I met Rip Esselstyn in Annapolis

I enjoyed meeting Rip Esselstyn at the Whole Foods in Annapolis on the 19th of January. He is a dynamic speaker and had a great time doing his presentation. There was also a showing of "Fork over Knives" which is a terrific movie that shows how eating a Plant Strong diet can really change your life.

Thanks to Whole Foods for putting on the talk. They are leading the way in changing America's eating habits!

I wish that my camera worked since I (almost) got a picture of us together!

More later,
Ambrose

Doctor Terry Simpson Refutes Dr. Esselstyn

I just saw this video and thought I'd share my thoughts on it. First, Dr. Terry Simpson's comments on Dr. Esselstyn's diet.

Now that you've seen this video, I'd like to offer some comments.

1. If you want to sound credible when refuting someone, get their name right! It's Dr. Caldwell EsselStyn, Jr. M.D.
2. If you say that a study was invalid because it was done during the Cultural Revolution, then offer a reason why it's invalid instead of just saying that people were dying of starvation. It was the largest study of it's kind ever. You can't quibble with why the study was done!
3. When you look at coronary angiograms for a patient who cannot receive normal heart interventions, that isn't the case with the patient named Dr. Crow. He wasn't able to receive an angioplasty or a bypass and (luckily for him) worked with Dr. Esselstyn who recommended his diet to Dr. Crow which saved his life!
4. I don't believe Dr. Esselstyn talks about atherosclerosis or cholesterol levels as an indicator of heart disease at all. He talks about platelet plugs as the primary cause.
5. Exercising alone won't do much of anything to prevent and reverse heart disease.
6. Quitting smoking is a great idea, but it won't prevent and reverse serious heart disease. I can't believe that smoking is the leading cause of heart disease since rates of heart disease have not decreased in this country yet many people have quit smoking which you state yourself!
7. Reducing weight alone will not prevent and reverse heart disease. Losing weight will help in your general health, but it won't improve your cardiovascular health very significantly at all.
8. Eating a vegan diet without oil isn't "an obscure diet that nobody can follow that's tasteless." You haven't tried it. It's actually quite simple and how tasty it is depends entirely on your cooking/preparation skills.

You've really missed the point on this. Plant-Strong, oil-free diets are delicious, healthy, and not difficult to follow at all, unless you're addicted to eating a typical Western diet of meat-laden, oil-soaked, highly processed foods which is so typical here in America. Our country is becoming obscenely obese and our rates of heart disease haven't come down even though we have the best medicine in the world with the best medications in the world. The easiest way to improve America's health is to eat healthier, non-heart damaging foods and to live an active lifestyle.

Thanks for listening.
Ambrose

Doctor Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr. does TEDx Cambridge

I see that Doctor Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr. appeared at TEDx in Cambridge. He does a 15 minute presentation.

It's a great way to get a quick capsule summary of his thesis, of which I'm a great fan!

Ambrose

Rip Esselstyn coming to Annapolis!

I've just signed up to attend a presentation by Rip Esselstyn (son of Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr. MD), author of the best selling cook book, The Engine 2 Diet. He will be in Annapolis, Maryland on the evening of January 19th to do a 28 day diet challenge to go Plant Strong for 4 weeks! The sign up page is here:

http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaID=226581

He will start at 6:00 PM and go until 9:00 PM. I plan on picking up a copy of his Engine 2 Diet book there.

Hope to see you there too!