This week marks the 14th anniversary of Forks Over Knives. To celebrate, we caught up with a few of our favorite success stories from over the years. We hope you enjoy their updates as much as we have!

Editor’s note: If you’ve improved your health after going whole-food, plant-based and would like to share your story—or if we’ve published your success story in the past and you’d like to let us know how it’s going today—please do so here!

Aaron Calder: From Severe Liver Disease to Weight Training and Fitter Than Ever

Almost 10 years ago, Aaron Calder reversed severe liver disease and a host of other health complications on a whole-food, plant-based diet. Today, Calder says he’ll never go back, “My overall health and especially my liver disease have continued to improve. I joined the gym back in 2021, and I work out two hours a day, every day—something specialists said would never be possible. I have built a lot of muscle and have never felt better. I have learned plants do indeed have protein, and my physique and strength show it.” Calder says that, over the years, many people have reached out to him about their own struggles with addiction and liver disease. “I have passed on my knowledge of what has helped me, and those people who have gone plant-based have seen their health improve, too.”

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Pamela Footman: ‘I Lost 100 Pounds in a Year on a Plant-Based Diet—and Kept It Off, at 60!’

When we last saw Pamela Footman in 2022, she had just gone plant-based a year earlier and had already shed excess weight that she’d been carrying for decades. Today, Footman is more enthused than ever about the WFPB lifestyle and continues to enjoy her passions, such as swimming. “My doctors are absolutely amazed that I’m not taking medication to control high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol,” Footman says. Footman, who was 60 when she started on this journey, says, “It’s never too late for anyone to turn their life around and improve their health.”

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Amy Horn: From Overweight With Type 2 Diabetes to Ultramarathons

After going whole-food, plant-based six years ago, Amy Horn beat the disease that had plagued her family for generations: Type 2 diabetes. Her husband, Rod, was motivated to join her in the WFPB lifestyle after he suffered a widowmaker heart attack. Today, Amy and Rod remain plant-strong. Since we originally published her success story in 2021, Amy has run three ultra-marathons and several 50K trail races, and writes, “My diabetes and autoimmune condition continue to be diet-controlled—no meds!” The couple continues sharing their story with others, inspiring several friends to cut back on dairy. Horn notes, “This whole food plant-based lifestyle works. I’ve even found great options in some airports.”

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Anthony Masiello: Young Dad Loses 160 Pounds and Passes Healthy Lifestyle on to the Kids

When he was just 33 years old, Anthony Masiello was denied a 20-year-term life insurance policy due to having high blood pressure and being morbidly obese. Wanting to be around to see his children grow up, Masiello adopted a WFPB diet and transformed his life. Nineteen years later, his dedication to the lifestyle remains strong. He turned his personal transformation into a professional mission, founding Love.Life Telehealth, a platform that connects patients with lifestyle medicine doctors. “I look at the activities I did with my wife and kids as they were growing up—running, skiing, snowboarding, hiking, biking, skateboarding, jumping rope, and finding delicious healthy food in all our travels—and I couldn’t imagine living a better life,” Masiello says. “I sure am grateful that I was able to pass on my healthy lifestyle to my children, and we will never know what that might have looked like if I did not make these changes for myself first.”

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Tim Kaufman: From Sick, Disabled, and on Multiple Meds to Thriving on a Plant-Based Diet

When Tim Kaufman discovered Forks Over Knives 13 years ago, he was over 400 pounds, addicted to painkillers, nearly immobile, and taking more than 20 prescription medications a day. Fast-forward to today, Kaufman is a competitive endurance athlete, completely medication-free, and thriving alongside his wife, Heather. “Together, we’ve lost nearly 300 pounds—and gained a life we never thought possible.” writes Kaufman. Kaufman shares his biggest lessons: “The key to making this way of eating sustainable long-term is building a life I absolutely love. … Without an optimal diet, I can’t live life to its fullest. I used to think it was all about the food—and that a better life was just a bonus. But now I see it differently. My focus is on living fully, with my diet as the foundation, along with gratitude, community, fitness, joy, mental clarity, and spiritual growth. …. I stay on this path not because I have to but because I genuinely love the life it’s given me—one filled with energy, purpose, and joy.”

