Let's Hear From Some Experts

The Change That Changes Everything, Part 7

Throughout this experience (of both the week-long water fast and the new way of eating), I have read several books and watched several documentary films that I have found helpful. I have also read and watched lots of anecdotal accounts on social media, which for many is the epitome of shoddy "research." Nevertheless, I found many of them helpful and encouraging, so I will share some of those links, too.

I must warn you that both this investigative journey and the practical experience of fasting and whole food, plant-based eating—should you decide to embark on it—will involve several paradigm shifts in your thinking. You may find yourself doubtful, confused, angry, perplexed, shocked, indignant, frustrated, cynical, and any other number of unpleasant emotions before it's all over with.

In the words of my own father, who is slowly dipping his toes into this way of eating—and who says he is planning to give it a real try after the holidays—"It's pretty compelling stuff."

So here it is, some of the "pretty compelling stuff"... for those who want to read about it.

NOTE: All of these experts support some version of whole food, plant-based eating. They each differ slightly in the other things they advocate for (and against) in the diet, so it has been freeing (if not also confusing) to read the differing perspectives on the same basic diet plan. Don't be confused or bothered by that, but rather encouraged. There's more than one way to skin an orange!

* Fasting and Eating for Health: A Medical Doctor's Program for Conquering Disease 

by Joel Fuhrman, MD

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

by Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., MD

* How Not to Die and How Not to Diet (and the helpful cookbooks of the same names) 

by Michael Gregor, MD, founder of NutritionFacts.org

* The End of Diabetes: The Eat to Live Plan to Prevent and Reverse Diabetes

by Joel Fuhrman, MD, which I've not read but my friend Carole did. (You remember, the book she initially said was "kooky" and written by a "quack"!)

We also watched several helpful and encouraging documentaries, including:

* Forks Over Knives (as of this writing, available on Amazon Prime)

* The Game Changers (as of this writing, available on Netflix)

NOTE: A quick internet search will find you lots of articles "debunking" the premises of these books and films, I'm sure. If you don't want to give this a try, don't! If you don't want to eat this way, don't! I'm not trying to convince you of anything.

However, in my experience, I find that "anecdotal evidence" is only dismissed as insufficient and invalid when you aren't the one looking at an end to two decades of IBS diarrhea (like my friends Pete and Carole); or over a decade of incurable, chronic, debilitating pain (like me); or a dozen years of needing insulin (like Carole's husband), wiped out in two days. Then, the anecdotal evidence will do quite well, thank you very much!

So there are some sources, for whatever they're worth in your eyes. Hope you find it helpful!

Read Part 8, Yes, I Really Did a Week-Long Water Fast (Twice!)

NOTE: The information provided on the site is for educational purposes only, and does not substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you’re seeking medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. I am not a medical professional or healthcare provider, and I have no professional medical, nutritional, or dietary credentials. You yourself are responsible for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon any information or advice appearing on this site. 

Start the story at the beginning with Part 1.

Some of the Psychological Pieces of the Puzzle

The Change That Changes Everything, Part 6

As I’ve mentioned before, I began this eating plan as a trial run, “just to see what happens” and to see if it would help with my horrible chronic pain. I did not set out to change the way I ate forever. In fact, when I first began eating this way, I literally could not even allow myself to think about “regular food” (i.e. the foods I used to eat). I would dismiss out of hand any thought that popped into my head of former treasured foods—pizza, I’m looking at you!—or of any idea that this would be a lifetime change. I just couldn’t “go there.”

Every day, I would plan for the day at hand, and tell myself, “I can eat this way today.” It was literally one day at a time. 

I also found myself struggling desperately with other psychological aspects to this new way of eating. Here they are, in no particular order:

1) “I can eat this way today.”

This was by far the biggest psychological hurdle. You can’t think about forever. You can’t plan for a lifetime of eating this way. Just do today. The todays will add up until you’ve completed your trial period—however long you gave yourself initially to see if you notice any differences that make you want to continue. For some, it was a month, for some three months. So far, we’ve all made the switch and just continued eating this way, never to stop. But it is because we don’t want to go back. If you complete your trial, and then you want to go back to eating your old way, that’s perfectly your choice. It won’t hurt anything to have eaten mostly vegetables for a few months!

2) “I don’t want to be ‘that person’!”

This was (and is) a big one for me. I feel dumb being the person who needs a special diet… who eats weird at potlucks and parties and wedding receptions (if she eats at all!)… who takes her own food places… who can’t come to your house for dinner… who is asking about the gluten-free and vegan sections of the menu at a restaurant. (Note: It is challenging to eat this way at a restaurant, but not impossible—and you almost certainly have to fudge on the no-processed-oil part, even if you find places that you can have mostly whole foods that come from plants. But during the Very Difficult First Three Weeks—that initial period when you can’t get your bearings or figure out how you’re going to cook this way Every. Single. Day.—we relied heavily on a trip to Moe’s or Cava to get us through some days!)

3) “I don’t want to talk about it.”

