Customer Reviews

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure

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One of the pioneers in demonstrating the power of plant-based nutrition to contemporary North America, this man has an impressive resume. I first met Dr. Esselstyn through a DVD. There were a number of excellent speakers at the 2005 Vegsource Healthy Lifestyle Expo, but his presentation really made the purchase of these DVDs worthwhile for me. So much so, that in 2006 I spent 3 days on a bus to meet him (and others) in person, in California.

My father, grandfather and great grandfather all died young from heart attacks, my father being the youngest at 42. For most of my life I didn't put that much stock in nutrition. (Although I had a mother who did!) Until my running took a bit of a hit in my mid-forties, I thought being fit was much more important than what I ate. I no longer think that way!

I'm sure it will be difficult for many people raised in our North American culture to comprehend the profound changes that take place in the biochemistry of the human body, with the adoption of a whole foods, plant-based diet. But Dr. Esselstyn has some very impressive angiographic evidence, along with the patients from his study, and should convince the skeptics, this works!

While I appreciate the simplicity of Dr. Esselstyn's message, I do eat small amounts of wild salmon from time to time, as well as a few raw nuts and seeds. Also, a lot of Caldwell Esselstyn's book, is really his wife Ann's very original recipes.

T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D., author of The China Study introduced, again, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn because they share a common belief regarding plant based nutrition.

This book tackles the Why and the How of proper nutrition and how it improves the well being of people with coronary challenges. The documentation of the experiences with his original group pretty well establishes that if they could follow the Dr. Esselstyn's plan any determined person can do it and if they could be healed, the solution is universal.

Personally, I have found it to be a very effective weight loss program that does not require any calorie counting nor limited quantities of the acceptable foods.

After a thorough reading of this book and frequent back checking of specific clinic results cited by the author I give this book top marks. I am elderly and in the process of adopting many of his recommendations in hopes of extending my life another decade. Having successfully had both by-pass surgery and prostate treatment the book opens new doors to healthy eating for me to enter. The recipes are tasty and easy to prepare leaving me feeling noticeably better. What more can I say.

Very reasonable case for omitting meats, fish, dairy and oil from personal menu if you realize you are one of those susceptible to damage to your heart through your lipid system, signalled by a high cholesterol reading, among other things. Have been on the suggested foods for two months, have lost ten pounds of fat, no more leg pain when walking, energy levels still good, digestion highly improved...cholestrol level already down two points....will stay with regime - very thankful for the quick delivery of a great book.

"I don't understand why asking people to eat a well-balanced vegetarian diet is considered drastic, while it is medically conservative to cut people open." (Dean Ornish). I have a friend at work who is in his mid-forties, has type-2 diabetes and is a classic case of metabolic syndrome. He thinks he will die if he does not eat enough meat and dairy products to get his protein and that the pills his doctor proscribes will "control" his condition. His doctor told him he should loose weight and he has been trying (cutting back on calories, skipping breakfast and eating soup) for the last year with absolutely no success. He is a stroke or a heart attack waiting to happen. He has a young son that he is raising by himself and I keep thinking about their future. That is why I bought and read this book.

Esselstyn's book is simply written, powerfully persuasive and the recipes are easy and nutritious and exactly what is needed for a pending cardiac emergency. I am hoping that I can persuade my friend to read this book and choose life.

I learned about Dr. Esselstyn's work from another book (China Study). I don't know how truly affective his advice is but it sounds indeed reasonable. I have to just put it in practice and see the results. In any case the recipes are good, the meals tasty, and I find this book worth having, indeed. Another title that I highly recommend is Cure the Incurable.

I found this book compelling, if not shocking, and since I do the cooking, my wife and I are now 95% vegan on today's terms and 85% on Esselstyn's terms. While I think it presents very compelling reasons for diet change, I have some reservations:

1. It's anecdotal and based on applied research with his patients and his own dietary experience 20 years ago.
2. The diet may be necessarily restrictive because his patients had severe problems and maybe need an extreme diet. Others might include foods acceptable in other research. i.e. olive oil for cooking, wild fish periodically, nuts, etc.
3. There's a lot of medical research being published currently with quite specific new dietary advice. i.e. "The Globe and Mail Aug. 25, 2011 - Proper diet best defence against bad cholesterol: new Canadian study".

I got this book because my doc called me to tell me my cholesterol was too high and wanted me to go on statins. I have a family history of heart disease - Have been a vegetarian most of my life. Did not believe I would loose any weight at all.
But to my pleasant surprise - I am down 7 pounds and am thorougly enjoying the recipes and being able to eat as much as I want!! That is the best part of this diet. Its a great book - explains everything very clearly. I would recommend it to anybody that wants to seriously change their lifestyle. I am amazed at how easy it is to follow the book. They have done a great job with it.