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.”

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

Throughout middle and high school I never took my diet seriously as playing a big part in my athletic performance, eating entire racks of ribs and highly processed foods in between swim practices. At age 20, I was 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds.

Experimenting with Dietary Approaches

Starting my junior year of college, around 21, I started looking for ways to better my swimming performance. I went gluten-free and started changing those racks of ribs out for salads. After that, I lost 50 pounds and became a two-time All-American swimmer and set five school records at my college.

A few years later, in February 2024, I was diagnosed with high cholesterol. I was shocked. I was just 25 years old. Again, I began searching for a lifestyle change that would help. That May, I watched Forks Over Knives, which prompted my fiancé, Esfandiar, and me to go whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) overnight. In the next few weeks, without really trying, I lost 10 pounds. I found that I had more energy and started training for triathlons.

A Life-Altering Accident and a Plant-Based Comeback

One day, not long after going WFPB, Esfandiar and I had just been on a run and were walking down the street together, when he was hit by a car. He suffered a diffuse axonal injury (DAI) and spent 19 days in a coma. I insisted that his tube-feeding formula be vegan (the best the hospital could do) to continue to respect our new WFPB lifestyle. After he woke from his coma, he resumed eating WFPB.

Since the accident last year, Esfandiar has made what the doctors call “miraculous” progress, and I know in my heart that it’s thanks to our WFPB diet. Today, just eight months after he was in a coma, we love doing races and fun runs together and swimming. We’re enjoying every moment of life—especially the moments preparing WFPB meals together.

In the nine months since going WFPB, I have seen remarkable improvements in my own health, as well. I have taken 50 points off my cholesterol. I was able to safely discontinue thyroid medicine that I had been taking for 10 years. I have so much energy that I’ve incorporated CrossFit into my Ironman training routine.

In the future, I intend to compete in and win the CrossFit Games as a WFPB athlete, to spread awareness about the benefits of this lifestyle. I’m grateful to the WFPB greats, such as Dr. Michael Greger, for sharing knowledge about WFPB nutrition and forever changing my life. I have a social media presence, and I use my platform to talk about Esfandiar’s amazing recovery and my own personal journey to well-being. When talking about this lifestyle, my heart shines with pride, and I want to use every moment I have to share that light.

The post I’ve Been an Athlete All My Life, But Going Plant-Based Is What Made Me Healthy appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

At the hospital, I found out that my blood sugar was 120 mg/dL (indicating prediabetes), my triglycerides were 235 (high), and my blood pressure was 200/100 (very high). The marker that landed me a two-night stay in the hospital was elevated troponin, a marker for heart damage. My levels were not high enough to indicate a heart attack but it was enough to indicate damage. I was shocked, confused, and scared. How could this be, when I was still young? I thought I had more time before I had to start worrying about these kinds of things.

The doctors conducted several heart tests, including an angiogram, and found that I had an artery blockage of 95% on a branch off the obtuse major 1 artery. They placed a stent and prescribed me several medications (aspirin, clopidogrel, beta blockers, and a statin), and they had me stay another night in the hospital for monitoring and recovery.

A Pivotal Moment

I was lying in the hospital bed wondering how things had gotten to this point, and I started reading everything I could get my hands on about improving my heart health. The first book I came across was Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell Esselstyn Jr., M.D. I’d tried all sorts of diets over the years, but they were low-carb; the most recent one I’d tried was the ketogenic diet. The low-fat, whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) way of eating that Esselstyn described in the book was totally foreign to me. It was an insightful read. I decided that I would give WFPB a try. I was determined to change my life forever, to never end up back in the hospital bed because of poor nutrition. I would do it not just for me, but for my future self and family.

I was discharged from the hospital, with an appointment to see a cardiologist 30 days later. I resolved to follow a WFPB lifestyle for at least those 30 days, to see if it really worked and if it was manageable.

As soon as I got home, I threw away all the animal products, oil, and highly processed foods in my kitchen, and I went shopping for WFPB foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. I was cleared to walk, but that was the only form of exercise I was allowed until I could meet with the cardiologist. So, my routine was to eat WFPB and walk 10,000 steps per day until my follow-up appointment.