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Dave Wegener: ‘I Dropped 100 Pounds in One Year by Ditching Animal Products, Processed Foods’

In 2021, we shared the story of Dave Wegener, who had dropped 140 pounds since transitioning to a WFPB diet five years earlier. Today, Dave and his wife, Leah, remain committed to the plant-based lifestyle and say they will be for the rest of their lives. Since we published his story, Wegener says he’s been enjoying travel in comfort and with confidence, crossing off a bucket-list dream: Journey 1,300 miles, only by foot and train,from Centralia, Washington, to the house where he grew up in Northglenn, Colorado. The Wegeners’ home remains a plant-based safe haven. While Wegener has kept off most of the weight, he gained back [some of] the pounds when schools opened up after the pandemic. “I still feel great,” he writes. “People who haven’t seen me in years notice the change, and my medical/physiological issues are still reversed.” Wegener says, “I’ve begun what I call my ‘Phase II.’ Phase II is mindfully applying everything I know and have learned to lose those stubborn, remaining pounds slowly and steadily with the plant-strong, starch-based, minimally processed–plants (MPP) lifestyle—changes I intend to follow until I die.”

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Brittany Jaroudi: From High Blood Pressure and High Cholesterol at 25 to Thriving in Her 30s

Struggling with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and obesity at only 25 years old, Brittany Jaroudi turned her life around when she adopted a WFPB diet. Since 2019, Jaroudi has grown a YouTube channel dedicated to sharing the plant-based lifestyle, and just gave birth to her first child. Given Jaroudi’s history of hypertension, health care workers pegged her as high-risk and initially expected to only let her pregnancy go to 37 weeks—but she ended up having a smooth, full-term pregnancy. “I felt like every time I showed up at the doctor, I was proving to them, ‘Look what this lifestyle can do,’” she says.

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Evon Dennis: Conquering Addiction to Processed Foods on a Plant-Based Diet

After years of struggling with refined-food addiction and compulsive overeating, Evon Dennis experienced significant improvements to her mental and physical health by going salt, oil, flour, alcohol, sugar (SOFAS) free and eating a diet of nothing but whole plant foods. In addition to weight loss, improved moods, and mental clarity, Dennis says there was one other major benefit: “The most pleasant surprise of all was that I no longer felt driven by addiction to junk foods.” Since we first shared her story in 2021, Dennis has remained chiefly on this diet, with one period of relapse. To stay on track, Dennis says that she focuses on fostering a peaceful life, prioritizing rest and ease—and staying clear on her “why.”

Read Story Here

The post Where Are They Now? Updates from Some of Our All-Time Favorite Success Stories appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

The turning point came when my wife called out the negative energy I was bringing home each day. Looking for help, I attended an after-work wellness session, where I learned that happiness could be a choice. I replaced fast food with mindfulness meditation, which shifted not just my energy but also the atmosphere at home.

Making the Transition to Plant-Based

In the spring of 2016, I attended a talk highlighting the power of plant-based eating. Motivated by what I learned, I joined my hospital’s “Plant-Powered Challenge,” eating a whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) diet consistently for three weeks.

It wasn’t an easy transition; old habits die hard, and I had to continually resist the siren call of fast food. For inspiration, I watched the Forks Over Knives documentary and read How Not to Die by Michael Greger, M.D. Both deepened my understanding of the health benefits of a WFPB diet and reinforced my commitment.

Life-Changing Results

Soon after going WFPB, I began experiencing undeniable results. Within just a few weeks, my blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels normalized. A year later, I’d lost 50 pounds, and my blood markers had improved even more.

This diet has been nothing short of transformative. I’ve lost more than 70 pounds in total, and I’ve kept the weight off.

Beyond the remarkable improvements in my health, this lifestyle has fundamentally shifted my approach to medicine. I have become deeply engaged with lifestyle medicine, and I obtained board certification from the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine in 2018. I also helped launch a lifestyle medicine program at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco, and last year, I started my own virtual lifestyle medicine and health coaching practice. I co-host a health podcast with a friend, where we share insights into meditation, our relationships with food, and our mindsets around change.

