Turning your Cancer Team Upside Down...

If you were just diagnosed with a deadly cancer and your doctors and family were insisting that you start chemotherapy or perhaps radiation immediately, would you have the courage to say No?

Meet Sarah Ann.

In 2000, she was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and turned her medical team upside down when she refused traditional treatments.

Unlike Robert who underwent the Whipple Surgery Procedure to fight his pancreatic cancer, Ann chose another path.

She shares her amazing story with Chris on Chris Beat Cancer.  It is an incredible story of tenacity, faith and perseverance!

ANN COOPER'S HEALING STRONG JOURNEY

On December 5th, 2000, a tumor mass of 3.2 cm was found in my pancreas by accident during a cat scan of my lungs and colon.  I didn't even know where my pancreas was located!  I was surprised and shocked especially since this was all as a result of a routine check-up.  After meeting with two surgeons at Kaiser Permanente, I realized that I was facing a life-threatening disease.

They immediately wanted me to have surgery (called a Whipple).  If I survived the surgery, then of course, chemo and radiation would follow.  The best any pancreatic cancer patient could hope for was to extend their life 15 to 18 months.  Without surgery, the life expectancy was 3 to 6 months.  Considering the extent of the operation and the organs involved, I put off the surgery and started reading everything I could find from the AMA, the NCI, and books by MD's and alternative medicine doctors.  At that time, there was limited material to research as most doctors really feared getting involved in anything not approved by the AMA.  However, I found enough to start a vitamin and herbal regiment along with immune builders.

I was determined to not have the surgery so I read and investigated everything on cancer and my cancer in particular.  Needless to say, I asked for prayer from family and church leaders, attended healing conferences and listened for guidance from the Holy Spirit.  My Kaiser doctor had all kinds of tests done in the hopes it was an endocrine tumor and not a carcinoma.

During this time of investigation and research, I contacted and spoke with Dr. William Donald Kelley, read Hulda Clark's book, The Cure for All Cancers, and used her remedy, read every book I could get my hands on dealing with cancer and various cures, spoke with a Cherokee medicine man and attended a Christian healing meeting.  My research firmly convinced me healing was a combination of renewing the body, gaining knowledge, keeping a positive spirit and walking with God.

In February 2001, since I still refused surgery and chemo, my general practitioner urged me to have a biopsy.  Pathology at Kaiser and Mayo Clinic confirmed the mass as a 3.2mm carcinoma in the head of my pancreas or pancreatic cancer.  While talking to a doctor in CA about a Rife machine, he directed me to a trial test being conducted by Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez and Dr. Linda Isaacs for alternative medicine and Columbia University Hospital for standard medicine.

NO TRIAL TEST

I submitted all the blood test, cat scans and medical documentation to Columbia and was admitted to the trial, I thought.  I flew to NY just to learn that I was not eligible for the trial program since I could have surgery even though I chose not to.

(Note from Chris:  The clinical trial that rejected Ann was grossly mismanaged and essentially rigged.  Dr. Gonzalez documented it in his book What Went Wrong: The Truth Behind the Clinical Trial of the Enzyme Treatment of Cancer.)

Dr. Isaacs and Dr. Gonzalez showed compassion and offered me their services.  I jumped at the chance and have never looked back.  I know in my spirit if I had chosen another route, I would not have lived to see my only granddaughter, Sarah, named after 5 generations of Sarah's, born and now 11 years old.

LET'S LIVE LIFE

By this time my family had vacillated between wondering if I was in denial or just not understanding my choices.  They were worried, however they were standing with me on my decisions.  Each of my children decided they would go with me on a trip to celebrate life.

My husband, Jim and I went to Mexico to a beautiful and peaceful resort for two weeks.  My eldest daughter and her son enjoyed Disney World for a week with me.  My son and I took a road trip from Denver to the coast of California, from southern CA to the state line of Oregon and back by a different route.

