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.

In an attempt to get healthier, we adopted a low-carb, high-fat diet. Then, in November 2019, we watched Forks Over Knives. We were convinced by the evidence presented in the film that the whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) way of eating would be better for us than the low-carb diet we’d been following. We read The Starch Solution, by John A. McDougall, MD, and that provided further motivation. In April 2020, I went WFPB. I told Jim that he shouldn’t feel any pressure to change his eating habits, but after three weeks, he decided to join me. I think he saw what the new diet was doing for my energy levels (and felt bad that I was preparing separate meals for him and me). By May 2020, we were both all in.

Getting Used to Plant-Based Eating

The hardest part of the transition was figuring out what to cook. I’m content to eat very simply, but Jim—although appreciative of anything I make—really enjoys having a variety of flavors, so I learned to cater to that in a healthy way, and I was surprised by how our taste buds adjusted. After we’d been WFPB for about three weeks, Jim said, “You know what? I don’t crave chocolate anymore!” You could have knocked me over with a feather.

We found ourselves reaping some health benefits within months. We both had more energy, and my cholesterol dropped to 147.

Never Going Back

Since going WFPB two and a half years ago, I’ve kept my cholesterol down, and Jim has been able to discontinue all but one of his medications. I’ve experienced other benefits, too, especially with my eyesight. I have macular puckering (a condition in which scar tissue grows on the retina, which can lead to vision loss), but I had my eyes tested a couple of weeks ago, and the doctor was amazed how much better things were looking. I’ve had varicose veins since my last pregnancy in 1983, and a few years ago, they seemed to be getting worse; that stopped when I went WFPB. Also, my hair and nails grow faster!

We love the food, too. One recent hit was black bean burgers on homemade whole wheat buns with air-fried French fries. It was a smashing success! Some of our other favorites are veggie stir-fries (with beans or tofu); whole wheat waffles with real maple syrup; hummus and veggie wraps on whole wheat tortillas; and spaghetti and homemade marinara. We love snacking on air-popped popcorn. Sometimes I crisp up some corn tortillas by baking them directly on the oven racks, and we break those and dip them in salsa. We keep a big garden. When it’s in full swing, we eat lots of tomatoes and cucumbers and sweet peppers. Corn-on-the-cob season is something that we look forward to all year. And at 73, I can work hard in the garden in the summertime for several hours and not get worn out or sore. I sometimes get tired of being hot, but I do not get worn out.

Jim and I both just feel so much better. We will never go back to our old way of eating. I have no interest in losing my eyesight or in losing my husband to heart disease. I am so grateful to the doctors who pioneered this movement. I truly believe that going WFPB has saved our lives!

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 On an Oil-Free Plant-Based Diet, I’ve Normalized My Cholesterol and Improved My Eyesight appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

1. You’ll reduce inflammation in your body.

If you are eating meat, cheese, and highly processed foods, chances are you have elevated levels of inflammation in your body. While short-term inflammation (such as after an injury) is normal and necessary, inflammation that lasts for months or years is not. Chronic inflammation has been linked to the development of atherosclerosis, heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases, among other conditions.

In contrast, plant-based diets are naturally anti-inflammatory, because they are high in fiber, antioxidants, and other phytonutrients, and much lower in inflammatory triggers such as saturated fat and endotoxins (toxins released from bacteria commonly found in animal foods). Studies have shown that people who adopt no meat diets can dramatically lower their level of C-reactive protein (CRP), an indicator of inflammation in the body.

2. Your blood cholesterol levels will plummet.

Elevated blood cholesterol is a key risk factor for heart disease and strokes, two of the leading killers in the United States. Saturated fat—primarily found in meat, poultry, cheese, and other animal products—is a major driver of our blood cholesterol levels. Cholesterol in our food also plays a role.

Studies consistently show that when people go plant based, their blood cholesterol levels drop by up to 35% . In many cases, the decrease is equal to that seen with drug therapy—with many positive side effects! People who require cholesterol-lowering drugs can further slash their cholesterol levels and cardiovascular risk by adopting a plant-based diet.

