Dr. Greger shares the story of his grandmother, who inspired him to go into medicine.
The Story of NutritionFacts.org
Doctor's Note
This is the first time I’ve ever done a video like this. This came about because of user feedback we got in that survey we did a few weeks ago. Many of you asked for me to come up with more basic, introductory videos you can share with those new to both the site, and the whole concept that our food choices can exert tremendous power over our health destiny and longevity.
So with the volunteer help of videographer Grant Peacock, I came up with ten introduction and overview-type videos for both new users to orient themselves, and for long-time users to use to introduce people to the site. Stay tuned for:
- Why You Should Care About Nutrition
- Taking Personal Responsibility for Your Health
- The Philosophy of NutritionFacts.org
- Behind the Scenes at NutritionFacts.org
- How Not to Die from Heart Disease
- How Not to Die from Cancer
- How Not to Die from Diabetes
- How Not to Die from Kidney Disease
- How Not to Die from High Blood Pressure
What we’re going to do is alternate between these broader overview-type videos, and the regularly scheduled content, so as not to bore those who just crave the latest science.
If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here.
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I am grateful. 4 years ago with multiple chronic diseases I reasoned that no one could be this sick for this long without dying. So I began updating my end of life decisions figuring I had maybe 2 months left. Ulcerative colitis had been wildly inflamed for 2 years and indications of advancing cardiovascular disease and cancer presented a trio that seemed insurmountable. I did not have insurance to cover this, so I began the process of updating my Will, and figured, . . . well, if I’m going to die anyway, I might as well ignore the recommendations of mainstream medicine on managing UC and eat what I like, which was mostly veggies and fruit. . . . the stuff they said to avoid. So I had a full plate of veggies for dinner. (Hint: when throwing a plate of veggies into a white hot colon, it’s wise to stay near a commode for at least 24 hrs.) When the smoke cleared, I noticed improvement. Coincidence? I got up the nerve to try it again in about a week. Same result. Once could be a fluke, but twice? So I tried to find a connection between what I ate and the UC inflammation. Some context. . .
I had always followed recommendations from conventional doctors. But when I got really sick, didn’t have insurance, I began studying mainstream medical sources on-line like NIH and WebMD. They mostly talked about drugs and operations, and comments about food were mostly what NOT to eat. BTW, what they highlighted to avoid, is now mostly what my diet consists of. . . No kidding. . . They didn’t just miss the boat, they pointed in the wrong direction.
Here’s a quote from WebMD:
“”Diet doesn’t cause ulcerative colitis, and special diets can’t cure the disease,” says Walter J. Coyle, MD, director of the Gastrointestinal Program at Scripps Clinic Medical Center. “But it can help to avoid foods that your body has trouble tolerating or foods that irritate your bowels.
Your doctor may give you a checklist of some foods that frequently cause problems, including “gassy” foods like broccoli, cauliflower, beans, and whole grains.”
http://www.webmd.com/ibd-crohns-disease/ulcerative-colitis/features/ulcerative-colitis-talk-to-your-doctor
They claim “diets can’t cure the disease”. Dr G has shown that WFPB diet is the most effective treatment for Crohn’s. Well, better than anything these guys recommend. And UC responds similarly. Further, the foods they highlight to AVOID, I found the most helpful, in particular cruciferous veggies and beans. I eat these daily.
The problem was, I now wondered if the establishment was wrong but didn’t have anyplace to go I trusted. I was learning everything by trial and error. I was my own guinea pig. Conflicting views on the internet leave an unsolvable problem.
Then I found Dr G, and now ask the question he always asks. . . what does the science say?
I still study many in this field, many of which disagree on key points. But now I have the tools to discern science from opinion. And Dr G is my go-to source, and the one I recommend to my friends and family. In addition to the science based approach, the absence of a conflict of interest is refreshing, and the personal story is compelling.
Your story is very impressive. Keep being well!
Thanks for this story.
It doesn’t take long studying the microbiome literature to suspect that the low fermentable fiber diets which offer symptomatic relief for bowel disorders, may be “band-aids” for dysbioses created by widespread antibiotic use and low fermentable fiber intake of the Western lifestyle. What we still lack is guidance on how to reintroduce fermentable fiber into the diets of those with bowel disorders (and beneficial microbes, most not found in prebiotics), so as to minimize short term discomfort on the path to longer term health benefits. It may just take staying near a bathroom.
Thank you. I am new to a plant-based diet and have IBS. I have been troubled with a lot of bloating and gas, occasional diarrhea, but I have noticed that some trigger foods no longer cause the same effect as before. I am able to eat green salads and cooked greens without spending time in the bathroom and my fruit consumption has gone up, too. There is no medical explanation for this and I think my doctor thinks it is a fluke that won’t last. I hope it is permanent, because I have wanted to do this for years and thought I couldn’t. It is so unbelievable that the thought of eating some ripe cantaloupe is now more exciting than having a fast food hamburger.
Isn’t it amazing how this happens. I wish more people would give diet a chance to help them improve their life! They would be surprised! Great work Patcee!
patcee14: re: “…doctor thinks it is a fluke…” Many, many people have reported similar experiences on this site. While I am not an expert, the usual explanation is that you have improved the bacteria is you gut so that you are now able to properly digest healthy foods. So, there is a medical explanation for why you are able to tolerate healthy foods more now. It’s just an explanation that your doctor does not know. This is no surprise. Most doctors have little to no nutrition education. (There’s even a video or two documenting this on NutrtitionFacts.)
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Good for you for giving this a try. Let us know if there is some way we can help you with your transition.
Thanks Dr. G. For this video and thank you Darryl and basehitz for all these personal inspirational stories. Wishing you all good health.
It is interesting to note what you wrote abut WebMD where you mentioned that mainstream medicine never educates people on the true value of veggies and fruits, but only dishes out dire warnings about what foods to avoid. Also, I see the FDA and the AMA actually aggressively fighting any kind of non-patentabe form of what seems to be a beneficial therapy whether it is food, a vitamin, sunshine, reiki, visualization, or whatever. They will viciously stamp out anything that competes with their money making machine of surgery, pills, and radiation. And, like I said before, I believe the meat industry, egg industry, and milk industry are helping to financially spread the paleo diet myth in order to get people to eat meat, and eggs.
John, – I agree completely with what you have written. The only entity you missed with the Big Pharma – who controls the medical school education.
Nice i pretty much went through a similar story these last years~
What do you think was the worst food for your GI tract? imo it is dairy especially cheese and probably bread which is very hard to digest…
Irritants: Fried foods, especially deep fried, but any fried foods are a very fast and severe trigger for me. Dr G has identified animal protein; I suggest a search here for IBS, IBD, Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis to capture most of his postings. And most recently cow’s milk has been identified as a mild irritant.
Benefits: Besides veggies, the largest gains in medication reduction were in the past year when I made legumes a daily input. I use beans mostly, some lentils with brown rice made in a soup loaded with carrots, garlic, onions, celery and tomatoes, and seasoned with tumeric + whole black pepper ground when used. Iodized sea salt also. Mostly soup is eaten cold to boost resistant starch. Daily soup provided more help in reducing medication than everything else combined up to that point. Since I suspected I already had colon cancer, the soup ingredients focused on capturing foods that interfere with cancer proliferation and upregulate the body’s ability to track it down and kill it. I continue with that even when everything is fine as preventative measure. Dr G. also highly recommends daily legumes, so nothing different here, just a method for me to do most easily.
Yup, crisps/chips and french fries are terrible indeed, cheese also because it is just concentrated and dehydrated fermented salted milk full of antibiotic/hormones/pollution/lactose/caseine/ unhealthy fat/salt, fruits saved me kinda especially the soft ripe ones at start but also cooked green vegetables, i have been on a ripe fruit based diet for years, i reversed a crohn diagnosis~
Hello,
I am a type 2 Diabetic with blurred vision for a few years now, but I also have tendonitis/carpal tunnel syndrom and tinea versicolor on my back. I noticed there are no videos containing either of these. Has this way of eating reversed any of these conditions?
Hi Michael and thanks for your question. Yes, in fact there are videos addressing some of your concerns – please check these out!
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/can-diabetic-retinopathy-be-reversed/
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/natural-treatment-for-acne-and-fungal-infections/
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/which-spices-fight-inflammation/
Why hasn’t anyone replied to my question? What is the name of 501 c3 that supports this website and who’s name is it in… ie: who recieves the deductible tax.
I had UC for years from 1996-to 2010
I had gained 87 pounds from taking the drug Prednisone. It did stop my UC quick.
But, I developed Stage 2 Diabetes.
And joints were killing me!
No one told me that PREDNISONE gave u ravishing Appetite.
My BP was through the roof.
I had never been Diabetic nor had High BP IN MY LIFE.
So again, being Desperate I went through STOMACH BI- Pass Surgery.
So painful
I lost the weight fast . And then realized they By-Passed the Odium.
That had a lot to do with regulating my BP n glucose.
