The Diet
The original diet that started me down the path as a vegetarian, is a diet designed by Caldwell Esselstyn. The diet is in his book called, "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease". About half of the book is supporting information on how the diet works and has successfully been used to help people ultimately get off of their heart medication and improve their overall quality of life. The other half of the book is a series of excellent recipes. I highly recommend starting with this book and these recipes because the recipes are great and will help you realize how delicious eating healthy can be.
There is another diet that is almost identical to the Esselstyn diet called the McDougall Program. What I like about the McDougall diet is you can read about most of the diet, with meal plans, without purchasing a thing. If you have 10 minutes, read this and you will understand how the diet works!
Finally, here is the 1 minute version of the diet:
First, the rules:
1. No meat (not even chicken or white meat)
2. No fish
3. No dairy products (including milk, cheese and yogurt)
4. No eggs, not even egg whites
5. No oil, not even canola oil or virgin olive oil
6. No High Fructose Corn syrup
So what CAN you eat?:
This sounds like a short list, but you will be amazed at the new ways you can cook vegetables, beans, potatoes, etc. You will find a whole new world in the various seasonings you can use to enhance your meals. You will feel better, you will feel healthy, you will feel alive!
The number one complaint with most diets is that people feel like they are depriving themselves and they are often hungry. With this diet, you can eat as much as you want (within reason) and you don't have to worry about counting calories. If you do start to gain weight, then reduce your fruit intake to only 3 helpings a day. Other than that....eat away. I eat ALL the time and I've lost 50 lbs. as of today (1/15/11) since I started the diet March 5, 2010.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: If you don't eat meat, where do you get your protein?
Answer: Read this explanation from Dr. McDougall. He's been advocating a plant-based diet for over 30 years.
Question: When you say "no oil" do you mean even the (supposed) "good" oils like olive oil and vegetable oil?
Answer: Yes, even those are not good for you. Oil is the direct enemy of the endothelium (the thin lining of your arteries). Here is an excerpt from Dr. Caldwell Esselystyn, author of "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" and he says,
"NO OIL! Not even olive oil, which goes against a lot of other advice out there about so-called good fats. The reality is that oils are extremely low in terms of nutritive value. They contain no fiber, no minerals and are 100% fat calories. And above all they contain saturated fat which immediately injures the endothelial lining of the arteries when eaten. It doesn't matter whether it's olive oil, corn oil, or any other kind of oil. You should not consume any oil if you have heart disease."
For more information on his book, see his web site: http://www.heartattackproof.com. In his book he answers this question in much more depth and shares the medical research and evidence to support his assertion that oil is damaging to your cardiovascular system.
Question: What about fish oil?
Answer: http://www.pcrm.org/health/medNews/fish-oil-supplements-no-help-to-heart-or-brain
There is another diet that is almost identical to the Esselstyn diet called the McDougall Program. What I like about the McDougall diet is you can read about most of the diet, with meal plans, without purchasing a thing. If you have 10 minutes, read this and you will understand how the diet works!
Finally, here is the 1 minute version of the diet:
First, the rules:
1. No meat (not even chicken or white meat)
2. No fish
3. No dairy products (including milk, cheese and yogurt)
4. No eggs, not even egg whites
5. No oil, not even canola oil or virgin olive oil
6. No High Fructose Corn syrup
So what CAN you eat?:
- All fruits
- All vegetables (although, if you have heart disease, it is recommended you don't eat avacado)
- Whole grains
- Unrefined flours
- Whole wheat pasta and noodles
- Beans
- Lentils
This sounds like a short list, but you will be amazed at the new ways you can cook vegetables, beans, potatoes, etc. You will find a whole new world in the various seasonings you can use to enhance your meals. You will feel better, you will feel healthy, you will feel alive!
The number one complaint with most diets is that people feel like they are depriving themselves and they are often hungry. With this diet, you can eat as much as you want (within reason) and you don't have to worry about counting calories. If you do start to gain weight, then reduce your fruit intake to only 3 helpings a day. Other than that....eat away. I eat ALL the time and I've lost 50 lbs. as of today (1/15/11) since I started the diet March 5, 2010.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: If you don't eat meat, where do you get your protein?
Answer: Read this explanation from Dr. McDougall. He's been advocating a plant-based diet for over 30 years.
Question: When you say "no oil" do you mean even the (supposed) "good" oils like olive oil and vegetable oil?
Answer: Yes, even those are not good for you. Oil is the direct enemy of the endothelium (the thin lining of your arteries). Here is an excerpt from Dr. Caldwell Esselystyn, author of "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" and he says,
"NO OIL! Not even olive oil, which goes against a lot of other advice out there about so-called good fats. The reality is that oils are extremely low in terms of nutritive value. They contain no fiber, no minerals and are 100% fat calories. And above all they contain saturated fat which immediately injures the endothelial lining of the arteries when eaten. It doesn't matter whether it's olive oil, corn oil, or any other kind of oil. You should not consume any oil if you have heart disease."
For more information on his book, see his web site: http://www.heartattackproof.com. In his book he answers this question in much more depth and shares the medical research and evidence to support his assertion that oil is damaging to your cardiovascular system.
Question: What about fish oil?
Answer: http://www.pcrm.org/health/medNews/fish-oil-supplements-no-help-to-heart-or-brain