WFPB eating has changed my reason for being.

To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

The post Healing from Within: A Doctor’s Journey to Better Health Through Plant-Based Eating appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

About 20 years ago, Jay was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, as well as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. We were told that there was no way to reverse Type 2 diabetes; that it was in Jay’s genetics, that he would always need medication, and that he could only hope to slow the progression of the disease. We were told that carbohydrates and sugars were bad for people with diabetes, so we tried to limit our intakes of those.

Over the years, we picked up extra pounds, and we tried a lot of different diets to shed them. We had some success—I lost 50 pounds on WeightWatchers—but the weight always crept back up, and it was torture to maintain, because we kept thinking about food all the time.

Reaching Rock Bottom

About five years ago, my A1C started rising into the borderline diabetic range, then into the diabetic range. My doctors told me I should follow a low-carb, sugar-free diet centered on lean animal protein. Jay’s doctors recommended the same for him—they said that it would help him lose weight, improve his A1C, and get off medications.

We committed to dieting. Jay lost around 35 pounds and I lost 20. Yet neither of us saw significant improvements in our lab numbers. On top of this, I started going into perimenopause and menopause. I had so many ailments—inflammation, joint pain, acid reflux, acne, hot flashes, sleeplessness, etc. I was nearly ready to give up. I figured I was just getting old, and that this is how life would be.

In 2022, Hurricane Ian hit our town in Florida, causing massive damage to our home. We began the long process of rebuilding, which would take almost two years. Over that time, we became severely depressed, and our health reached a low point.

Discovering Whole-Food, Plant-Based Nutrition

In October 2023, at rock bottom, I desperately reached out to my sister, Maria Cecilia Mosquera, M.D., a physician board-certified by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, specializing in obesity medicine, culinary coaching, public health, and preventive medicine. She told us about the whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle. She was the first doctor to tell us that we could reverse Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Prior to this, we didn’t realize reversal was an option.

At my sister’s recommendation, we watched the documentaries Forks Over Knives and What the Health. We were game to try anything at that point. So we began our WFPB journey, with her guidance.

She helped us understand that fatty foods, not complex carbohydrate–rich ones, contribute to insulin resistance, and she educated us on which foods are truly healthy. She taught us how to decipher food labels—i.e., to look at the nutrition facts and the ingredient lists, and pay no mind to marketing claims. We discovered that unhealthy ingredients turned up in unexpected places—for example, some brands of dried fruits contain added sugar, oil, and salt. I was shocked!

We wiped all the standard American diet (SAD) foods from our pantry, fridge, and freezer. We didn’t want any of these foods left in our house, because we didn’t want to end up leaning on them as a crutch.

I’ve always been a foodie and amateur chef, yet learning how to cook WFPB took some time. We learned that vegan isn’t the same as whole-food, plant-based—that vegan foods can be highly processed, like store-bought plant-based cheeses. We quickly found that the best approach was to cook to flavor profiles that we loved, such as Mexican, Indian, and Chinese cuisines. And I discovered that family recipes could be prepared WFPB. That was eye-opening!

My sister taught us how to balance our meals nutritionally: Fill a quarter of the plate with beans and legumes, a quarter of the plate with grains and starchy vegetables, and the rest of the plate with nonstarchy vegetables, such as leafy greens.

It took us about four weeks to get up to speed. But once we did, we found the WFPB lifestyle to be a breeze—less expensive, less work, and much more satiating than a standard American diet. Our goal was not to lose weight but to improve our health. We focused on nutrition. “Food as medicine” became our motto. We thought of this not as a diet but a lifestyle. We’d found freedom!

Within a month of eating WFPB, my acne, migraines, acid reflux, joint pain, stomach issues, hot flashes, and insomnia all went away. Jay and I found that we had more energy, and we gradually started losing weight even though we weren’t really trying.

First WFPB Anniversary: Happier Than Ever

October 16 marked one year of eating WFPB. We both feel so much better, inside and out. Our A1Cs are in the healthy range, as is Jay’s blood pressure and cholesterol. I remain free from aches, pains, and other symptoms. We’re able to exercise regularly. I’ve lost 57 pounds and Jay has lost 81—without counting calories or restricting portions. We look and feel better than we did in our twenties. We’ll never go back to our old ways.