If I had known about your information I would have never gone through the painful surgery
Sending one huge THANK YOU for all your work! The world would look differently if more people would follow their passion just like you. You are an inspiration :)
Your grandmother would be so, so proud of you Dr G <3 and we are so very happy to have found you. Thank you for all you do – so willingly – and with such good humour and humility xx
I think many of us out here in “Internet Land” owe Dr G many many thanks for opening our eyes to true nutritional knowledge! This is by far the greatest nutritional website around. I, of course, read/view it every day and learn something new either from the video or from the intelligent comments made here. Although there are other good nutritional websites which promote a WFPB diet, none have the enthusiasm shown by Dr G! And what I like about this website is that the information presented here is not just another Dr’s opinion, but it is based on science.
Which brings me to mention Nathan Pritikin. It never ceases to amaze me that an engineer, not a nutrition expert by profession, discovered so much just by using logic and the scientific method! It kind of gives me hope of someday understanding the intricacies of nutrition since my profession is mathematics and I’m really a new comer to the world of nutrition. And the logic of Dr G in his presentations resonates so well with my way of thinking. Three cheers for Dr G and I hope he continues his superb work. Better stop here … Gotta go make a donation.
Thank you Dr. Greger. You opened my eyes to the fallacy of the quality of life created by my past diets, even my current ketogenic one. I’ve taken a lot of your advice and applied it to my lifestyle. I hope to become as informed as you one day in my future as a researcher in lipid metabolism.
Hello Gerardo, I have been reading about the ketogenic diet recently. I have been wondering how to incorporate it into a vegan lifestyle. I have begun intermittent fasting. I would be interested to hear your observations. Thank you.
This is great! I hope you’ll have them gathered under a single topic, for ease of sharing. Also, will you be eventually including your Daily Dozen recommendations, with serving sizes?
I think that at the end of our lives we would all like to know that we made a difference in the world. You do, you and all your team. Thank you.
Thank you Greger!
My health wasn’t so good even though I am just 19 years old. I used to suffer from bad menstrual cramps that left me in bed every month – I made a lot of posts in this website searching desperate for help, as I thought it wasn’t working for me, I was already vegan 2 years ago and whole plant based a year ago but nothing improved, until now. Two months with NO pain AT ALL!
I also suffered from migraines a few years ago, that disappeared after 8 months on a plant based diet.
It just takes time, be patient and continue nourishing your body, it’ll be better.
In addition to a better diet, you might want to take a look at “Taking Charge of Your Fertility” by Toni Weschler
it doesn’t get better than this. dr. greger doing god’s work. er, man’s work. hugs to dr. greger and his grandmother and nathan pritikin.
i do have one major problem in trying to reconcile what i think are the common merits of the dr. greger crowd/proponents and the dr. wahl’s/paleo proponents. and that problem is the topic of leaky gut syndrome, and those who argue that at least some people have leaky gut issues, including autoimmunity, as a result of either grains, or legumes, both of which seem, otherwise, to be healthy foods for many people?
Craig: Dr. Klaper, a well-respected and well-known plant based doctor has a good talk on leaky gut. Unfortunately, I think it is a talk you have to pay for if you want to see it on-line. (I saw it live at a VegFest conference.) But if you are super-interested that is something you could check out. I found the information compelling.
Thea I just looked it up. Can you put a link to which video you mean. There are a number of them. I want to watch the right one.
Found it….
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/leakygut/
Interesting way to make money.
That’s alright. He is really a good doctor who works with Dr McDougall. And I am interested in the topic. It would probably cost me something to hear it in person too.
WFPBRunner: I think Dr. Klaper basically gives various versions of the same talk all over the place, several of which are for sale on various sites. Sometimes hosts really limit the time he has, so I would be on the lookout for some version that is a combination of newest and longest so that you get the latest and fullest information. I don’t know if it is best, but it looks to me like you found a pretty good version…
It was good! I would have loved this 8 years ago.
So if anyone is just starting this journey it’s worth watching.
WFPBRunner: Thanks for the feedback! I value your opinion, so I appreciate hearing what you think of the talk. :-)
Thank you Thea.
Here’s a link to a short version, an 8 minute or so video. The protocol to follow is near the end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRDoqS6QHQw
Rebecca Cody: Thank you! My understanding is that you found the free excerpt. I think the whole talk is worth listening to, but for anyone who is unable to see the whole talk, the excerpt might be very helpful.
I just love Mama Google. She knows EVERYTHING!
Also I am just so confused about Dr. wahl’s and this transformation she seems to have gone through. Her elimination diet 8 years ago was the first thing I tried and it wasn’t Paleo. I gave up dairy and gluten, ate much less animal, etc. But then I hear she is Paleo? Crazy because at the time of her “cure” she surely wasn’t Paleo. What do you know about this? And I ask this because I have a friend with MS and she used to be vegan but now eats Paleo and I am wondering if this is why.
WFPBRunner: I don’t have anything definitive to say about Dr. Wahl’s diet, but I can share my thoughts with you.
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First, there is such a wide number of definitions of a “paleo” diet that I think Dr. Wahl could define her diet as paleo. Or paleo-light? You have to ask yourself why she would want to do that given what diets fall under the paleo umbrella. I know she endorses paleo diets in general, because according to Wikipedia (which I just looked at as research to respond to you), she wrote a forward to a paleo cookbook. These last two points are related to my next point.
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I was never attracted to Dr. Wahl in the first place the way that you were. So, I’m not experiencing the disconnect. To me, it sounds like Dr. Wahl was a good “gateway” source of information for you. She was a gateway/transition point from a not so good diet to one that was a little better and then you took further steps to an even better yet diet. That’s not bad per say. It is a lot like Dr. Furhman for a lot of people.
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But Dr. Wahl is not saying that her diet is a transition diet. She is selling it as the be-all, end-all diet for optimum health, or at least to address MS. And what does she base this position on? I haven’t read the book, but I understand that she primarily bases her position on her own anecdote. Period. Maybe some other anecdotes are thrown in too, but from what I have read, there is no real science to back up her claims. As you know, any one person’s experience is irrelevant at the level you and I are discussing. For all we know, she got better in spite of the organ meats, not because of them. For all we know, she had a misdiagnosis. For all we know, she would have spontaneously gotten better anyway. For all we know, there was some other change in her environment (some missing chemical or change in the winds) which account for her change. Who knows?
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As you saw, another poster says that Dr. Wahl is engaging in some science now. But she has sold a ton of books long before any decent experiments have been done to support her claims. What makes her any different than Dr. Mercola? Or any paleo advocate?
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My views are similar to other posters on this site. Here are two posts from Tom Goff and b00mer:
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/what-are-the-healthiest-foods/#comment-2459472639
http://nutritionfacts.org/2014/07/22/how-to-treat-multiple-sclerosis-with-diet/#comment-1499635229
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What do you think? Was this any help in putting things into perspective?
Yes. She has definitely evolved since I first read her essay. She has added more meat.
You are right reading her essay contributed to the idea that I should eliminate gluten and dairy. And what do you know–It helped. I like Dr. Furhman’s approach. Not everyone is as bad a– as you and me!
I heard Dr. Klaper give that talk at the San Francisco Veg Fest, it was great. I’m pretty sure this was the talk I heard, free, on Youtube:
https://youtu.be/QiLHGe9euuA
lilyroza: Thanks for that link! I’m not sure it is the same talk??? I haven’t listened to it. I just remember seeing the “Digestion Made Easy” talk listed separately on his website. So, either it is the same talk with a different name, or it is a different talk, though there may be some over lap. I don’t know. (Maybe someone can clear that up.) But either way, I would expect the Digestion Made Easy talk to be a very good one. Thanks a bunch!
I quite like Dr Klaper but I wouldn’t pay for this material. It is basic and biased. More and better info on Leaky Gut is available at other places on the net for free (refer to my previous posts, on Leaky Gut, in this forum).
rada: I have seen no evidence that Dr. Klaper is biased. I’ve seen several of his talks. I have seen some of your other references in various posts and would not generally recommend those to people. Sometimes you get what you pay for… Of course, your choice. Good luck.
Re Dr Klapers bias.
I am only referring to the short version video on Leaky Gut.
I am not generalising to his other material/videos as I haven’t looked at them.
Anyway, I don’t tend to generalise.
IMO the LG video is biased because when he lists the risk factors he only mentions alcohol and antibiotics and in his protocol he only focuses on dairy and wheat as the allergens to be avoided. He doesn’t mention other risk factors/allergens that are particular to vegetarianism diets.
The video is also irresponsible in that it oversimplifies and under reports on this issue.
The list of risk factors is way behind his simplistic presentation and ditto for the protocol.
He must be fully aware of this so why does he stand up in public and present this fair ground spruik?
Re your comment:
‘I have seen some of your other references in various posts and would not generally recommend those to people.’
When I post a link it is just that, a link to a resource.
Some might find them interesting.
If they are of no interest to you that’s fair enough.
A link to a resource is not a recommendation.
They people/persons who write formal articles/books et.c and publish them via the web are accountable for their own creations, just as Dr Greger is accountable for the content and tenor of this site, not the people who join in discussion here. Ditto for videos.