Whole-food, plant-based diets reduce blood cholesterol because they tend to be very low in saturated fat and they contain zero cholesterol. Moreover, plant-based diets are high in fiber, which further reduces blood cholesterol levels. Soy has also been shown to play a role in lowering cholesterol, for those who choose to include it.

3. You’ll give your microbiome a makeover.

The trillions of microorganisms living in our bodies are collectively called the microbiome. Increasingly, these microorganisms are recognized as crucial to our overall health: not only do they help us digest our food, but they produce critical nutrients, train our immune systems, turn genes on and off, keep our gut tissue healthy, and help protect us from cancer. Studies have also shown they play a role in obesity, diabetes, atherosclerosis, autoimmune disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and liver disease.

Plant foods help shape a healthy intestinal microbiome. The fiber in plant foods promotes the growth of “friendly” bacteria in our guts. On the other hand, fiber-poor diets (such as those that are high in dairy, eggs, and meat) can foster the growth of disease-promoting bacteria. Landmark studies have shown that when omnivores eat choline or carnitine (found in meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and dairy), gut bacteria make a substance that is converted by our liver to a toxic product called TMAO. TMAO leads to worsening cholesterol plaques in our blood vessels and escalates the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Interestingly, people eating plant-based diets make little or no TMAO after a meat-containing meal, because they have a totally different gut microbiome. It takes only a few days for our gut bacterial patterns to change – the benefits of a plant-based diet start quickly!

4. You’ll change how your genes work.

Scientists have made the remarkable discovery that environmental and lifestyle factors can turn genes on and off. For example, the antioxidants and other nutrients we eat in whole plant foods can change gene expression to optimize how our cells repair damaged DNA. Research has also shown that lifestyle changes, including a no meat diet, can decrease the expression of cancer genes in men with low-risk prostate cancer. We’ve even seen that a plant-based diet, along with other lifestyle changes, can lengthen our telomeres—the caps at the end of our chromosomes that help keep our DNA stable. This might mean that our cells and tissues age more slowly since shortened telomeres are associated with aging and earlier death.

5. You’ll dramatically reduce your chances of getting Type 2 diabetes.

An estimated 38 percent of Americans have prediabetes—a precursor to Type 2 diabetes. Animal protein, especially red and processed meat, has been shown in study after study to increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes. In the Adventist population, omnivores have double the rate of diabetes compared with vegans, even accounting for differences in body weight. In fact, in this population, eating meat once a week or more over a 17-year period increased the risk of diabetes by 74 percent! Similarly, in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study and Nurses Health Study, increasing red meat intake by more than just half a serving per day was associated with a 48 percent increased risk in diabetes over 4 years.

Why would meat cause type 2 diabetes? Several reasons: animal fat, animal-based (heme) iron, and nitrate preservatives in meat have been found to damage pancreatic cells, worsen inflammation, cause weight gain, and impair the way our insulin functions.

You will dramatically lessen your chances of getting type 2 diabetes by leaving animal products off of your plate and eating a diet based in whole plant foods. This is especially true if you eat whole grains, which are highly protective against type 2 diabetes. You read that right: carbs actually protect you from diabetes! Also, a plant-based diet can improve or even reverse your diabetes if you’ve already been diagnosed.

6. You’ll get the right amount—and the right type—of protein.

The average omnivore in the US gets more than 1.5 times the optimal amount of protein, most of it from animal sources.

Contrary to popular perception, this excess protein does not make us stronger or leaner. Excess protein is stored as fat or turned into waste, and animal protein is a major cause of weight gain, heart disease, diabetes, inflammation, and cancer.

On the other hand, the protein found in whole plant foods protects us from many chronic diseases. There is no need to track protein intake or use protein supplements with plant-based diets; if you are meeting your daily calorie needs, you will get plenty of protein. The longest-lived people on Earth, those living in the “Blue Zones,” get about 10 percent of their calories from protein, compared with the US average of 15 to 20 percent.