Stunning My Cardiologist

When I went to my follow-up appointment, my cardiologist was floored: Not only had I lost a significant amount of weight but my blood pressure had normalized, and all my blood lipid profile numbers had significantly improved. The cardiologist told me that the keto diet had wreaked havoc on my cardiovascular system, and he encouraged me to stick with my new way of eating. I was sold! From that point on, I knew I could do WFPB, and I decided I would never go back to my old way of eating.

With my exercise restriction lifted, I began incorporating new fitness routines. I shifted from being a powerlifter to an endurance athlete and focused on combat sports, strength training, and cardiovascular conditioning. I came to view WFPB not as a diet or quick fix but as a way of life, and it became easy to choose healthy foods. The most challenging part was how foreign the concept was to many people. They didn’t understand why I would make such a “drastic” change to eating only whole plant foods. However, I felt that ending up on a surgeon’s table would be more drastic. I was literally choosing the fork over the knife. ​

Within the first 12 months, I lost 100 pounds, and my health markers improved enough that my cardiologist took me off several of my medications and lowered my statin dose. By the two-year mark, I’d lost 150 pounds in total, and my numbers had all normalized—in fact, they were in athlete ranges. I asked my doctor to order another heart scan to check my progress. When the results came back, he was once again floored: There was no sign of cardiovascular damage, and no signs of buildup in my arteries. I did it: I reversed my disease, just as the book that I’d read in the hospital bed said I could! My doctor couldn’t believe it; he wanted to know what I was doing and all the details. He advised me that I could discontinue all my medications.

2 Years In, 200 Pounds Down

As of this writing, I weigh 194 pounds and am in the best shape of my life. I am dedicated to a fitness lifestyle, because my body is now capable, and I want to be good to my body. I am grateful I’ve had the opportunity to heal and do right by the gift I once took for granted. I lift weights. I run. I cycle, do martial arts, swim…you name it.

It feels so fantastic to shop for clothes without having to order special sizing. My go-to breakfasts now include tofu scrambles, loaded oatmeal, and air-fried potatoes. For lunch and dinner, I like veggie and grain bowls, big salads with potatoes, burritos made with Ezekiel whole grain tortillas, lentil soup, and split pea soup. If I am craving something sweet, I make banana nice cream, WFPB cookies, or a dessert recipe from Forks Over Knives. I find the FOK recipes to be super delicious and satisfying!

My results have inspired people around me, and I have dedicated my life to helping others in the same position I was. As a licensed psychotherapist, I’ve incorporated health coaching into my mental health clinic so that I can offer comprehensive support to those looking to drastically change their lives for the better.

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 After Needing a Stent at 32, I Went Plant-Based, Lost 200 Pounds, and Reversed My Heart Disease 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.

Studying the Effects of Olive Oil in Plant-Based Diets

Olive oil first gained a reputation as a health food in the 1990s, with the popularization of the Mediterranean diet—a plant-forward eating pattern that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, with modest amounts of dairy, eggs, fish, and poultry, and with olive oil serving as the primary source of added fat. Cultures with Mediterranean diets have lower rates of heart disease, metabolic disease, Type 2 diabetes, and other chronic health conditions. But which aspects of the Mediterranean diet confer the greatest health benefit is an area of ongoing investigation. While a number of studies have corroborated the benefits of emphasizing fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and minimizing red meat, the role of olive oil is less clear.

“There is a lot of important data from Mediterranean diet studies that show that a primarily plant-based diet with [extra virgin olive oil] is better than an animal-based diet,” says cardiologist Monica Aggarwal, M.D., who co-authored the new study. But, as Aggarwal and her co-authors note in the study, there has been little data around whether a plant-based diet without oil might offer even greater heart-health benefits. So Aggarwal and a team of researchers from the University of Florida and National Institutes of Health set out to investigate.

Dubbed the Recipe for Heart Health Trial, the study included 40 adults at risk for cardiovascular disease. None of the participants were plant-based before the study; all were omnivores. The researchers split them into two groups: One group consumed a whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) diet that included 4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil daily. The other group consumed a WFPB diet that was virtually oil free, containing no more than 1 teaspoon of olive oil daily. After four weeks, the researchers had them switch diets. They received gift cards for groceries and attended dietitian-led virtual cooking classes throughout.