I’m not the one putting my hand up as a health guru.
Dr Greger and Dr Klapper are qualified medicos who make themselves available, to the public, as experts on various public platforms.
They have to expect robust criticism.
Dr Klapper is charging for some of his material to boot.
In fact they are both in need of it.
Every website, like this, carries a disclaimer, “NOT FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES – EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY.
Who’s fault is it if they read it but don’t believe it?
re: ‘I have seen some of your other references in various posts and would not generally recommend those to people. ”
wrt Leaky Gut
I have posted links to Dr Garland (MD), Dr Henriks (Naturopath) and a case report
‘Chronic Rhinosinusitis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Case Report’, Mikhail Kogan, MD; Carlos Cuellar Castillo, MS; Melissa S. Barber, MS
This material is amongst the best general knowledge available to the public and it is irresponsible of you to cast negative aspersions on it with your sweeping, but unproven, allegation.
Further to that, I have personal experience with Leaky Gut and I am currently under the medical care of a qualified MD, with additional qualifications in complementary medicine, with whom I am discussing diagnosis and treatment and I am having ongoing testing to confirm the efficacy of what we are doing.
I stand by my resources and my opinions on this subject.
I only ever post reasonable opinion, that is likely to stand investigation, although I am sometimes wrong and will withdraw comments if they are proven so.
In the interests of helping others I also sometimes speculate on matters ….. we cant wait for ever for science to catch-up. When I am speculating I usually make it clear to others.
Intestinal permeability has been a focus in my reading. The most common causes in the literature are not grains and legumes, but high alcohol, fat, and added sugar intake, as well as vitamin C deficiency. In fact a number of studies have improved intestinal barrier function with diets high in plant polyphenols and fermentable fiber (as found in whole grains and legumes). Whatever proteins these foods have (that may interact with enterocyte tight junctions in vitro) are more than compensated by their prebiotic benefits on the microbiota, especially in increasing microbes like Akkermansia that improve barrier function.
Alcohol! I just opened this great bottle of wine last night. Say it isn’t so….
Ok. That’s it. No wine.
As in alcoholic levels of intake, and without the polyphenols found in red wine. Just follow with some oats in the morning.
If only I was a rat!
Hi Darryl. Is it just me or is the “This recent review” link broken? I can’t seem to click through to it.
Fixed. Missing “=” character…
It’s important to note that the anti grain crowd, when they think about grains, they picture white flour with refined animal fat, and lots of salt and sugar (a cookie or pastry).
Another thing is that fat impairs glucose metabolism, so starchy things (even healthy ones as whole grains) could be bad if you eat a lot of fat (oil). Of course I would remove the fat and not the carbs :).
In fact, calorie per calorie, because oil is so caloric, what most people consider carbs, if you look at the ingredients and do the math, are more fat than carbs.
Hi Darryl,
I like some of the resources you are turning up for Leaky Gut (LG) (a.k.a intestinal permeability) and you are coming up with some interesting thoughts on the matter.
The review you highlighted is a particularly good theoretical introduction.
You might have noticed, in my other posts here, that I have some experience with LG plus I have done some consulting with an LG experienced MD as well as quite a bit of reading.
I would like to share some observations with you, but it might take a few posts.
I think some of your statements, above, are open to debate and, perhaps,s even strong counter evidence.
First, I don’t think anyone can point the finger at any diet, as the cause per se, because everyone implements diet differently e.g. no two vegetarians are exactly the same, or eat exactly the same things. IMO we can only list the risk factors and estimate the contribution of each. It also seems likely that all individuals, who have LG were exposed to more than one risk factor simultaneously e.g. high fat and high sugar might be independent risk factors.
Note that the average vegetarian is just as likely to be eating a lot of fat and sugar; probably as much as a lot of non-vegetarians. The only difference would be the type of fat and sugar.
My second point is that I doubt that anyone who has been diagnosed with LG can pinpoint the cause. I know I can’t because I don’t know when it started and I didn’t keep a log of what I was eating during the different phases of my life. In my experience it is difficult to recall exactly what we ate 3-4 days ago let alone 30-40 yrs.
I believe my LG goes back a long way and the first symptoms occurred in a period when I was vegetarian with a substantial history of healthy eating i.e. not the standard western diet by any means. However I cant be sure of that so it doesn’t count.
The third point is that there is a world of difference between preventing LG and treating it.
Whether or not grains and beans are causative for LG is a discussion for another day but if people are trying to cure a Leaky Gut IMO they are better off without them. As anti-nutrients/bacteria et. c are translocating into the bloodstream it is precautionary to take the load off the liver as much as possible until the gut heals.
F.Y.I
I don’t drink, smoke, or take drugs (occasional beer or wine only).
As far as I can recall I have only taken antibiotics once in 30 years.
I have been on a healthy diet for 50 yrs, half of that as a vegetarian.
For the whole of that time I did not take any pharmaceuticals nor eat junk food or any high fat/high sugar food.
I ate a small amount of sweets but a lot of it was home made and based around fruit.
Even when I resumed meat eating it was only in moderation and the choice cuts (I don’t sit down to eggs and bacon every morning).
At different times I probably ate quite a bit of dairy.
RE the protocol
I tested mildly positive for LG plus gut dysbiosis (candida).
I also tested nutrients, for adsorption, and liver metabolism.
B12 and iodine were good (nutrients being absorbed OK?) but Vit D was down (if you look in the literature you will find the liver uses Vit D to get rid of the heavier toxic load so low Vit D is a proxy for LG maybe?)
My Dr recommended no processed sugars, no dairy and no gluten.
In his experience that is sufficient (so he blames gluten to some extent).
He did not tell me to eat meat but he hinted that the AIP protocol might help.
I tweeked his protocol to add meat and cut out all grains/legumes except rice (meat is the food believed to be the least allergic although some can be allergic to it).
I started with a 4 week course of Nystatin and took supplements typical for LG (glutamine, flavonoids, pro and pre-biotics).
I increased the fibre in my diet (I used the hi-FODMAP list to identify the hi-fiber foods as no one else has done much when it comes to categorising food fibre).
After 10 weeks I returned to my Dr for an office based LG test (Indican?).
My gut is healing.
The diet and the reading continues :-)
I will prob post again to critique your comments or at the least share some resources.
After 10 weeks
Darryl,
Re my earlier post, I forgot to mention a couple of things that might be relevant.
I am not overweight and never have been.
I don’t have any chronic diseases except arthritis that was diagnosed in my mid 30’s (I’m 64 now).
I believe that ‘arthritis’ was my first Leaky Gut symptom (its an autoimmune disease?) … no proof of that though.
I was pretty shocked to get that diagnosis as I thought I was eating a healthy diet.
Re the protocol
I had to tweak a few things as I went along:
– I decided to supplement Calcium given that the meat is high in phosphorous;
– I lost a little weight when I really didn’t need too. I found it hard to get enough calories without legumes/grains and given that I don’t like meat that much (especially the fat) I couldn’t keep up with my energy needs. I didn’t go 100% AIP but I was a little nervous about nuts and seeds, so, as they were ruled our as a source of high energy food I went for the coconut oil. I take about 2 tablespoons a day. I like it in cashew cream (no sweetener) poured over a fresh fruit salad.
– I was also happy to take coco oil as it is rumoured to be an anti-fungal
– I took raw garlic as an anti-fungal. It works fine but possibly burns a bit so I had to discontinue that one.
– to clarify my point on FODMAPS – I need food fibre to keep the Candida in check so I ate more foods from the FODMAP list that they advice people with GI’s (IBS?) not to eat.
– halfway through the protocol I decided to cut out my only ‘sweet’ drink == coconut water, as I didn’t want the fibreless sugar.
– my Dr said I can eat honey and maple syrup but I’ve cut them for the same reason as coconut water.
– I was surprised by my low vit D as I live in a sunny climate and am always outdoors in shorts and a short sleeve shirt. My doc told me to take 1000mg/day to get it up, which I did, but I am also experimenting with a few minutes a day sunbathing with the shirt off.
– I supplemented the fibres with a commercial FOS (Fructo-olligosaccharide) and Inulin.
– I am only eating enough meat/fish to get my protein. The rest of my energy comes from fruit, dry fruit, veges and a few nuts. Sometimes I include some rice but at other times I have zero, or near zero, grains.
– at the moment I have also cut dry fruit but that’s only for a short while
– I am 100% organic foods (no pesticides) and 100% off food additives.
– organic food supply is limited in my town. Sometimes I can’t get certain lines so the diet is very constrained. To get around a shortage of organic lettuce I changed over to home-made coleslaw. It was pretty hard to get down so I drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil over it to add some flavour (its quite nice like that). I don’t consider that the EVO is a health food. As I said, it is there for the taste and also it keeps better in my lunchbox.I cant keep up with y workload now so I don’t have time to make no-oil dressings every day :-(
I haven’t come across a tried and tested Leaky Gut protocol for Vegetarians.
If I thought it would work I would try it.
There is also the possibility that the so-called “leaky gut syndrome” is in fact merely an invention of the alternative health crowd (or cranks if you want to be forthright about it).