7. You’ll make a huge impact on the health of our planet and its inhabitants.

The benefits of not eating meat extend beyond your own body. Animal agriculture is extremely destructive to the planet and is the single largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. It is also a leading cause of land and water use, deforestation, wildlife destruction, and species extinction. About 2,000 gallons of water are needed to produce just one pound of beef in the U.S. Our oceans are rapidly becoming depleted of fish; by some estimates, oceans may be fishless by 2048. The current food system, based on meat and dairy production, also contributes to world hunger—the majority of crops grown worldwide go toward feeding livestock, not feeding people.

Equally important, animals raised for food are sentient beings who suffer, whether raised in industrial factory farms or in farms labeled “humane.” Eating a plant-based diet helps us lead a more compassionate life. After all, being healthy is not just about the food we eat; it’s also about our consciousness—our awareness of how our choices affect the planet and all of those with whom we share it. So if you’re still wondering, “Is eating meat bad for you?” The short answer is yes—for you, and for our entire ecosystem!

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.

This article was originally published on Jan. 12, 2016, and has been updated.

The post 7 Things That Happen When You Stop Eating Meat appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

I did not care about doing any cardio work: All I liked doing was lifting weights. I figured that as long as I was strong, I was healthy. Right before my 40th birthday, I did a bench press test of 225 pounds 20 consecutive times. I thought I was the picture of health!

I never paid much mind to my diet, and I regularly ate lots of meat, cheesy pizza, eggs, french fries, salty snack foods, chocolate bars—you name it. I believed that weightlifting could erase the unhealthy effects of meat, dairy, and added sugar. At 6 feet tall, weighing 235 pounds, I considered myself “bulky,” but never fat. In my 40s, I began experiencing severe gut pains after eating. I took lots of Mylanta and an array of prescription antacid pills, but I didn’t think much of it. 

Heeding the Wake-Up Call

Near my 50th birthday, I had a physical, and my doctor told me that my total cholesterol was 180 (borderline high) and my blood sugar was 160 mg/dL, meaning I had prediabetes. I was shocked: How could a person who could bench press as much as I did be unhealthy? The real turning point for me came when my daughter moved home in 2014 after graduating from college. She had put on some unwanted weight, and after some painful discussions, we decided to lose weight together. 

We had no idea what we were doing, and at first we simply tried to “eat less.” No one reading this will be surprised that we were not successful at all with that approach. Then we came across the Forks Over Knives documentary, which highlighted the scientifically proven benefits of a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle. I realized that my Double Whoppers with cheese, large fries, large Cokes, and Snickers bars were far more influential on my health than how frequently and intensely I lifted weights. I had been doing it all wrong.

I dove into learning about a plant-based lifestyle with the same zeal that I put into weightlifting. I educated myself with books such as How Not to Diet, by Michael Greger, MD, and Fiber Fueled, by Will Bulsiewicz, MD. I watched other documentaries, including Fed Up and The Game Changers and I subscribed to Forks Over Knives’ email newsletters. 

As we added more plants to our diet, we saw results. I lost 20 pounds within a year and my daughter lost 25. But it was not like just flipping a switch. Over the course of the next seven years, I continued to eat cheese, eggs, and fish fairly often. I watched my weight creep back up into the 220s. I had to keep taking my indigestion medications, or else experienced severe bloating and discomfort. 

Ditching Half Measures

I figured that maybe I’d been goofing up by continuing to eat animal products “in moderation.” So in late 2019, I decided to drop the half measures and go all in on WFPB. Then, my weight finally dropped down to 200 pounds—my weight during freshman year of college. My blood glucose dropped to 83 mg/dL, and my total cholesterol dropped to 122! And the painful bloating I’d struggled with for years finally subsided. I was able to toss all my gut medications. 

