The many misconceptions about diet are ingrained in most of us from a young age. One example is the belief that consuming animal protein is essential. Just last week, my fifth grade daughter showed us a life skills handout she received in school, which falsely stated that "fruits and vegetables contain no protein," implicitly misleading the next generation to believe that consuming animal foods is necessary for our survival. My ancestors also began consuming meat during the time of the British occupation of India. Many Indians believed that eating meat was the solution to gaining independence. Even Gandhi comments in his autobiography that, "It began to grow on me that meat-eating was good, that it would make me strong and daring, and that, if the whole country took to meat-eating, the English could be overcome." Fortunately, his experiment in meat-eating only lasted a year; and long before he led India to finally and peacefully overcome British rule.
Unfortunately, my forefathers continued to consume meat and we have experienced the consequences. My grandfather died of a fatal heart attack at age 40, leaving my then 13-year-old father to quit school and begin working to support his mother and 6 other siblings. My father's older brother also died at 45 of a fatal heart attack. More recently, one of my younger cousins suffered a near-fatal heart attack in his 30's. Another cousin had his first bypass in his 40's. Based on this family history, you would assume that heart disease is simply genetic, and drugs and surgery are the only way to defend yourself. My father has been using cholesterol-lowering drugs for more than 30 years. While he has lived longer than anyone in his family, I strongly believe that this is not because of the drugs, but because my wise mother began cooking less meat dishes for the entire family ever since I stopped consuming meat nearly 20 years ago. Personally, my cholesterol has never been high, unlike most of my family members. I also happen to be the only one in my entire family who consumes a strictly plant-based diet. As a result, I have never shown any sign of heart disease.
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"Coronary angiograms of the distal left anterior descending artery before (left
bracket) and after (right bracket) 32 months of a plant-based diet without
cholesterol-lowering medication, showing profound improvement."
- Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn |
In his book,
Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease,
Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn has explained how he helped reverse heart disease in more than 20 individuals whose heart disease was even too severe for surgery. He meticulously followed each individual, documenting their improvement, including before and after angiograms, objectively showing the arteries which were no longer blocked (
see one example to the left). His study was done more than 25 years ago and was even published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, but sadly, most people are still unaware of this breakthrough study, even most doctors. This is a book that everyone should read, especially if you think that heart disease runs in your family. With simple lifestyle changes, heart disease can be prevented and reversed. There is really no logical excuse for heart disease to be the number one killer in the developed world.
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For more information, please be sure to watch an excellent report from 2012 by CNN's health reporter, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, at the link below:
The Last Heart Attack by Dr. Sanjay Gupta
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