It jumped out at me because of the odd title.
Would you pick it up?
I have to admit, I shied away the first few times I saw it, but then curiosity got the better of me.
I opened it and scanned through... and then brought it home with me.
I like Dr. Michael Greger. He candidly admits to being a nutrition nerd. He loved to sit in the library and read scientific literature because he loved the whole concept of learning from scientific inquiry. But when his grandmother beat back end-stage heart disease by changing her diet, he decided to commit his life to being a doctor with a specialty in nutrition.
So, with apologies to all my steak-loving cafe pals, here we go.
According to Dr. Greger, most of the life-threatening diseases we face can be prevented, halted, or reversed by adopting a healthy plant-based diet. He has 412 pages of information devoted to this followed by over 100 pages of citations. The book is arranged with general information and then according to diseases that can be dealt with by dietary changes. Then he devotes a section to what he calls his Daily Dozen: beans, berries, other fruits, cruciferous vegetables, greens, other vegetables, flaxseeds, nuts, spices, whole grains, beverages, and exercise. He got me with allowing coffee!
There are two lines in the back of the book that sum up what I like best about his philosophy. "If there is one takeaway message, it's that you have tremendous power over your health destiny. The vast majority of premature deaths can be prevented with simple changes in what you eat and how you live."
Dr. Greger is quick to admit that death is inevitable and often unpredictable. His focus is on preventing manageable, premature death.
There is an accompanying cookbook which I intend to purchase. I leafed through that in the store recently and I liked the look of a lot of the recipes.
You can also find information without buying the book, by going to NutritionFacts.org.
So, let's talk.
I know I'm not the only one here who enjoys kale, and yesterday I had my orange kale salad again, but this time I sprinkled it (heavily) with hemp seeds. They're high on the nuts/seeds list. Tonight it's kale, chickpeas, beets and hemp seeds.
I'm enjoying the healthy food. Granted, I'd much prefer a snickerdoodle, but I'll be honest. I ate a bunch of those on Sunday and didn't feel as good afterward as I do when I eat the kale.
Thoughts????
No arrows allowed.
Mary Cate, I will admit that when I eat too many sugary foods or breads, I don't feel so good. That doesn't happen very often, but when it does, I feel bloated and generally kind of yucko. But I need meat. And peanut butter. I use the natural variety, but a day without peanut butter just isn't the same. It's my favorite snack, spread on a low-carb tortilla, perhaps the occasional banana or apple. Yum!
ReplyDeleteMindy, my most frequent breakfast is peanut butter on a low carb/high fiber tortilla. :)
DeleteIt's an interesting concept, to be able to prevent or reverse chronic disease with diet and lifestyle. I followed the link to Dr. Greger's website, but I wasn't convinced.
ReplyDeleteI agree that our overall health can be directly linked to the quality of our diet and lifestyle...but I disagree with Dr. Greger's insistence in a plant-based diet. Meat has essential nutrients that you can't get from a solely vegan or vegetarian diet, so I'll keep eating meat. :-)
But that doesn't mean that I follow a totally meatatarian diet, either! There needs to be balance in our lives and our diets.
This has been interesting, Cate! Thanks for the information.
I hear you, Jan. There are times I definitely feel like I need meat or chicken (and definitely times I want fish). I'm trying to work on eliminating the bad stuff first - mainly the excessive sugar.
DeleteJan, I'm the same way. I feel like I need meat in my diet, but I try to choose healthier ones. But I often find myself having vegetarian meals--usually when I'm eating out of the pantry and have forgotten to thaw something out. :) I really like the idea of Meatless Mondays.
DeleteMindy, he likes peanut butter! I'll go check, because I remember reading that as a serious recommendation.
ReplyDeleteI checked - apparently there was a Harvard study that showed women who ate 1 Tablespoon of PB at least 5 times a week (or some kind of nut) halved their risk of heart attack. I believe the women in the study were considered to be at risk to begin with.
That's good to know, Mary! Thanks for looking it up.
DeleteMy library has both the book and the cookbook...I'm #206 on the book and #137 on the cookbook so it will be awhile. lol I'm curious to see what he says about diet and health conditions. I doubt that covers neuropathy but I do have an inflammatory side effect because of the wonky nerve issue and wonder if diet would help that?
ReplyDeleteI think a huge problem we have in North America is portion size -- and eating enough fresh veggies and fruit. Have to admit that gets me in the winter months. Fruit is pretty much apples and clementines. Berries are out until the summer. I know I could get them frozen but they are so expensive up here...and they reduced the size of the packaging while doubling the price. I just can't bring myself to buy them because I don't like being held hostage by greedy food companies. I'll have to think ahead this summer and freeze my own that I can get much cheaper from the farmer's market.
I hope you can get the books soon, Kav. I looked and there are two pages on neuropathy.
DeleteKale....
ReplyDeleteWhen I would prefer ice cream.
(Ruthy walks away... chin down... wondering what the world is coming to????)
;)
Ruthy, I LOVE kale!! But I do love ice cream, too. Hmmm...kale ice cream? :)
Delete