Now, at age 62, I see fitness very differently than I used to. I’m no longer looking to be big. Lean and healthy is my new identity. I tell people I’m going to live to be 100 years old, pain-free. They always laugh because they think I’m joking, until they see that I’m dead serious. 

Two of the biggest surprises in this journey: One, I have not lost any strength in my age-adjusted workout routines (which now include cardio); and two, plant-based meals taste amazing. I actually look forward to eating healthy meals each day.

After I retire next year, I plan to earn a Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from eCornell University. I’d like to volunteer some of my time to help others convert to a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle. Social pressures, food myths, and highly processed junk foods abound, and so many doctors have no training in nutrition. All of these factors combined make it difficult for people to eat well. I’m convinced that folks need advice and encouragement from people who have been there, done that, and found a better path. And if they want to learn about proper bench-press techniques, I’ll cover that, too—after we talk about how they’re doing in their new plant-based 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 I Thought Weightlifting Could Offset an Unhealthy Diet. I Was Wrong appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

I began gaining a significant amount of weight, and I started to experience anxiety, depression, and debilitating panic attacks, which I’d never had before. All of this was coupled with a slew of inexplicable and disheartening health symptoms: numbness and tingling in my fingers and toes, brain fog, overall weakness, and low energy. 

In search of answers, I turned to Google, which quickly became my best friend and worst enemy. I was convinced that I had multiple sclerosis or some other sort of scary autoimmune disease. I come from a family of doctors, so I was able to easily seek medical advice and was soon visiting specialists for MRIs, CT scans, and way too much blood work. I even participated in a nerve conduction study. I had high cholesterol, which we chalked up to my genes. Beyond that, physicians couldn’t give me any sort of diagnosis, nor could they prescribe a drug to fix my many problems. I was at a loss. Though I hadn’t been diagnosed with a disorder or disease, I was still very much in a state of dis-ease.

Stumbling in Search of Better Health

Toward the end of college, Dusty and I got together, and began getting healthier as a couple. Like me, Dusty had been an athlete in high school but had gotten off track in college. We began riding road bikes long distances, cooking together, and going out less. Unfortunately, in my attempts to lose the weight I had gained at college, I began counting calories; subsisting on low-calorie, highly processed foods like Lean Cuisines; and overexercising. I lost too much weight, and the foods I did eat were not giving me the nutrients and nourishment I needed. I began to look emaciated. Dusty, meanwhile, struggled with acid reflux and chronic gastrointestinal issues.

Eventually, my uncle (a cardiologist) invited Dusty and me to hear a doctor speak about nutrition at a local hospital. The doctor turned out to be Caldwell Esselstyn, MD. We were impressed by his data on the health benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet, and we tried some of the food he’d brought. We were so intrigued that we went home and watched the Forks Over Knives documentary film. We weren’t sure about taking the plunge into going completely plant-based, so we started out going vegetarian for 40 days for Lent.

Motivated by Early Results

We wondered if we’d be able to get enough nutrients (especially protein) without meat. Well, we made it to Easter, and to our surprise, we didn’t die from a “lack of protein.” In fact, we felt amazing! 

We continued on, slowly eliminating dairy and eventually eggs. We had blood work done after a few weeks, and my “hereditary” high cholesterol had dropped into what Michael Greger, MD, would call the “heart attack–proof” zone. Dusty’s cholesterol (which had also been high) had dropped to within the healthy range, too. Seeing our numbers change for the better was all the convincing we needed.

We turned to the Forks Over Knives Recipe App to find healthy plant-based recipes to replace our old standard American diet foods. It took some time to fully trust that we were getting what we needed without animal products. For guidance, we were constantly referring to the Forks Over Knives website and reading articles regarding B12, omega-3s, and more.

Dusty’s nagging acid reflux and digestive woes subsided over time as his gut healed. And the best part for me: My mental health improved drastically. Within just a couple months of this way of eating, I no longer had unmanageable anxiety. I felt less stressed. I had no feelings of depression whatsoever, and my panic attacks completely left me. I was again able to socialize normally and sleep through the night.