I find myself caught in this near schizophrenic place, between wanting to never, ever talk about this, hoping no one ever asks me, especially in front of others… and wanting to tell everyone I know, because I’m convinced they’ll feel better and be healthier if they make this switch. But I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable. I don’t want them to roll their eyes at me… to think ”she’s talking about that again,” or “Laurie is at it again with something weird,” or “I bet she’s judging me.” (For the record, I’m not judging you! After all, you’re the one eating conventionally, and I’m the one doing the next weird, counter-cultural thing!) I don’t want to bring it up to people because I don’t want them to think in any way that I think they should be eating this way, too. I totally respect your decision to eat however you want to, and to do so without thinking that I’m judging you for not eating "my" way. But if I think it would help you with some pain or physical issue you’re having, it is hard not to want to tell you! 

That's why I've written these blog posts. Now I can "tell you," without telling you in person, and you can read or not read based on your own interest. Feel free to ask questions, of course (posting them in the comments is fine), but I'm trying to give answers to folks' questions—as they pose them to me—in the blog posts themselves.

4) "But I'm a good cook!"

This one is stupid, maybe, but I'm a good cook. I've spent a lifetime honing my cooking skills, and I make delicious food. Well, delicious conventional food. This way of cooking and preparing food is totally different, and it is totally outside of my element. I am no longer a "good cook" in the same way I was. I feel like I'm having to learn all kinds of new ways of cooking now,.. and even so, it is quite probable that only other whole food/plant-based eaters will find the new foods utterly delicious. This may be, for me, nothing more than the death of some worldly pride, but it is real nevertheless, and it is inextricably bound with the next one...

5) "But we feed people!"

There's a sign on my fridge that says, "Food is our love language," and it's the truth. For years, a significant part of the way I care for and love people has been to feed them... to cook for them... to have them over and fellowship over a shared meal. Things that are sometimes challenging for others were easy for me: cooking for a crowd, inviting people into your home even if it isn't spotless or the meal is simple fare. This is an entirely different skill set, and I am still—to this day (four months in now)—finding it challenging to cook for a crowd this way. It is expensive to buy organic produce. It is time-consuming to chop all the vegetables... and it takes a lot of vegetables! I'm sure this will get easier as I get more experienced with it, but it is a very real piece of the puzzle for me at this point.

6) "My face is kind of saggy now."

This is a piece that is difficult to share (because I feel vulnerable and silly), but there it is. If you switch to eating this way and lose a lot of weight—and if, like me, you carry a lot of weight in your face and are over the age of 50—the skin on your face and neck may sag in disconcerting ways after the weight loss. My daughters assure me that "slim and a little saggy" is far more attractive and preferable to "taut and fat," but it is still a psychological piece of it for me. I do, however, feel far more attractive, slim...saggy skin notwithstanding.

Read Part 7, Let's Hear From Some Experts

NOTE: The information provided on the site is for educational purposes only, and does not substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you’re seeking medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. I am not a medical professional or healthcare provider, and I have no professional medical, nutritional, or dietary credentials. You yourself are responsible for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon any information or advice appearing on this site. 

Start the story at the beginning with Part 1.

Getting Started with Only Notes from a Phone Call (and a Word About the Weight Loss Piece)

The Change That Changes Everything, Part 5

“What is the name of the program?” This is probably the first thing I get asked most of the time. There is no single “program.”  There is no one book to read that tells you exactly what to do in order to start eating this way. 

I began this whole thing “cold,” before I had read any of the books I have since read about this way of eating. I called my friend Gloria and had a phone call with her about how she applies this way of eating. (This is the mother of my friend with rheumatoid arthritis who has “managed her symptoms away” with this way of eating.) Gloria is a bit "free-er" and “looser” with it than Rachel is, because she can afford to be. She’s thrilled with how much better she feels, all the weight she lost (and kept off), and all the energy she has. (Even in her 70s she’s still working full time!)

NOTE: Gloria and Rachel each shared with me, as a friend, her own dietary practices. Neither was offering medical advice or making any health claims for me to follow, nor am I doing so by sharing the conversations here with you  Always consult your physician before making any health, dietary, or nutrition decisions for yourself and your family  

That said, I offer you my notes from those first phone calls:

GLORIA'S WAY

(She’s a little more liberal and “free” with it than Rachel is.)

Lost 40 pounds (and 5 clothing sizes) and then leveled out and stayed steady

He husband “cheats” at times but mostly eats what she does and has lost 50 pounds. 

NO DEPRIVATION: "Gloria's rule" is eat all you want, whenever you want, from this list

GLORIA EATS:

• All fruit you want anytime
• All veggies you want anytime
• Grains of any kind (except wheat)
• Legumes of any kind
• Nothing with a face or a mother
• No oils of any kind
• No nuts or avocados until you hit your base weight
• No dairy
• No sugar
• No processed or pre-packaged foods

HER USUAL BREAKFAST:

Fresh green juice (celery, cucumbers, lemon, Granny Smith apple, fresh pineapple)

Turmeric root, ginger root (shot)

Oatmeal (with raisins, apple, blueberry)

Side of “larger” fruit (mango, melon, etc.)

