Hi,
Chances are you are reading this introduction because you have decided to take a stand and initiate steps towards improving your health. Or maybe you are curious and are in the contemplative stage of the process. Perhaps you have other motives, but the important thing is you are in this space, and I welcome you.
Modern medicine has taught conventionally trained doctors how to treat and manage many chronic debilitating diseases and cancers, but something has been missing from medical training, for over a hundred years.
The science of nutrition, as it relates to the preservation of health and wellness, is grossly missing from manyl medical school curriculums.
If medical doctors do not seek training in nutritional science, they can’t possibly be counted on to instruct or advise patients on how to prevent the most important diseases that shorten our lives.
Hypertension, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and chronic kidney disease can be prevented and treated by making diet and lifestyle changes.
There are numerous diets for weight loss and health improvement, but many are unproven and unsustainable.
Whole food plant-based eating is by far the most proven diet for achieving optimum health.
But first, let us review some common questions:
Why Plant-Based?
Start with this YouTube video: The Transformative Power of a Whole Food Plant-Based Diet
- Why should you change your diet?
- What are your specific goals?
- How far are you willing to go? What are you not willing to do? Why?
- What is a whole food plant-based diet and how does it differ from being a vegetarian or vegan diet?
- How long will it take to achieve your goals? When does a WFPB diet start to work.
- Are there any risks associated with a WFPB lifestyle?
Here is a more comprehensive presentation that addresses the above questions:
Dr. Lim’s Presentation on WFPB Lifestyle
Action Steps
Step 1-
Clear out your kitchen cabinets, pantry and refrigerator of highly processed food, junk food, processed sugar, dairy, and highly salted food. Get rid of food high in fructose and / or added sugar.
Step 2-
List healthy foods to work on increasing in your diet, and list foods you plan to reduce or eliminate.
See Handout 1- Work on Increasing…/Work on Eliminating…
Step 3-
Grocery shop spending most of your time in the produce section. Make a list of plant-based foods that you like that fall into these four categories:
–Vegetables (include leafy greens especially cruciferous vegetables)
-Fruit (especially berries)
–Whole grains (especially oats, quinoa, other whole grains)
–Legumes (especially black beans, pinto beans, lentils, and chickpeas)
See Handout 2- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mK7-LvFBGBYB6GO7W3rtEASgoV1nHPoWmxRNJj8KEl4/edit?usp=sharing
Step 4–
Plan in advance- Prep and cook your food for most of the week on the weekend.
Step 5-
Get a journal or log to record notes of your feelings, impressions, memorable concepts, and questions.
Step 6–
Most important- Expand your knowledge base
I have a provided a curriculum for you to get started:
Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s Concepts:
- Determination– I can do anything I set my mind to.
- Initiative– The most important step is the first one you take.
- Persistence– Your intent is to adhere as much as possible to your plan.
- Repetition- Review and repetition creates automatic behavior.
- Correct Attitude– Champions are prepared to work for results over time (months to years).
A Listing of Nutrition Mentors Online- (Find them on YouTube)
Dr. Michael Greger- https://nutritionfacts.org/
Dr. Neale Barnard- https://www.pcrm.org/
Dr. Joel Fuhrman- https://www.drfuhrman.com/
Dr. Michael Klaper- https://www.doctorklaper.com/
Dr. Milton Mills- https://drmiltonmillsplantbasednation.com/
Dr. Baxter Montgomery- https://montgomeryheart.com/
Dr. Kim Williams- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN89UpEd0hg
Dr. Terry Mason- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af_e7FBs37M
Dr. John McDougal- https://www.drmcdougall.com/
Dr. Dean Ornish- https://www.ornish.com/
Brenda Davis RD- https://www.brendadavisrd.com/
Dr. David Katz- https://davidkatzmd.com/
Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn- http://www.dresselstyn.com/site/
Dr. T. Colin Campbell- https://nutritionstudies.org/
(Visit a couple of these websites / YouTube events at least one or more times weekly)
Assignments– Watch one or more of these movies:
Forks Over Knives
What the Health
Game Changers
Fat Sick and Nearly Dead
Visit these websites early and often: (Subscribe to them)
Listen to YouTube presentations on these channels (at least 2x/week):
- Dr. Michael Greger- https://www.youtube.com/user/NutritionFactsOrg
- The Exam Room, Chuck Carroll- https://www.youtube.com/c/PhysiciansCommittee
- Dr. Joel Fuhrman- https://www.youtube.com/user/drfuhrman
(Subscribe to the above YouTube channels)
“Like” these Facebook Pages:
- My page- Mindful Eating and Nutrition Services (make comments, ask questions)
Download this App on your cellphone:
HAPPY COW (Uses your GPS to locate vegetarian or vegan restaurants in your location, in and outside the U.S.)
Step 7-
MAKE YOUR MOVE!
For the Bookworms, here are some to consider:
“How Not to Die” -Dr. Michael Greger
“Fast Food Genocide” -Dr. Joel Fuhrman
“Fiber Fueled” – Dr. Will Bulsiewicz
Recommended Cookbooks:
“How Not to Die Cookbook” -Michael Greger, MD
“Eat to Live Cookbook” – Joel Fuhrman, MD
“Fiber Fueled Cook Book” – Will Bulsiewicz, MD
Remember:
There is no need to count calories when on a WFPB plan.
You can eat as much as you want. A balanced whole food plant-based lifestyle has enough fiber to satisfy your appetite and is sustainable.
Retrain your taste buds to enjoy unprocessed food. Dr. David Katz says, “Taste buds learn to love the ones they’re with.”
You can successfully prevent and reverse heart disease following a WFPB lifestyle, according to Dr. Kim Williams, Chairman of the Department of Cardiology at Rush Medical Center, Chicago. Dr. Kim practices what he preaches.
As Dr. Terry Mason has stated in presentations:
“Let your kitchen be your pharmacy and your food pantry be your medicine cabinet.”
Prepared by James Thompson, MD,
Medical Director- Healthy Living With A Vision
Certified Health Coach- Institute for Integrative Nutrition
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