That is not to say that intestinal permeability does not occur, it does, but the concept of “leaky gut syndrome” is still not accepted by mainstream science. Unlike IBS, coeliac disease etc
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/leaky-gut-syndrome/Pages/Introduction.aspx
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaky_gut_syndrome
Also the idea that such a condition, if it exists, is caused by grains and legumes seems bizarre. The common people of civilisations and cultures across the world throughout recorded history have eaten grains and legumes as their staple foods. And n much larger quantities than people in 21st century USA. Yet I am not aware of the historical record depicting such a condition in (significant numbers of) people.
As Darryl writes, there are much better candidates for food causes of increased intestinal permeability. High fat diets are one:
“Low-grade chronic systemic inflammation has been shown to possess the potential to cause obesity, metabolic syndrome, and insulin resistance. Numerous studies have provided insight into the mechanisms by which dietary fat can cause the absorption or permeation of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) present in the gut bacteria into systemic circulation. Additionally, studies have deciphered the vital role of the innate immune system in linking gut microflora and inflammation. High throughput sequencing has enabled metagenomic analyses, revealing changes in the gut microbiota composition incurred by high-fat diet. Further insights into the pathophysiological understanding of the interplay between innate immunity, metabolism, and microbiota would help improve therapeutics. This article focuses on the early events leading to the dysfunction of the intestinal epithelial barrier with additional emphasis on the technical problems encountered in in vivo and in vitro experiments. Emerging research results stress the importance of the interaction of LPS with dietary fatty acids and bile acids, as factors that impact the integrity of the gut barrier.”
http://oatext.com/Low-grade-endotoxemia–diet-andgut-microbiota-an-emphasis-on-the-earlyevents-leading-to-dysfunction-of-the-intestinal-epithelial-barrier.php
[Many thanks to Darryl for giving me the link to this very interesting article]
Dr. Greger, you’re my favorite human on Earth. Thanks for your work.
Dr. Greger’s work may be the most reputable source of factual information on nutrition that exists. Pushing dairy and meat to almost zero eliminated my ulcerative colitis. I need to, someday, shake this guys hand.
Dr. Greger speaks at a large number of venues You can see where he will be speaking under “Speaking Tour”. Hopefully you will be able to catch up with him. Keep tuned to NF.org as the science keeps coming. Congrats on eliminating your UC.
Dr Greger, if I will live another half a century then I owe my life to you.
Now if you can stop an overzealous mod in your staff who has a gripe on me, from deleting all of my posts no matter what I say then I will appreciate you even more.
I’ve never seen him scheduled for the Pacific Northwest – Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Portland? Any possibility he will head up to this corner of the country?
Dr. Greger spoke in Portland last January. He comes to the west coast regularly and it is easier for him to combine talks along the west coast. If you know anyone who sponsors speakers you might consider having them invite him. The information on how to invite him to speak is on the website. Keep tuned to NF.org and check his speaking schedule periodically.
I’ll watch for him. Both times I looked showed nothing up here. I guess I must look more often.
I am sure that my grandfather, Nathan Pritikin, would be thrilled with your work. Thank you very much.
I watched Dr. John McDougall interview your grandfather on an old video that is posted on YouTube. He was a very smart man. No telling what fantastic inventions he could have come up with if he had the time to put his mind to it. But, he chose the most important expansion of knowledge to improve the human race by verifying and sharing with the rest of us the knowledge of a whole plant food diet.
As a young teenager, I found his diet ideas impractical. Things are a lot better now that avocado and nuts have been found to be healthy.
Shouldn’t you be on a treadmill or something?
On a 5-minute break?
(I couldn’t watch the treadmill video-but I did listen)
Thank you for being one of my role models Dr. G! You changed my life for the better.
You are so loved and respected, Dr. Greger!!! Thank you for all you do for your fellow humans, as well as other animals and the environment through your tireless advocacy for a WFPB diet!!
You rock doc. Seriously.
You are one of my all-time favorite humans on the planet. I SO admire what you do. You’ve definitely changed my life (and those around me) for the better. Thank you for your wisdom and for sharing it for free.
Perhaps look at a low dose zinc supplement. Zinc intake is lower in WPBDs, zinc status is lower in vitiligo patients (1, 2), zinc supplementation helped in an animal study (3), though only modestly in a human trial (4), and an Iranian Dr. thinks vitiligo may be attributable the lack of a zinc containing protein 5).
You are the best! I am going to give this a try.
Thank you Dr. Gregor for your invaluable public service, and for embodying what I believe a true physician’s calling to be….one who puts the health needs of others first by giving factual information so that we can all be proactive to make better choices to live the best quality of life possible. I consider NutritionFacts.org my “health” bible, and I share your site and information with as many people as possible! Your grandmother would be proud as you honor to keep her legacy alive, and I am so very grateful for all that you do!
Dr. Greger – Thank you for sharing this very moving and inspiring story! And thank you for sharing your knowledge so generously. It’s hard to know how many lives you have affected for the better – maybe saved – by spreading the gospel of good eating! As a cancer survivor myself, I am especially grateful.
This is my favorite video maybe of all time.
#1 it tells a personal story and reason why we try to live healthy , not always just for ourselves, but usally for someone else , so they don’t have to suffer
#2 Very seldom do we get to see this person Dr, Greger , that we listen to almost everyday .
#3 got to see your grandma and a much younger Mr. Greger!
cheers!
Doctor Greger, You are a mith and I am spreading the word about your book in Italy. Looking forward for the Italian edition so I can buy lots of copies and give them as a gift!
Of course you came up with ten. Thanks for this!
Dear Dr Gregor,
Please some small dietary recommendation would be already very helpful
i hope you can help me with my mother who’s 85 and is suffering from heart problems that started 10 weeks ago.
Short General health summary:
Not overweight
Not vegetarian (traditional dutch breakfast and lunch sandwich with margarine thin slice meat, cheese or egg, Diner 4 times a week starters instant soups potatoes with small amount of vegg small peace of meat mostly baked in butter and salted.always sweet dessert.) filter coffee 4/5cups a day
she was still daily Active in and around the house
hyper sensitive for sun light, warmth, all animals, strong sense for all kind of smells!!
lived a hardworking stressful live with a lot of worries
They discovered recently that She had a little stroke 10 years ago
6 weeks ago in hospital because to much moist in the lungs and heart rate problems and totally out of breath..
after 5 days fired from hospital with a bunch of medicine
she now complains she’s has no cravings for any food or any thirst, toilet visits twice an hour. Fatigue and sleeps a lot.
Diagnose isn’t shared but she now takes several (12 different ) medications
i have my doubts if the medication doing her any good and want to help her to give her the right type of food so she gets stronger again for a better recovery!!
What do you recommend, or what do you miss for an advice or do you know anybody in the Netherlands who could help me out!!
Thank you very much
Frank
The best diet for an 85 y/o is the same as for a 25 y/o: plant-based whole foods as Dr. Grger has espoused in every video, book and blog.
Frank – In addition to all of Dr. Greger’s very helpful information on this site, you could also get the same but additional information on the site of Dr. John McDougall. Here is his site link:
https://www.drmcdougall.com/
You will find information similar to Dr. Greger’s but also many recipes, suggestions as to how to implement the diet, more information than you could imagine. Very helpful and supportive site. Also look for Dr. McDougall’s YouTube video’s. Just google him.
Also, if you write Dr. McDougall, he will write you back. Like Dr. Greger, he really cares.
Good luck to you and your Mother :-)
I concur with Psych MD that a 100% whole plant food diet will give your mother the best shot at recovery. The root cause of nearly all of our modern diseases is our modern diets with large and frequent intake of animal foods and highly refined plant foods. By removing those foods from her diet (and I assume yours as well) you will be remove the fuel that keeps her diseases burning.
And I suggest that she go 100% whole plant based while she recovers. Healthy people have the resources to deal with small amounts of these health damaging foods with no cumulative ill effects. The same is not the case with somebody whose resources are dramatically reduced due to illness. Sick people need a diet that supports their body as it heals, not place additional burdens on it.
If she is reluctant you might try presenting this diet as a part of her medical therapy that can help her heal just like the medicines her doctors tell her that she must take even if they make her feel even worse (I would keep your reservations about the effectiveness of those medications to yourself so that she can see you as working with her doctors, not against them). And you can say that the diet doesn’t need to be forever. Once she has recovered, she might be able to add very small and infrequent amounts of things like butter and meat back to her diet. I would bet, however, that after a few months without them she won’t miss those foods so much, will like the taste of the food she does eat, and really likes feeling healthier and so not want to go back to eating foods that very likely played a major role in why she got so sick in the first place.
One word of caution. By addressing the true root causes of diseases like heart disease, this diet can be so effective that it can reverse a number of medical condition, like blood pressure and diabetes, in just days or weeks. As such she (or you as her advocate) needs to let her doctors know that she is going to be eating a diet that can be reversing the conditions that they are treating her for and as such they might need to quickly reduce the amount of some of her medications and potentially completely eliminate some of them as her diet stops adding fuel to the fire and instead helps her to heal.
