amazing. I want to show the doctor.” A few minutes later, my doctor called. “This unbelievable,” he said. In just three months, my eGFR had increased from 33 to 50, and my uric acid, creatinine, and triglycerides were all normal. He said that he’d never seen such dramatic results.

Now I’ve gone from four blood pressure medications to two, and I’ve cut the dose in half for those two. My average blood pressure is now 112/70. I haven’t had atrial fibrillation since I started the diet. To cap it all off, I’ve lost 28 pounds. 

I’ve been enjoying lots of delicious foods, as well. When it comes to breakfast, I’ve changed from an eggs-and-bacon guy to an oats-and-fresh-chopped-fruit guy. For lunches and dinners, I eat a lot of what I call “chopped bowls,” with grains such as quinoa and buckwheat; veggies such as cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, carrots, and green beans diced into bite-size pieces; and flavorful dressings such as soy yogurt curry sauce. They’re tasty and completely plant-based. My wife and I also enjoy making homemade flatbreads. Our favorite is topped with hummus, tomato, and bell pepper. I also eat quite a lot of apples and pears every day. 

My daughter, Emma, was so impressed with my rapid weight loss and health improvements that she, too, is now a WFPB eater. This transformation has truly been a miracle for me!

Ready to get started? Check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path. To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer.

The post I’ve Normalized Sky-High Triglycerides and Begun Reversing Kidney Disease in Just 12 Weeks appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Plant-based eating was not a part of my family’s traditional culture. Growing up Dominican, all I knew was rice, beans, chicken, pork, and beef.

Diagnosis: Juvenile Diabetes

At age 9, I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I remember my mother crying in the doctor’s office as if I had been given a life sentence. 

I was taught about medication, not nutrition. I believed that as long as I took my insulin, I could eat and drink whatever I wanted. I was so wrong.

At age 26, I had my son seven weeks prematurely. I was diagnosed with hypertension and hypothyroidism. I had high cholesterol by age 30 and diabetic retinopathy by age 35. At 40, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and diabetic gastroparesis. I’ve had my gallbladder removed; bone spurs in my heel, shoulder, and toe; trigger fingers; and Dupuytren’s disease. I was given cortisone shots, which raised my blood sugar astronomically and caused me to gain weight. I reached 198 pounds. (I’m only 5’5”.) 

Ready for a Change

One day while watching documentaries, I came across Forks Over Knives. I became determined to get better. In March 2015, I gave up eating all animal products, processed foods, and refined carbohydrates. I ate whole grains, beans, and all the vegetables I could find. 

Within three months, I lost 20 pounds. My cholesterol stabilized, so my doctor took me off of the statin medication. Within six months, I had dropped another 30 pounds, and he took me off the blood pressure pills. My A1C declined dramatically, so my insulin prescription was cut in half. My joint pain lessened. My eyes improved; I no longer had symptoms of retinopathy. I was utterly amazed. A whole-food, plant-based diet turned my health and my world around.

My friends tell me I’m aging backward. I tell them and everyone I can that we can cook our traditional foods in a healthier way and it will taste as good. I love making vegetable and bean chili and empanadas stuffed with vegetables, quinoa, and beans. I enjoy sharing my journey and letting others know that it’s not that hard to make the change; all we have to do is make the choice.

Read Next: How a Vegan Diet Impacts Diabetes

The post I Use Less Insulin, Got off Statins, and Lost 50 Pounds on a Plant-Based Diet appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Four years ago I was diagnosed with unexplained extremely high blood pressure. This news was quite shocking and unbelievable to me, as I had none of the typical contributing factors you expect for hypertension: I didn’t smoke; I wasn’t a heavy drinker; I wasn’t overweight; I didn’t lead a sedentary lifestyle. I thought, Surely this can’t be true. I ate (what I believed was) healthy, I exercised regularly—what gives?

Searching for Answers
I began visiting many specialists, including cardiologists and internal medicine physicians, and I even became a patient at the Vanderbilt Hypertension Clinic. I sought answers as to the “why” of this chronic illness, but after many tests and visits, all the specialists could tell me was that my condition must just be the result of “bad genes.”

This news was devastating, to say the least. There I was at 30 years old, being told that I’d have to be on blood pressure medication for the rest of my life, and that I’d have to endure a much higher risk of developing even deadlier conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, heart attack, and/or stroke.

I spent the last four years attempting to manage my condition as best as I could, trying to stay positive, and dealing with medication side effects.

Health Takes Flight
A few months ago, on a long distance flight, I watched the documentary Forks Over Knives. I was blown away by the research on the connection between various chronic illnesses and the typical American diet. Based on what I learned, I decided to give a plant-based diet a try.

Within just a matter of weeks, my blood pressure completely normalized. I no longer needed medication at all. I find it incredible that no physician or specialist had ever discussed the potential for reversing my hypertension with this dietary approach.

I am now healthier than ever, all thanks to a plant-based diet. I have more energy, my skin is clearer, and my blood pressure is finally back to normal.

Being an advocate for your own health is so important. I encourage others to learn more about a plant-based diet. It could change your life as it has mine.

Ready to get started? Check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

The post I Kicked Hypertension in a Matter of Weeks with a Plant-Based Diet appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Growing up, I was always fearful that my parents would die. I had to witness my mother go through cancer three different times, and my father had a massive heart attack that led to triple bypass surgery and, eventually, stents and a defibrillator. My dad now has diabetes and congestive heart failure. These days, I help take my dad to eye injection appointments and my mother to chemo. It has been a rough time seeing my family so sick.

Raised on the Standard American Diet
Through my childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, I followed the same lifestyle as my parents, eating a standard American diet. We ate take-out and lots of meat, dairy, and oil.

My struggles with weight began when I was only 8 years old, and by the time I was in my mid-20s, my eating habits had really caught up with me. I was 185 pounds! With my being only 5 feet tall, my BMI was clearly in the obese range.

My doctor diagnosed me with high blood pressure (150/90) and put me on two different blood pressure medications. I had high cholesterol (total cholesterol: 242). My anxiety was through the roof, with a resting heart rate in the 90s. My hs-CRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation and cardiovascular disease risk) was extremely high, and I had chest pains. I thought, “This can’t be my life at 25 years old.”

From Rock Bottom to Record Highs
I began researching ways to get myself out of the health crisis. I found the Forks Over Knives documentary and it all clicked. I saw what my future would be if I stayed on my current path: heart disease, autoimmune disease, diabetes, and maybe even cancer. After watching the documentary I immediately went plant-based. I got rid of all the dairy, meat, and processed foods we had in our house. I went shopping for whole plant foods: grains, fruit, veggies, and legumes.

Since that day three years ago, I have lost 60 pounds; I no longer have high cholesterol (150 total); I no longer have high blood pressure (110/70); my resting heart rate is 60; and my hs-CRP is in the normal range! I can’t say enough about how amazing I feel and how grateful I am to have found this lifestyle at an early age.

I credit Forks Over Knives for changing my life and truly saving it. This new lifestyle has given me more than I could have ever dreamed of. I currently help run a whole-food, plant-based Meetup group in my community. My life’s passion now is to educate others about going whole-food, plant-based and to save as many people as possible from lifestyle diseases.

It is never too late—or too early—to become healthy with plant foods. I look forward to a lifetime of eating whole-food, plant-based and helping others.

Ready to get started? Check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

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