This past weekend I attended Plant-Stock 2015 at the Esselstyn Farm in Claverack, NY. Upon my arrival, I was greeted by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn who was at the wheel of his golf cart. He offered me a ride to the registration table which I politely declined. I didn’t want to take up space for someone who might need a ride.
There was a gentleman sitting in the passenger seat who looked familiar to me. It turned out that it was Bob from North Carolina, a guy I met at Plant-Stock 2013. You can read about Bob’s remarkable recovery from coronary artery disease in this earlier article. Bob was as energetic and healthy-looking as he appeared in 2013.
As Dr. Esselstyn rode Bob and another passenger to the registration area, I started walking along the dewy grass. As Dr. Esselstyn passed he exclaimed “he must have water-proof sneakers!” My Altra running shoes are hardly water proof as my feet got sufficiently wet by the time I reached the registration table where I was greeted by Engine 2 Blogger and Health Coach Char Nolan. Before I could give her my name she said “we all want your shirt”. I was wearing a yellow shirt that had the Plantastic Life logo on the front and our web address on the back. The shirt received a few more compliments from Plant-Stock attendees later in the day. All credit goes to my sister Terri, who made the shirt, and my niece Lindsay, who developed the logo.
So my Plant-Stock 2015 experience was off to a great start and the speakers, Engine 2 team members, and even the caterers made sure that the rest of the weekend was just as great.
To keep this article from becoming a rambling mess, I decided that I’d just include the messages and experiences from Plant-Stock 2015 that had the most impact on me.
Dr. Campbell was as fired up as I have ever seen him. More than once he vowed to the crowd that he was never going to give up sharing what he knows about the healing power of whole food plant based (WFPB) diets.
Dr. Campbell reiterated that it’s important to focus on the danger of consuming diets high in animal foods and not to focus on animal fats. In fact he reminded everyone that research implicates animal protein as a disease-promoter more than it implicates animal fat.
Dr. Campbell informed the crowd that consuming protein above needed levels (10% of total calories) is only problematic if it is animal protein. He clearly stated that plant protein intake that goes above 10% of total calories is NOT a problem.
Dr. Campbell’s strongest message was his continued concern about the suppression of academic freedom caused by industry influence at universities. A prime example is how Cornell turned a historic building on campus into a dairy cathedral. It’s this kind of influence that resulted in Dr. Campbell’s popular course on vegetarian (plant-based) nutrition being abruptly pulled from Cornell’s catalog in 2011. Dr. Campbell was allowed to develop an on-line plant-based nutrition course through eCornell, but Cornell University students cannot receive credits upon completion. (MDs can receive continuing education credits).
Dr. Campbell is as committed to defending academic freedom as he is in promoting whole plant foods as the most powerful weapons against chronic disease..
Dr. Esselstyn shared his research experience on the effect of a low fat WFPB diet on preventing and treating heart disease. He highly stresses the importance of maintaining healthy arterial endothelial cells. Based on Framingham Heart Study data, Dr. Esselstyn likes to see total cholesterol under 150. However, he is beginning to think that people with total cholesterol slightly above 150 may be fine as long as they are following his plant-perfect diet.
Dr. Barnard discussed diet’s role in protecting and promoting brain health, especially the health of the hippocampus which is involved in memory forming, organizing and storing.
Dr. Tom Campbell discussed the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Program for Nutrition in Medicine. It includes:
- 8 week lifestyle programs
- Week long immersions
- Individual Consultations
A week-long immersion looks like it may be a sort of east coast version of Dr. John McDougall’s live-in program on the west coast. Pretty Exciting!
Dr. Ostfeld is a cardiologist at the Montefiore Health Center in the Bronx and he has developed a program that uses diet to treat patients with coronary artery disease. (CAD). I visited his program in 2014 and wrote this article.
Although Dr. Ostfeld is a cardiologist, he did not spend too much time on diet and heart health as he he did not want to repeat much of what Dr. Esselstyn had already thoroughly covered. He focused on the breadth of effects attributed to WFPB diets. He shared a list of what appeared to be at least 50 conditions that can be treated with dietary change.
Dr. Ostfeld informed us that the human body has over 60,000 miles of blood vessels. If we eat in a way that keeps our blood vessels healthy, it will likely keep all of our organ systems healthy.
Dr. Ostfeld also discussed the growing research that shows how a healthy gut microbiome ( intestinal microorganisms) is likely to result in great overall health. The documentary “Gut Reaction” shows how diet plays an important role in maintaining a healthy gut. Dr. Ostfeld shared that there is research showing that common artificial sweeteners can wreck havoc on the gut and can even increase the risk of insulin resistance.
Rip closed the program with a segment called “Hope”. He shared interesting historical information about his great grandfather George Washington Crile MD. Dr. Crile performed the first successful human blood transfusion in 1906 yet blood transfusions did not become a generally accepted practice until 30 years later. Dr. Crile believed that thousands of lives would have been saved had transfusions received acceptance years earlier.
Likewise, the benefits of WFPB diets have been known for decades, yet most people are still unaware of these benefits. Unfortunately, this has resulted in unnecessary debilitation and premature death for millions of people. This fact is what keeps Rip and his Engine 2 team fighting the good fight.
On a promising note, Rip is excited about a film project called “The Game Changers”. Rip thinks that this film will have a greater impact than the film “Forks Over Knives”. It will focus on male athletes who thrive on WFPB diets. Perhaps it will finally keep plant based eaters from hearing the dreaded question “but where do you get your protein?”
The film is expected to be released some time in 2017.
I can’t end an article on Plant Stock without mentioning the food. The food served this year and in 2013 was great. Mazzone Catering deserves a shout out. I asked the gentleman in charge of catering this event if Mazzone’s ever gets asked to prepare meals meeting the Engine 2 WFPB criteria for other events. He said that the occasional high end wedding will ask for WFPB options with no added oil. I was pleasantly surprised to hear this. Maybe in the not too distant future, many catered events will provide WFPB options. My favorite meal was the Raise-The-Roof-Lasagna and Steamed Kale and Walnut Sauce.
Upon leaving, I asked Rip if there is going to be a Plant Stock 2016. Without hesitating he said yes. I hope to see some of you there next year.
Stay Healthy and Strong!
E Excerpt from Laurie Endicott Thomas’s amazing book Thin Diabetes – Fat Diabetes by clicking here!
Excellent article Dominic! My husband and I attended Dr. Fuhrman’s getaway in Newport Beach, California. The food was excellent and the lectures informative. I think it would be interesting to attend Dr. Campbell’s getaway especially if is on the East Coast. That’s good news to hear that someone in the Capital District actually can offer WFPB options.
Elaine DeLuca
I still want that shirt, Domenic!!!