How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease

Co-authors of this indispensible book - Michael Greger, MD, a physician, author, internationally recognized speaker on nutrition, food safety and public health issues and responsible for the website NutritionFacts.org, serves as the Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at the Humane Society of the United States and Gene Stone, a former Peace Corps volunteer who is an author of books and is involved in community organization – have created a resource that belongs in the hands of every person concerned with self-care of health issues. The book is very accessible, offers a significant amount of both history of nutrition and how to learn about this medical school ignored subject and of the many scientists who have nurtured the concept of eating right to help our bodies get and stay healthy. Michael states, ‘When I started this work more than a decade ago, I thought the answer was to train the trainers, educate the profession. But with the democratization of information, doctors no longer hold a monopoly as gatekeepers of knowledge about health. When it comes to safe, simple lifestyle prescriptions, I’m realizing it may be more effective to empower individuals directly. In a recent national survey of doctor office visits, only about one in five smokers were told to quit. Just as you don’t have to wait for your physician to tell you to stop smoking, you don’t have to wait to start eating healthier. Then together we can show my medical colleagues the true power of healthy living.’ ‘Most deaths in the United States are preventable, and they are related to what we eat. Our diet is the number-one cause of premature death and the number-one cause of disability. Surely, diet must also be the number-one thing taught in medical schools, right? Sadly, it’s not. According to the most recent national survey, only a quarter of medical schools offer a single course in nutrition, down from 37 percent thirty years ago.’ So step into the self-sufficient arena with Michael and learn how to live a healthy life through proper nutrition and care of the body. The book is in 2 parts – Part 1: HOW NOT TO DIE FROM HEART DISEASE, LUNG DISEASES, BRAIN DISEASES, DIGESTIVE CANCERS, INFECTIONS, DIABETES, HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, LIVER DISEASES, BLOOD CANCERS, KIDNEY DISEASE, BREAST CANCER, SUICIDAL DEPRESSION, PROSTATE CANCER, PARKINSON’S DISEASE, and IATROGENIC (physician/medicine related) CAUSES. Part 2 – deals with specifics of nutrition with ‘Dr Greger’s Daily Dozen – BEANS, BERRIES, OTHER FRUITS, CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES, GREENS, OTHER VEGETABLES, FLAXSEEDS, NUTS AND SEEDS, HERBS AND SPICES, WHOLE GRAINS, BEVERAGES, and EXERCISE. One of the finest attributes of this book is the manner in which the information is relayed – well documented with facts, easily accessible to everyone’s reading level, and a coaching session that creates the desire to immediately get up and get with it. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, February 17

