mmcphee's Full Review: Caldwell Esselstyn - Prevent and Reverse Heart Dis...
My husband heard an interview on NPR with Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn discussing his book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. He thought the book would make some nice light reading for vacation.
Inside the Book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease is broken into two parts: The Heart of the Matter which discusses the scientific research behind Esselstyn's eating plan and and The Joy of Eating which includes more than 150 recipes based on the diet.
The Study Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn was a surgeon working at the Cleveland Clinic in 1985 when he started a study on the effects of nutrition on heart disease. For five years he followed a group of 24 patients with advanced coronary artery disease on a plant-based, low fat diet (9 -12% fat). Over the five years of the study, 18 patients stuck with the program and dropped their average cholesterol level from 246 mg/dL to 137 mg/dL. Tests showed that not only had their heart disease stopped its deadly progression, but some showed reversal of heart disease. And the six that had dropped out? All had their heart disease grow worse with one patient dying. Esselstyn continued to follow the group of compliant patients for an additional 7 years as part of his study and continues to receive informal updates.
The Diet The diet is essentially an oil-free vegan diet. You eat nothing "with a face or a mother," dairy products, oils, refined grains, or nuts. You can eat vegetables, legumes, whole grains and fruit. He also suggests a multi-vitamin, extra vitamin B12, D as well as calcium and Omega-3 fatty acids from flaxseed meal. If necessary cholesterol lowering medication may be necessary to bring total cholesterol below 150 mg/dL, the goal of his diet.
The Recipes The recipes are basic, requiring no special kitchen equipment and most ingredients are easily found in large supermarkets. Although a few may require a trip to a health food store there are plenty of recipes to pick from. The recipes are broken up into breakfast, salads, sauces and dips, vegetables, soups, sandwiches, main courses and desserts. You will also find an appendix with lists of "safe" foods to make shopping a little easier.
Our Experience While the study was small and Esselstyn is not a cardiologist, my husband and I were impressed by the results. Esselstyn is able to balance his writing and provides enough scientific data to back up his claims without overwhelming the reader. The way he explained his study left me with no doubts that meat, dairy and oils are harmful to the body and that my family would be better off without them in our diet. My husband felt the same way.
So we embarked on our new oil-free vegan diet, starting with the recipes provided in the book. We have tried numerous dips, vegetable recipes as well as main course and so far we have been impressed. Several of the recipes come together in less than 30 minutes; add on a salad and you have a great dinner.
There are definitely many challenge to eating this way. Most prepared foods contain oils of some sort, or dairy, eggs or all of them. Grocery shopping takes a lot more time now as I have to spend time reading labels, looking for hidden forms of oil. There are plenty of products to try and so far most have been surprisingly good, but for the most part this is a plant based diet. If you aren't used to chopping and steaming this diet can add some time to your meal preparation. I am not finding it difficult, just different.
Final Thoughts I have no doubt that Dr. Esselstyn is on to something with his oil-free plant based diet. He has gone on to help many more people stop the progression of their heart disease since his initial study. However, this way of eating takes a high level of commitment and certainly isn't for everyone. Even if you don't think you are interested in a vegan lifestyle, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease provides a lot of food for thought on the subject of heart disease.
Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease challenges conventional cardiology by posing a compelling, revolutionary idea-that we can, in fact, abolish the hear...More at HotBookSale
Drawing on the groundbreaking results of his 20-year nutritional study, the author maintains that a plant-based, oil-free diet can not only prevent an...More at Buy.com
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