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.