Now we actually crave WFPB foods, as we have created recipes that appeal to our taste buds. I keep treats and meals in the freezer and fridge at all times, like green power muffins, which feature spinach and kale. I make my own soy yogurt and use it in everything, including chia pudding and tzatziki sauce. I love recipes that come together quickly, so for our everyday meals, I try to create dishes that are easy but taste gourmet, like Mediterranean pizzas topped with hummus, spinach, artichokes, tomatoes, mushrooms, caramelized shallots, roasted garlic, minced kale, and olives. We knew we had become true WFPB foodies when we went on a cruise and all we could think about was getting home to make our own WFPB pizzas!

Another go-to is our “veggie power bowls.” The bowls are as big as our heads, and Jay and I compete to see which of us can put the largest number of nutritious ingredients in. Jay currently holds the record, at 22! For a hot Florida summer day, we love smoothies made with fruits and veggies and, for satiating power, oatmeal and/or flax.

Family and friends have been so supportive of our lifestyle, having witnessed what a positive impact it’s made in our health. In fact, many of them have asked us how to make these changes themselves, so we started a free Facebook group where we share our healthy journey, knowledge, and experiences.

We recently celebrated 32 years of marriage, and we both agreed that being healthy is the best present we could have given to ourselves and our relationship. We are forever thankful to my sister for introducing us to this lifestyle. If you’re struggling as we once were, I hope this story inspires you to change your lifestyle, get back your energy, reverse your diseases, and feel young again.

Ready to get started? Check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path. To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer.

The post 1 Year into a Plant-Based Diet, We’ve Reversed Chronic Diseases and Shed a Combined 130+ Pounds appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

In 2022, I was diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. The diagnosis was a wake-up call. I realized that I needed to make drastic changes to reclaim my health and vitality, starting with my diet—which, up to that point, consisted mainly of highly processed foods, meat, and dairy, with very few whole foods. I knew it was time to shift toward a more whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) diet, to lower my cholesterol, lower my blood sugar, and restore my metabolic health.

A Surprising Reversal

The transition to a WFPB diet was not without its challenges. However, as I embraced this new way of eating, I began to notice significant changes: I was losing excess weight and feeling rejuvenated and energized.

One of the most surprising aspects of going WFPB was that I was able to reverse metabolic syndrome within just a few months. My primary care provider was astonished by my progress, and my lab results confirmed the positive impacts of my dietary shift, with decreases in my A1C (a measure of average blood sugar) and cholesterol.

Empowering Others to Go Plant-Based

Over the past two years, following a plant-based diet has truly transformed my life. I’ve normalized my cholesterol and blood sugar. I now have confidence that I will live a long and fulfilling life, free from the burdens of chronic illness. I am committed to never consuming animal flesh or dairy products again.

While my military disabilities continue to limit my physical activity, I am determined to make the most of each day. My diet now consists of creative and delicious WFPB dishes (I often use Forks Over Knives recipes) that nourish my body and soul.

Moreover, my journey has inspired me to advocate for the plant-based lifestyle within the veteran community and beyond. I am passionate about sharing the importance of prioritizing health, wellness, and fitness, especially for those living with disabilities. Through various avenues, including educational workshops and community outreach programs, I am empowering others to take control of their health and embrace a plant-based lifestyle.

My story is a testament to the transformative power of food. By nourishing my body with wholesome, plant-based foods, I have regained my health, vitality, and zest for life. At 61 years of age, I am living proof that it’s never too late to embark on a journey of wellness and reclaim control over one’s health destiny.

Ready to get started? Check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path. To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer.

The post I Reversed Metabolic Syndrome in Months, Shocking My Doctor appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

The study, led by researchers at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and published in Clinical Diabetes in March 2024, is the first randomized clinical trial to look at the impact of a vegan diet on T1 diabetes. Researchers split 58 participants into two groups: one group followed a low-fat vegan diet and ate as much as they liked; the other ate a non-vegan diet. The latter group followed individualized diet plans, with overweight participants reducing their calorie intake by 500 to 1,000 calories a day. Participants followed their prescribed diets for 12 weeks, recording their nutrient intake and insulin dosages at each meal.