I had my protocol with me and kept faithfully on the regiment (in particular, taking mega doses of pancreatic enzymes, some 60 per day... they can be found at Nutricology, Pancreas, Natural Glandular Capsules.)  Then my youngest daughter, her two sons and I traveled to Sante Fe and on to Taos, NM.

The trips, the sights and the love we shared were just wonderful beyond belief.  There was no time to worry or fret.  Only time to enjoy life and see the beautiful country God had given to us.  Love of God, Love of family and Love of country and the beauty of it gave me the hope and faith to trust and listen to that quiet, still voice to keep going.

COUNT OUR BLESSINGS

It has been nearly 13 years since I was given my fatal news.  I know people will say I'm crazy, but the experience, the lessons I've learned, the people I've met, and the walk with God is something I count as a blessing.  If I could wash it all away, I would not.

It has not all been easy, but whose life is perfect?  I've been in good health and able to do anything I wished to do including speaking to groups, teaching classes to others about alternative medicine, giving cancer patients hope, and I have appeared on radio and TV talk shows.  I have started writing a book which I hope will be an inspiration and hope to all who are diagnosed with cancer.

- Ann Cooper

Ann also shares more of her natural protocol over at Cancer Compass for those who are interested in more details.

One of the things I love about Ann was her deep resolve to research all her options.  In spite of the fear a cancer diagnosis can bring, she took the time to breathe deep and explore alternatives to traditional treatment.

Knowledge is Power, especially on this cancer journey.  And Sarah Ann Cooper was determined to discover the best path for herself as she battled pancreatic cancer.  Hers is a story of love and bravery and courage.

She is one Brave Cancer Warrior!  And we couldn't be more excited to share her story!

The China Study Resource List

This 31 Day Journey has been filled with science and success, challenge and hope... We've covered a lot of ground on this Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet quest.

Dr. Campbell's China Study has rocked our view of cancer and our expectations in how we can treat it.  As he shares, "Controlling cancer through nutrition was, and still is, a radical idea."  Very true!

We have shared the successes, chronicled in posts, books and documentaries... hearing stories from real people with real health issues trying a real whole food diet helps makes sense of all the technical explanations.  Chris Wark believes that "Survivors trump science."  And I tend to agree!

Over the past month, we've read a lot of books,blogs and recipes...

Here's a list all in one place to make it easy:

The China Study

The China Study Website: Nutrition Studies

The China Study Cookbook

Stop Feeding Your Cancer

Ben Bella Vegan

Oh She Glows

Helyn's Plant-Based Kitchen

Forks Over Knives

Keep studying... Keep pushing... Keep asking the hard questions.

The Whole-Food, Plant-Based diet and the research that Dr. Campbell has done resonates deeply for me. There is so much more to share!

What if we can dramatically reduce our risk of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes just be changing our diet?  I'm all in!  Join me??  We're just beginning this journey...

And it is all Grace to be here with you.

My Love,
Always,
Jane

Forks over Knives

We're winding down our 31 Day Journey...

And today I'm giving out a bit of homework!  But it's all good... this is the kind of homework you don't have to sweat.

Download the following video documentary...

Forks over Knives

Now watch it!

That's all.  No essays to write.  No questions to answer.

And best of all, no test to study for!  This documentary will wrap up our 31 day journey in the most beautiful way.

The Forks over Knives movie documentary follows the personal journeys of real people as they put Dr. Campbell's groundbreaking research to the test.  This documentary explores the claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that we suffer from can be controlled, and in many cases, even reversed by adopting a Whole-Food, Plant-Based diet.

If you are at all on the fence about the amazing science behind The China Study, do yourself a favor and study this documentary.  It will answer questions I don't even know how to ask... and it will give you the information you need to make an educated decision on all we've talked about this past month.

Can it be possible that our nutrition and diet choices have such truly profound effects?

Dr. Campbell believes this is truth.  Take a moment or two and be challenged by the Forks over Knives movie.  Then join the conversation! 