Before and after each phase of the trial, the researchers ran blood work and measured aspects of cardiometabolic health including cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (an inflammation marker that can predict the risk of heart disease).

Compared with their blood work at the start of the study, participants saw improvements in cholesterol and other heart health markers while on both plant-based diets, but they saw greater improvements on the low-oil plant-based diet. And when participants switched from the low-oil phase to the higher-oil phase, they saw increases in cholesterol, triglycerides, blood sugar, and hs-CRP.

The authors conclude that “although both inclusion and exclusion of extra virgin olive oil within a whole food, plant-based vegan diet support cardiometabolic disease risk reduction compared with a standard omnivorous pattern, decreased intake of extra virgin olive oil may yield increased lipid lowering than relatively greater consumption.”

Debunking Olive Oil’s Health Food Halo

This latest study adds to growing evidence that olive oil—which is pure liquid fat, with most other nutrients, including fiber, stripped away—is not a health food.

Prominent whole-food, plant-based physicians such as Caldwell Esselstyn, M.D., have long recommended consuming low-fat WFPB diets with little to no added oils for optimal heart health. In 2019, Esselstyn authored an editorial in the International Journal of Disease Reversal and Prevention highlighting scientific evidence linking oil consumption with damage to the arteries.

A 2022 study made headlines when it found that participants who consumed olive oil on a daily basis were less likely to die of cardiovascular disease and all other causes than those who never or rarely consumed olive oil. But that study only analyzed death rates based on different types of added fat in the diet. It did not look at diets with little to no added fat. As Neal Barnard, M.D., president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, explained at the time on The Exam Room by the Physicians Committee podcast: “Olive oil is better than chicken fat, beef fat, cheese fat, dairy fat. … Chicken fat is 30% saturated fat. Beef is 50% saturated fat. But for olive oil it’s all the way down to 14%. That’s good,” Barnard said. “But what if instead I get a nonstick pan and I don’t use any fat at all? That’s best of all because every gram of fat, no matter where it’s from, has 9 calories, and our research has shown that when people get away from these fats in general they do best of all.”

The Less Oil the Better

Matthew Lederman, M.D., co-author of The Forks Over Knives Plan, says that the new study’s findings are in line with results he’s seen among patients who adopt oil-free plant-based diets, with even greater improvements among those who adhere to a low-fat plant-based diet in which only 10%–15% of calories come from fat. “We can see total cholesterols drop 50 points [in weeks],” says Lederman.

Lederman hopes that the recently published research will help shift the perception of olive oil. “This study is not saying you can’t ever have oil, but don’t try and kid yourself that it’s a health food,” he says. For those who aren’t ready to cut out oil completely, Lederman recommends minimizing it as much as possible. “Use it as a last resort,” he says. “Push yourself to make dishes using other sources of rich fatty flavors and textures, like avocados, nuts, seeds, olives. Get it from a whole food if you can.”

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 First-of-Its-Kind Study Challenges the Health Halo of Olive Oil appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

Unfortunately, this treatment plan didn’t prevent me from developing cardiovascular disease. I eventually needed to undergo a triple bypass, followed by four stents. In 2016, I was diagnosed with a fatty liver. My doctors told me not to worry too much about it. Frustrated, I began to question the whole medical system.

Floored by the Evidence: Discovering the WFPB Lifestyle

One day five years ago, my sister-in-law casually asked me if I had ever tried Forks Over Knives’ whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) diet. I told her that I’d never even heard of it. Curious to know more, I began looking for information online, as I’m the kind of person who needs to see evidence to believe health claims. I came across some of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s presentations on countering heart disease with a WFPB diet. Initially skeptical, I bought a copy of his book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, and decided to read it with an open mind. As I read, I was totally floored. I could not deny the evidence.

So, in 2019, I started a WFPB diet, with the hope of addressing the root cause of my cardiovascular disease, rather than just treating the symptoms, as I’d been doing for so many years. Following Dr. Esselstyn’s stringent low-fat WFPB diet was not easy at first. But I kept reminding myself of the alternative.