It took some time to trust that I could stay at a healthy weight while eating a lot of carbs and not restricting calories. However, I tried it, incorporating lots of delicious raw fruits and veggies as well as hearty cooked dishes. I’ve found that I’m now able to get more toned and muscular in the gym; I’ve put on some healthy weight and am feeling the most comfortable I’ve ever been in my body and in my heart! Some of our go-to meals now include stews with red lentils, sweet potatoes, and lots of chopped veggies seasoned with herbs and spices, as well as grain bowls with steamed greens, brown rice, chickpeas, potatoes, and avocado. 

We’ve been on this plant-powered path for about six years. We’ve got a healthy and happy vegan 2-year-old, with baby No. 2 on the way this July. Today we coach others on achieving healthy and sustainable lifestyles.

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 Flourishing as a Family on a Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Life was busy with school and raising the kids. Eating became a way of de-stressing. I loved eating prime-cut beef and chicken breasts in dishes such as chili, stew, and meatball soup. And there was always something to snack on in the teachers’ lounge—especially on Fridays! I gradually gained weight over the years. 

My family doctor, who had known me since I was a teenager, noticed my weight creeping up over the years. He would remind me, gently (at first): “If it doesn’t grow from the ground, don’t eat it.” I heard this time and time again during my visits and I just wouldn’t take his advice. 

The Wake-Up Call

That all changed shortly after the Super Bowl in February of 2014. On Super Bowl Sunday, I had eaten the typical game-day foods: chili, wings, and ribs. Later that week, I happened to have a doctor’s appointment scheduled for my yearly checkup. I weighed in at 272 pounds. A few days later during my follow-up appointment, my doctor reviewed my bloodwork and diagnosed me with metabolic syndrome, a condition characterized by excess fat around the waist, high triglycerides, and high cholesterol. (Fortunately, my blood pressure was not elevated.)

This diagnosis was my wake-up call. I decided that week to start eliminating red meat, cutting down on dairy, and eating less overall to try and lose weight. One year later, I had lost 30 pounds. But I’d hit a plateau at 242 pounds. I stayed at that weight for the next three years, despite my efforts to lose more. 

Then, in fall of 2018, I watched the Forks Over Knives documentary and read The China Study, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, and The Starch Solution. The information I gleaned convinced me to begin a whole-food, plant-based, no-oil way of eating. I went all-in on Oct. 18, 2018. 

Endless Energy on a Plant-Based Diet

Immediately after going whole-food, plant-based, I felt even better than I had after my initial 30-pound weight loss a few years earlier. I found that I had more energy, fewer mood swings, and better sleep. And I could ride my bike forever! 

Follow-up tests with my doctor showed that I was able to bring my biomarkers (triglycerides and cholesterol) down to a normal range. Over 18 months, I lost another 22 pounds and have now reached 220 pounds. WFPB was just the ticket. 

It’s also taught me how to prepare delicious meals for myself. My favorite breakfast is uncooked rolled oats and fruit such as papaya, mango, red grapes, blueberries, and strawberries.

One of my go-to lunches is a sandwich with whole grain bread, no-oil hummus, spinach or kale, tomato, onion, and pickle. I really like making my own tacos with homemade pico de gallo, colorful vegetables, tempeh, onions, brown rice, and pinto beans. I’ve been dabbling in making my own sauces, including a cilantro-lime sauce that adds to the great flavor of my tacos. My favorite dinner is Broccolini, mushrooms, carrots, red peppers, and sweet potatoes or white potatoes. Food is such a fun adventure now! It also helps having a partner who also eats WFPB. We cook together and have great fun preparing meals for our non-WFPB friends and relatives.

I will continue to eat this way for the rest of my life, as I feel just great. So if you’re reading this and aren’t on the WFPB diet, I encourage you to give it a try. I believe that you will notice the changes right away. In the words of Dean Ornish, MD: Eat well, exercise more, stress less, and love more.