In Grace, Always,
Jane

A Eureka Moment...

Yesterday we took a look at the China Study and its effect on Pancreatic Cancer.

It was a hard post to share.   And for many, it may have seemed to be heartless and without hope. {Please don't give up... there is Hope ahead}

Enter Dr. Kelly's Eureka Moment...

After losing 4 of his pancreatic cancer patients, including his own brother, Dr. Kelly shared his all out preoccupation with pancreatic cancer...

"I was heartbroken, but his death focused my mind as never before.  I had studied every aspect accessible to me about cancer and I felt sure there was a fundamental difference between cancer of the pancreas and other cancers.  I reread everything I could about the disease, and scoured the Internet daily to make sure I wasn't missing anything.  I went to sleep thinking about pancreatic cancer, and woke every morning still thinking of it.  Then came my eureka moment, a flash of clarity.

As with so many eureka moments a simple answer proposed itself.  My deduction, based on all the published and known scientific facts, was that in cancer of the pancreas it wasn't the dietary animal protein that was most relevant, but rather the structure and function of the pancreas itself.  In the unique case of the pancreas, its own cells - and any cancers therein - have the ability to produce their own animal protein already fully metabolized and ready for use.  What I had overlooked was the fact that more than 90 percent of pancreatic cancers take place in the glandular cells of the pancreas and that the normal function of these cells is to produce the enzymes that metabolize the foods we eat.  The enzyme involved in metabolizing protein - the culprit we are interested in - is called trypsin."

Now, here the explanation gets more detailed, but stick with it, the a-ha moment is coming!

Dr. Kelly continues, "Trypsin is produced by the glandular cells of the pancreas and is stored there in an inactive form (trypsinogen) until there is need for it.  When we eat protein it is fed into the upper part of the small intestine, where it becomes active and thus capable of metabolizing the consumed proteins so they can be absorbed into the bloodstream and utilized by the body.  Trypsin is a very powerful enzyme and the reason it is normally stored in the inactive state is that it might otherwise begin to metabolize and corrupt the pancreatic cells themselves.  In fact, this sometimes does occur, in a non-malignant condition called pancreatitis where self-digestion results in inflammation and destruction of pancreatic cells.

Trypsin does not cause cancer.  But what my eureka moment suggested was that should a number of pancreatic cells begin malignant change - for whatever reason - the trypsin produced by these cells could trigger auto-digestion of the protein structure within the cell, thereby providing an endless supply of best-quality animal protein that would nourish rapidly replicating, rapidly metastasizing cancer cells indefinitely.  Small wonder, then, that it is virtually impossible to cure pancreatic cancer once the surgical option of removing a localized tumour is no longer feasible."

Did you get that??

Pancreatic cancer is basically self-digesting the patients body to provide itself with a daily smorgasbord of the best animal protein around... An animal-protein-free diet, like that of the Whole-Food, Plant-Based kind, won't begin to turn around or even touch this vicious cancer machine.

Pancreatic cancer is a parasite of the worst kind.  And if this cancer wasn't such a nightmare you could almost admire it's stealth-like adaptation to survive.  Except that survival for the cancer means certain death for our loved ones.

This cancer is a nightmare.

But back to Dr. Kelly's Eureka Moment.  He shares what this means to the future of pancreatic cancer treatment,

"I believe we have approached a critical border here.  If my deduction is right, we are broaching a broad range of new possibilities that might be of considerable importance in new treatments for cancers of the pancreas and stomach, and perhaps all cancers.  The role played by trypsin and pepsin (the enzyme in stomach cancer) in feeding the worst cancers has been too long overlooked because nobody has pressed the argument that a devastating association between animal protein and cancer growth exists.  Now that it is becoming clear that such a link does exist, these enzymes must come under renewed scrutiny.  It is my view that oncology experts should lead the field in reviewing the role of the anti-trypsin chemicals that we know exist naturally in the body, but I believe it is quite likely that the pharmaceutical industry will step up the pace, and hugely effective medications will result.

