Beating Heart Disease: Nothing With a Mother or a Face

It may sound like I proceeded at a steady pace. In fact things occurred in fits and starts. I actually missed my first appointment with the cardiologist, which was particularly irresponsible given that he had squeezed me in as a favor to my doc.

But at the time I didn't know that my life was hanging by a thread. I thought I had a mild case of heart disease that could be “fixed” with drugs or stents or diet, or some combination of the above.

Diet was something I could control so that's where I started.

I knew of Dr. Dean Ornish, a Bay Area doctor who has produced evidence that heart disease can be prevented and, in some cases, reversed by following a strict, plant-based diet. I found a similar author, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, who imposes some restrictions beyond the Ornish plan. For instance, no nuts. 

I decided to adopt a Vegan and possibly macrobiotic diet. I’m not sure what all the words mean and where I stand on divisive issues such as whether or not to eat avocados.

So I cleaned out my fridge and pantry and resupplied myself with Vegan foods. It took two days. I just went cold turkey (ha-ha) and decided not to eat anything with a mother or a face.

You know how some people can get preachy when they change a habit or adopt a faith. I will not try to convince you of anything.

But in the course of looking for more evidence to justify my decision, I came across a 56-minute-long video showing how a Vegan diet affected the 15 leading causes of death in America. The presentation is delivered by Dr. Michael Greger, an entertaining speaker who makes this dreary subject funny.

In keeping with my promise not to try to convince you of anything, I issue this warning: DO NOT WATCH GREGER’S VIDEO if you do not wish to question your allegiance to the common American diet.

(See an archive of the blogs in this series.)