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’m Reversing Metabolic Syndrome on a Plant-Based Diet appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Growing up I was never accused of being skinny, but my weight wasn’t much of a problem until I went to college and eventually started living on my own. I developed poor eating habits that followed me for years. Staying active helped keep my weight reasonably under control. I tried all the usual weight-loss programs. They would work for a while, but then the pounds would eventually return, along with a few of their friends. So I talked myself into thinking that “someday” I would get serious about being healthy. 

Accelerating Weight Gain

Things really started to get out of control when I was in my mid-50s. My weight had been gradually creeping up until that point (from an average of 165 pounds, on my 5’8” frame). Then at age 55, an unusually stressful time led to out-of-control eating. Lunch often consisted of convenience-store pizza topped with Canadian bacon, a side of baked chips, and a 20-ounce Diet Dr. Pepper to wash it down. Sometimes I repeated that same menu for dinner, and I always snacked nonstop until bedtime. 

I developed plantar fasciitis and became less physically active. The number on the scale rapidly rose, topping out around 240. Laundry baskets filled with clothes of different sizes lined the perimeter of my bedroom: I refused to get rid of smaller sizes taking up space in the dresser and closet, because I was convinced I would wear them again. I just had no idea how I was ever going to make that happen.

Close Call

One evening while relaxing before bed I felt a tickle in my chest. It caught my attention but then went away. It returned. Went away again. Returned stronger. Went away. It didn’t hurt; I wasn’t short of breath, and my pulse was strong and steady. Urgent care was closed, so I just went to bed, thinking that lying down would help. I was wrong. Lying down made it worse. It crossed my mind that maybe I should leave a note on the kitchen table describing my symptoms in case someone came looking for me the next day, but I took my chances and simply stayed in bed, propping myself up with pillows to get comfortable. 

Fortunately, I did wake up the next morning. The tickle in my chest was gone, but I knew it wasn’t something I should ignore, so I did two things: I made an appointment with my family doctor, and I went online looking for help to lose weight. Canned weight loss programs might work for many people, but I knew that I needed to be accountable to myself, not to someone weighing me weekly or selling me program-approved snacks made in a food laboratory. There had to be something else out there.

In the meantime, I saw my family doctor and ended up having tests with a cardiologist. He told me that my heart health was good, but if I didn’t make changes then we would be seeing a lot of more of each other in the future. He didn’t like my blood pressure of 142/80, and due to my high cholesterol (261), he wanted to put me on statins. I asked if changing my diet might have enough of an impact that I wouldn’t need statins. He downplayed the role that diet might play, but he said that the best diet for heart health was a Mediterranean diet and suggested that I use olive oil instead of vegetable oil. Still, I was convinced that there had to be options other than medication, and I asked for time to lower my cholesterol on my own.

Making the Connection

Still looking online for help, I eventually stumbled across the Forks Over Knives documentary. I watched it and was stunned! There was one nugget in the movie that made all the difference for me. I appreciated the ethical concerns of eating animals and understood the health implications of eating red meat, as well as the outsize impact of meat production on our natural resources. But Forks Over Knives made me recall doing chores as a kid on the farm. Never once did we feed our cattle, pigs, or chickens any meat. We gave them grain, and let them loose in the pasture until they were large enough that we could eat them. They didn’t need meat to grow. The plant-based way of eating made sense. 

I decided to try a whole-food, plant-based diet for one week. At the end of the week, my face wasn’t so puffy, and my clothes were looser. I decided to go another week, and then another. I found that it was sustainable: I could do this! Eventually I gave away the laundry baskets of clothing and all the meat in my freezer. Within six months my cholesterol fell to 213, my blood pressure dropped to 92/66, and I lost 60 pounds.

My doctor is happy, and there is no need to return to the cardiologist or take statins. I feel so much better! My meals are colorful and nourishing, and my energy level has skyrocketed. This is a way of life I can live with.