In the end, it may well be that all that's required to finally defeat pancreatic and stomach cancer, indeed all cancers, is an anti-trypsin and anti-pepsin medication available at the bedside."

This is a beginning.  And it is Hope.

So much of this resonates with me.  As we watched mom waste away from this terrible disease, I can now see how the cancer was feeding on her, in a horrible, agonizing way. 

Pancreatic cancer is a nightmare.  And it's hard to talk about these things.  Even harder to think upon them.

But this is where the Eureka Moments happen.  And it is moments like these that will lead us to a cure.

And that is the heartbeat of this journey.  We will walk it out together...

It is all joy to be journeying this road with you,

Always,
Jane

The China Study and Pancreatic Cancer

This is the hardest post to write in our 31 Day series...

While the China Study is revolutionary in scope, and has profound effect on diseases from hypertension to diabetes to cancers of all kinds.  It has not been able to crack the vicious hold of pancreatic cancer.

On this blog, mom and I decided long ago to only speak truth.  Even when it's hard.
So, this is the hard post... the truth about the China Study and pancreatic cancer.

Dr. John Kelly devotes a whole chapter in his book, Stop Feeding Your Cancer to the problem of the pancreas...

"It has been my fervent hope in this book to tell a personal story that accurately relates the importance of new finding but does not over-simplify the challenge of cancer.  All the case histories that have been presented highlight the close association that exists between the consumption of animal protein and the manner in which the patient's cancer grows.

There can be no exceptions to good scientific theory - or can there be?  The question many will ask is, 'What about pancreatic cancer?'  It's the one that makes most headlines because of its virulent, seemingly unstoppable nature."

Dr. Kelly goes on to share his experience with 4 patients under his care who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and who had agreed to follow the Whole-Food, Plant-Based diet.

His first case was a patient who came to him with possible gallstones.  Tests revealed the malignant lesion in her pancreas.  She underwent surgery, the surgery was deemed successful,  she embarked on the new diet and seemed to be recovering well.

Two months later a new lesion developed.   Her oncologist put her on a stringent course of chemotherapy along with the whole-food, plant-based diet.

Three months later she was dead.

Dr. Kelly shares his complete shock.  For he firmly believed that neither the original cancer recurring, nor a new tumour should have happened while the patient was on the diet.

A small part of his questioning was her full compliance with the diet. Hopefully she had been faithful to the new diet, but he shares, "The awful truth for the patient was that she got no second chance."

Several years later, Dr. Kelly received another pancreatic cancer case.  The 65-year old man was totally on board with the diet and determined to make it work.  What transpired in his case was completely unexpected.  On the night before surgery, he died from a massive hemorrhage at the cancer site.

Dr. Kelly statess that "if nothing else, this incident was a dramatic demonstration of the aggressiveness of pancreatic cancer; there was clearly no one to blame for what happened."

And yet, Dr. Kelly appears to have taken much of the blame, speaking of many sleepless nights, reviewing and reevaluating the study and pancreatic cancer in particular...

"I took comfort from the progress of the other patients in my trial, but the pancreas issue was never far from my thoughts.  I had to wait three years before another pancreatic case presented itself.  In fact, two showed up in quick succession.  There were striking similarities between the cases.  Both were males between 60 and 70 years old, both had extensive metastatic spread by the time of diagnosis, and tragically both patients were dead within a few months, the agony of their final weeks barely controlled by high doses of pain-killing drugs.  The last patient to die was my own brother, who was eight years my junior.

Observing a family member's death in such pain from this most vigorous cancer was a horrific experience.  The anguish seemed worse since he'd known all about Colin Campbell's work and told me he'd been following the animal-protein-free diet.  I do not know how disciplined he was with the diet but, knowing him so well, I suspect he was at least reasonably so.  I was heartbroken, but his death focused my mind as never before... I went to sleep thinking of pancreatic cancer, and woke every morning still thinking of it."

