Rush Limbaugh was rushed to Honolulu's Queen's Medical Center yesterday, reportedly suffering from severe chest pains. Today, according to hospital sources, he is undergoing appropriate tests and resting. The symptoms of heart disease can be terrifying, and I wish Rush a speedy and uneventful recovery.
As a doctor, I would like to offer one bit of advice, not just to Rush, but to anyone in a similar predicament: It is important to be conservative. As conservative as possible, in fact.
With your diet, that is.
Many Americans are far too liberal with their servings of meat, dairy products, eggs, and other less-than-healthy foods. And they are getting more so with each passing year. Per capita annual meat intake has risen roughly 70 pounds in the last century, and cheese intake has jumped by nearly 30 pounds in the same time period. That is a huge load of cholesterol, fat, and calories, and it has fueled epidemics of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and other health problems.
In our grandparents' day, people knew the value of humble beans, vegetables, and fruits, often growing them in their own family gardens. These foods have essentially no cholesterol and very little saturated fat. It pays to give them renewed respect. Indeed, people who stick to an entirely plant-based diet, as part of an overall healthy lifestyle, can do more than just prevent heart disease; they can actually reverse it, as was demonstrated in the now-classic studies of Dean Ornish, MD.
A plant-based diet can also help you slim down, improve diabetes and hypertension, and feel like yourself again.
Today, I invite everyone who could use a bit of encouragement and support to join PCRM's online program that helps people prevent and reverse heart disease and lose weight. The program, called the 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, begins on New Year's Day, and includes daily recipes and messages of encouragement from doctors and celebrities. To sign up, please visit www.21DayKickstart.org.
It's a way to start the New Year off right.