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 Went Plant-Based to Avoid Needing Statins. The Results Have Been Incredible appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

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Exercise physiologist Drew Harrisberg details his reasons for quitting the keto diet and going plant-based instead.

How Going Plant-Based Helped Me Overcome Depression

At 27 years old, Dominique Linden was suffering from severe depression and obesity and related health problems. 

How I’m Beating Kidney Disease on a Plant-Based Diet

Kelly Lawrence suffered from gradually worsening kidney disease for more than 20 years, but she didn’t want to begin dialysis. Fortunately, after adopting a plant-based diet, she didn’t need to.

Eczema, Arthritis, Asthma, Migraines—All Gone After Going Plant-Based

A plant-based diet isn’t just helpful for overcoming obesity: It can lead to health transformations that are less obvious from the outside but nonetheless life-changing on the inside, such as in the case of Jennifer Sinyerd.

I Reversed Cirrhosis in 1 Year on a Plant-Based Diet

Otis’s doctor told him that his liver was too damaged to regenerate itself. Otis proved otherwise.

From Stage 3 Kidney Disease to Healthy Kidneys in 2 Months on a Plant-Based Diet

It really is possible to radically transform your health in very little time just by changing your diet, as this inspiring story from Sandra VanderMey demonstrates. 

Ready to get started? Check out our Plant-Based Primer to learn more about adopting a whole-food, plant-based diet.

The post Our Most-Shared Success Stories of 2019 appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

I used to eat a fairly typical standard American diet. Then a tragedy turned our family upside down. My brother-in-law Dan—only in his 20s—died suddenly, leaving my youngest sister a widow at 25. 

She and I have always been close, so her loss impacted me deeply. She began sleeping a lot. I decided that we needed to grieve another way. I love to cook, and Dan loved to eat, so to grieve him, we decided to make cheesecake and other things that he loved. And make cheesecake, we did—about two to three times a week. Unsurprisingly, we gained weight. And I had just months earlier had a baby, so I still had “baby weight” to lose. It just got worse from there. 

By the time I needed to renew my life insurance, I weighed 173 pounds. My cholesterol was 278. I was not quite 38 years old. In order to stop being troubled by my cholesterol creeping up, I decided to stop having it tested. That way, it wouldn’t bother me so much. (Needless to say, I did not get a renewal on my insurance at the former rate.)

I decided to lose the weight when I saw my backside in a photo and was shocked by how big it was. So I went low-carb and became a meat-eating fanatic. I stuck to the diet carefully, though I missed potatoes and other veggies a lot. I lost 40 pounds and my confidence was restored. My health, however, declined rapidly.

Hitting Rock Bottom

After being on a low-carb, meat-heavy diet for several years, I woke up one night with heartburn, coughing, and dizziness. Soon after that I began throwing up. At one point, I put my hand on my face to wipe away the sweat and realized that I’d been throwing up blood. I rushed to the emergency room.

I found out that I was extremely anemic, and I had fibroids in my uterus that the doctor said needed to be removed right away. I had a stomach ulcer and my digestive system was a mess. The doctor put me on prescription heartburn meds. The nurse looked me right in the eye and told me to “eat more meat” because of my anemia: I guffawed and told her there was no earthly way I could eat more meat than my current diet. As an alternative, she offered me huge iron tablets. I decided I needed to do my own research. 

A Welcome Change

One day while looking for something to watch, I came across the Forks Over Knives film, and put it on thinking it was a cooking show. I then realized it was a documentary, but I continued to watch, fascinated and impressed with the scientific evidence for a whole-food, plant-based diet that the film presented. The food looked yummy. As I love to cook, the idea of going plant-based appealed to me as a great challenge. Plus, I actually always enjoyed veggies and had missed them on my meat-heavy diet. 

So I began that very day. I cleaned out the fridge and pantry. I fed the meat to the dogs and went out to buy clean food. I was excited. 