And if this were the end of our study, it would appear hopeless.  Completely, utterly hopeless...

I would not be sharing the China Study with you, my friends, if I did believe with certainty that it is the stuff of great Hope.

Indeed, it was the China Study that actually led Dr. Kelly to his Eureka Moment with pancreatic cancer...  It's a complicated, scientific thesis that is simply brimming with Hope!

Stay tuned as we delve into the science behind the role of trypsin and pepsin in the aggressive growth of pancreatic cancer.  Dr. Kelly is confident that we are reaching a critical crossroads in cancer research, and if his deductions are right, there is incredible Hope for the pancreatic cancer patients and all their loved ones...

More tomorrow!  Can't wait to share this exciting  new development!

The China Study: Center for Nutrition Studies

Yesterday we got to meet Professor Campbell.

Today we are taking a trip over to his website:

Nutrition Studies

Here you will find a wealth of information!  It is filled with encouragement, tips, and recipes for the whole-food, plant-based journey.

Plus a ton of articles on a huge variety of topics, from Weight loss to Cancer to Dementia to Success Stories...

Check it out!  Truly... I may not be able to come over and cook up an amazing Whole-Food, Plant-Based meal for you, but I can surely provide you with an amazing resource!

Professor Campbell is passionate about this work... he shares it well:

"The work we do strives to educate and awaken as many minds as possible, so that collectively we my choose the wiser path - one of whole nutrition, leading to whole health, and allowing us to live stronger, healthier, happier lives. Whole lives." ~ T. Colin Campbell

Amen and Amen!

A Message from Professor Campbell...

You all have been so good to hang in with me and my ramblings on this 31 Day Journey!

I have shared from my heart the excitement and hope that The China Study has given me.  The courage to change our diet, to see the amazing power of nutrition in our lives.

But... it is so much better to hear it from the man himself!  Please take a moment and listen to Dr. T. Colin Campbell share his story in this powerful TEDx Talk:

Be encouraged today... No matter where you find yourself on this journey... there is Hope,

Always!
Jane

Another Case Study...

The China Study is an amazing look at the unmistakable connection between our diets and disease, especially cancer.

But, if you're like me, sometimes it's all just scientific mumbo-jumbo.  What I really want to hear about are real-life success stories... Yes, you too?!  Well, we are in luck.  Dr. John Kelly shares a number of case studies in his book Stop Feeding Your Cancer.

We've already heard Melissa's story and Ronan's story... time for Andrew's story!

The following excerpt comes from Dr. Kelly's book, Stop Feeding Your Cancer:

"Andrew's case proved unusual because he was introduced to the China Study 18 months before being diagnosed with cancer.  He had suffered a heart attack when he was 60 and my reason for telling him about the book then was its sidebar claim that the diet was also efficacious in preventing coronary heart disease.  This claim was based on the theory that people prone to coronary heart disease had some sort of intolerance to animal protein that could cause the lining of coronary arteries to become inflamed and lead to the deposition of plaque.  A diet low in animal protein was also naturally low in cholesterol.  This was a novel approach to another major global health problem - indeed one that ranks among the most stubbon and prevalent in my own country - but I had decided not to push the curative theory in the same way as I was doing with the cancer treatment approach, as it appeared to me there was at this time insufficient proof available.

I told Andrew about the China Study and how it had been introduced to me by our mutual friend, the geneticist, Paddy.  I knew he had the highest regard for our pal, whom he had worked with for a number of years.  Andrew made the decision to start the diet in the hope of preventing further episodes of his coronary heart disease.  I felt encouraged, and looked forward to watching his progress.

Some 18 months after this coronary care chat, Andrew arrived at my office complaining of passing blood and a few suspicious pieces of tissue in his urine.  At first, I thought this issue might represent bits of kidney stones but as there had been no pain associated, this was far from certain.  I arranged an ultrasound of the lower abdomen.  This reported a "soft tissue mass" at the base of the bladder, which was a sign that Andrew had a tumour.