Snacks: banana, apple, or grapes whenever she gets hungry

HER USUAL DINNER:

Big green salad w/vinegar (no oil)

Also another dish (grains, veggies, soup, etc.)

HELPFUL PRACTICES:

• Keep prepared dishes in the fridge (veggie soup, one-dish vegan meals)
• Beans—freeze 2 C. in quart baggies
• “The Senate Soup” online but without the ham hock
• Stay proactive with purchasing and pre-cooking
• Clean sweep all forbidden ingredients out of the house
• Order legumes from nuts.com
• Don’t think of what you can’t eat, but focus on what you can have
• Vegan Thanksgiving: Rachel sent formal invitation, sent everyone a recipe card and asked each person to triple it—best family Thanksgiving they’d ever had (all agreed)
• Order Seitenbachen and Rapunzel veggie broth powder online
• Vegan recipes on the internet 
• Coconut aminos, tamari sauce, delicious natural vinegars
• Seasonello salt
• Kroger Italian cut beans frozen
• Gourmet olive oil/vinegar store for natural vinegars (apricot is her fav)
• “How Not to Diet” cookbook

Book: How to Reverse and Prevent Heart Disease (Esselstyn)

RACHEL'S WAY

Wheelchair-bound w/rheumatoid arthritis and could not walk unassisted by crutches or go up and down stairs. 

Substantial turnaround in 6 months

Absolutely pain-free after 3 years

JUST KEEP GOING! Take the long view. This is a new lifestyle. It is not about self-control. Get rid of all food temptations for anything you aren’t allowed to have. 

• Whole food, plant-based diet versus “vegan” (which usually includes processed “substitutes” for animal foods)
• Only single-ingredient foods
• Absolutely no oils ever!
• No pharmaceuticals at all
• NO carrageenan, soy lecithin, other additives—and most allergy substitutes (like store-bought oat milk or non-dairy “cheese”) have these
• No nuts or avocado until you stop losing weight and level out (your “base weight”)
• Eat 2-3 meals per day (for her, at 9,12,4... doesn’t eat past 5 pm)
• Eat to about 2/3 full—never stuff yourself!
• Tu/Th/Su take digestive rest after lunch (skip third meal)
• No snacking between meals 
• Clint Paddison TED talk 
• Take own food to eating events
• Take kombucha, broth to events after 5 pm and don’t eat
• Be a little hungry by bedtime
• Go to bed by 9 pm (9-12 body repair is most important)
• Plant-based diet will be sufficient for health needs of both kids and adults
• Soup, p. 133 of “Oh She Glows” vegan cookbook
• Any vegan recipes, just skip the oils (leave them out) and double the spices
• Never deprive yourself in the morning—It’s not about willpower! You’ll fail with “decision fatigue” over the course of the day
• Do a clean sweep of all no-no’s!
• Go to bed hungry. Do the hard work of being hungry overnight
• Weight loss not swift (1-2 pounds a week average, but not in a straight line). Metabolism adjusts and makes decisions 
• Body does repair at night when you’re sleeping but not expending energy digesting
• Only eat when hungry
• Never allow other family members to bring non-allowed foods into the house
• For her, weight and “body image” self-esteem is no longer an issue at all, mentally—she likes that now, she just never thinks about it, like it’s a non issue

Books How Not to Die and How Not to Diet (Gregor)

So those are the notes from my two phone calls from those women. I have since read many books and watched several documentaries, but initially that's all I had to go on. It was enough!

A WORD ABOUT THE WEIGHT-LOSS PIECE

At four different junctures in my life, I have taken a period of time (from one month to four) and utilized NutriSystem or Jenny Craig food to lose significant amounts of weight. Every time, slowly over time, I gained the weight back when I went back to regular eating. That program, and others like it, are very expensive. They do work to help you lose some weight initially, but it is very challenging to keep the weight off. I cannot in good conscience recommend them for someone looking to lose weight and keep it off.

For me (and everyone I have mentioned that I know personally who has made this change to whole food, plant-based eating), the weight loss has been incidental and not the purpose or point of doing it. The weight loss happens automatically, without your trying to lose weight, and without your being hungry. 

Rachel speaks of a "base weight," which is the weight your body "chooses" for you, meaning that you simply stop losing weight anymore even though you're eating the exact same foods in the exact same quantities (which is as much as you want)! This "base weight" is usually the weight you were while in high school or college, before the typical American weight gain of adulthood began for you. 

I cannot speak to what happens if you go back to the standard American diet after losing weight eating this way. None of us have done it, because none of us want to go back to eating that way once we've made the switch! For Rachel and Gloria, it has been years. For my husband and me, it has been months.

People also ask a lot of questions about the initial week of water fasting, and about the books I've read about this way of eating, so a future post will be about that.

