Whole Food Plant-Based – Seven Years and Counting

I’ve been following a Whole Food Plant-Based (WFPB) diet that has been 100% plant based for seven years. I stopped eating extracted oils approximately five years ago. I’ve maintained good health and have had no need to visit a physician during these seven years.

My weight has remained quite steady. It fluctuates throughout the year between 170 to 175 lbs. I’m usually closer to 175 lbs in the winter months and closer to 170 lbs in the summer. Although I exercise on a regular basis, the intensity of the exercise has gradually declined.

Back on March 15, 2009, the day I began my WFPB lifestyle, I weighed 185 lbs and was running and working out hard every day. Eating a WFPB diet has allowed me to keep my weight at 175 lbs this winter even though I’ve done no vigorous aerobic training since early December, 2015 due to a knee issue. As long as I eat the right foods and I eat until I’m comfortably full, my weight remains under control. There is never a need to count calories when fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes dominate your diet.

Here are results from my most recent blood work taken by an employee wellness program on 7/30/2015:

• Total Chol – 120
• LDL Chol – 63
• HDL Chol – 45
• Non-HDL – 75
• Triglycerides – 61
• Glu – 91

Blood Pressure on 7/30/2015 was 132/87.

I pulled blood work results obtained from the Capital Care Health and Fitness Expo for the last four years. My Total Cholesterol results were:

2012 – <100

2013 – 119

2014 – 113

2015 – 126

So my average total cholesterol level from the last five measurements is 116 mg/dl. According to heart disease expert Dr. William Castelli, people with total cholesterol levels under 150 just don’t get heart disease. I’m very happy with my results.

At age 55, I’m on no medications. In fact, the only medication I’ve needed in seven years was an antibiotic that was prescribed a few years back as a precaution prior to a dental implant procedure. Other than that, I haven’t needed any prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medications.

Although I no longer have a desire to eat meat, fish, poultry, eggs or dairy, I’m still open to adding some animal protein to my diet if the evidence supports doing so.

Why I Continue to Avoid Animal Products

Back in 1993, upon the conclusion of the China-Cornell-Oxford Project, T.Colin Campbell hypothesized that instead of indicting fat as the sole nutrient responsible for contributing to diseases such as a heart disease, cancer and diabetes – as has been the trend of many Western researchers – they should consider that “an improper balance of `animal’ to `plant’ foods is the chief cause”. He went on to state that his hypothesis relies on “overwhelmingly compelling observations” that the nutritional characteristics of animal-based foods such as meats and dairy products may enhance degenerative diseases while plant foods may protect against them”

The research of Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. and Dr. Neal Barnard certainly supports Dr. Campbell’s hypothesis. The results of the China-Cornell-Oxford Project have been instrumental in helping many Americans become as healthy as the rural Chinese in the 1980s.

As China has become more industrialized, they are eating more like Americans and are beginning to see large increases in cancer, diabetes and other chronic diseases.

How unfortunate that China did not heed the warnings of Dr. Campbell about the dangers of a diet high in animal protein.

What’s happening in China further supports my decision to eliminate, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy and extracted oils.

Stay Healthy and Strong!