It’s no secret that the food we eat influences our health. It’s common sense.
Yet doctors admit that they receive very little if any education about nutrition and what kind of diet causes or prevents diseases. That defies common sense.
So when you are looking for answers about how food and dietary patterns affect your health, you might have to look beyond your doctor’s office.
The good news is you don’t have to look too far.
There are many physicians and other well trained health care providers who have found the plethora of research on the health benefits of a whole food, plant-centered diet. Many, like Dr. Dean Ornish have gone on to conduct their own clinical and laboratory studies that show how quickly the body can heal from some of the most devastating diseases (including our #1 killer, heart disease) given the right food.
More recent research is even showing that genetic expression is influenced by environmental factors, namely our diet and lifestyle habits. That’s very exciting — it means we are not powerless!
So if you are struggling with health problems or worry about your genetic predisposition for certain illnesses, I encourage you to watch this short Talk by Dr. Ornish. He is a pioneer in the field of lifestyle medicine and has not only inspired people all over the world to take control of their health (including us!), but he has shown doctors and other health care providers that complicated diseases can be treated and prevented with healthy food, fresh air, exercise, meaningful work and caring relationships.
If you would like to learn more about how diet and lifestyle changes can influence your health, join our “Meals Are Medicine” classes and Wellness Forum.
Dean Ornish, M.D., is the founder and president of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute and Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. For almost 40 years, he has directed clinical research demonstrating that comprehensive lifestyle changes may begin to reverse severe coronary heart disease, without drugs or surgery. He was appointed by President Clinton to the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy and by President Obama to the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health. He was selected as one of the “TIME 100” in integrative medicine and by Forbes as “one of the seven most powerful teachers in the world.” He received his medical training from the Baylor College of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and the Massachusetts General Hospital. He earned a B.A. in Humanities summa cum laude from the University of Texas in Austin.
Little did I know that my journey to a whole food, plant based diet started before I was even aware. When I was growing up my parents fed me in the best way they knew how and I love them for it. We ate a ‘healthy’ diet—including dairy and meat on a daily basis to get our protein and calcium, vegetables and fruit to get our vitamins, and whole grain bread. (I was so jealous of the white bread sandwiches my friends enjoyed!) The holes in our diet were filled in with a daily supplement regimen to help guard against disease. All in all, it worked! We stayed relatively healthy and enjoyed ‘good’ food while doing it.
Once I had my own children, I fed them the way I had been taught and we all continued to experience good health. As we all aged, however, I began to notice a pattern in my immediate and extended family—the pattern of getting sick as we grew older. My grandparents and many of my aunts and uncles on both my maternal and paternal sides were succumbing to the typical aging diseases of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. Watching this process produced a lot of fear in me and caused a general sense of helplessness. I felt as if I had no control and that because of my genetic makeup, was doomed to similar outcomes.
When Peter and Lisa Hanfileti introduced me to a whole food, plant based way of life, I was skeptical at first. After watching the documentary Forks Over Knives and surfing the internet for more research based information, I became incredibly hopeful. By changing the fuel I used to feed my body, I could make significant changes in my current and future health AND even change my genetic markers for disease. I adopted the way of life immediately. After a lifetime of yo-yo dieting, I feel I have found the answer to weight loss (have lost 25 lbs in 15 months!) and a lifetime of good health.
I feel great and am excited to share what I now know—that I can feel empowered instead of feeling like a victim and that I can be informed and proactive instead of blindly eating my way to poor health outcomes. I invite you to join me on my path to wellness! Hop on the whole food, plant based train—it’s a rewarding ride!