At the end of the trial, the researchers noted significant differences between the vegan group and the non-vegan group. Participants in the vegan group lost 11 pounds, on average, while the non-vegan group saw no significant changes in weight. Compared with the other group, participants on the low-fat vegan diet saw a 28% reduction in insulin needs and 127% improvement in insulin sensitivity. The researchers also noted improvements in A1C (a measure of average blood sugar) for both groups, with the vegan group seeing a slightly larger improvement. Because heart disease and diabetes are closely intertwined, the researchers also ran lipid panels for the participants at the beginning and end of the trial. While both groups saw reductions in their total cholesterol, the vegan group saw a larger drop-off—about 32 points, compared with an 11-point drop among the non-vegan group.

A Natural Way to Reduce Insulin Needs

“With the cost of insulin remaining a concern for many, our groundbreaking research shows that a low-fat vegan diet that doesn’t restrict carbs may be the prescription for reducing insulin needs, managing blood sugar levels, and improving heart health in people with Type 1 diabetes,” says Hana Kahleova, M.D., Ph.D., the lead author of the study and director of clinical research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

Insulin is a hormone that helps move glucose (sugar) out of the bloodstream and into muscle and liver cells, where it’s used as energy. T1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile-onset diabetes, is an autoimmune condition in which the pancreas produces little to no insulin, causing glucose to remain in the bloodstream for longer than it should, damaging the blood vessels and leading to other serious health problems.

Accounting for just 5–10% of all diabetes cases in the United States, T1 diabetes is less common than T2, though rates have been increasing in recent years. There is no cure for T1 diabetes, but lifestyle strategies—including adopting a diet rich in whole plant foods—may improve outcomes.

“Type 1 diabetes cannot be cured with diet,” says Physicians Committee President Neal Barnard, M.D. “However, dietary changes can help people reduce medications and reduce the risk of complications.”

In 2003, with funding from the National Institutes of Health, Barnard led the first major randomized clinical trial comparing a plant-based diet and a more conventional, portion-control diet for the management of Type 2 diabetes, finding that the low-fat plant-based diet led to a 300% greater reduction in A1c. Barnard says he hopes this latest study may spur similar improvements in the treatment of Type 1 diabetes.

To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

The post Vegan Diet Lowers Insulin Needs for Type 1 Diabetic Patients, Groundbreaking New Study Suggests appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Trying a Low-Carb Diet for Diabetes

In 2019, I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. My doctor told me to eat a low-carb, high-protein diet, so I started doing Atkins, with a lot of meat and prepackaged foods.

At a routine eye exam a few months later, my eye doctor noticed that I had clumps of cholesterol in one eye. I was immediately sent to the hospital for a carotid artery scan, which found that the small artery on the left side of my face, eye, and brain was around 60% clogged with plaque buildup. I was scared! My doctor wanted to put me on a statin for cholesterol and metformin for diabetes. I knew there had to be a better way.

Swift Results on a WFPB Diet

I began researching different diets and found How to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell Esselstyn, MD. I immediately adopted a whole-food, plant-based diet, free of oil. Within just five weeks, my total cholesterol dropped 60 points, from 290 to 230. Within six months it dropped to 184, and my A1C dropped from 7.1 to 5.9, all without medication—all from just changing what I was eating! I also lost 36 pounds.

Still Plant-Based and Thriving 5 Years Later

Since making the switch five years ago, I’ve maintained normal cholesterol levels and reversed Type 2 diabetes. At age 55, I feel the best I ever have! I also became certified in plant based nutrition and cooking to help others take control of their health with a WFPB way of eating. I am so grateful that now I can share my story and help educate others about the power of lifestyle medicine. I believe that it’s the solution for preventing and reversing many of the chronic diseases that we face today.

Ready to get started? Check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path. To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer.