Within two weeks of adopting this lifestyle, I started noticing subtle changes. Looking in the mirror, my face appeared healthier. I felt a little more energized. My blood pressure, which had been high, was gradually coming down. These early results encouraged me to keep eating WFPB. Over the next few months, I shed some extra weight I’d been carrying, losing 25 pounds.

5 Years Later, I’m Statin-Free

It has been five years since I went WFPB. I no longer need statins. My cholesterol is within the healthy range, as is my blood pressure. I have easily maintained an ideal weight. Before going WFPB, I suffered from back pain due to angina; that’s no longer an issue. There is no evidence that I have a fatty liver.

Doctor visits are no longer frustrating, as I found a new general practitioner who is WFPB herself and uses lifestyle medicine in her practice. There are only two such doctors in my city, but I assume that over time, that number will multiply.

Last year, I was diagnosed with interstitial lung disease, a condition in which scarring of the lungs makes it difficult to get enough oxygen. This is sometimes caused by cardiac medications, and I wonder if this might have been the case for me. Regardless, I’m hopeful that with my healthful lifestyle, I will halt its progression. My last visit to the pulmonologist indicated that my lung capacity is stable.

At nearly 70 years old, I hike up and down hills every week, covering at least two and a half miles without any issues. I love the outdoors.

I don’t like to spend too much time cooking for myself, so I keep my meals plain, simple, and tasty. I’ll often make spaghetti with veggies, spices, and homemade oil-free sauce. I also like to steam mushrooms in vegetable broth, garlic, and vegan Worcestershire sauce, and I serve them with mashed potatoes (made with oat milk and a dash of salt). I enjoy making my own hearty veggie soups. The way I look at food today is vastly different from how I looked at it before I went WFPB. I treat food as my medicine, first and foremost.

I’m so grateful I made this lifestyle change so that I can be here for my daughter (pictured with me above) for as long as possible. I hope my story inspires others to take up this lifestyle. I strongly recommend it to anyone who values their health.

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 Thanks to a Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet, I No Longer Need Statins appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

A whole-food, plant-based diet can be an effective tool for managing heart disease—that’s the consensus of the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, and a number of published scientific studies, including a 2023 clinical trial that saw participants lower their cholesterol in a matter of weeks on a healthy vegan diet. Yet it can be tricky to find cardiologists who are well-versed in using WFPB nutrition in their practice. Fortunately, a handful of innovative cardiology clinics specialize in doing just that, seriously integrating a plant-based diet and other lifestyle strategies (alongside medication and procedures, as needed) in the treatment of heart disease. If you or a loved one have concerns about your cardiovascular health and are interested in healing with nutrition, check out these game-changing U.S. clinics.

Montefiore Cardiac Wellness Program

New York City

Montefiore Medical Center’s Cardiac Wellness Program has been helping patients embrace healthier lifestyles for more than a decade at its Bronx location, and last year, the groundbreaking program launched a clinic in Manhattan. The program consists of office visits where patients receive individualized guidance in transitioning to a whole-food, plant-based diet and making other heart-healthy changes, plus virtual educational sessions that break down the science behind plant-based nutrition and offer time for Q&As. At the helm is Robert Ostfeld, M.D., Montefiore’s director of preventive cardiology, whose passion for plant-based nutrition earned him the nickname “Dr. Kale” among his medical students. Ostfeld says the Cardiac Wellness Program has been incredibly gratifying. “Patients have improved their chest pain, lost weight, lowered their blood pressure and cholesterol, improved erectile function, and much more,” says Ostfeld. “We quite literally have patients crying tears of joy in our office as they feel so much better.” For appointments, call 212-324-4222. Learn more here.