Good luck!
Thanks Dr. G. Your work here has helped me change my life. I share as much as I think my friends and family can stand.
But Culture and Commercialism conspire against us. The Truth tastes good and feels good, but is far from an easy sale in our Westernized world. Thanks again.
Good website. Thanks for creating a new counter narrative that explains disease and thus preventing becoming a possible victim of the ubiquitous medical fraudulent system ($$$). Hope others learn too.
Hi , I suffer a mental illness schizophrenia and take a medication Apirpozole which manages this very well , I am back in work for the NHS here in London and I have bought my own flat here in Battersea with a little help from the right to buy the government led drive to sell housing to people , I will cut the story short I had a weight problem. I am 5ft 7 in and weighed last year at 98 kg ,the doctor also checked the bloods , for kidney function and liver and for cholesterol and for diabetes and blood pressure all of these last year were in the danger zone and the Dr had the complicated task to medicate for nearly all of the above. I turned Vegan with the help of- how not to die- 4 months ago and the turn around is revolutionary. The Dr will not medicate me and congratulated me on turning my life around, she was frankly amazed, I had the meeting this morning I am so relieved that on the way back from work I cried a tear on the bus, I don’t mind dying but it is the manner of my death and the quality of my life. I think I will be around a lot longer now thanks to your work and others Thank you again , It is important what you have done. and what you do.
peter kavanagh: that’s just awesome. Smart guy!
Peter, thank you for sharing your story with all of us. What you have done for yourself, your life, was so moving for me to read that I shed a tear for you too. Stay the course, have faith, and know all of us on this site support you.
Peter, have you heard about the connection betwen schizophrenia and wheat consumption? in addition to your whole foods plant based diet, you may see further benefits by eliminating wheat and gluten. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201103/wheat-and-schizophrenia
It is not clear if wheat consumption does play a role in schizophrenia or, if it does so, whether it affects more than a minority of people. This 2014 article summarises the available research around nutrition and schizophrenia.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4171568/
Dr Greger, thank you for being who you are and for doing the great work you do.
Thank you for all the work you do interpreting for us lay people the latest medical literature to help make our lives better. I’m working on becoming a vegan but my diet is definitely more whole-food-plant-based than before and I feel very enlightened.
Thank you for all the great work you do and the amazing inspiration you are to others. You are a role model. Much love and appreciation!
You’re a good man Dr Greger, thank you for this website.
can you eat eggs on a plant based diet?
As yourself if an egg is a plant and you will have your answer (hint: I think an egg is more closely related to a chicken).
Woops – First work should be “Ask”, not “As”. Sorry for the typo.
shirley: A whole food plant based (WFPB) diet typically excludes meat/fish, dairy and eggs as well as highly processed plant foods such as oils, white flours, protein isolates, etc. There are some exceptions to the rule. Some processed plant foods are known to be fairly healthy, for example tofu, cocoa powder, green tea. The goal of a WFPB diet is generally to aim for all the healthy plant foods, but most people agree that having a very *tiny* amount of foods that don’t fit the whole plant food criteria may be fine health-wise. In other words, the science shows that eating eggs in general is very unhealthy(http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/eggs/ ) , but what if you only had 1 egg every few months? That might not hurt you.
.
The question is where to draw the line. One of the problems with allowing animal foods in your diet is that most people do not know where to draw the line and their ‘little’ amount might involve more risk than they realize. Another problem with including animal foods in your diet is the ‘slippery slope’–where you start out with a little, but you start making more and more exceptions and the amount you consume grows over time. Another problem with including animal foods in your diet is that your taste buds are tuned to enjoy what you eat. If you constantly eat eggs or any other food, you will not be giving your body a chance to lose the taste for that food. That could mean setting yourself up to fail or have a constant life-long struggle with limiting the food. Just not eating it at all is ultimately easier for most people. Finally, including animal products in your diet could be a problem because every person’s body is different. While some people may be OK with a small amount of animal products in their diet, others seem more sensitive (especially if they have been eating unhealthy for years) and even small amounts of animal products cause harm. What is your risk tolerance?
.
Most people find it harder to abstain from cheese than from eggs. You could be an exception. Either way, you might want to look into options for replacing eggs. I could give some suggestions if you tell us how you are using eggs.
.
All that being said, don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. If you can do a whole plant food diet, except that you feel you need some eggs now, do the best you can. You can work on getting rid of the eggs as your next step.
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What do you think?
I ate a LOT of eggs in my first 48 years. Now I might less than a dozen in a whole year. They simply aren’t healthy-no matter how you prepare it or what loving conditions(!) and/or splendid foods the hen may be pampered with. They simply do not coincide with any health benefit, no matter the lies made into lore.
They are on my “permanently restricted” list. I count myself lucky that the way I ate didn’t kill me before now.
Don’t focus on the “loss” of any certain food (if debating a “WFPB” lifestyle), focus instead on the GAIN of feeling better almost instantly and GETTING better over time (rather quickly), and living longer with better brain function until the end.
There’s none of that in an egg or pill or surgery or supplement. Strongly Herbivorous I am for these reasons.
I am a grandmother – now 82 and plan to keep on living a long time to pass on this basic and very valuable information. I appreciate you so much. May you and may everyone be blessed. life is such a marvellous adventure.
Thank you again for all of the very helpful and life changing information. I am writing for advice. My wife after the birth of our 4th child has been afflicted with chronic itching. It is mostly in the arms, wrist, and shoulder areas and presents itself most significantly at night but seems to be present on a pretty regular basis. She has had multiple meetings with dermatologists, internal medicine doctors, allergists, and unfortunately all have not come up with any good treatment options or causes behind what she has. Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated as we have tried many different things and unfortunately none have seemed to have much of a long term effect.
Great, as always. Thanks for your tireless efforts Dr. G.
I don’t know where to post this off topic question so I’ll try here on the hopes that someone knowledgeable can answer: Why do older cruciferous greens get bitter? For example, an old collard or turnip is more bitter than a young plant. Are they equally nutritious? What is the bitter taste? Thanks.
Awww. Love the good doctor!
Thank you Dr. Greger!
Love listening to you. I wonder..can you say that whole spiel backwards?
You are welcome back on The Plant Trainers Podcast Anytime and I look forward to volunteering here soon.
I too agree that you, Dr. Greger, have accomplished SO much and your Grandmother leaves a marvelous legacy in you.
Sometimes I think of ways I might might show these videos in sequence just on a street corner or grocery store to see people’s reaction. I, as many in these comments, have serious disease but your videos have made a tremendous difference in my life.
I have been a lacto-ovo vegetarian since about 1985 and did eat better than most on the SAD diet however my diet had MUCH to be desired. My attention was mostly focused on the computer industry and I left the medical expertise to my GP. At 30 I was prescribed medicine for diabetes and by 45 I was on a dozen meds and disabled in severe pain with wide spread inflammation and joint destruction.
I used my research prowess gained through the computer industry to start studying what exactly methotrexate does, which was going to be med 13. With such serious side effects this med motivated me to find an alternative. Surprisingly to me, I found many references to diet in controlling inflammation. These recommendations were not at all what I was getting from dieticians engaged to control my glucose level.
Over the last 11 years my diet changed to be mostly vegan but I still ate cheese. Finding your web site gave me the confidence that I could do very well without any animal product and your found studies showed me in black and white the inflammatory effects.
By the time I started watching and reading your work I did stop all drugs except pain killers and NSAIDs and was doing much better BUT your work has me as a vegan for a year, on NOTHING, not even aspirins and I feel pretty well.
A few months ago I finally felt good enough to start using weight machines at a health club and have been riding a bicycle for years. This is in vast contrast to me a bit over a decade ago and could hardly walk. Will diet reverse effects of a seriously damaged skeletal structure? I’m not sure but the studies you have found show similar miracles.
By trial and error I discovered the prolific effect diet could have on health even though the medical professionals in my life thought it was coincidence. Your work is the icing on my cake as maybe now I can not worry about organ, eye and other failures due to inflammation or pharmaceutical drugs.
Thank you Grandmother! (and Dr Greger too)
Gluten intolerance cause contact enteritis and reduce absorption. Which will cause all kinds of nutritional deficiency disease.
“Cereal killer” CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUO948nRAZE
Joel Wallach is a vet and a naturopath not an MD. He is also a notorious quack.
https://abreathofreason.com/tag/joel-wallach/
http://skepdic.com/wallach.html
http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/colloidalminerals.html
Gluten intolerance is a genuine condition which affects minority of people. However, the last thing people need is to get misleading and counter-factual information from somebody like Wallach. There is science-based information on this condition available from credible health sites including this one
http://nutritionfacts.org/?fwp_search=gluten&fwp_content_type=video
Thank you.
Love your website,
very very grateful.
Thank you.
( although im not going to become a vegetarian, but moving closer)
Thank you
Steve
A big THANK YOU to Dr. Greger and his team. I rarely read any other nutritional info on the web. NF does all the reading and comparing for us. Blessings.
