About Health in General

This article is well rounded when it comes to eating any foods.
My philosophy is: eat everything in moderation. In the end, God will decide how and when you will die; no matter what you are eating or not eating because Life is predestined in our DNA. Researchers are just now learning how to eliminate, through surgery, certain chromosomes that carry life threatening diseases.

Cutting to the chase I edited the article by taking out this author's day to day account of "what to eat." "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease."Full story

........" I'm not your typical dietary subject. After all, I'm 5-foot-10, 160 pounds, and I'm fit and lean from the time I spend in the gym. At 27 years old, I have never been on a diet -- I eat what I like and what I feel is generally healthy. Yet the way I consume food has been altered considerably after spending nine days on a heart-protective diet.

My editor approached me about trying the diet proposed by Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr. in his book "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease." The diet takes seriously all the food and drinks that pose a risk to a person's long-term health, specifically heart disease. In that respect, this diet is seen often as a last-ditch resort for people at risk for heart complications, among other health problems.

Former President Bill Clinton is one example. He tried the diet after undergoing a heart procedure in February, even though he had already lost weight after bypass surgery in 2004. Another reason President Clinton turned to Esslestyn's proposed diet was to lose weight in preparation for his daughter Chelsea's September wedding. He raved about it to Wolf Blitzer on his CNN show, emphasizing he had lost 24 pounds and felt great. I figured if President Clinton could show restraint, then there shouldn't be any reason I couldn't do the same.

Dr. Esselstyn's diet revolves around swearing off much of the typical Western diet. It means halting consumption of all meat, eggs, dairy products, nuts and processed foods. You read that correct. No meat. No organic chicken, no wild fish, no cold cuts. One more thing: You can't even consume oils -- not even olive oil. The items have too much fat, salt and bad cholesterol to be considered safe for long-term heart protection, according to Dr. Esselstyn. Now, take a deep breath and read what's permissible to eat.

Fruit, vegetables (except avocados, which are too fatty), whole grains and legumes. Those are the core of what I had to eat. Dr. Esselstyn's argument is that living by the standards of this diet will prevent the onset of heart disease, among other health problems.

There was some flexibility to the diet. Alternative forms of milk, such as almond milk, were fine. Maple syrup, sugar, salsa, vinegar and spices were encouraged by Dr. Esselstyn. But when I broke down the way I ate before taking on this diet, I was surprised at the number of products I couldn't touch for at least a week......

..........I'm not a fan of almond milk. I still don't understand why it's permissible to drink that stuff when I can't eat almonds. I need to find out from Dr. Esselstyn. I don't feel a need for any dairy products except for milk. I've been drinking exclusively water. Fruit juices are largely dismissed in this diet except for using small quantities in recipes. Milk is really the drink I want, but almond milk does nothing to make me forget about that 1 percent milk I normally guzzle.

I do fine during the day, but I still find myself craving a slice of pizza. I go out to a bar for Happy Hour but hold off on food. It's not until I get out of the bar several hours later that I resign myself to the fact I really want a slice. So, I end up getting an entire pie. Hey, it's been a good ride. However, I live in New York City; enjoying a good pizza every now and then is practically a prerequisite to living here.

Most folks might think the diet is too restrictive after taking a first look at it. That understandable when someone discovers meat and dairy aren't allowed. I found the transition difficult, but that's also because I have limited kitchen space with a very limited amount of kitchen tools. But I feel that if I, a healthy 27-year-old single guy living in New York City, can focus on just fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes, then it should be possible for lots of other people.

Eating in this manner really made me feel better. I had more energy, my sinuses cleared and I felt leaner. My weight loss wasn't significant. I weighed 159 before the diet and clocked in at 156 on Saturday. I imagine this diet would work very well for someone looking to lose weight. Eating produce and whole grains is as natural a way to eat as can be done in a reasonable manner. My sinus problems have cleared up. I've had ongoing sinus issues for a couple years. I started getting allergies after I moved to New York City from Montana in June 2007. My allergies have become progressively worse each year, which I attributed to my negative reaction to the city's smog. However, my mom pointed out it could be that my sinuses have cleared since I'm no longer consuming dairy products. It's certainly a reasonable theory since I consume milk, butter and yogurt on a regular basis.

However, I do have a couple issues. I understand that I'm not exactly the perfect test subject for this. It is aimed in the direction of people in their 40s and older who have serious health conditions. But to say that any meat, eggs, dairy, oil, nuts or refined food is unacceptable is a little too restrictive. Dr. Esselstyn goes as far as to call much of that food "toxic" at various points of his book. I understand his point, but never eating any of those foods is unrealistic. Bill Clinton was reportedly seen eating a steak while traveling abroad four months ago. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/dining/27clinton.html?_r=1&ref=dining

Life is about experiences, and part of those experiences include the food you eat. A more idealistic person might think life is too short not to take advantage of the many incredible flavors that can be experienced from eating an array of food, from grilled salmon to pizza to cheesecake. Maybe Dr. Esselstyn has scientific evidence on his side, that this diet is healthier, but there are lots of things in life that can be harmful. Walking across the street carries risk. Enjoying a steak or drinking milk shouldn't be viewed as toxic, especially if it's done on occasion.

That said, I do plan on making changes as a result of this diet. I don't imagine I can eliminate dairy entirely, but I'm going to start by dropping cream cheese and butter. I'll try to hold myself to three Greek yogurts per week -- its protein content is valuable -- and I'm going to drink far less milk. I can't give up eggs, so I'll continue to eat those. I had already given up pork and most red meat earlier this year, so that won't be a problem. Yet organic chicken, wild fish, peanut butter and almonds are reasonable to eat.

Where I think the biggest change might come from is in processed foods. Ezekial loaves of bread will become my chosen option over the processed bread I used to buy. I'll stick with brown rice over white, and whole wheat pasta is the only way for me to go. I will do my best to keep tortilla and potato chips out of my kitchen. I don't miss them, anyway.

I encourage anyone looking for a healthier way to eat -- or a way to feel better physically -- to consider going on this diet. Try a week on it. It might seem like a boring way to eat as you buy groceries, but the beautiful part of this diet is that it forces you to become more creative in your food preparation. Food should never be an afterthought. It should be exciting. People can create their own little form of art with the dishes they make. Try Dr. Esselstyn's diet for a week and see how you feel physically. You just might want to extend it after noticing the positive physical and mental changes this diet inspires.

Comments from viewers about the diet below:

I'd be curious to know what percentage of the weight President Clinton lost was fat versus muscle. I can't imagine one would be able to build any muscle mass on this diet. And, when one eliminates ALL fats, the body makes its own cholesterol and often causes an elevated cholesterol level.

I am a 73 year old healthy woman. I used to eat everything in sight and never gain any weight. I have a fast metabolism, but if you cut out many of the foods, especially fats that he list and things like pizza cheese many dairy you will live longer. But to say you would rather die,you are probably young & yes you will die but probably slowly that is the sad part of heart disease, cancer. So its easy to say that you would rather die. Just try cutting out many fats, & add exercising