How Not To Die

[The Invisible Gorilla]

Essential viewing

 

 

Description: In this “best-of” compilation of his last four year-in-review presentations, Dr. Greger explains what we can do about the #1 cause of death and disability: our diet.

 

Link to the book: How Not To Die

 

Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uproo...)
More Than an Apple a Day (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/more-...)
From Table to Able (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/from-...)
Food as Medicine (http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-...)

[NotDarkYet]

Can you provide a summary?

[AccuTron]

I was going to write a thank you, and I'll try a bit of summary, but it's important to note that you will rob yourself of a number of aha! moments by not actually viewing it.  It moves quickly and the speaker has an easygoing, lightly humorous, engaging style.  It is info dense but not burdensome.

 

It's a long list of how a plant based diet will knock the stuffing out of most disease, with powerful effects of disease reversal, not just stopping progression.  That's nada on any meat as far as I can tell, I'm even wondering about my habit of eating cod.  Dramatic effects with seriously diseased patients could be seen in as little as two weeks.

 

I'll say it again, because it's that important:  any summary here is far short of the value of viewing the entire video.  I thought I'd be hearing a rehash of stuff I'd mostly heard before.  I was wrong.

 

Some good examples of it's content:  

 

--breast cancer cells in a lab dripped with blood from a patient with normal diet, I think the cancer is from that patient, and then samples are dripped with blood from a plant based person, maybe the same person...I don't recall that part.  The effect was dramatic.  The blood with animal stuff in it gave the cancer cells a free ride; the normal cancer preventing process of apoptosis, or cells killing themselves when needed, was much negated.  The plant based blood had the cancer cells killing themselves like lemmings.  The lab sample was healing!

 

-- fecal bacteria contamination from chicken occurs while handling; you could "incinerate" the bird and it would have nil effect, since the contamination already happened.  This was related to persistent conditions such as bladder infections.  The repeated handling of chicken repeatedly introduced the bacteria.  And I got the impression that if it's cooked when you bought it, it's just a better version of a bad idea.

 

There is so much more.  He addresses a long list of causes of major disease and death, and explains how every one is goaded on by animal products in the bloodstream.  He's not a podium thumper, he just names molecules, and tells what they do, and provides the studies which are usually starkly obvious in their implications.

 

 

I have already mentally changed some habits I have, and it's partly because of the overwhelming weight of the whole video, but it's definitely because of certain specific points that are scattered here and there throughout.

 

I highly recommend fully watching it.

[ForeverAltered]

Wow so insightful!  Thank you!  The idea of not existing still scares me.  I want to be around as long as possible to help my family throughout their trials.

[AccuTron]

I'm going to research how a person eats only plant based foods and is sure to get enough protein, etc.  Does anyone have any good starting links, or personal experience?

[The Invisible Gorilla]

I'm going to research how a person eats only plant based foods and is sure to get enough protein, etc.  Does anyone have any good starting links, or personal experience?

 

Hi AccuTron, it's great to see that you're looking to make some positive dietary changes in your life. However, before you change anything, I would recommend getting a blood test. The reason for this, is that in the future after you've changed your diet, if you get a health check-up and find out you're deficient in a particular nutrient, it may be difficult to know the cause of that deficiency. Someone who doesn't take this precaution may assume his/her change in diet was the cause of a deficiency that they already had, before the change. That's why I think it's good to know what your baseline is before making any changes.

 

As for protein, well, to people who eat a plant-based diet, asking about where to get your protein is akin to asking an anarcho-capitalist "who will build the roads?".  Protein is nothing to worry about. In fact, most Americans are far more in need of fiber than protein. Here's Dr. Greger to put you at ease:

 

 

p.s. I'm happy to answer more of your questions if you have any. I've been eating a plant-based diet for about 7 years.

[Boss]

watch the first few minutes, he said something about putting out everything as a "labor of love" which I found interesting. After some research it turns out nutritionfacts.org was started with funds from an environmental organization. And after that I pretty much knew where he was headed. He bashes fish, meat and pretty much all animal products which is ridiculous considering the essential brain nutrients like DHA, creatine, b12 etc.  

If we are talking diets then the Ketogenic diet is the only diet I know of that is widely accepted for treatment and that is mainly for epilepsy. The idea of a plant based diet will prevent heart attack or cancers is not proven. If you want to lower your risk of cancer then just be aware of known causes like smoking, eating proceed meats/veggies, sunlight. 