Read Part 6, Some of the Psychological Pieces of the Puzzle

NOTE: The information provided on the site is for educational purposes only, and does not substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you’re seeking medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. I am not a medical professional or healthcare provider, and I have no professional medical, nutritional, or dietary credentials. You yourself are responsible for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon any information or advice appearing on this site. 

Start the story at the beginning with Part 1.

My Friend Carole and Her Experience with Diabetes, IBS, and Pain

The Change That Changes Everything, Part 4

Carole is about the most un-kooky person I know. While I don’t know all of her opinions or practices on diet and “alternative healthcare” and natural things—I never have—I do know that my impression of her has always been that she is scientific, she is methodical, she is “medical,” and “she don’t mess around.” She is no-nonsense, and she dismisses out of hand—quickly—anything that smacks of quackery. (I, on the other hand, have been secretly in the closet for years with things that many would consider wacky—chiropractic medicine, home birth, essential oils, skipping the circumcision and vaccinations for my children, homeschooling.) 

But we’re not talking about me right now. We’re taking about Carole, and she is not any of those things. She is reasonable and conventional, and she was reluctantly trying this eating plan because she figured, “What have I got to lose?” Like me, I think she was curious to see what—if anything—would happen. I couldn’t escape the fact that I trusted my friend Gloria and her daughter, Rachel, and I knew they weren’t lying or even exaggerating about the benefits they'd experienced. Much as Carole wanted to doubt this whole thing, she knew and trusted me, and she knew the drastic changes I’d experienced eating this way were real. 

So, the next morning (after the steak dinner), Carole and her husband began this new way of eating. Doug, the diabetic, tested his blood sugar and took his insulin as usual. They ate a full day (of berries and vegetables and legumes, presumably) and went about their lives. The next morning, Day 2 (after only one full day of eating this way), Doug took his blood sugar reading as usual, and it was really low, almost dangerously so. So he took only half of his regular dose of insulin and went about the rest of his day eating the new way. The next morning, Day 3—remember, at this point, they've eaten this way for only two full days—his blood sugar was again almost dangerously low. (And remember, Doug took only half a dose of insulin yesterday!) He became concerned and decided to call his doctor and 'fess up about what they were doing, and ask about his insulin. They told him to just stop taking it, if his blood sugar was no longer high, and to give them a call back if his blood sugar readings went back up. So, since Day 3—after only two days of eating this way—Doug has been off of insulin for the first time in 15 years.

Believe me, I know that sounds like complete BS. I get it. If I heard me telling this story as a stranger, I'd think it was a gimmick and that I was selling something. And totally making up these "miraculous" and "magical" results. But I'm not. You'll just have to trust me on that. Doug, diagnosed with diabetes 25 years ago and taking insulin for 15 years, was totally off of his insulin on Day 3 of this way of eating.

It's easiest to tell you about it the same way I discovered it, which was over text exchange with Carole on 9/24/21:

Me: How's it going? Seriously, I'm dying to know if you're sticking with it and if your pain is improving...

Carole: We are midway through Week 3. Doug has been off of insulin since Day 3. His blood sugar isn't perfect, but it isn't terrible either. Every day he thanks me for saving his life.

Me: And you? Noticing any improvements for you yet?

Carole: I feel great, never hungry, tendon pain mostly gone, no IBS issues at all, Zero. Incredible after 2 decades. (Carole had confessed to me during our lunch that day, that she herself had suffered from terrible digestive issues, including digestive pain and unpredictable diarrhea, for the past twenty years. She never went anywhere without a spare change of clothes in her car, which she often had to use. All of those issues have gone away for her since this switch, just as they have for another friend, Pete.)

Me: I KNOW!! It really is unbelievable to me!

Carole: It's insane. Our diet is, amazingly, even more restrictive than yours, though.

Me: I know. I thought of that! Can he have any grains of any kind?

Carole: Extremely limited (1/8 C). Also no fruit except berries.

Me: Berries are my favorite fruit by far! I'm glad I was willing to seem like a kook that day as I vulnerably shared the weirdness! LOL

Carole: I'm grateful.

Me: I really wasn't setting out to have ANY "converts"! Honest!! LOL

And four days later, on 9/28/21:

Me: How are y'all doing?

Carole: Great. You?

Me: Chugging along. It's getting easier and a little more natural/intuitive (to cook this way).

Carole: I feel like we turned a corner in Week 3 where all of a sudden, it didn't feel oppressively hard.

Me: I felt that way, too! It was really overwhelming for me at first. At least two weeks, maybe three, of feeling it was just way too much. Now it's becoming more natural and intuitive. Still can't think about “forever and ever” and never having the old foods again. I just think about what I can have, and eat this way each day, and the days go by. We feel great! That helps! Are you still thinking in terms of three months, or will you just eat this way for the foreseeable future? I am the latter, I think. Can't think of going back to that pain voluntarily!

Carole: We said 3 months and then reevaluate, but right now I don't see any reason we would stop.