In the hospital tests that followed, the urologist discovered a large solid tumour in Andrew's bladder.  To the specialist's surprise, however, the tumour did not appear in any way aggressive and it proved possible to remove it without the need for open surgery.  Unfortunately the histology showed it to be a squamous cell carcinoma and the urologist informed me that these particular tumours were among the most aggressive and dangerous of all bladder cancers.  Virtually all of them carried a dismal prognosis and the standard procedure was to remove the bladder immediately to prevent the tumour from spreading.  In Andrew's case there was some advantage, however.  The urologist explained that he couldn't justify removing the bladder as - unusually - there was no evidence that the cancer had invaded the underlying bladder muscles.  It seemed a near miss, but was clearly a puzzling, complex situation that would require careful monitoring.

Andrew's upset with the diagnosis was echoed by my disappointment.  According to him, he had been on an animal-protein-free diet,  If the science was right, that diet should have prevented the cancer from growing.  When I discussed the matter further with Andrew, I heard his confession.  The diet he promised as a countermeasure to recurrence of his coronary heart disease had been, in his words, "an on-and-off affair."  I reeled a little, and re-evaluated.  I read again the urologist's reports.  Andrew's case had been unusual. The urologist was at pains to point out there were few, if any, cases of non-aggressive squamous cell bladder tumours in the medical literature.  Why had Andrew been the exception to the rule?  What was different in the course of his particular pathology?

I welcomed the consoling possibility that the diet contributed to his lucky break.  Perhaps even this haphazard engagement with a new food discipline had been enough to stop the cancer becoming aggressive?  Perhaps, had it not been for his diet, Andrew might have lost his bladder and perhaps his life.  We talked about it.  I told him of my suspicions, but he had partly made the deduction himself.  A new pep talk was not needed; he just smiled, shook my hand and exited my office with a bounce in his step.  He immediately resumed the diet, and has stuck to it.

Things have been going very well for Andrew.  Over the past 6 years his bladder has been checked every three months and the urologist, who knows nothing about the diet, is beginning to believe that Andrew's may turn out to be the exceptional case that defies the normal laws of aggressive bladder cancers.  Specialists go by the books, though, and Andrew's consultant still insists that the most likely outcome is that the cancer will return aggressively.  The clinical monitoring continues and I carefully follow every screening report.  From time to time, some of the reports I receive indicate areas of cancer in situ (non-active cancer lesions) and areas of leukoplakia.  Leukoplakia is a pre-cancerous condition in which a number of surface cells undergo a certain amount of genetic change, though not enough to make the onset of cancer inevitable.  In hindsight and with the benefit of observing Andrew's pattern, it seems likely that the small fragments of tissue that had passed in his urine in the first instance probably came from areas of leukoplakia.  The isolation of the bladder tumour seems unique, and uniquely interesting.

Andrew receives his three-monthly lab reports with a certain amount of equanimity but, I admit, he is not yet without fear of the cancer returning.  The monitoring helps his peace of mind.  I, on the other hand, have become quite confident.  Andrew's case remains for me an excellent example of the protective versatility of an animal-protein-free diet."

I am encouraged by this real-life case study.  Andrew's story is a road-map to Hope.  The China Study diet is something each of us can do... right now... without a prescription or a lengthy hospital stay.

Enjoying this conversation more than you know!  And more than excited about this Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet.

Sharing Hope Today!

My Love, Always,
Jane

A Sunday Prayer...

The China Study in a Nutshell

Hello Friends... We're back.    So hard to leave Millie, life is just hard.  There are no road maps for times like these... we are trusting her completely to the One who holds her in His Mighty Hand.

But the days don't stop... work and schedules and Log Home crews, they all call... and Millie would have it no other way (she said it's a mom thing, smile). 

So, to get back up to speed on our 31 Days of Healing... Beating Cancer, here's The China Study in a Nutshell!