The post On a High-Carb Diet, I Reversed Type 2 Diabetes and High Cholesterol appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

The shift in diet garnered several significant results: 22 of the patients (37%) achieved total remission, while the number of patients who needed to use glucose-lowering medications dropped from 40 to 29. Additionally, the number of insulin prescriptions within the group fell from 4 to 1 after the changes in diet were made.

“The two key characteristics of WFPB diets that support Type 2 diabetes remission are lower total energy and lower total fat, which lead to reduced energy intake,” says Micaela Karlsen, PhD, senior director of research for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and a lead researcher on the study.

The concept of eating low energy density foods—that is, foods with a low calorie count—is a popular and proven method for long-term weight loss. This approach allows a person to eat a relatively large volume of food without gaining weight because the ingredients aren’t highly caloric and are often filled with hunger-busting properties such as fiber. In a 2020 statement, the American College of Lifestyle Medicine elaborated on how this technique can support Type 2 diabetes remission by saying that “the three factors of decreasing fat, increasing fruits and vegetables, and increasing water content have been shown to decrease caloric content,” which supports healthy blood sugar levels. Eating a WFPB diet naturally includes many low energy density foods, making it a prime lifestyle choice for people battling diabetes.

This new study adds to a growing body of research that supports using a WFPB diet to prevent, halt, or even reverse the negative health effects of Type 2 diabetes. A 2021 study which looked at data from nearly 42,000 Seventh-day Adventists (many of whom are vegetarian or vegan) discovered that vegans within that group had a 62% decreased risk of developing diabetes compared to the meat eaters. More recently, a 2023 study from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that a WFPB diet decreased the likelihood of premature death in Type 2 diabetes patients.

The CDC reports that more than 37 million Americans have diabetes (about 1 in 10), and Type 2 diabetes makes up 90–95% of those cases. While medications are a major component of Type 2 diabetes care, growing research supports the evidence that lifestyle interventions—including a WFPB diet, exercise, decreased substance use, and proper sleep—can have similarly significant health outcomes as pharmaceutical interventions.

“We need to do more research to see if there are differences in remission rates among different populations,” says Karlsen. “But we do know that behaviors like a low-fat, whole food, plant-predominant lifestyle and moderate exercise have positive benefits for blood glucose, and are likely to help everyone.”

To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.

The post New Study Confirms Plant-Based Diet Can Promote Type 2 Diabetes Remission appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

How did your upbringing influence your interest in plant-based diets?

Sharon Palmer: My parents both came from farming families, which meant that we grew a lot of our own food when I was young. We had a huge garden, we canned and preserved things, we made homemade bread—nothing came in a package. I was interested in nutrition and health from a young age, so I went through the plant-based nutrition program at Loma Linda University in California. The people in [Loma Linda] are one of the longest-living populations in the U.S., and it was later designated a Blue Zone. I wasn’t vegan right off the bat, though. I was a pescatarian after college, and then I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian, and then I went vegan in 2011. As a dietitian writing about the benefits of a plant-based diet, I felt like I needed to do it for my research, and it really was a turning point for me because I realized it wasn’t hard to maintain. I felt amazing, and I knew this way of eating had the best outcome for my health, for the environment, and for animal welfare.

What changes did you notice in your own health after going vegan?

SP: I felt really light, like my body wasn’t weighed down, and my digestion was more effective. And now here I am at my age, and I have such great health markers. My blood pressure is low, my blood cholesterol is low, and my inflammatory markers are low. I’m getting older now, and I’m not dealing with all the things that most women [my age] are already being treated for. I believe eating plant-based really lowered my risk for developing chronic disease.

As an RDN, what has been your experience with treating diabetes?

SP: Throughout my 20-year career as a dietitian I saw an enormous amount of patients with diabetes. And the number has just been increasing over the years. We used to call Type 2 diabetes “adult-onset diabetes” because it typically happened after someone turned 40, but now it’s happening much earlier. It’s an epidemic. And it’s not just a problem for people who already have diabetes: There’s also a huge amount of people who have prediabetes or are dangerously close to it. So I feel like when we talk about preventing diabetes, it’s a concern the majority of us need to consider. The cool part about lifestyle intervention is that what’s good for diabetes is also what’s good for your heart, your brain, your kidneys, your liver—it’s good for everything. Going plant-based is not just a diabetes-specific diet. We should all be eating like this.

