The biggest killer in America is heart disease (it kills almost 50 percent of Americans), and obesity is at epidemic levels.
For years, Doctors like HuffPo Medical Editor Dean Ornish, John McDougall, Caldwell Esselstyn and Neal Barnard have been pointing out that obesity among vegetarians is a tiny fraction of the obesity rate among the general population, and that heart disease can be not just prevented, but reversed with a plant-based diet.
The American Dietetic Association, in its position paper on vegetarian diets, looked at all of the evidence, and found that vegetarian diets are appropriate for all populations, and that vegetarians have much lower rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity.
The vegetarian message just got a big boost -- Big Dog Bill Clinton read books by Esselstyn and Ornish, and went on an almost completely plant-based diet. He says he feels better, he's at his high school weight (he's lost 24 pounds so far), and that he expects to live longer as a result.
As Dr. Ornish said to Wolf Blitzer in the clip below, on a plant-based diet, "Your brain gets more blood, you think more clearly, you have more energy, [and] your skin gets more blood so you don't age as quickly. Even your sexual organs get more blood in the same way that Viagra works. So yeah you'll probably live longer, but you'll also feel better."
Let's hope the Big Dog inspires others.
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My own story is similar to Clinton's in that, when I switched to a vegetarian diet eight years ago, I also lost a significant portion of the extra weight I had been carrying around, without really trying. Even more important to me, I started feeling a lot better.
As time went on, I gradually transitioned to a totally plant-based diet, consisting mostly of whole foods, often raw. The result is that I feel better than ever before. No kidding. Not only that, I enjoy eating more than ever before. I eat tasty foods that help me feel my best, and without any of the guilt that often goes along with not eating in a healthy way.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/san-diego-city-council-and-mayor-declare-veg-week-103946548.html
It's pretty exciting to hear a former president talk about almond milk. I really do wish him the best and wish the best to anyone who adopts a vegan diet for health.
The only thing is that many who adopt a vegan diet for health often revert back to an omnivorous diet when they feel their health condition has stabilized, or they're not getting enough benefit, or when they believe it's too "hard" or inconvenient to maintain.
So, I hope Bill Clinton remains vegan for his health ... and that he inspires others to do the same. But I'll really rejoice when someone as prominent as he says it's wrong to kill animals just because they taste good.
Now those are results you can 'shake a stick at'!