Quotes About Plant-based

A completely plant-based diet, however, can help drop C-reactive protein levels by 30–40 percent within just a few weeks in both adults3905 and children,

Dr. Greger's Eight Check-Mark Pesto 2 cups fresh basil leaves ¼ cup freshly toasted walnuts 2 cloves fresh garlic ¼ of a peeled lemon ¼ teaspoon lemon zest ¼ inch of fresh turmeric root (or ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder) ¼ cup pinto beans ¼ cup water or liquid from bean can 1 tablespoon white miso Pepper to taste Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Scoop onto a cup and a half of cooked whole-grain pasta.

green, leafy vegetables a week had roughly half the odds of getting lymphoma compared with those who ate less than one serving a week.12 Some of the plant-based protection might have been due to the antioxidant properties of fruits and vegetables. Higher dietary intake of antioxidants is associated with significantly lower lymphoma risk.

They are both centered on plant-derived foods, such as grains and vegetables. By eating so much fiber and so little animal fat, their total cholesterol levels averaged under 150 mg/dL,6,7 similar to people who eat contemporary plant-based diets.8

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a 2014 meta-analysis (a compilation of many similar studies) showing that vegetarian diets may be particularly good at lowering blood pressure.110 And the more plants, perhaps, the better. Meat-free diets in general "confer protection against cardiovascular diseases . . . some cancers and total mortality," but completely plant-based diets "seem to offer additional protection for obesity, hypertension, type-2 diabetes, and cardiovascular mortality."111

Why is this greatly reduced risk of blood cancers associated with a more plant-based diet? The British Journal of Cancer concluded, "More research is needed to understand the mechanisms behind this."7 While they are figuring out the reasons, why not get a head start and try adding more healthy plant foods to your plates today?

As I mentioned in the Fat Blockers section, I defined my Green Light category in How Not to Die as foods of plant origin to which nothing bad has been added and from which nothing good has been taken away.

Plant-based meals tend to be rich in antioxidants on their own, but taking a moment to spice up your life may make your meal even healthier.

Ninety-six percent of Americans don't eat the minimum recommended daily amount of beans, 96 percent don't eat the measly minimum for greens, and 99 percent don't get enough whole grains.1285 Nearly the entire U.S. population fails to eat enough whole plant foods—the only place fiber is naturally found in abundance.

Dear Doc, You won't believe this. My diabetes is GONE. I beat it, doc! How Not to Die really did save my life! Guess what else? My wife has had problems with her weight since she was a teenager. We went on a plant-based diet together, and she has, for the first time in years, gotten to a normal weight! We are both so happy, we feel like teenagers again. (Did I tell you we were high school sweethearts? That was a very long time ago, but it doesn't feel so long ago anymore!)

As Kaiser Permanente's guide The Plant-Based Diet: A Healthier Way to Eat puts it: "If you find you cannot do a plant-based diet 100 percent of the time, then aim for 80 percent. Any movement toward more plants and fewer animal products [and processed foods] can improve your health!"3

Those who start out more plant-based but then add meat to their diets at least once a week not only appear to double or triple their odds of diabetes, stroke, heart diseases, and weight gain but suffer an associated 3.6-year drop in life expectancy.

If you do eat tofu, choose varieties made with calcium (you'll see it in the ingredients list), which can weigh in at a whopping 550 mg of calcium per (3 oz) slice.2

Vegetarians and vegans are recommended to take supplements containing at least 50 mcg of cyanocobalamin (the most stable form2452) a day or at least 2,000 mcg once a week2453 (or brush twice daily with a B12-fortified toothpaste

your kidney filtration rate can shoot up 36 percent. But eating the same amount of protein in the form of tofu doesn't appear to place any additional strain on the kidneys.23 Could substituting plant protein for animal protein help slow the deterioration of kidney function? Yes, half a dozen clinical trials have shown that plant protein replacement can reduce hyperfiltration and/or protein leakage

teamed up with Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, who was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Medicine for her discovery of telomerase. In a study funded in part by the U.S. Department of Defense, they found that three months of whole-food, plant-based nutrition and other healthy changes could significantly boost telomerase activity, the only intervention ever shown to do so.69 The study was published in one of the most prestigious medical

curcumin to pancreatic cancer sufferers regardless of what other treatments they choose. Given the tragic prognosis, though, prevention is critical. Until we know more, your best bet is to avoid tobacco, excess alcohol intake, and obesity and to eat a diet low in animal products, refined grains, and added sugars97 and rich in beans, lentils, split peas, and dried fruit.98

Serving Sizes: ¼ cup of hummus or bean dip ½ cup cooked beans, split peas, lentils, tofu, or tempeh 1 cup of fresh peas or sprouted lentils Daily Recommendation: 3 servings per day

Of course making berry ice cream or at least a berry-banana mix is even healthier. My favorite is chocolate. To make it, blend dark, sweet cherries or strawberries mixed with a tablespoon of cocoa power, a splash of a milk of your choice (more if you want a milkshake), a capful of vanilla extract, and some pitted dates. If you didn't yet get your nuts for the day, you can add some almond butter.

Plant-based diets have been shown to lower cholesterol just as effectively as first-line statin drugs, but without the risks.39 In fact, the "side effects" of healthy eating tend to be good—less cancer and diabetes risk and protection of the liver and brain,

This is why I prefer the term whole-food, plant-based nutrition.

healthiest diet is one that minimizes the intake of meat, eggs, dairy, and processed junk, and maximizes the intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes (beans, split peas, chickpeas, and lentils), whole grains, nuts and seeds, mushrooms, and herbs and spices—basically, real food that grows out of the ground. Those are our healthiest choices.

Think about it. Patients walk in with one of the most painful, frustrating, and hard-to-treat conditions in all of medicine, and three-quarters of them were cured in a handful of days using a natural, nontoxic treatment—namely, a diet composed of whole plant foods. This should have been front-page news.