Me: That's how I feel, too. Isn't that crazy? Just like that, our lives are totally changed! LOL

Carole: Becky [her daughter] came over this weekend, saw my kitchen, and said it looks like a health food store! LOL

Me: How's your pain?

Carole: No pain. You?

Me: None! (WHAT?!!) I still can't believe it.

Carole: It is genuinely hard to believe that this simple solution is all it took.

Me: It makes me rather furious about the state of "health"care in our country...

Carole: Yes!!!

Me: I have spent tens of thousands of dollars in tests and procedures and pills over the past dozen or so years, with little relief. And this stupidly easy shift in diet has me pain-free with high energy in a matter of days?! WTH is THAT?!

Carole: I wish some doctor had told us about this when Doug was first diagnosed, before he spent 25 years as a diabetic and 15 years on insulin.

Me: It is infuriating. And not the least of which is the kooky natural people being right! LOL (And I put myself kinda loosely in the kooky natural category, and share my fake scorn with all affection!)

Carole: LOL I think we're both firmly in the kooky natural camp at this point

Me: Yes, I meant that I was "loosely" in that category before. Now I feel like the poster child! It's a little embarrassing, really, when I hear some of the things that come out of my mouth. But I can't not share it if it comes up! It's too life-changing and effective! Did you watch the Clint Paddison TED Talk? The Game Changers on Netflix? Evie [my daughter] had us watch the latter a couple of years ago. I watched politely and then secretly rolled my eyes inside and just put to rest the little internal voice that said, "Hunh. Wonder if I should look into that at all?" But it was just too outside of everything I'd ever heard about health and healthy eating, so I never thought about it again until I found us back here again this year.

And that was our conversation. Carole and I met again for lunch about two weeks later, when Carole was a little over two months into this way of eating. She had lost 30 pounds, has no IBS issues, her pain is entirely gone, and her diabetic husband has been off of insulin since Day 3. 

If you're thinking, "What?! How can this be?!" you're thinking the same thing as both of us. 

So far, I have personal friends who no longer suffer from any of the symptomatology of their discomforts, disorders, and diseases, the list of which is growing by the day: rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, IBS, depression, and chronic debilitating pain, so far. 

We've also collectively lost hundreds of pounds, without trying, and without ever being hungry—in any way—for even a moment. My friend Rachel says that the weight loss will be steady, though not necessarily in a straight line, until one day it will just stop. You will continue eating the exact same way, in the exact same quantities, but you will level out and no longer lose anymore weight. She refers to it as your body's "base weight," and she says it is something your body chooses for you (i.e., you don't choose it), usually right around the weight you were in high school. (Her mother, Gloria, went from a size 10 or 12 to a size 2, then leveled off and has remained there for several years now.) My husband and I are experiencing the same thing. So far I have lost 40 pounds, and it hasn't stopped yet. The amount of food I eat is obscene. And still the pounds drop off, steadily, week by week. 

I really do feel like anyone who has any sort of physical complaint whatsoever has absolutely nothing to lose by giving this way of eating a try. You never know! If we're any indication, this way of eating can help improve lots of different ailments.

Read Part 5, Getting Started with Only Notes from a Phone Call (and a Word About the Weight Loss Piece)

NOTE: The information provided on the site is for educational purposes only, and does not substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you’re seeking medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. I am not a medical professional or healthcare provider, and I have no professional medical, nutritional, or dietary credentials. You yourself are responsible for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon any information or advice appearing on this site. 

Start the story at the beginning with Part 1.

The Basic Eating Plan

The Change That Changes Everything, Part 3

"Are you absolutely convinced of a connection between your pain and your diet?" This was the question posed to me by my friend Rachel when I called to ask her about the dietary protocol that she uses to manage her own life, diet, and pain. Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis as a young mother, she has discovered that eating in certain ways—and not eating in others—has brought her significant relief.

I answered her. "Um, no, not really convinced, I wouldn't say. I suspect that there may be a connection. I did a gluten-free, dairy-free trial at the recommendation of a physiatrist (a pain-management doctor), and I did notice a little bit of improvement. But nothing like what you've said you experienced. Are you willing to talk to me about what you've done, and what you're doing, and how that has gone for you?"

Praise God, she was willing to do so! And in springboarding off of her advice and suggestions—and reading many books and other resources that she has found helpful—I have been able to experience that same kind of relief from the pain and discomfort that plagued me for many, many years.

In a nutshell, since it's all anyone really wants to know just now, here it is. (We’ll get back to Carole and her husband’s story later!)

If you are under 60 years old, you begin with a week-long water fast. (It is also recommended that you do so under a doctor’s supervision, which is absolutely necessary if you are taking any prescription medications for cholesterol or blood pressure or diabetes.) The week-long water fast is difficult and challenging, and I will write more about that whole experience later. Many really good things take place during an extended water fast, and most of my debilitating, chronic pain just went away during that week, never to return. (I know that seems ludicrous, and I realize how unbelievable it sounds. But it’s just true!) 