[Mister Mister]

I'm going to research how a person eats only plant based foods and is sure to get enough protein, etc.  Does anyone have any good starting links, or personal experience?

Yes, basically I try to get at least one serving of whole grains - brown rice, steel cut oatmeal, buckwheat porridge, etc., nuts/seeds - flaxseed, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds are my favorite, and 2-3 servings of legumes, especially lentils.  You can make a big batch of lentil soup every week, and that's cheap and tasty protein for every day.  It's true that plants don't have the protein of animal products, but they also digest way easier, so they key is eating more often - snacking on hummus or some kind of nut mixture is good for this.  Also, unless you are trying to build muscle or maintain a very muscular physique, you don't need as much protein as the average meat-eater eats.

  Every now and then I'll have eggs or fish, and I still cook with butter sometimes, but on a normal day it's all plants.

[thebeardslastcall]

I'm going to research how a person eats only plant based foods and is sure to get enough protein, etc.  Does anyone have any good starting links, or personal experience?

 

Why do you think a plant based diet wouldn't provide enough protein? Do you have any idea how much protein you need or how much a plant based diet provides? Who planted the seed of doubt into your mind that a plant based diet is deficient in protein? I've been on a plant based diet for 6-7 years and protein is not on my list of concerns. People feel quite comfortable asking plant based dieters how they get their protein, but rarely if ever feel the need to ask the average person how they get enough nutrition (vitamins/minerals) eating heavily refined diets.

[AccuTron]

Beardslastcall, The Protein Fiasco video brought by Invisiblegorilla answers the questions of how I got the protein doubt in the first place...alarmist science AGAIN...and the answer, which is don't worry about it.  I had just seen another video, in which the protein question was also negated, since we don't need as much as alarmism suggests, and there are proteins scattered all thru the other plant food.  40 Year Vegan Dies of a Heart Attack! Why? The Omega-3 and B12 Myth with Dr. Michael Greger - YouTube  <<Youtube titles can be odd; he does NOT treat B12 and Omegas as myth.

 

(I'm getting my videos in a mental blur and don't always recall which info came from which video.)

 

The video above is worthwhile, don't let the presenter's initial style put you off; he gets into the metabolic chemistry.  He asks then answers the question of why when studies of vegan life spans were finally completed, they sucked.  Even worse, in vegans, brain degeneration was increased.  Two things were found to be the causes, which are blurry in my mind now, so watch the video.  I think it was DHA consumption, and Omega-6/3 ratio.  Which got me to buy flax seed, and do something else, but I forget which something it was.

 

 

As to Boss's comments:  firstly, in general, I also have a big distrust of any organization that claims to be green, etc.  In the OP case however, I saw only good presentation, nothing inherently bogus.  He (or another video here) points out that DHA comes from fish, but also an excellent source is ground flax seed, of which I just bought some.  Two tablespoons a day sprinkled on something.  B12 and other recommendations are covered in my one pill a day vitamins/minerals from Safeway.  Notions about fish were firstly that it is animal, and references the various reactions of kidneys for example.  Also, that in our modern world, pollution, pollution, that the fishies absorb.  He doesn't hate fish, just points out stuff.  Likewise with the eggs, etc., and I've noticed things about that, more below.

 

Invisiblegorilla, what is your grain consumption?

 

Rosecodex, thanks for the input.  It gels well with what I'm learning...and more importantly, what I'm feeling.  It's that "in moderation" aspect again, re eggs and such.

 

Over my life, I wandered around dietarily, good or bad, and in the last two years, and twenty pounds less...that got out of hand...I've been thru progressive iterations of changes.  With each improvement, and they usually are no-brainers, I noticed that I felt better overall, and that I became increasingly reactive to junk foods.  Anything from the grocery store snack aisle is now sickening, and not really that tasty, as many of you surely know.  I take that to indicate that my body systems have cleared out and shaped up; my sensors are unclogged.  

 

I have greatly increased veggie consumption.  I can cleverly repair stuff really well, but don't talk to me about cooking recipes, you will get a blank stare.  Thus, a new standard I can handle is to pan fry some frozen cod...which is to be revisited...and seven veggies plus three nuts/seeds, with lemon juice, turmeric, cumin, black pepper, oregano, paprika.  I know that one pan will be my day's and health's foundation.  It's a non-stick pan, but I put some olive oil in for grins.  One of the videos points out that it's better than other oils, but IT'S OIL, IT'S FAT, and you don't need it!  I'll stop that, dropping some calories right there.  (I'm thinking of adding kale to that stir fry...which I don't actually stir...does anyone have thoughts about cooking kale?)