Please comment on the Mercola article (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/09/11/omega-3-from-plants-vs-marine-animals.aspx) asserting plant-based Omega-3s are inferior to animal-based Omega-3s.
Dr Greger, because of you we will all grow and be able to see our grandchildren grow and we will have the chance to see our parents grow old with us!!!
I was saved from a blood cancer in my late twenties, but I was really saved when I found you (luckily very soon after my “adventure”) and was relieved from the constant fear that it would return back!!!!!!!!!! This was the real “cure” and the answers to why and how!!! You gave me physical and mental health!!!! Thank you!!!!!
You are simple, funny, reliant !!!!!!!!!
KEEP GOING DOC!!!!! YOU ROCK!!!!
here is some information , the nutrition listed on the Government sites is out dated . For example You would have to eat dozens of apples to today to get the nutrition You did ears ago when the phrase was coined An apple a day keeps the Dr. away .. for instance The Gov. list all tomatoes has having the same nutritional value Truth be told there are conditions that apply here. Who grew it what did they use what climate what did they use on the soil after harvest, mos farms use formaldehyde to kill the bacteria in the soil regardless if they are good or bad. Agriculture to day grows for quantity not quality therefore no minerals inputs . Veges and fruit grown in foreign countries are even worse they poop and pee in the water used for irrigation poop in your food Yes it’s there , but they will never tell You. How do I know I have been in ag for over 40 years and my associate for 50 we have been through this time and again it is terrible to think or assume Ass of U n Me , that what is told or printed on sites for nutritional values of crops is correct , the only is to test the crops and that’s not going to happen. The info is from the 50’s read and learn Hidden Hunger a great book of facts on Commercial agriculture bulk yes nutrition no we are starve for it . As for nutritional supplements another lie the same applies . We have been awarded patents for our work on nutrition in agriculture inputs of nutrients extraction and preserving of them for later use. Our labels are USDA lab reports of 100% of the content not just the highlights like other done by their labs , Hope this helps the concerned people here
The introductory format is fine.
I don’t think they should be interspersed with other formats though.
Keep them separate with their own link on the menu bar.
Perhaps the first one in the series ,’the story of NF’, could be the default for the homepage and visitors then link to the advanced level vids if they want them.
I found about How not to Die book in the FightMediocrity youtube channel, i am so happy that i learned about the whole plant based diet early in my life (i am 24y old). Thank you Dr. Greger, you saved my life, and probaly my family too.
I wish i could have found before, so my grandma would know and live, she died last year from a second heart stroke, we miss her so much.
I´ll send my email, i will be forever greatful.
Cheers from Brazil.
I have a medical question. As of December 2016 my health has taken a dive.
I have been feeling bad before this but more frequently off and on since Dec.
A little background is that my husband and I have had 2 SUSPECTED boughts of food poisoning. The 2nd one affected only me and I took a week to recover. Since then Ive had all these symptoms.
1. Back pain/joint pain, Muscle fatigue/Aches, legs aches crawling/need to move them. My back and torso and arms feel bruised and if I touch certain points I lock up in pain. Neck shoulder blades tops of my arms.
2. Shakiness, fatigue, Anxiety/Nervousness
3. Itchy neck face torso arms, Anal Itching- worse at night – rashes
4. Trouble falling/Frequent waking/Clinching jaw
5. Nausea, cramps, loose stools worse at night/after meals this comes and goes.
6. Constipation/Gas/bloating normal for me when not having the loose stool issue.
Appetite loss Cravings/hunger, still hungry after eating
7. White seed like things, black specks, debris food in stool.
8. Bladder/vaginal sensitivity/pains feeling of fullness/irritation
9. Sore throat
10. Random fevers/chills/feeling flushed 99.1- 99.5 last a day or so
Feels like Im being poisoned….
I have googled which led me to suspect parasites. I have 3 dogs which have recently been treated for unknown parasites. My husband worked in waste management so he came into contact with human waste unprotected almost daily.
And as sick as it sounds back in the day I ate a lot of raw meat as a kid. And no surprise had parasites/worms as a baby.
Ive seen 4 doctors in the span of a month. Had 3 negative stool tests. Bloodwork clean.
No other tests and the doctors keep telling me its just anxiety and IBS. Unfortunately my husband and kids also have some of my symptoms which leads me back to parasites.
Ive read a lot about how hard they are to find in common stool samples and seen loads of sites where people are just not getting adequate help with this.
My sister in law suspects fibromyalgia. Which was mentioned by 1 doctor but quickly brushed aside as he thought I was too young. Im 34.
I have been trying to get a referral to an infectious disease specialist, which has been brushed off by my doctors.
I have 2 other appointments this week. Any insight would be helpful.
Hello! Unfortunately, Dr. Greger is unable to answer most of the questions posted here, however, we do have an amazing team of volunteer doctors, nurses, and dieticians who answer questions. I have forwarded your question to them.
Please note that we don’t have enough volunteers to get all questions answered, so an answer is not guaranteed.
I am sorry to read you are dealing with so many symptoms. Although this site does cannot offer diagnosis or specific medical recommendations,as a nurse who deals with patients on the phone, I can give you some of the same thoughts as I give them. You’ve indicated you feel you are being “brushed off’ by doctors. That could be because you are voicing so many non-specific symptoms. Saying “I feel poisoned” is not specific and the doctors may take you less seriously than if you can write down symptoms, focusing on the main ones (with details available). Clarify how this is affecting you (cannot work? eat?)
It’s good you’ve had 3 negative stool specimens and negative blood tests but that of course might lead the doctors to conclude anxiety rather than a physical cause. Perhaps having a definitive diagnosis of what parasite your dogs had would help. It would be good to have a referral to infectious disease specialist and try to have doctor direct care (avoid self diagnosis) Your case is frustrating for both you and your doctors because your symptoms have been persistent, but remaining as clear about symptoms as possible will help.
Because this is a nutrition site, of course we can’t go much beyond this, but will encourage you to eat healthfully so your body can recover as well as possible as you try to get some answers. Best of health to you , Joan-NurseEducator
To Dr. Greger,
I just want to leave a note to thank you, Dr. Greger, and everyone at NutritionFacts.org. This site helps me so much. I am increasingly frustrated at how medical professionals continue to fall behind the scientific evidence for eating a plant-based diet.
My parents eat a typical American diet. They are in their mid-fifties and already suffer from significant health problems. Since I first began my plant-based journey two years ago, I have continually dealt with their, and many others’, misperceptions of what a healthy diet is.
They thought that I was doing something unhealthy, unwise, unsafe!
Since my step-father was recently diagnosed with pre-diabetes, he is taking his health more seriously. BUT he just went to a nutritional class at Kaiser last week, and surprise! surprise! He was not even recommended a true plant-based diet. Instead, he was told to eat a 75% plant-based diet, and that the other 25% of his diet could still be from animal-based products.
Now, I am sending him Kaiser’s very own recommendation on plant-based eating, and wondering why I have to do the nutritionist’s job for them.
The amount of suffering this negligence causes — for people like my parents all over the country and the world, not to mention all of the animals that are exploited, and the damage to the planet — really makes me feel sick.
If it weren’t for the pioneering of professionals like Dr. Greger, I would have never known. THANK YOU!
Sincerely,
Jody Strait
UC Berkeley
Hi Jody: Thank you for your kind comments. We love to hear personal stories from our followers! Wishing you and your family all the best and good health!
Hello :-) Grateful to join. Curious tho…my screenshot (this page) is not like the one shown in the intro video. Health Topics, and the like (supposed to be listed to the left. don’t have that here!). thank you!
Dr. Greger, you should get a Nobel Prize for medicine. Thanks from the deepest of my heart. You are a source of inspiration.
Hello Dr. Greger, has your book How Not To Die been translated into French and/or German?
After watching What The Health, I have decided to follow a plant based diet, my fats, sat fats and calories are all really low, but I keep exceeding my sugars by ALOT. Will this make me gain weight? Is it healthy? I have only eaten a banana, tangerine, small sweet potato with salad and ive gone over my sugars by 12g for the day.
On the NCBI website there is a study on capsaicin’s effect on prostate cancer. I could not find anything about this in NutritionFacts.org. Perhaps it was overlooked, but it seems to be very important. Can your staff please look into it and maybe make a video?
Here is the link:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4811481/
Thanks
Greetings,
I am a 72 yo male who has been vegan and/or vegetarian, and very active all my adult life. My cardio stats and imaging have been perfect until 2011 when my MD said come see me if you have a problem, etc. In 2016 I had a serious heart attack and one stent inserted. I have a very good cardiologist, but he assured me even the pros are mystified by such occurances. What could occur internally in 5 years, as my stats were still perfect, eating WF 99% veg diet, remaining active, etc. that led to 99% blockage in one artery? I do have family history.
Thanks
Robert,
Great question and clearly a mystery until…… we dive in and check out what changes took place. To be clear without your history I’m offering some potential insights solely, not medical advise.