I placed an order for this book back in September; rarely do I wait three months for a book to come out...especially a non-fiction health related topic but after reading a couple of advanced chapters (available for free via a web search), this was at the top of my list for upcoming released books. Greger is not only a highly readable author but goes to great lengths to provide the science behind the information...something sorely missing among many other health and fitness guru's. Professionally, my Phd was in closely related topic so I might tend to be a bit more critical than the average reader...on the other hand, my interest in this book is purely personal. As a mature but active couple, we try to eat right and stay fit but but after a serious illness and subsequent hospitalization and health scare, felt the need to really sort out the hype from the hope. There are few things more sobering than a diagnosis of a serious illness - and very few things more frightening than trying to make healthcare decisions for your loved one while dealing with conflicting information. Fortunately the initial diagnosis was wrong - but that scare started us down a path toward building up our health to the greatest extent possible starting with food and exercise. Of course, as everyone knows, there is a great deal of conflicting information out there. As a college instructor and writer, there are few things I appreciate more than ample references and well researched data...and that is what truly sets this author apart from the competition. Now, unlike a lot of readers, I found this book on pre-order before finding the actual authors blogs/other writings. However, after ordering the book in Sept, I've since watched or read many of his video blogs and other information...by and large, he puts out easy to understand, well documented snippets that are both informative and interesting. This book follows that plan of action but with greater depth and insight into the "do's" and "donts" of good health. The author starts out by way of personal explanation of how he became interested in nutrition during medical school - a topic that we have since learned, most physicians are ill prepared to deal with or even overtly hostile toward. The book is divided into the "Why" and "how" beginning with how diet prevents, treats and reverse many common conditions and then going into the how of healthy eating. Now, make no mistake about it, this is not going to cover every topic or condition...especially very elusive or rare ones. On the other hand, readers could spend weeks or even months tracking down much of this information on their own. Even if you have access to research publications and academic databases, locating the specifics is time consuming. Instead, this author has done the leg work for you...he's found the research, compared the results, studied the outcomes and narrows down the information into useful nuggets of what to do and what not to do. Each chapter is basically a different commonly encountered condition such as Heart Disease, Lung Cancer, Diabetes etc... Additional information on the role - and conflicts - inherent to big pharma and even big medicine - are scattered throughout this book. Corporate influence on everything from the ADA to the FDA is mentioned but falls short of adopting the all to common conspiracy theory. Instead, this is a realistic observation on the potential influences and bias inherent in the current system as with lung cancer and the associated cover-up of the risk of tobacco. Sadly, many such health risks are still alive and well today yet not out in the open...vigilance is required to maintain one's own health. Now, this book is not perfect...there are many areas where much more information could have been included. However, for the sake of clarity and consistency, not every topic can be covered in depth. This is more of a "biggest bang for your buck" approach where some of the leading bits of information for the most commonly encountered conditions are provided...it's a "big picture" approach. At our age, we know people who are actively fighting cancers, lung disease, heart disease and more...sadly, we also know far too many people who have already lost that battle. If adding a bit of turmeric and exercise to the diet of my in-laws...who have now had three family members pass away from colon cancer...would save someone then it is a small price to pay. Or what about switching to a plant based die to help alleviate the pain of arthritis and fibromyalgia suffered by another family member for years? Still another who was able to eliminate the toxic effects of steroids and other drugs via diet and exercise for treating a long term autoimmune disorder and yet another able to avoid heart ablation by adding potassium, magnesium and other minerals to the diet to help regulate heart rhythm. The tragic reality is that each of these people were never told about these options by their physicians. Bottom line - this book is not a cure all nor will it fix everything or every body but it does provide a terrific overview of how to prevent, treat and sometimes reverse many of the most commonly encountered conditions. Chances are you know and love someone who is actively suffering from one or more of these conditions - this book provides clear, concise and relevant information in an easy to read format - backed by the research and science. For those who normally do their own research, this saves a huge amount of time and effort while still providing access to relevant followup resources. For those who just want to get results as soon as possible, skip ahead to the most relevant chapters. For those who are watching as someone suffers...give them this as a gift. All in all, well worth the time and effort to read.