 

After that, it's having a variety of fruits that keeps me going without needing heavy food.  I used to like the occasional boiled egg, but I realize it was hunger in general I was feeling, not hunger for protein.  I'll probably just use them up and not buy more. 

 

I used to eat semi-often at good quality brunch restaurants, big meals.  If I do so of late, I enjoy them, but at some point afterwards, I'll feel a transient yucky feeling, which I didn't use to have.  This is not because I'm getting an odd sickness, but because I'm normalizing to lower or none levels of that stuff.

 

Invisiblegorilla, explain the blood test please.  I've had "usual" blood tests...with all the alarmism over high triglycerides and cholesterol, only to find that I'm in flawless* great stamina health, and some of the alarms were disavowed later anyway by medicine-as-we-find-it.  (*Three body scans over a number of years show zero defects.)  Nothing ever showed up about deficiencies, but were they testing for such things?  I have healthy hair, nails, gums, skin color, etc., never had anything unhealthy raise a question.

 

 

I'm in the habit of soaking overnight then boiling beans, to which I now will include lentils and peas, a good list according to one of those videos.  Of note:  I hadn't eaten rice in forever, but started again.  I know that rice alone will leave me craving, not satisfying.  I think fictional detective Hercule Poirot stated that the non-fictional King of Belgium outlawed rice.  (I tried to look that up, couldn't find it, if anyone can.)

 

One of the videos showed how with beans, blood sugar doesn't spike, the effect even lasting overnight.  Eating "rice with beans" vs "beans with rice" vs "beans with little rice" showed that the less rice, the better the spike suppression, in fact the suppression is pretty much negated with too much rice.  I saw this video a few days after I noticed the effect on my own.  Too much rice with the beans...this is a small bowl...and I don't feel satisfied.  So I take rice as a good food, but in small quantities.  How does this gel with Asian habits, anyone know?

 

Thanks for all the help.

[Donnadogsoth]

This talk has made me rethink my diet.  Thanks for posting it.

[AccuTron]

This talk has made me rethink my diet.  Thanks for posting it.

 

Great news!

 

 

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And this just in from wonderland:  

 

I'm now realizing the need for a more varied selection of on-hand fruit...and I look out my back door yesterday, at the sky, the tall grass, the little wild bunny, the wooden fence, the plums...WHAT??! -- Plums?!?! -- that tree only made fruit once about twenty years ago, and there it is full, already ripened, and no animals found them.  So I have plums.  Slightly tart, good overall.

 

This tree is on the other side of a fence, and recently a very mature randomly sprouted tree had been removed.  It was obvious that the big tree was heavily competing against the small plum tree for water and sun.  I wonder if that's why it's now fruiting.  

 

(I also wonder about those two adolescent raccoons that come by at dusk.  They are polite and playful.  They jump on and off of the rope hammock and swing it, and yesterday I unusually left an old cushion on the hammock, and today it's torn to shreds on the lawn...so cute!  Anyway, I saw two small branches and a few plums on the ground nearby, and wonder if that was the extent of their plundering.  The plums are hard to pull, and they may have loosed the branches they were gripping and fallen a few feet, where the allure of hammock jumping overrode the desire for food.) 

[wdiaz03]

I couldn't help to notice, 

 

Dr Greger is just a year older than me, but I look 35 and he looks 50, genetics?

 

 

Compare that picture to Mark Sisson who is 63 years old. Just do a quick search for his pictures

 

 

 

In the end one has to decide for oneself which is the way to go. I see numbers and facts from both sides of the meat/no meat crowd. I have chosen the mark approach and I am happy with the results on both look and feel.

 

I would be more interested in studies comparing a plant diet to a paleo type diet. since I think that anything compared to average american diet will have huge results.

 

Only time will tell.

 

PS

Another point I was thinking about. I wonder if humans are sufficiently genetically different that a diet that would work for some might not be ideal for others. I'm thinking Ethiopian long distance runners body types vs Jamaican sprinters. I'm yet to find examples of vegetarians with above average muscle mass. I know about half a dozen vegetarians, none have muscle mass to speak of. But this is just  my thoughts.