It is not necessary to begin with a fast, however, and many friends of mine who have shifted to this way of eating have begun eating this way without doing the fast—and with equally amazing results. So, after the fast—or just diving right in without doing one—you begin eating what is known as a whole food, plant-based diet.

What you consume (all organic):

any and all vegetables
any and all fruits
any and all legumes
all whole grains (except wheat and barley)
limited amounts of raw nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and avocado

What you do not consume:

no meat
no dairy
no gluten
no refined sugar or sugar substitutes (very limited honey or pure maple syrup are permitted)
no alcohol
no processed/packaged foods
no processed oils of any kind
no pharmaceutical drugs

There are so many details about all of this, and I will happily be posting all the things I found super helpful, in case anyone wants to try this. But that is the bare-bones skeleton to get you thinking. If you're at all like most of us, you will probably dismiss it out of hand and never give it another thought... at least until you find yourself with some pain, or debilitation, or brush with death via heart attack or stroke, or digestive issues, or diabetes, or, or… and the Lord brings this idea back into your mind, some days or weeks or months or years from now.

In the meantime, go watch the Clint Paddison TED talk on YouTube. Go watch Forks Over Knives on Amazon Prime. And Game Changers on Netflix. It's pretty compelling stuff. It will at least give you some food for thought (pun intended!) as you decide if you are ready to consider any of these changes for yourself. So far, no one I know personally who’s tried it, hasn’t experienced dramatic and significant improvements in their health as a result. 

And that brings me back around to Carole, my friend with the diabetic husband, whom we left on Day 1 of their new eating plan…

Read Part 4, My Friend Carole and Her Experience with Diabetes, IBS, and Pain

Start the story at the beginning with Part 1.

NOTE: The information provided on the site is for educational purposes only, and does not substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you’re seeking medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. I am not a medical professional or healthcare provider, and I have no professional medical, nutritional, or dietary credentials. You yourself are responsible for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon any information or advice appearing on this site. 

A Reluctant Herald

The Change That Changes Everything, Part 2

Three months or so ago I had lunch with an old friend. At the time, I was a couple of months into the new eating plan I have adopted, so I had chosen the restaurant—a delicious local Mediterranean spot with an extensive vegan section to their menu. She had graciously traveled to my part of town to join me there, and much of our conversation that day centered around discussion of the new, "weird" eating plan my husband and I had adopted. 

I sheepishly, reluctantly told her about what we had done [begun with a week-long water fast] and what we’re now doing [eating what I called at the time “vegan on steroids”]. Even though Carole is a good friend who knows me well, I felt shy and silly telling her about my experience. (To this day, to discuss it with anyone makes me keenly aware that I must sound like a snake oil salesman pushing something kooky. I don’t prefer to talk about it much—sheepishly keeping it to myself—except when I occasionally feel compelled to shout it from the rooftops to anyone who will listen!) 

Those who know me well, or are in regular contact with me, know… simply because there’s no “not noticing” if you see me in the flesh. First of all, I am about 45 pounds lighter than I was before I started this… and I am in no pain. As in none. ZERO. (This still seems unreal to me, and probably wouldn’t really be believed, except that these people know me well, and they have walked with me through the challenges of unexplained chronic pain over almost two decades. So when I hike eight miles or take a car trip to Vermont, they know something is really, really different! Besides just the 45 pounds.)

I told Carole about the extended water fast that opened this plan. We discussed 'autophagy' and 'cell renewal' and all manner of medical-sounding things. I told her about the food we eat now. I told her about all the specific pains I'd had before the fast, including a daily pain in my right thumb and first two fingers and wrist, which had made writing and grasping challenging, and playing the piano nearly impossible. She told me that she had pain in the exact same spots—and had been wearing braces and supports to try to alleviate it—and that she actually had a doctor’s appointment the next week to see about next steps toward treatment. I remember saying, “Well, my friend, it sounds like it’s providential for you that we had lunch together today!” I was not really serious, though, because I knew she wasn’t ever going to do this thing that my husband and I were doing, even though she had the exact same pain in her hand that I’d had for months (and which had gone away on day two of the fast, never to return). My newfound energy, slimmer physique, and lack of pain notwithstanding, I just knew that no one was ever going to try this crazy thing. It’s too drastic, too counter-cultural, too all-encompassing. 

Turns out I was right… sort of. Carole told me later that when she left the restaurant that day, she thought, “Wow! She looks really great. And she feels really great. And no pain! Unbelievable! But there’s no way in hell I’m doing that.” 

Three days later, though, she called me and asked me for the names of some of the books I’d read about this way of eating. I took screenshots of the covers and texted them to her. And the rest, as they say, is history. 

Carole’s story is at least as unbelievable as mine, and takes us solidly from “I’m not really sure I believe you” to “This absolutely cannot be true.” But she gave me permission to share her story, too, so here goes.