In my practice when we have this type of occurrence we have the patient spend a 1/2 hour noting all the differences in their environment, for the last number of years…. I’d encourage you to take some time and do likewise. What generally takes place is that we find a change in exposures to chemicals, differences in medications/supplements, or a host of other issues, including stressor and other not clearly evaluated potentials.
With that said it could be as simple that you experienced a change in your epigenetic expression due to some aging coupled with the above. It may not take much especially with a family history. I would ask that you also consider that it takes awhile, and yes 5 years is an adequate time frame to change situations so dive into changes for an extended period of time and compare the methods and previous imaging results. Were there indicators present prior to this time ?
I’d be curious if you had the same testing, U/S or other vascular evaluations 5 years ago. You indicated that only one vessel was occluded which would have me evaluate the peripheral circulation (U/S for femoral/aortic/carotid) and see what’s flowing. (pun intended). Was this a unique occurrence due to a malformation of the vessel which took 70 yrs to manifest or…..
I’d encourage you to check further into any other known aspects of the occlusive situation, have your vitamin K2 levels checked along with some of the functional medicine cardiac testing modalities. For some additional input consider some of these labs evaluation panels: Please see: Genova Diagnostics and others such as the previously known Berkley lab parameters now a part of Quest. As an FYI you can do these tests without a physician’s orders.
Dr. Alan Kadish moderator for Dr. Greger http://www.Centerofhealth.com
I am all for plant based nutrition and I love your work. You remind me of Don Knotts, in your speech patterns. What is not mentioned about the pritikin diet is that it includes non fat dairy, fish, and lean red meat. Looks a little bit like cherry picking the facts. Personally I am going to be embarking on a period of time which I grow most of my own food, except for rice,bread flour and some dried beans. My diet will include eggs(about once a month) and some home raised chicken and maybe duck meat, I like to raise animals and have chosen to kill and slaughter any extra males. This may be 5 or so a year. I slaughter males for the good of the flocks. I am at the moment weening off butter and cheese partly for personal health reasons, partly for ethical reasons.
Forgot to add. I am a recovering drug addict and alcoholic with almost 8 years clean time. I have my own half acre on which I live and grow food. My father died in 1979 of bowel cancer after undergoing three operations. My mother died a little over a year ago from complications after hernia surgery at age 85. She survived 4 cancer operations was diagnosed with her 5th and was on 15 different medications every day. If I can live a bit longer with a good quality of life, that is not dependant on prescribed medicine and the health care system by just growing and eating my own food why wouldn’t I. Some benefits that I don’t see mentioned often are better taste sensations, better sense of smell, clarity of mind and of course a general feeling of well being.. Thanks for this site and all the work you do.
Hi Dr. Greger,
So I see a lot of startups coming up that want to deliver food based on the customers DNA. Can you help me entangle the science behind that?
An example is http://www.habit.com
Is what they say grounded in scientific research?
Kind regards,
Leo
This is certainly an interesting space that is generating a lot of interest. The wave of personalized medicine and nutrigenomics is growing and sprouting many business opportunities such as habit. While there is likely value in personalizing nutrition, there is still a need to have large scale studies to prove value over simply following studied dietary patterns, such as WFPB or a plant based MedDiet, which have health outcome data to support their use.
Thanks so much for your quick answer
Hi Dr. Greger,
I once read there is a guideline of how much fibre a person should take in, and it said that an average person should get between 25 gr – 35 gr. of fibre everyday. It is rather uncomplicated if you take too much fibre throughout the day; however, I read that if you take too much fibre during one meal you get Stomach cramps, gas and bloating. Moreover, the University of Maryland Medical Center said that “Excessive amounts of fiber can bind with certain minerals such as calcium, iron, zinc and magnesium, interfering with absorption.”
I calculated how much a big whole food plant based meal would deliver in terms of fibres and it is already out of bounce with 40gr. of fibre.
What are your thoughts about that?
Kind regards,
Leo
There is no peer-reviewed published evidence in support of the notion that eating “too much fruit and vegetables” will provide so much fiber that it blocks absorption of vitamins and minerals. All available evidence (thousands of clinical studies) show that eating nothing but a very high fiber diet of fresh fruits and vegetables will decrease your risk of early death and disease. WFPB lifestyle always wins.
As far as bloating goes, if you’ve been eating a cancer and heart disease promoting diet of nothing but meat eggs and milk, you could end up with cramps/bloating if you switch immediately to a WFPB diet as the bacteria in your gut need time to change. The change will be worth it though and any bloating or cramps will resolve in time.
Dr. Ben
Have you found any evidence on lymph oedema? I can’t find anything on your site. Thank you – it is for a friend whose condition is worsening.
Hi, Alister Scott. It appears that there is nothing on the site on that topic at this time. I have passed along a request to cover it in a future video, so please stay tuned. I hope your friend finds some answers. Meanwhile, this study suggests that a diet low in long chain triglycerides, such as those from soy or safflower oil, may be beneficial. The researchers found medium chain triglycerides to be better, and imply that coconut oil is recommended, but I think that no oil might be best. You may want to check out these videos for more on coconut oil. Soy and safflower oil are used in many processed foods such as chips and crackers, because they are inexpensive, so cutting out foods with these oils in them would be a good idea. I hope that helps!
I love this story; in addition to all Dr. Greger’s data analysis, this story motivates me to follow the WFPB diet myself after requiring a double-bypass and being diagnosed with _watch-state_ prostate cancer here in my early 50s. But I’m curious about that “ten miles a day” that Dr. Pritikin cites. Did she walk 10 miles a day regularly, or was that just an expression of what she was able to accomplish in later stress tests? I know Dr. Greger recommends 90 minutes of walking a day, but 10 miles would take at least 2 1/2 hours.
Gar,
Great choice on the diet change !
There is so much contradictory information in the filed of exercise physiology that there probably is no ideal. What would determine your exercise needs would consist of your distribution and amounts of types of fat present, metabolic rate, caloric intake, genetics and this list goes on and on.
It does appear to be prudent to 1. get out of ones seat every 30 minutes or less, move as much as possible, incorporate some weight resistance, find a balance to reduce stress……..and I don’t know about you but 2.5 hours does not work for me…… would induce not reduce stress to get the day’s activities accomplished.
For my patients, I like to start with asking if they are a self motivator….exercise alone or would do better in a group setting. Then we do the parse the time available and what options meet that criteria. Followed with cost and locations and then I ask them to determine if after the first few sessions they find themselves smiling, at the end of the experience or do we need plan b…..
It’s no different than food, relationships or environment we need to personalize the experience and find the balance. Stick with the diet and let us know how your endurance and general health changes.
Dr. Alan Kadish moderator for Dr. Greger http://www.Centerofhealth.com
What is the name of the 501c3 charity that supports the nutrition facts.org website and who “owns” that charity?
Hi Julia,
NutritionFacts.org is a 501c3 nonprofit charity itself that relies on individual donors to keep the site alive and thriving. You can find more information about the organization on our About Us page!
Hi, I’ve watched many of nutritionfacts.org’s videos and wonder if there is or is going to be one about the topic when to eat certain things in the day. So if for example the opinion that by eating certain foods in the morning makes you feel tired has any truth to it.
Hi Alacose,
I am a volunteer for Dr. Greger. Thank you so much for your question.
This is an area of research that has been fairly new, but has become relatively big. Dr. Greger will be having a webinar on the topic of fasting and timing of eating, and after that, will also have a series of videos on the topic as well. It’s just not entirely clear when those will be.
If you want to look up some information on your own, I encourage you to look at the work of Dr. Courtney Peterson from University of Alabama-Birmingham. Her area of work is much along the lines of meal timing. And as a cool side note, she is also a monthly donor to NutritionFacts.org!
I hope this helps answer your question!
Why hasn’t anyone replied to my question? What is the name of 501 c3 that supports this website and who’s name is it in… ie: who recieves the deductible tax.
Good afternoon Dr. Greger I was wondering if you or your staff has heard of Beta-ketothiolase deficiency? And I was wondering if a Epigenetic Optimal plant food would help? Looking forward to your response.
Thanks.
Steven Lucks CHC
Hi thanks for your question. Low fat, low protein diet is generally recommended for Beta-ketothiolase deficiency. A whole food plant based diet can certainly be your healthiest low fat and low protein diet. So it definitely can help with managing this condition.
To my knowledge there is no cure or way to reverse this genetic disorder unfortunately. A healthy diet can cause epigenetic changes which alter gene expression thus preventing some cancers and other conditions. But I’m not aware that this is the case for the gene expression for Beta-ketothiolase deficiency. Some genes are essentially dictators and can’t be altered. But some genes function more like committees and make suggestions in which case the outcome can be affected by lifestyle through epigenetics. But I’m not aware that this is the care with Beta-ketothiolase deficiency. If your looking for more research on this topic, I would check pubmed.gov. That is where Dr. Greger recommends you look if you are interested in a topic that he hasn’t specifically covered.
NurseKelly
Health Support Volunteer.
Why hasn’t anyone replied to my question? What is the name of 501 c3 that supports this website and who’s name is it in… ie: who recieves the deductible tax.