The South Denver Heart Center

Littleton, Colorado

Since their founding in 1977, South Denver Cardiology Associates have championed an integrative approach to cardiology, combining aspects of Western and Eastern medicine. Their holistic philosophy shines through at their Heart Center in Littleton. Designed with relaxation in mind, the facility features an outdoor labyrinth for meditative walks and offers yoga and tai chi classes and massage therapy, in addition to housing the Cardiac Rehabilitation Clinic. The state-of-the-art clinic offers the comprehensive Pritikin Intensive Cardiac Rehab (ICR) program, which teaches patients how to cook and eat plant-based, exercise safely, and adopt a healthier mindset. In addition to the Heart Center, South Denver Cardiology Associates has several offices around the Denver area, and a staff that includes registered dietitian nutritionists who specialize in WFPB diets. Learn more here.

Kahn Center for Cardiac Longevity

Bingham Farms, Michigan

On a mission to help people live as long and well as possible, plant-based cardiologist Joel Kahn, M.D., has treated tens of thousands of heart patients over the past 25 years. At his cardiac clinic just outside of Detroit, Kahn offers the Ultimate Heart Check Up: a thorough one-on-one evaluation in which he assesses facets of the patient’s cardiovascular health to determine an individualized treatment plan. Additional services at the clinic include carotid intimal medial thickness (CIMT) ultrasounds, advanced labs, calcium scores, genetic testing, and nutrition counseling. Learn more here.

The Esselstyn Heart Disease Program

Cleveland, OH

Widely considered the birthplace of coronary artery bypass surgery, the Cleveland Clinic has been at the forefront of heart care for the better part of a century. So it’s not surprising that the renowned institution has led the pack when it comes to exploring the effectiveness of nutrition in heart disease treatment. In the 1980s, the Clinic enabled Caldwell Esselstyn Jr., M.D., to conduct groundbreaking research that paved the way for the modern plant-based movement. Today, the Cleveland Clinic is home to the Esselstyn Heart Disease Program. The single-day, six-hour intensive program promises to help patients make healthy changes in every aspect of their lives, educating them on the science of whole-food, plant-based nutrition. Participants are served a healthy vegan lunch and go home with a recording of the session, educational materials, and a plant-based cookbook. Learn more here.

Ornish Lifestyle Medicine

Online

Through his clinical practice and groundbreaking research, Dean Ornish, M.D., has demonstrated that lifestyle changes may reverse even severe heart disease, without drugs or surgery. His program proved so effective that Medicare created a new benefit category to cover it. Ornish Lifestyle Medicine is a nine-week program consisting of 18 live online classes that cover how to eat well, move more, stress less, and develop a strong support network. Participants receive sensors to track their heart rate, weight, and blood pressure; an activity mat and props for exercising; and two weeks of healthy plant-based breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks, delivered to their doorstep. Notably, Ornish Lifestyle Medicine is reimbursed by Blue Shield of California, Aetna, and some other private insurers, in addition to Medicare. Learn more here.

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 Revolutionizing Cardiac Care: These 5 U.S. Clinics Are Leading the Way with Plant-Based Nutrition appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

For the comprehensive review, published in the British medical journal BMJ, researchers pooled data from 14 studies, which encompassed 9,888,373 participants in all, to look at connections between ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and different health outcomes, including Type 2 diabetes, anxiety, cancer, and early death. For their definition of ultra-processed foods, the researchers referred to the NOVA system, which classifies foods according to their level of processing. They included only studies published within the last three years, and excluded any studies that received funding from manufacturers of UPFs.

Upon completing their analyses, they found that consumption of highly processed foods was linked to a higher risk of 32 of the 45 adverse health outcomes under investigation. The researchers noted that the most convincing evidence involved mental health and cardiometabolic health: Participants who ate more highly processed foods were 53% more likely to suffer from anxiety and/or depression and 50% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease. They were also 12% more likely to have Type 2 diabetes.

Harmful to All of the Body’s Systems

In an editorial appearing in the same issue of BMJ, Carlos A. Monteiro, who developed the NOVA food classification system used in this and numerous other nutrition studies, commented on the findings: “Overall, the authors found that diets high in ultra-processed food may be harmful to most—perhaps all—body systems.”

Also known as highly processed foods, UPFs make up more than 50% of daily calories consumed in the U.S. Common examples include sweetened breakfast cereals, salty snack foods, soda, and store-bought pastries. UPFs have come under increased scrutiny in recent years, with other studies linking diets high in these foods to dementia and inflammatory bowel disease, among other issues. Made primarily with synthesized and extracted ingredients, UPFs tend to be high in calories, sugar, salt, and fat and low in fiber and other nutrients.