Soon after, I went back to the doctor to monitor my iron levels and found that they had doubled. The nurse was mildly surprised by the rise and asked what I’d been doing differently. I told her I’d gone vegan. She nodded and said, “Oh, OK then. Keep doing what you are doing.” No meat—go figure.

At the next checkup, my iron levels were in the normal range, and the doctor said he did not have to see me about this anymore. Plus, my fibroids were gone, and I had no more heartburn—none! I found that I was waking up five minutes or more before the alarm, just buzzing with energy. 

The biggest shock of all came when I had my blood drawn a few months later: My cholesterol, which had been so high, was down to 155. 

Help in the Kitchen: Meal Planning and a Cooking Course 

I began using Forks Meal Planner and started to get the hang of whole-food, plant-based cooking. I loved how the food looked like familiar dishes my family loved. It helped so much. My personal favorite recipes from Meal Planner are the stews and curries.

After about six months, I found the Rouxbe cooking course and tried it out, as I love to cook. I loved the food and was having the time of my life making dishes with no meat or cheese. Still, my kids were struggling to adopt the diet. They kept eating pizza, even though it was causing them stomachaches, diarrhea, and other health issues. I made a lot of transition meals for them and gradually got them on board with a fully whole-food, plant-based diet. Now my whole family loves the food so much. 

A New Lease on Health

Since transitioning to a whole-food, plant-based diet, my life has completely changed: My anemia is gone. I take zero medications. I never get heartburn, even when I eat spicy foods. I haven’t gotten any fibroids. My weight naturally stays right around where I like it. Because my cholesterol is so far down, my doctor said that even though my father is a cardiac patient I have a less than 1 percent chance of having a heart attack. I have the energy to chase around my two grandchildren (1 and 4 years old) and play with them. I am exercising more and aging well, with no aches or pains, few wrinkles, and no hormone issues. I swim with my children, run with my dogs, and have so much more energy in my 50s than I had even in my 40s. 

What’s more? Encouraging others to live a plant-based lifestyle has now become my passion and my life’s mission, as I see it as the way to live a longer and happier life. I attend plant-based meetups, appear on a monthly vegan cooking show, and even coach others in transitioning to healthy lifestyles one step at a time. 

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 How I Curbed High Cholesterol, Fibroids, Heartburn, and Anemia with a Plant-Based Diet appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

The study, published on March 15 by renowned medical journal JAMA, included 29,615 people who were followed for a median 17.5 years. The authors evaluated whether egg intake or dietary cholesterol was linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease or death from any cause.

Their findings? The more eggs or cholesterol that participants consumed, the higher their risk of cardiovascular disease or death from any cause; there was a clear dose-response.

Specifically, each additional half of an egg per day was associated with a 6 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease and an 8 percent increased risk of death over the course of the study. The risks were even more dramatic in women—13 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease and 16 percent higher risk of death for each additional half an egg per day.

Each additional 300 milligrams of dietary cholesterol per day (1 egg contains about 186 milligrams of cholesterol) was linked to a 17 percent increased risk of cardiovascular disease and an 18 percent increased risk of death from any cause (not to mention a 14 percent higher risk of heart failure and a 26 percent higher risk of stroke). Again, the risk was magnified in women (28 percent higher risk of death from any cause).

What about people eating a diet that was healthy overall, with lots of fruits and vegetables? Notably, even these participants experienced a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease when they had an additional half an egg per day.

Of course, correlation does not equal causation, but these findings include adjustment for many variables and potential confounders, including age, sex, race, education, smoking, physical activity, and other dietary choices, and remained significant even after authors controlled for diabetes, body mass index, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and other cardiovascular risk factors.

Bottom line: We have no biological requirement to consume cholesterol or eggs; indeed, this large study (among others) suggests that we are better off when we avoid them. Our bodies can make all the cholesterol we need, and we can get other nutrients found in eggs from healthier sources.

The post “Are Eggs Good for Me?” New Study in JAMA appeared first on Forks Over Knives.