The Engine 2 Diet: The Texas Firefighter's 28-Day Save-Your-Life Plan that Lowers Cholesterol and Burns Away the Pounds [Hardcover]

Okay, so I admit - I need to lose a (clears throat) few pounds! But what really caught my eye of Rip Esselstyn's new book was the subtitle - "The Texas Firefighter's 28 Day Save-Your-Life Plan that Lowers Cholesterol and Burns Away the Pounds."

Okay - cholesterol is a major concern for many North American adults and who couldn't stand to lose a (clears throat) few pounds?

The basis for The Engine 2 Diet is Esselstyn's belief that "...the most basic, profound and powerful way to take care of your health on a day-to-day basis is to eat a healthy, plant-based diet."

As a firefighter and dedicated athlete, Rip was concerned about the health of his fellow firefighters. He convinced them to join him in his plant based diet and all who participated saw profound results, both in weight and health improvement.

He has two plans - Fire Cadet - which slowly weans you off meat, eggs, dairy, oils and refined products. And the Firefighter - you're off all the above at once. There are numerous studies and facts presented to back up his belief that this is the way to live the rest of your life. Results can be seen in four weeks.

Of course, it needs to be combined with physical activity, muscular and cardiovascular. Rip uses a method called functional training - using your own body weight, no equipment needed. There is a full section on stretching and exercise, complete with descriptive pictures. He advocates having a number of medical tests (ie blood work, BP etc) done so that you have a baseline to measure your progress against. The book is peppered with testimonials and anecdotes, giving it a personal feel.

The second half of the book cover recipes and meal plans. I found the section on label reading and specific product recommendations to be extremely helpful and very clearly written. How to ensure you are getting the nutrients you need from sources other than meats and dairy were helpful as well. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised with the recipes and meal plans. They were absolutely do-able, if that makes sense. Many of them were foods I already enjoy. Most of them appealed to me. (But I will take a pass on kale butter!)

I have to say that a lot of it really makes sense to me after reading this book. Even if you took some of his ideas and adapted them to your life, you would reap some benefit. Am I going to jump on the bandwagon? (or fire engine as the case may be) It's given me a lot to consider.

This is a fabulous book. It condenses the information that I have read in both The China Study by Colin Campbell and The Food Revolution by John Robbins in a very readable and convincing manner. There are a lot of simple and great recipes in the last third of the book which will help you on your way to eliminate meat and dairy from your diet. Rip has done a remarkable job with this book. He has a website which will help keep you on track as well. Check it out at www.theengine2diet.com. If everyone followed what he so eloquently wrote about in this book we would be much healthier and less of a strain and drain on our healthcare system. More importantly you will feel the best you have felt in your life.

This past February the 12th, Rip Esselstyn appeared on the Dr. Oz show in a segment promoting vegan nutrition. Three Chicago firemen carrying excess body fat, and elevated blood pressure and cholesterol levels, will return to the show in sixty days so viewers can see the effects of Rip's "plant strong" dietary intervention on these markers for chronic disease. Dr. Oz seems pretty confident that these firemen will be able to lose the weight they need to lose, and eliminate any future need for these types of medication, by continuing to embrace Rip's nutritional approach long-term.

When the vast majority of North American seniors are on prescription drugs for the rest of their lives, usually related to some degree of cardiovascular disease, Dr. Oz quite bluntly states to one firemen, "Thirty-seven year old men should not be on medications for things like cholesterol! Unless they've done everything else possible. Just because you don't want to be on anything for your whole life." When mainstream television shows start promoting vegan nutrition to their viewers, and mainstream doctors start discouraging people away from prescription drugs, I guess the (health care) sky really must be falling.

For those not already on-board with the message, this book can be a valuable resource for implementing a dietary transition to plant-based eating, and will be particularly helpful for those North Americans who have difficulty dispelling some widely held cultural notions. Such as our perceived need for cow's milk to prevent bones from becoming fragile and frail, and animal protein for building and maintaining strong muscles.

It's somehow fitting that while Rip's great grandfather co-founded the Cleveland Clinic, now world renowned for the most technically advanced surgical interventions for heart disease, his father, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, a traditionally trained general surgeon working at the same hospital, Prevent And Reverse Heart Disease became one of the pioneers in a surprisingly simple approach that bypasses the need for open heart surgery, and effectively eliminates the need for mechanical interventions. As he's fond of saying, "Heart disease is a food-borne illness!"

Also recommended, The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health and Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss