Thirty six years ago, I would have died. I was only 44 years old and had just been diagnosed with severe heart disease, high blood pressure, Thyroid Cancer, pre diabetes and I was almost 55 lbs. overweight. I was an aerobic instructor teaching 25 classes of aerobics per week. I thought I was eating a healthy diet of chicken, cheese, yogurt and ice cream. Luckily for me, my then new neighbor told me about Dr. John McDougall and I read his book. I could not believe that his patients were all getting over cancer, heart disease, diabetes and all chronic diseases. I jumped right in and never went back for more radiation and now I have perfect health. I just had to change to a starch based, whole food plant exclusive diet without oil. Now, at 80 I have great health and energy and still teach aerobics.

I actually did it! I broke free from eating animals and animal products! And I love it!

I will share only one of the many benefits a WFPB diet gave me. For over 15 years I strenuously trained in those chi kung and tai chi exercises without ever being able to settle and build up, harness and circulate my mind/energy/chi throughout my body in a natural, easy and smooth way. All this started to change when I adopted a WFPB lifestyle almost 4 years ago 🙂 I can now teach what I learned, finally…

I’m a 63 year-old male, 22 or better BMI most of my life and I’ve had atrial fibrillation for 32 years. The AF started as paroxysmal and had become permanent in the past ten years or so. About 8 months ago I stated having angina, I had 225 total cholesterol and 133 LDL and was pre-diabetic. I could no longer hike the mountains around my home that I loved and instead hiked a bit and read a book in the forest. Four months ago, an angiogram showed 50-60% blockage in my LAD. Thankfully, no stent was needed but I changed to a WFPB, no oil lifestyle and within the first two weeks lost the angina, after two months I had 126 Total Cholesterol and 58 LDL (without statins), in the “heart-attack” proof category and am so relieved. I’m again able to hike mountains that I’ve not done for at least ten years. I follow Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s advice closely and am very thankful to a friend who got off his medications after a triple bypass following this lifestyle who shared this information with me. I’ve had a steady heart rate and minimal AF as revealed by an EKG two months after my angiogram. I have more energy, sleep better, have better skin around my back (no little bumps), my gums have healed very quickly after a tooth extraction, recovery after my long hikes that would have taken three or four days now happens overnight. I’m no longer pre-diabetic and my blood sugar is normal even as I stopped taking Metformin. I’m still on medication for my AF and a blood thinner but am hopeful that these can be reduced or stopped when I see my cardiologist in another four months. I feel as if I’m in my thirties again and would love to have others improve their health as well with this simple (but not easy) lifestyle change.

Overweight, not sleeping, low energy and while up all night I found Dr Neal Barnard on YouTube. After one podcast I was hooked. I showed my 91 year old Mother the program and after two weeks of changing our diets she was no longer diabetic according to her doctor. We have each lost a tremendous amount of weight and my husband who is transitioning has lost twenty pounds without trying. Best sleepless night I’ve ever had!

I have recently started while plant based diet and lost 14 kgs in just four months. Also, my sleep has improved. I am getting better at energy level and memory retention.

My husband, children and I all went WFPB immediately after reading The Whole Foods Diet: The Lifesaving Plan for Health and Longevity. I then dove into more research for months on end and had to figure out how to cook again. My hot flashes disappeared! My plantar fasciitis disappeared! My husband’s high blood pressure was reversed! While listening to plant-based podcasts, I ended up learning about the horrors of animal agriculture for the animals, and the environment. As a result, 7 months after going plant-based I became and ethical vegan and animal rights activist. I’ve now have a curated-content podcast, Plant Based Briefing, where I narrate articles, with permission, on all things plant-based and vegan related in 10 minutes per day.

I have been vegan 10 years and 3-4 years whole food plant based. I have lost 140 lb over the past 10 years and came off 3 blood pressure medicines and 3 diabetes medicines.

Following a wfpb oil free diet has changed my life for the better. I’m confident this is the optimal diet for health and longevity.

Going vegan has changed my life…literally!

I was pre-diabetic and not overweight and only 55. I wanted to lose a few pounds and stop eating sugar. A friend got me listening to the food revolution summit and those interviews kept me motivated to eat better. I’m order to stay motivated I wanted to keep listening and being educated. That’s when I found the PlantStrong podcast that I now listen to everyday. I’ve lost 13 pounds, which was a lot for me and I feel great. I REALLY want to find a way to help others change their lifestyle now.

I was pre-diabetic and not overweight and only 55. I wanted to lose a few pounds and stop eating sugar. A friend got me listening to the food revolution summit and those interviews kept me motivated to eat better. I’m order to stay motivated I wanted to keep listening and being educated. That’s when I found the PlantStrong podcast that I now listen to everyday. I’ve lost 13 pounds, which was a lot for me and I feel great. I REALLY want to find a way to help others change their lifestyle now.

I started a WFPB diet last October of 2021 due to becoming more and more overweight after my first child was born. I know I needed to make a change and be the best version of myself for my kid and also my wife and family. I’m still learning so much but have gained a tremendous amount of positive feedback from this new lifestyle.

In November of 2019 I hit my highest weight, and my doctor put me on statins because of long-standing high cholesterol that kept going up. I was raised vegetarian and have been health conscious all of my life, but didn’t understand the problems with processed vegan foods, or eggs and cheese. One month of statins was enough to show both me and my doctor that I was not a good candidate for them, and that I must find another way to lower my cholesterol. I found Forks Over Knives in late December, and started following that in January of 2020. This was such a providential move, because in just a couple of months covid would change our world. I believe that my change in eating helped me to do relatively well when I did get covid, but just as important, my weight finally started to drop after years of trying every diet around, and my cholesterol dropped to normal. I lost 35 pounds that year and have been able to maintain most of that loss, a first for me. I am so grateful to be able to avoid statins and all other prescriptions (except thyroid due to a thyroidectomy) at age 66. I am not perfect with the SOS-free, but I do avoid oil, flour, and sugar almost all of the time. My salads are huge, and I eat vegetables in their natural form in quantities I couldn’t have imagined a few years ago. Both my husband and I are in excellent health as a result of this transition, though I would still like to lose another 20 pounds or so. I am learning to focus more on my health than on the scale, and to trust the plan for the long term.