A Plant-based Diet

On this next to last day of February and the end of National Heart Month, we’d like to share information on plant-based diets.

Yesterday I attended a gathering with the focus on a healthy heart..  There were a small group of women.  We ate and watched a video that was actually fascinating.

The video had different doctors speaking.  A couple had had issues with their heart, one at the early age of 44.

What was fascinating was the findings that these doctors had which changed their lives.  One opted not to have heart surgery.  Another chose to change their lifestyle to avoid a life-threatening heart disease.

What both these doctors found is that with a plant-based diet their heart disease was reversed.  Yes, unbelievable as that sounds it was reversed.

You are probably just as amazed as I was during our meeting.  The fact that if you change your diet and focus on eating plants, you can change signs of heart disease.  Heart disease is the number one killer.

You might feel a bit overwhelmed thinking about this and that is to be understood.  To be plant-based means avoiding eating meats, fish, and dairy including yogurt, cheese and eggs. 

Ouch, you say?  Yes, based on the eating that most of us were raised on.  The good news is that there are great resources available to help you investigate or to get started if you’d like to change.

There is a doctor who is well-versed in plant diets and who was on yesterday’s video.  His name is Dr Caldwell B. Esselstyn.  He has written books and he has a website http://www.dresselstyn.com/site/.

Private Home Health Care realizes that this would be a big change for many of us.  We also know that the health benefits are tremendous.  Try to learn more.

Some tips to get started:

1. Try eating one meal a day with meat.  You can skip meat totally one day too.
2. Substitute animal food with tofu, beans and grains.
3. Have some fruit for dessert.
4. Eat fruit, nuts or veggies and hummus for snacks

#NationalHeartMonth