How did you prepare for writing your new book?

SP: I did a ton of research, a literature review, and I attended as many conferences as I could on the subject before sitting down to write. I interviewed colleagues and scientists who are leading the way with published research in this arena. For example, Neal Barnard’s research found that vegan diet could increase beta cell function, improve insulin [sensitivity], and facilitate better blood glucose levels for people who already had Type 2 diabetes. He also found that diabetics patients who were on oral medications and/or insulin were able to get off their meds after 25 days on his program. But diabetes is so particular; each individual responds to certain treatments and medications and programs differently, so my book isn’t a one-size-fits-all prescription. It includes a lot of information about the power of plant-based diets and provides different strategies so people can adjust it to meet their own needs. It would be great to use in conjunction with your healthcare professional so you can develop a personalized plan.

What are the most important elements you think about when creating and testing new recipes?

SP: I test all my recipes at home in the kitchen. I am constantly thinking of new ideas. A big inspiration for me are the seasons, what’s fresh and available in the stores. I’m a big advocate of local foods, sustainable foods, and shopping at the farmers market. When I’m creating recipes I’m thinking, “Are these ingredients in season together, and what kind of flavors would go best with them?” I also try to make sure all the recipes are approachable, affordable, and that they call for ingredients you can find in any typical grocery store.

Are your recipes oil-free?

SP: I use a small amount of oil in my recipes, but not all of my recipes. It’s very easy to omit the oil to make it fit with your specific dietary needs.

You have a master’s degree in food sustainability. How does that inform your work?

SP: I’ve always been fascinated with how food grows, and how we’re taking care of the environment through the things we eat. I studied at Green Mountain College in Vermont for two years looking at the entire food system and how it impacts the planet. It not only further informed my knowledge on the eco-friendly benefits of plant-based diets, but it also highlighted the nuances in our food system around feeding an ever-growing population and how to curb climate change. I co-founded an organization called Food and Planet, which has a goal of empowering health care professionals to advance sustainable food systems. Our mission is to educate health care professionals so they can function as a trusted touchpoint for explaining to consumers how to eat more sustainably. This could include topics like what to buy at the grocery store, how to know where your food comes from, how to reduce food waste, etc.

What would you say to someone who wants to go plant-based to manage their diabetes but isn’t sure how to start?

SP: I would let them know that this is such a holistic diet for your whole body, and the research in this area is continuing to grow. When you have diabetes you really have to take care of your body more than the average person, so you have to work a little bit harder. Your health care professional is a key piece of managing the disease, but the most important thing you can do for your health is to take care of yourself every single day. What you’re eating, how you’re moving, whether you’re reducing stress—all these things are part of a holistic lifestyle. And that’s powerful because it means that you have control over your own health. I also hear from a lot of people who are contemplating going plant-based that they’re afraid they will miss something. But there are over 20,000 edible species of plants on the planet, and those are the ingredients that add the color and texture and aroma to your plate. Because there’s such amazing diversity in the plant world you’re not going to have less, you’re going to have more.

Try Sharon Palmer’s Raw Purple Power Salad recipe, excerpted from The Plant-Powered Plan to Beat Diabetes!

The post Beating Diabetes with Diet: Sharon Palmer’s New Guide Provides an Approachable Plant-Based Plan appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

1 in 3 Americans have prediabetes. Most don’t know they have it.

According to CDC estimates, more than 37 million Americans are living with diabetes. Roughly 90–95% have Type 2 diabetes, a serious chronic condition that can lead to heart disease, chronic kidney disease, and vision loss. An additional 96 million are headed down the same path with prediabetes.
The good news is Type 2 diabetes can be prevented and reversed with basic lifestyle changes. In this webinar, best-selling author and physician Neal Barnard, MD, cuts through the confusion about diet and diabetes and presents proven, drug-free strategies for preventing and reversing this dangerous disease.