Hi Julia, NutritionFacts.org is the 501c3 nonprofit. You can read more about it here: https://nutritionfacts.org/about
Ok so let me get this straight. The funds from Dr. Gregor’s book/video sales go to the charity of nutrition facts.org, a 501c3 that IS this same website, which Dr. Gregor makes a profit on as of 2016, and of which is tax deductible to himself as the charity founder/owner?
Ok so let me get this straight. The funds from Dr. Gregor’s book/video sales go to the charity of nutrition facts.org, a 501c3 that IS this same website, which Dr. Gregor makes a profit on as of 2016, and of which is tax deductible to himself as the charity founder/owner?
Julia: The short answer is no.
A 501c3 is an entity unto itself, almost like a stand-alone person, but unlike a “for profit” corporation, a 501c3 has no “owner” nor can it be bought or sold. So Dr. Greger does not “own” the 501c3. In general, a 501c3 has “directors” but they do not get tax deductions as a result of their duties nor do they get “profits.” This site discusses it in more detail:
https://www.501c3.org/who-really-owns-a-nonprofit/
Regarding tax deductions, whoever donates money or property to the 501c3 will get the tax deduction. For example, if you donated $100 to nutrionfacts.org, then you would likely be able to take a $100 tax deduction off your IRS Form 1040 (or 1040EZ) subject to various limitations. On the other hand, when I donate my time on this site, I do not get a tax deduction on my Form 1040 since I did not donate money or property.
The IRS website shows that this 501c3 is called “Nutritionfacts Org Inc.” The website nutritionfacts.org is likely owned by this 501c3. If this 501c3’s income exceeded it’s expenses, Dr. Greger would not take this as “profit” as no one can profit from the 501c3.
Dr. Ben
The day I was diagnosed with womb cancer I started plant based food. Then operation removed cancer and my 10 years gum desiese was cured with this diet and b12 and lentils. I am still sufering from RA. Had to stop cimzia injections because doctors say it causes cancer. 3 month have passed on this diet. I believe so I will keep it. I still have fungal nails because of ra medication. 10 years of fungal nails. Maybe diet will help? Doctor: can you investigate? Couldn’t find any videos on it.
Hello
I would like to edit my comment, do you know how can I do that?
thanks
Hi, Mary. I am sorry you have had to deal with these health issues. Soaking nails in pao d’arco tea may help with the fungal infection. You may find, in time, that your whole food, plant-based diet helps with your RA, as well. More on that may be found here. You might also be interested in this video. I hope that helps!
So how is it that Dr. Gregor draws a profit from the site? As stated he has done since 2016?
Dr. Greger is my hero.
Hi there! My 17 y.o. daughter is a high school senior and passionate about optimal nutrition, and therefore interested in a Nutrition major as she looks towards applying to colleges very soon. We would love any opinions on possible undergraduate and training paths, including specific universities or colleges. I realize this is a big question! It feels hard to know what programs would be informed by best evidence. Thank you in advance for any comments, Maureen
Hi mmcorbett ,
Thanks for your question and your interest in Dr Greger website. It is great that your daughter would like to do a Nutritional Science major. I found this website that I thought might be of help to you to find a suitable college for her.
2018 Top Colleges for Food Science and Nutrition in America
Dr. Greger, God bless you and continue to help you in your work and all you do to help others, may he bless your family and give you more grace and Peace in Christ Jesus. Thank you so much for all you do for the quality of life of others and for providing resources for us. I am very grateful.
What do you have to say about Australia’s leading scientific body the CSIRO recommending higher intake of protein for overall health benefits? https://www.totalwellbeingdiet.com/au/
Hi Dr. Greger – I can’t tell you how much I appreciate and make use of your website and books. Thank you for making all this available to us – and I appreciate your sense of humor, which makes consuming the info so much more pleasurable. :)
One question has always lingered for me regarding your grandmother’s diet, that I’d like to ask you. I had a hard time finding the old Pritikin books, but when I did find one, it seemed that he allowed low fat dairy products on his diet treatment program. If it worked, it made me wonder why you choose to advocate an exclusively vegan diet. Do you feel that more info has surfaced since the time of his original treatment program that has convinced you that low fat dairy is also to be avoided? Do you still recommend, like him, a 10% fat diet, except with improved sources of fat (nuts, avo, etc.)? Or do you think people can have more fat than 10% (if they eat healthier sources of fat) and still be able to avoid heart disease?
Personally, I cannot eat dairy as it gives me sinus congestion, headaches, fatigue and believe it or not – depression. I was exclusively vegan for a year, but find that I crave meat sometimes (perhaps I just need some B12?), but I often ponder the question of why the creator of our planet set it up so that so many animals have to eat each other. I suppose it is the ultimate recycling program, but it’s kind of a gruesome one at that. But seeing how nature is set up, and knowing that at times I crave meat, I sometimes feel that maybe it’s not so bad to have small amounts of lean meat (or low fat dairy) now and then to complement my mostly plant based diet. What do you think of that notion? Anyway, I look forwarding to reading your answer to my question about Pritikin and the low fat dairy products. Once again, my sincerest thanks for all you do. You’ve made the world a better place for so many people like me. :)
Hi, Danielle Johansson! You are right that Pritikin did include low fat dairy products in his regimen. It was once believed that dairy was needed in the human diet, but we now know that it is not. Moreover, we have learned about many good reasons to avoid dairy, low fat or otherwise, since that time. You can learn more about why Dr. Greger does not recommend dairy in these videos, if you have not already seen them: https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/dairy/ If you are not taking a B12 supplement, I would strongly urge you to do so. I don’t know how old you are, but if you are over 50, you likely have an impaired ability to absorb vitamin B12, and even meat eaters will not get enough. Vitamin B12 is produced by bacteria that live in water and soil. Modern farming practices and water treatment have greatly reduced the numbers of these bacteria. While it is great that we don’t tend to die of cholera, because our water is treated, it also means that even farm animals get less B12 than they used to. Consequently, most animals raised for food are given B12 supplements. Why not skip the animals, and take the supplement yourself? You might also be interested in these videos, if you have not already seen them: https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/b12/ https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/meat/ I hope that helps!
Thanks for your reply and links, Christine. I prefer not to take supplements for the very reasons Dr. Greger gives about there being no regulatory body for supplements and that upon examination, many supplements don’t contain what they say they do, or the amounts that they say they do (many aloe vera gels were found to contain no aloe vera whatsoever!). So it makes me wonder how Dr. Greger gets over this issue so easily, to recommend B12 supplementation. If you know, I’d greatly appreciate hearing about it. Thanks! :)
Hi Danielle Johansson, thanks for your question. Dr Greger indicates that Vitamin B12 is not made by plants or animals but by microbes that blanket the earth. In today’s sanitized, modern world, the water supply is commonly chlorinated to kill off any bacteria. So, while we don’t get much B12 in the water anymore, we don’t get much cholera, either, which is a good thing!
A regular, reliable source of vitamin B12 is critical for anyone eating a plant-based diet. Though deficiency for those starting out with adequate stores may take years to develop, the results of B12 deficiency can be devastating, with cases reported of paralysis, psychosis, blindness, and even death. Newborn infants of mothers who eat a plant-based diet and who fail to supplement may develop deficiency much more rapidly with disastrous results. Getting enough vitamin B12 is absolutely nonnegotiable for those centering their diets around plant-based foods.
For adults under age 65, the easiest way to get B12 is to take at least one 2,500 mcg supplement each week or a daily dose of 250 mcg. Note that these doses are specific to cyanocobalamin, the preferred supplemental form of vitamin B12, as there is insufficient evidence to support the efficacy of the other forms, like methylcobalamin.
Vitamin B12 actually exists in many forms, and it contains the mineral cobalt, which is why compounds with vitamin B12 are collectively called cobalamins. Two forms of vitamin B12 that are active in human metabolism are methylcobalamin and 5-deoxyadenosylcobalamin.
Vitamin B12 benefits the central nervous system in many important ways: It helps maintain the health of nerve cells — including those needed for neurotransmitter signaling — and helps form the protective covering of nerves, called the cell’s myelin sheath. This means that when vitamin B12 levels are low, almost every cognitive function can suffer.
Vitamin B12
Thank you Dr.Greger for your most valuable inputs in making people know the importance of keeping healthy simply by taking plant based diets
Thank you Dr.Greger for your most valuable inputs in making people know the importance of keeping healthy simply by taking plant based diets. I am going through your book How Not to Die
Hi! i’ve really benefited from your website and book ‘how not to die cookbook’. I just thought it’d be great to have more case-studies of people who have overcome health problems through a whole foods plant based diet? i personally would love to see that and i think it’d be a great way to show people how powerful good nutrition is. thanks!
Hi Emma,
We may not be in a position to do that research ourselves, but we do have a testimonial page and often share the responses we receive on social media: https://nutritionfacts.org/testimonials/
Emma,
We often times have lots of these stories reported in our Q&A sections. Your right on regarding a compilation. I’ll suggest it to our editor.
Thanks,
Dr. Alan Kadish moderator for Dr. Greger http://www.Centerofhealth.com