One of the books I had mentioned to her was the old Fasting and Eating for Health that I had read years ago when Rachel had first eliminated the symptoms of her rheumatoid arthritis. I had pulled it back out and read it again, in preparation for our starting this new eating plan with a week-long water fast. Carole went to the library to try and get any of the books I had recommended, and—not surprisingly!—she didn’t find any of them. She did, however, find another book by that same author, Joel Fuhrman, entitled The End of Diabetes. Since Carole’s husband is diabetic—and since there were no other of the books I said I’d read —she checked it out and began reading it. She confessed later that her first thought as she began reading this book was, “This is the kookiest thing I’ve ever read, and this guy has to be a quack.” (I’ve never read that particular book, but his other book—and many others that I have read—absolutely seem impossible to believe initially. If they’re telling the truth, you think, it’s really compelling stuff. But you can’t imagine that if this is true, everyone in the medical community doesn’t know about it and isn’t advocating it... so you read on in this strange blend of curiosity, disbelief, elation, and fury. I can relate to her initial reaction!)

She quickly finished the book, then asked her law professor husband to read it and tell her if it was kooky. He did so, and agreed that yes, it’s kooky. “But why don’t we try it? So we eat mostly vegetables for three months! That’s no big deal.” They had steak for dinner that night and then began the new way of eating recommended in that book the next morning—and it was even more restrictive than our new way of eating because, as a diabetic, Doug can only have limited quantities of grains, even healthy whole grains.

I didn’t know that any of this was going on at the time, however, and only heard this story several weeks into their journey. I share it here, with her permission, only to broaden the list of situations and ailments that are helped by this lifestyle shift. 

They ate steak that night—the “last hurrah” of meat for what they figured would be a 12-week trial to “see how it goes.” And now... brace yourself! Because here’s where it gets even more unbelievable. 

Read Part 3, The Basic Eating Plan. 

NOTE: The information provided on the site is for educational purposes only, and does not substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you’re seeking medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. I am not a medical professional or healthcare provider, and I have no professional medical, nutritional, or dietary credentials. You yourself are responsible for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon any information or advice appearing on this site. 

Start the story at the beginning with Part 1.

The Change That Changes Everything (Part 1)

This morning I hiked 8 miles. 

Last month I took a family trip to Vermont...  riding in a car… for 14 hours over the course of two days… 

Neither of these things is really all that remarkable, unless you consider the fact that, a few short months ago, I would never have been able to do either of them. 

Every morning of my life, for at least the past decade, I had awakened with varying levels of chronic, unexplained pain… climbed slowly out of bed onto painful ankles and feet… hobbled gingerly across the room, unable to fully straighten up until I’d been moving for at least 5–10 minutes. My knees hurt. My lower back hurt. My hips hurt. My wrists and elbows and shoulders hurt, and my fingers felt stiff and swollen and painful. A terrible band of aching "nervy" pain across my mid back would intensify over the course of the day—every day—until I would hit some point in the late afternoon and have to soak in a bathtub… or have a back rub… or take some drugs… just to make it to the end of the day. I regularly had migraine headaches, which would land me flat on my back in excruciating pain, hiding away in darkness and silence until things passed over the ensuing hours or days. 

I tried everything I knew how to—and I ended up having spent tens of thousands of dollars on every idea and possible solution that both conventional allopathic and alternative medicine supposedly had to offer. (I'm not exaggerating here!) I’ve seen MDs, PAs, DOs, orthopedists, chiropractors, naturopathic doctors, physiatrists, physical therapists, massage therapists, myofascial release therapists. I had complete allergy testing, hormone profiles, bloodwork, X-rays, MRIs, CTs. I tried ice packs, heating pads, water jet therapy, acupressure, trigger point injections, dry needling, prolotherapy, essential oils, CBD products, a TENS unit, an inversion table, analgesic patches, micro-current therapy, steroids, cortisone shots, NSAIDs, opioids, neurological drugs like gabapentin, and experimental drugs like LDN that had to be filled at special compounding pharmacies.

I suppose the point of sharing this litany of symptomatology and attempted treatments is to make it clear that, by the end, I was in terrible pain… and that I had spent considerable time, money, and effort—over many years—to get to the bottom of it and to attempt to find relief. But my pain only increased, slowly but surely, as the years went by. 

Several years ago, when my pain was constant but still relatively mild, I heard about a childhood friend of mine, younger than I, who had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in her 30s. Her illness had progressed to the point that she was walking with crutches, at times wheelchair-bound, unable to walk unassisted or go up and down stairs. Her mother is a dear friend of mine, and she had shared about how her daughter had tried a new dietary protocol... having slowly and gradually found relief over many months. She was now, a year and a half later, fully mobile and functional, with no pain at all. I rejoiced with her mother as she shared this story of healing, and I asked for the name of the book she had used to guide her in her new eating protocol. I was told there were several, but to start with Fasting and Eating for Health by Joel Fuhrman, MD. I promptly ordered the book online and read it immediately. 

