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My collection of Dr. Fuhrman's books.
Welcome to the first posting of the Disease Prevention book club.
The fact that people can improve their health by eating a low-fat plant-based diet is nothing new or revolutionary. You see, the evidence to prove that nutrient dense foods can have a positive impact on health has existed in the medical literature for decades. People living with chronic disease, such as heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, or osteoporosis, can reverse their condition and live disease-free with just a little bit of effort.
The medical community today is quick to offer drugs and interventions such as bypass surgery and angioplasty and stents to fix health problems. Most health professionals have become very familiar with band-aid type solutions (drugs and interventions) that do nothing to fix what is causing the problem in the first place. In addition, they distance themselves from learning and promoting the benefits of what Dr. Fuhrman calls "nutritional excellence" to correct the offending situation.
In his dedication of 'Eat for Health,' Dr. Fuhrman states, "People need to know they have a choice. "Drugs and medical interventions are not always as necessary and as immediate as we are led to believe. It is my observation that that the truth is being withheld from the public -- from you!
On this matter, I completely agree with Dr. Fuhrman and with other health professionals. T. Colin Campbell, PhD, in his book the China Study writes,"Consumers have the ultimate choice of whether to integrate our findings into their lifestyles, but we owe it to them to give them the best information possible with which to make that decision and not decide for them. It is they who paid for this research and it is only they who have the right to decide what to do with it."
You might also enjoy these:
• Best books for best health
• The SAD truth: Is your diet killing you?
• Prevent and reverse heart disease, cancer, and diabetes -- start now!
• Best advice to never have a heart attack
Comments
It is hard to know what to believe with doctors. It's not that I don't trust them, but the AMA is an industry. I had a sick friend in the '80s who had to fly to England to get a treatment that wasn't OK over here because England's social medical program found the treatment to be cost effective, but in the States, it was too cost effective. (That being said, in England if there is something that you desperately need that is just too expensive, you'd better get over to the States!)
I just found out that after years of taking iron supplements and still being anemic that I needed to seriously increase other vitamin levels to increase absorption. I went years suffering the effects of iron deficiency and taking the pills. How much did I spend on the pills? It's crazy.
You can't obtain great health swallowing pills. Eat for Health is about maximizing your intake of healthy foods and minimizing your intake of unhealthy, disease-causing foods. Get your vitamins and minerals from vegetables, fruit, beans, nuts and seeds. That is the main teaching of Dr. Fuhrman.
"People need to know they have a choice. "Drugs and medical interventions are not always as necessary and as immediate as we are led to believe. It is my observation that that the truth is being withheld from the public -- from you!"
On the one hand, the truth is being witheld from the public. Physicians have very little nutrition and fitness training, they're beholden to the pharmaceutical companies, and they don't make profits from surgery and stents as from lifestyle change, etc.
OTOH, most people do not want to do the work of lifestyle change. My parents, for example, went to the Pritikin center almost 30 years ago. But they decided it was too much trouble to live that way, and they'd rather be enjoying steak and rolls with butter. My father ending up coming down with type 2 diabetes and my mother with breast cancer.
I introduced my husband to Dr. Esselstyn's book, "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease." He commented that while he's sure that diet would give him clean arteries, he'd rather live a shorter life than eat like a rabbit. Most people have no interest in "eating like a rabbit" unless they have the Grim Reaper staring them in the eye, and often not even then.
I love to share the information of healthy diet and exercise, but quite frankly, most of the time it doesn't take.
My GP group put on a 20 hour Health Seminar that uses Eat for Health as its basis. I adopted this way of eating at our first meeting, following the books recommendations. I can attest that my BP absolutely plunged down into the 100/65 range; my resting heart beat fell from 62 to about 52. I got off my cholesterol medication and will soon shed my asthma pills. I have also lost 15 pounds without ever feeling hungry or having any cravings for sugar, ice cream, cheese, meats, processed foods and diet sodas. Also, I have stopped eating at fast food restaurants and, instead, now eat at health food shops and salad shops. I re-read this book a couple of times a month as a continuing incentive. I now shop for food in a much more intelligent way and, since I avoid the meat, snack and junk food aisles, I can grocery shop in 1/3 the time. My BM'are now as much as twice daily! So, I am getting lots of fiber as well. I cannot recommend Dr. Fuhman's books enough. Take control of your life.
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