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 Massive New Study Presents Strongest Evidence Yet Linking Processed Foods to Range of Health Problems appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

To offer inspiration as we head into 2024, we’ve rounded up the 10 most-shared success stories of the past year. Read on for inspiring testimonials written by people who have lost weight, reversed diabetes and heart disease, and experienced other remarkable health transformations after adopting a whole-food, plant-based diet.

On a High-Carb Diet, I Reversed Type 2 Diabetes and High Cholesterol

In 2019, Kim Jarchow adopted a low-carb, high-protein diet in an effort to lose weight and manage Type 2 diabetes. But she ended up driving up her cholesterol instead. “My doctor wanted to put me on a statin for cholesterol and metformin for diabetes. I knew there had to be a better way,” writes Jarchow. She discovered the WFPB lifestyle and decided to give it a try. “Within just five weeks, my total cholesterol dropped 60 points. … Within six months it dropped to 184, and my A1C dropped from 7.1 to 5.9, all without medication.” Read more.

Oil-Free and Thriving: Restored to Health on a Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet

Mary McCoy was a vegan who thought she was in fairly good health. But after an annual physical in 2021 revealed that she had high cholesterol and prediabetes, she was forced to rethink things. “After that, I cut out all oils, and started learning more about whole-food, plant-based cooking,” writes McCoy. “By that summer, I’d lost 30 pounds!” Read more.

It’s Never Too Late: How I Improved My Health at Age 80 with a WFPB Diet

Never a fan of veggies, Ardis Coffman wasn’t thrilled in 2018 when her daughter began preparing whole-food, plant-based dinners for them. But after Coffman, who had suffered from Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure for decades, started seeing improvements to her blood sugar within two months of the WFPB dinner routine, she started incorporating WFPB breakfasts and lunches, too—and reaping major benefits. “Now I’m 85 and in better health than I was at 45,” writes Coffman. Read more.

I Beat Heart Disease and Lost 44 Pounds in 9 Months Without Portion Control

Wendy Swiger’s doctor was ready to prescribe medications to manage her cholesterol and prediabetes, but Swiger, already on blood-pressure medications, hoped to find another way. That’s when she dived in to a WFPB diet. “A month after starting this way of eating, I had my annual checkup,” writes Swiger. “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.” Within that first month, her blood pressure had normalize, and she was no longer prediabetic. And that was just the beginning. Read more.

How I Transformed My Health in My 60s on a Plant-Based Diet

In 2017, an angiogram revealed a 100% blockage in Armando Alvarez’s right coronary artery. Not a candidate for bypass surgery or stents, he decided to try switching up his diet, first going vegetarian, then vegan and, eventually, whole-food, plant-based. “Soon afterward, the angina that I dealt with for 10 months finally stopped,” writes Alvarez. Read more.

I Switched to a Plant-Based Diet and Resolved My Chronic Pain, MS Symptoms, and Kidney Disease

When a 39-year-old Kimberly Eallonardo was diagnosed with kidney disease and told she’d need a transplant in six months, she was determined to do anything she could to restore her kidneys to health. That’s when a neighbor tipped her off to the benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet. She was immediately ready to try it. “For me, it was a matter of life and death,” she writes. “Within six weeks of going WFPB, I experienced what my nephrologist called a spontaneous remission. Some would call it a miraculous recovery.” Read more.

From Sick and Tired to Happy and Healthy: My Whole-Food, Plant-Based Journey

Julie Tomlinson struggled with obesity for most of her adult life. She and her husband thought they’d tried every diet to lose weight, but then they came across the Forks Over Knives documentary and decided to go vegan. “After a year without animal products, we’d each lost 100 pounds,” writes Tomlinson. She and her husband then transitioned to a WFPB diet and experienced even more benefits. Read more.