“Well, this can’t be right,” I remember thinking as I read it, realizing—however many pages in—that he was advocating a meat-free diet. I had traveled through many paradigm shifts in my understanding of "healthy eating" over the years, and I had eventually landed on a philosophy that advocated a diet of mostly home-cooked foods that included home-baked whole grain breads and sourdough, raw milk obtained through a cow-share program with a local dairy farmer, grass-fed beef and free-range chicken and other high-quality meat products, free-range eggs from local chickens, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, homemade cultured products like kefir and kombucha and yoghurt and sauerkraut. We were healthy eaters, I thought, and certainly not consuming the "standard American diet" (SAD). I finished the book, put it away on a shelf (literally and figuratively), and continued about my life. 

Fast forward several years, and my pain was now debilitating. I was desperate for answers, and I was out of ideas where to turn. The pain was present all over my body, in all my joints, and I was pretty much convinced that I must have rheumatoid arthritis. I made an appointment with the most-recommended rheumatologist  in my town and had a full blood work-up. After a couple of weeks, the results came back. 

“Do you want the good news first or the bad news first?” she asked me. 

“I don’t know,” I remember answering, bracing myself for the worst. 

“You do not have rheumatoid arthritis. (Pause.) That’s the good news and the bad news. You do not have any of the autoimmune disorders that usually lead to this kind of pain… no RA, no lupus, nothing of the sort. Your bloodwork is normal.” 

I remember feeling tears spring immediately to my eyes, spilling over onto my cheeks then trickling down to my chin and dropping off onto my chest. And they were not tears of relief, either… though of course I was thrilled not to have rheumatoid arthritis! But at least it would have been an answer. A diagnosis—that ever-elusive thing that all folks in unexplained chronic pain seek—would at least have a new protocol and regimen attached to it, which might offer some hope of doing something… anything… to try to fix the terrible pain. 

But alas, no. I was being sent to a physiatrist… a pain management doctor… the place where they send you when there’s nowhere else to send you… when they’ve stopped trying to diagnose you because they’ve given up hope that they’re going to find anything fixable and are just trying to help you manage the discomfort by a variety of means, all of which I’d already tried. I was devastated. 

I came home. Cried. Prayed. Talked to my husband. 

Then I went to see the physiatrist. Again. (I’d first seen her almost twenty years ago.) She put me on drugs, which I took… and sent me to physical therapy, which I did… and did injections, which I suffered through… and told me to go on a gluten-free and dairy-free dietary trial for 6–8 weeks, which I balked at. 

“No,” I informed her, “my daughter’s wedding is three months away, and I am going to eat the food at her reception.” 

She told me to start the restricted eating that very day—and to complete the trial before the wedding—and so I did. I went gluten- and dairy-free for eight weeks in early 2020, just at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic during which my daughter had a modified outdoor beach wedding with a few family and friends. We had to shift gears and change plans and modify everything several times, and it was a terribly stressful and challenging time. 

We all have our memories of those early pandemic days, full of uncertainty and fear and sacrifice… the loss of dreams (and modifications of plans) that accompanied those difficult times. Did the gluten-free, dairy-free trial during that time take away my physical pain? No, it did not. 

Did it help at all? I feel certain it must have—at least a little—since I was navigating those dark days of <plan, grieve, re-plan, grieve, shift gears, plan again> with some measure of success and functionality, handling the added stress and workload better than I would normally have handled the "regular" days of my usual life. And the massage table in my bedroom had been put away. This symbol of my pain—the near-daily necessity of a back rub just to be able to get to sleep without drugs—had been put away during the wedding days because it was taking up a lot of room and wasn’t needed every day anymore. 

The wedding came and went. The GF/DF eating came and went. I ate the food at the reception. I ate the food at the family reunion beach week that followed. Then I returned home to my usual diet and my usual life. Slowly, ever so slowly, the pain began to increase again. The massage table came back out. The back rubs and bathtub soaks and CBD massages all returned, just to get me through the painful days. I fidgeted around the idea of going GF/DF again, but I really didn’t want to do it. It was terribly inconvenient and unsatisfying, and a real nuisance to pull it off. And it hadn’t actually alleviated my pain. It had helped a little, maybe… but was the little bit of relief worth the whole lotta pain-in-the-butt of eating gluten- and dairy-free? I wasn’t so sure. 

Then I remembered my friend with rheumatoid arthritis, Rachel. I called her mom back—several years later now—and asked her about the eating regimen she herself was on… about exactly how she had applied the dietary protocols she had voluntarily taken on several years earlier in solidarity with her daughter, when her daughter had begun the eating plan that forms the basis for my new way of eating. 

I didn’t know at the time that it was really a conglomeration of the practices of several doctors and practitioners, each with a slightly different twist on what is fundamentally the same recommendation—an eating plan known as a whole food, plant-based diet. And so began my eating adventure... and the beginning, for me, of the change that changed everything.

Read Part 2, A Reluctant Herald.  

NOTE: The information provided on the site is for educational purposes only, and does not substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult a medical professional or healthcare provider if you’re seeking medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. I am not a medical professional or healthcare provider, and I have no professional medical, nutritional, or dietary credentials. You yourself are responsible for any risks or issues associated with using or acting upon any information or advice appearing on this site.