Eating to Live

Also available in book form.

Two nights ago I watched a documentary called Forks Over Knives that may have changed my life; it's too soon to be sure. At any rate, it definitely changed my last two days. I feel better, have lost a pound and a half and shaved two minutes off my walk today. So far, so good.

The premise of the film is that what we eat here in America is killing us--as if we didn't already know. Still, this movie makes it harder to ignore the facts. We meet two doctors, now both in their 70s, who have spent their entire careers honing in on and perfecting what they call a "plant-based diet," and two younger ones who agree and use it as a tool for treating patients. Before too long after embarking on their plan, cholesterol numbers plummet, along with weight, blood pressure and most of the other ills that plague us as a society. Diabetes goes out the window, taking insomnia and depression with it. It's hard to dispute the facts as you see the incredible shrinking narrator who uses himself as a guinea pig, and even harder to not give it a try.

The basics of no red meat, no dairy, no fats or sugars or oils, are pretty standard fare, but this is the first time they've all been wrapped up so succinctly and presented as a gift, just in time for the holidays. No fan of eating anything that ever stood on four legs anyway, it's not too much of a stretch for me to go all the way with this, although I'll miss my cottage cheese, which I know shocks many people. The bad news: that all-natural turkey already ordered. Oh well, rules are made to be broken.