“The doctor of the future will give no medicine,

but will instruct his patient in the care of diet and in the cause and prevention of diseases.” - Thomas Edison

What’s in this review?

• Summary

• Three Reasons You Might Enjoy It

• Deeper Thoughts

• Resources

When I started intermittent fasting last year, something strange happened. I gradually started choosing more and more fruits and vegetables, and desiring less and less meat. It was not something I thought I ought to do…it was just not in any plans one way or another.

Now…when I say “plant based,” I’m not really saying I’m an evangelist for the vegan lifestyle. Vegan is a lot more strict than the approach I’m using. I’m okay if I have cheese every now and then, and I eat meat about once or twice a week if I feel like it.

One of the best benefits of more fruits and veggies is the Saturday trips to the local Farmer’s Market. Picking out fresh fruits and vegetables each week in an open air market while children and dogs are running around, and potters are displaying beautiful works of art, has become one of my happiest of places.

I worried a little about eating less protein from meat, so I checked out what some of the nutrition books had to say about food choices and health.

Without a doubt, one of the best books out there is this book called “How Not to Die” by Dr Michael Gregor MD. This book is filled to the brim with factual, science-based information on how poor nutrition plays a part in health issues.

Dr. Gregor is passionate about the connection between nutrition and health, and it shows in his writing.

Part 1 of the book covers nutritional advise for the top 15 diseases. He covers diseases of the heart, brain, and lungs. He also covers cancers, infections, diabetes, and blood pressure issues.

Part 2 covers the benefits of certain types of plant based foods. He talks about how foods like beans, vegetables, fruits, flaxseeds, nuts and seeds, and whole grains provide health for the body, and why they are so important.

Did I mention that he uses facts to do the convincing?

You can see his passion hiding out behind the facts - and it’s nice to see both dimensions in his writing.

1.  The writing style is engaging.

It’s hard to make nutritional information and technical doctor speak about diseases interesting. I kind of enjoyed the passion disguised as dry humor that popped up now and again.

“During my medical training, I was offered countless steak dinners and fancy perks by Big Pharma representatives, but not once did I get a call from Big Broccoli.”

Gregor MD, Michael. How Not to Die, (loc. 68). Flatiron Books, Kindle Edition.

2. The information is not preachy - it’s factual & practical.

Dr. Gregor is to the point and matter of fact. He does not mince words about the research. At the same time, he helps the reader to be practical when setting expectations. I don’t think I would be enjoying a plant based lifestyle today if it was either-or. I need to have a little bit of flexibility.

“Let me share with you what has been called the ‘best kept secret in medicine’: Given the right conditions, the body heals itself.”

Greger MD, Michael. How Not to Die (p. 27). Flatiron Books. Kindle Edition.

“Processed meat is blamed for the deaths of more than eight hundred thousand people every year.”

Greger MD, Michael. How Not to Die (p. 141). Flatiron Books. Kindle Edition.

“If you really want to be proactive , the best available science suggests you can minimize stroke risk by eating a minimum of 25 grams a day of soluble fiber ( fiber that dissolves in water , typically found in beans , oats , nuts , and berries ) and 47 daily grams of insoluble fiber ( fiber that does not dissolve in water , found primarily in whole grains, such as brown rice and whole wheat).”

Greger MD, Michael. How Not to Die (pp. 50-51). Flatiron Books. Kindle Edition.

“In this book, I don’t advocate for a vegetarian diet or a vegan diet. I advocate for an evidence-based diet, and the best available balance of science suggests that the more whole plant foods we eat, the better—both to reap their nutritional benefits…

Most doctor visits are for lifestyle-based diseases, which means they’re preventable diseases.

As physicians, my colleagues and I were trained not to treat the root cause but rather the consequences by giving a lifetime’s worth of medications to treat risk factors.”

Greger MD, Michael. How Not to Die (p. 12). Flatiron Books. Kindle Edition.

“We cannot let the ‘perfect’ be the enemy of the good. It’s really the day-to-day stuff that matters most.”

Greger MD, Michael. How Not to Die (p. 302). Flatiron Books. Kindle Edition.

“Your body has a remarkable ability to recover from sporadic insults as long as you’re not habitually poking it with a fork.”

Greger MD, Michael. How Not to Die (p. 302). Flatiron Books. Kindle Edition.

“This book is not about vegetarianism, veganism, or any other “ - ism.”

“ If you find you cannot do a plant - based diet 100 percent of the time , then aim for 80 percent.”

Greger MD, Michael. How Not to Die (p. 302). Flatiron Books. Kindle Edition.

3.  Dr Gregor gives you tons of resource information:

Dr. Gregor has an app called “Dailydozen” that’s really helpful. There’s a checklist that guides you through the foods you need to eat each day - which also includes water and exercise. From there you can get to the NutritionFacts.org website and view tons of health and nutrition videos and podcasts.

“Over the last year alone , more than twenty-five thousand articles on nutrition were published in the medical literature. Who has time to sift through them all?

Every year, my team and I read through every issue of every English-language nutrition journal in the world so you don’t have to. Then I compile all the most interesting , groundbreaking , and practical findings we can uncover to create new videos and articles every day for my nonprofit site, NutritionFacts.org.

Everything on NutritionFacts.org is provided absolutely free of charge. There’s no special member area where you pay a fee to get extra lifesaving information.

What membership websites seem to be saying,in essence, is that if you don’t give them money, they’ll withhold information that could make your family healthier. That’s unacceptable to me. A

advances in health sciences should be freely available and accessible to all.

Greger MD, Michael. How Not to Die (pp. 452-454). Flatiron Books. Kindle Edition.

I can’t help but believe that there’s a real connection between the food we eat and the health of our bodies. It’s good to read about how much control we have over our destiny.

We owe it to ourselves and our families to get out there and learn how to eat as if our lives depended on it.

Also, enough can’t be said for taking care of our whole selves. That includes stress management, getting enough sleep, exercise, maintaining positive relationships, and serving our communities.

This is all fun stuff…Enjoy your life! Strive to be healthy in Spirit, mind, and body.

Get “How Not to Die” now