Watch The Replay

Originally aired March 22, 2023

The post Webinar: What Causes Type 2 Diabetes (It’s Not Sugar!) and How to Reverse It, With Neal Barnard, MD, FACC appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Exercise didn’t work, either. I always maintained gym memberships. I had a walking buddy, with whom I walked religiously during warmer months. At one time, I could bench-press more than my 15-year-old son and do 25 consecutive flat-backed pushups, but I still weighed 175 pounds.

At 52, I decided to go vegan, but I ate a lot of highly processed vegan junk foods. Around that time, I gave up on losing weight. It was simply too much work to try to keep the weight off.

Stumbling Across a Surprising Solution

A few years ago, my doctor began pushing me toward statins to lower my cholesterol, as well as medications to address my prediabetes. I was already on medication to lower my blood pressure. I desperately wanted to avoid more meds. Then I met someone who told me that he lost 70 pounds by eating only potatoes. Potatoes?! I was shocked: Didn’t potatoes make you fat? He told me about The Starch Solution by John McDougall, MD. This sounded like the type of thing I could do. I went home and read everything I could about Dr. McDougall and learned about the benefits of a whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) diet. I wanted so badly not just to lose weight but to lower my cholesterol, lower my blood pressure, and prevent Type 2 diabetes.

I decided to jump into a WFPB diet. I stuck to it strictly from the outset, because I wanted the weight loss and the health gains, and I didn’t want anything to pollute the results.

I knew that the results would take some time, and that was OK. It was more about learning how to do this every day and maintain the lifestyle for the long run. So I focused on learning to be happy with what I ate. Weaning off of highly processed foods wasn’t easy, and the first week was really hard, but the second week got a little easier, and from there my palate adjusted pretty quickly. I found that following a WFPB diet strictly, rather than “dabbling” in oil and ultraprocessed foods, was helpful, as it helped my taste buds adjust rather than stay hooked on unhealthy stuff.

A month after starting this way of eating, I had my annual checkup. My doctor was shocked, saying I’d had the largest drop in LDL cholesterol she had ever seen in her career that wasn’t due to medication. My blood pressure was normal, and my A1C was fine, too: I was no longer prediabetic.

The diet resolved some other issues I’d struggled with, like sleep apnea and headaches, and I even noticed a difference in my skin. In the past, the heels of my feet were thick and cracked. Sometimes, if the cracks opened too much, it would get very painful to walk. After going WFPB, they became more supple and soft, with no more fissures! That was a big relief.

Staying Committed to the WFPB Lifestyle

Today I’m 65 years old and don’t need any medications. I lost 44 pounds in the first year of eating WFPB and 10 more pounds the second year, and I’ve maintained most of that weight loss in the year since. I feel that I still have about 15 pounds to lose. As an older postmenopausal woman, it’s coming off extremely slowly. Because I’m trying to lose weight, I limit heavier WFPB-compliant foods such as whole grain bread and tofu.

I’ve had some age-related arthritis flare-ups, but they went away almost as quickly as they came. Added sugar and salt both seem to aggravate my arthritis, so I’ve also done the hard work of eliminating those from my diet. Going salt-free has been a struggle. However, I’m in support groups with many people who assure me that it gets easier as your palate adjusts.

Getting Better Together

My husband adopted a WFPB lifestyle about a year after I did, after suffering a heart attack. He’s lost 70 pounds. He also ditched migraines, heartburn, gastric reflux, and arthritis pain, and his chronic eczema is almost gone. Since he’s a heart attack survivor, he still has to take statins, but he’s hoping he might eventually be able to get off of those. Because of the cardiovascular disease, my husband and I have been strictly following the dietary recommendations of Caldwell Esselstyn, MD. That means eating six servings of greens every day, 365 days a year.

My daughter was so impressed with our health transformations that she decided to give WFPB a try, too, and she’s lost 40 pounds. All three of us have much more energy. My husband and I now look forward to walking our dog 2 to 4 miles a day (or more, if we have time). We take lots of rigorous hikes.

I’m so excited by all this renewal, I started a group online to share recipes, tips, and progress. My WFPB friends and family members love the way we eat, because we just feel so much better.

Ready to get started? Check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path. To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer.

The post I Beat Heart Disease and Lost 44 Pounds in 9 Months Without Portion Control appeared first on Forks Over Knives.