Rip Esselstyn and Jeff Novick in Horse Play!

It's good to see these health advocates having so much fun!

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!

Former Buffalo Bill player goes Plant Strong!

Former Buffalo Bills player Adam Lingner suffered the exact same symptoms that I did and had the exact same angioplasty that I did and had a stent put in like myself! He has also decided to go the Plant Strong route and has adopted Dr. Esselstyn's diet. His story was documented by the local TV station and is online here:

http://www.wgrz.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=1281795408001

It's a truly heart felt story and shows how one change can make a huge difference. It also shows how much a supportive spouse can help in making the change.

Thanks Adam for sharing your story. All the best.

Ambrose

Sarah Taylor's Take on Eliminating Oil from your Diet!

Sarah Taylor is a well-known author on matters of veganism and a healthy diet. She is a faculty member of the Nutritional Education Institute. She's written a book:

Vegan in 30 Days: Get Healthy. Save the World.

She has also had a direct connection with Dr. Esselstyn and his contention that oils are not healthy for you. I could quote the entire article, but I'll just post a link to it and have you read it yourself. It's quite convincing.

http://veggiegrettie.com/2011/11/16/guestblog-oil-sarah-taylor/

Ambrose