Thanks to the Well and Good Blog for this great overview!

PIN IT

Photo: Martins Zemlickis via Unsplash

1. American health statistics are scary.

You may feel pretty fit, but the country as a whole is, well, not so great. The researchers spend a lot of time citing frightening stats on obesity, diabetes, and heart disease that point to the need for an American diet shake-up. Americans also pay more for health care than any other country—and don’t have better health to show for it. It’s probably the one section of the book no nutrition expert would argue with.

3/11

PIN IT

Photo: Pixabay

2. The conclusions are based on a lot of data.

They’re not talking about one small study on mice. After years of controversial lab results on animals, the researchers had to see how they played out in humans. The study they created included 367 variables, 65 counties in China, and 6,500 adults (who completed questionnaires, blood tests, etc.). “When we were done, we had more than 8,000 statistically significant associations between lifestyle, diet, and disease variables.” They also incorporate a wealth of additional research data from other sources.

4/11

PIN IT

Photo: Pixabay

3. Animal protein promotes the growth of cancer.

The book’s author T. Colin Campbell, PhD., grew up on a dairy farm, so he regularly enjoyed a wholesome glass of milk. Not anymore. Dr. Campbell says that in multiple, peer-reviewed animal studies, researchers discovered that they could actually turn the growth of cancer cells on and off by raising and lowering doses of casein, the main protein found in cow’s milk.

5/11

PIN IT

Photo: Pixabay

4. You should be worried about poor nutrition more than pesticides.

The food you eat affects the way your cells interact with carcinogens, making them more or less dangerous, the authors explain. “The results of these, and many other studies, showed nutrition to be far more important in controlling cancer promotion than the dose of the initiating carcinogen,” they state.

6/11

PIN IT

Photo: Pexels/Kaboompics

5. Heart disease can be reversed through nutrition.

The authors share the work of other respected physicians that they say supports their own data’s conclusions, and some of the most interesting is on heart disease. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D., a physician and researcher at the best cardiac center in the country, The Cleveland Clinic, treated 18 patients with established coronary disease with a whole foods, plant-based diet. Not only did the intervention stop the progression of the disease, but 70 percent of the patients saw an opening of their clogged arteries. Dr. Dean Ornish, a graduate of Harvard Medical School, completed a similar study with consistent results. But hey, this is actually encouraging—heart disease can legit be reversed.

7/11

PIN IT

Photo: Pexels/Jan Vašek

6. Carbs are not (always) the enemy.

Highly-processed, refined carbohydrates are bad for you, but plant foods are full of healthy carbs, the authors say. Research shows that diets like Atkins or South Beach can have dangerous side effects. While they may result in short-term weight loss, you’ll be sacrificing long-term health.

8/11

PIN IT

Photo: Unsplash/Webvilla

7. Cancer isn’t the only disease plants can ward off.

It’s not just cancer and heart disease that respond to a whole foods, plant-based diet, the authors say. Their research showed it may also help protect you from diabetes, obesity, autoimmune diseases, bone, kidney, eye, and brain diseases. Are you getting that plants are pretty miraculous by now?

9/11

PIN IT

Photo: Unsplash/Jay Wennington

8. You don’t have to tailor your diet for specific health benefits.

Eating healthy can seem segmented—broccoli will prevent breast cancer, carrots are good for eyes, and by the way, did you get enough vitamin C today? “Nutrition that is truly beneficial for one chronic disease will support health across the board,” the authors explain.

10/11

PIN IT

Photo: Unsplash/Monstruo Estudio

9. Animal-based foods are not necessary.

“There are virtually no nutrients in animal-based foods that are not better provided by plants,” the authors say. Protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals—you name it, they’ve got it, along with major health benefits.

11/11

10. The takeaway is simple: Eat plants for health.

“People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease. People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest,” the authors state. Whether you’re going vegan or not, they suggest putting as many plants on your plate as possible at every meal.