Breaking the Cycle of Deprivation: I Lost Weight and Resolved Several Health Issues on a WFPB Diet

Years of yo-yo dieting left Shauné Hayes desperate for lasting change and struggling with a variety of health conditions, including high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar; arthritis; and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). In 2017, she started working with a health coach, who advised her to adopt a WFPB diet. Over the next three years, she lost 100 pounds; brought her cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure down to healthy levels; and eliminated all PCOS symptoms. “Following a WFPB diet has significantly improved my quality of life overall,” she writes. Read more.

On an Oil-Free Plant-Based Diet, I’ve Normalized My Cholesterol and Improved My Eyesight

Prior to discovering the WFPB way of eating, Yolanda and Jim Breidenbaugh both suffered from heart disease. Jim had undergone quadruple bypass surgery, and Yolanda had very high cholesterol. After watching Forks Over Knives and reading The Starch Solution, they became convinced that going WFPB was the right move for their heart health. “We found ourselves reaping some health benefits within months,” writes Yolanda. “We both had more energy, and my cholesterol dropped to 147.” Read more.

After a Prostate Cancer Diagnosis Spurred Me to Go Plant-Based, I Feel Like the Energizer Bunny

Upon learning he had prostate cancer, Michael Andrus struggled with feelings of anxiety and hopelessness. “Things felt out of my control, which was a hard reality to face,” writes Andrus. Then his cousin recommended he read How Not to Die by Michael Greger, M.D. “It was the beginning of a dramatic change in my life.” Read more.

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 Our Most-Shared Success Stories of 2023 appeared first on Forks Over Knives.

With the help of identical twins, a team of researchers at Stanford Medicine have uncovered some of the most compelling evidence yet that a vegan diet can significantly improve heart health in as little as two months.

How It Worked

For the randomized controlled trial, the team recruited 22 pairs of healthy adult identical twins via the Stanford Twin Registry, a database of twins who have signed up to participate in research. At the outset of the study, the researchers drew participants’ blood and recorded their weight. Then they assigned one twin from each pair to follow a vegan diet for eight weeks, and the other to an omnivorous diet.

The researchers ensured that both diets were as healthful as possible, with both the vegan and omnivore diets containing ample vegetables, beans, fruits, and whole grains and minimal sugar and refined starches. The omnivorous diet additionally included chicken, fish, eggs, cheese, and dairy. For the first four weeks, breakfasts, lunches, and dinners were provided via a meal-delivery service seven days a week for all participants. For the final eight weeks of the study, they prepared their own meals.

What They Discovered

At four weeks and eight weeks, the researchers again drew blood samples and weighed the participants again. They found that, at the halfway point, the twins eating vegan had already seen significant improvements in their cardiometabolic health, with lower LDL cholesterol, insulin, and body weight. By the completion of the study, the vegan group had reduced their LDL by around 14% and their fasting insulin levels by 20%. They’d also lost, on average, 4.2 pounds more than the omnivorous group.

The results were published November 30 in JAMA Network Open. “The findings from this trial suggest that a healthy plant-based diet offers a significant protective cardiometabolic advantage compared with a healthy omnivorous diet,” the authors concluded.

Why This Study Is Groundbreaking

Over the past few decades, there’s been no shortage of research supporting the health benefits of plant-based diets, with dozens of studies linking them to lower rates of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. But the vast majority of these studies are observational, which can make it hard to pinpoint cause and effect: Are these people healthier because they’re eating a more plant-based diet, or do people who are already healthier for other reasons tend to follow a more plant-based diet?

Randomized clinical trials (RCTs), a gold standard in scientific research, allow scientists to control for extensive variables so that they can more confidently identify cause and effect. Other interventional studies on vegan or plant-based diets conducted to date have found similarly promising results. A July 2023 meta-analysis of 20 RCTs found reductions in LDL cholesterol and body weight for participants assigned to vegetarian, vegan, and plant-based diets.

RCTs involving identical twins afford researchers the additional advantage of subjects with virtually identical genes and similar upbringings. Christopher Gardner, PhD, senior author of the Stanford Medicine study and a professor of medicine at the university, commented afterward that the study provided “a groundbreaking way to assert that a vegan diet is healthier than the conventional omnivore diet.”

“Based on these results and thinking about longevity, most of us would benefit from going to a more plant-based diet,” Gardner said.

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.

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