At the beginning of the year, book stores are overwhelmed by new releases promoting weight loss. For most people, “losing weight” tops their list of New Year’s resolutions and the publishing industry is ready to help. I’ve been reading these weight loss books for more years than I care to admit, and have seen a wide variety of trends being promoted; I’ve tried many of them with varying degrees of success. But at this point in my life, losing weight no longer tops my list of New Year’s resolutions. That’s not to say I don’t, like the majority of Americans, have a few pounds to lose. Rather, I’m starting to experience the aches and pains that go along with aging, and feeling better has become a higher priority than looking better. Having recently watched both of my parents suffer through and eventually succumb to debilitating illnesses, living a longer and healthier life has become an even more important concern. “How Not to Die” sets out to help us do exactly that—live healthier lives while evading the illnesses that are the leading causes of premature death in the US. Dr. Michael Greger is the founder of the immensely popular website Nutritionfacts.org, a nonprofit science-based public service which provides free daily videos and articles on the latest in nutrition research. Gene Stone has written a number of books on plant-based nutrition, including the #1 New York Times best-seller “Forks Over Knives.” The two have joined to examine the 15 leading causes of death in this country—illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, and others—and to determine what actions each of us can take to lower our chances of becoming ill. By following Dr. Greger’s advice, all of it backed by detailed scientific evidence, we can learn which foods to eat, which foods to avoid, and what lifestyle changes to make to help prevent and fight these diseases and to live longer. In the book’s first section, each chapter studies a specific disease and lays out the research that shows what we might be able to do to lessen our chances of falling ill. For example, in “How Not to Die from Heart Disease” (this nation’s top killer) we learn that heart disease is both preventable and reversible with a plant-based diet, and that consuming even small amounts of Brazil nuts can have a lasting impact in lowering cholesterol levels. In “How Not to Die from Digestive Cancers,” Dr. Greger explains that adding just a small amount of turmeric to even one meal per day may decrease the size and number of colon polyps by more than half in a hereditary form of colorectal cancer. And in “How Not to Die from Prostate Cancer” we learn that we should consume less milk but add flax seed to our diet whenever possible. Scattered throughout this section are sidebars examining research into issues such as “Red Wine versus White” (neither is better than the other, but simply eating grapes is best) and “Exercise versus Anti-Depressants” (exercise was proven to be more effective at treating depression). The book’s second section lays out Dr. Greger’s “Daily Dozen” checklist of foods and activities we should incorporate into our daily routines if we want to avoid these illnesses. Dr. Greger provides practical advice for making the recommended changes, and all of his claims are backed by the latest research in nutritional science. His humorous and engaging style makes this an entertaining read while being deeply informative.

"How Not to Die" by Dr. Michael Greger is an absolute gem of a book that has completely transformed the way I think about food and its impact on our health. I can't recommend it highly enough! This book is a comprehensive guide to understanding the profound connection between our dietary choices and the prevention and reversal of chronic diseases. Dr. Greger presents a wealth of scientifically-backed information in a way that is not only accessible but also engaging and eye-opening. It's like having a personal health expert guiding you through the intricate maze of nutrition and its effects on our well-being. One of the standout features of this book is its evidence-based approach. Every claim and recommendation is supported by extensive research and clinical studies. Dr. Greger's commitment to providing accurate, up-to-date information is evident on every page. He leaves no stone unturned, covering a wide range of diseases, from heart disease to diabetes to cancer, and explaining how our dietary choices can either increase or decrease our risk. I particularly appreciate the practical tips and advice sprinkled throughout the book. Dr. Greger not only explains the "why" behind a plant-based diet but also the "how." He provides delicious, easy-to-follow recipes and meal plans that make transitioning to a healthier diet a breeze. It's not just about theory; it's about actionable steps you can take to improve your health starting today. "What Not to Die" is a game-changer for anyone looking to take control of their health and well-being. It's a compelling read that will inspire you to make better food choices and, ultimately, lead a longer, healthier life. I can't thank Dr. Greger enough for sharing his knowledge and expertise in such an accessible and compelling way. If you're seeking a roadmap to a healthier, disease-free life, do yourself a favor and pick up this book. It's a true five-star masterpiece that deserves a place on every bookshelf. Your future self will thank you!

All doctors are familiar with the Hippocratic Oath, but most either ignore or are just ignorant of something else Hippocrates famously said: “Let food be thy medicine.” Washington, D.C, physician Michael Greger may be the biggest exception. Upon graduating from medical school, he made it his life’s mission to read every nutrition study he could get his hands on and then disseminate what he was learning. He traveled the country, speaking to medical students and to Rotary Club members, living out of his car. His quest eventually took shape as a Website, daily e-newsletter and nonprofit organization called NutritionFacts.org. His book “How Not to Die” then arrived this winter as the culmination of two decades of work. Dr. Greger devotes one chapter apiece to the 15 leading causes of death, showing the relation of diet to each of them. It should be noted that the book is not called “How to Not Die.” Even Dr. Greger would admit that no matter how much broccoli we eat, we all have to go sometime. But we don’t necessarily have to spend our last two or three decades undergoing bypass surgeries, chemotherapy, and dialysis -- dying slowly and painfully from chronic diseases. That is how not to die. Instead, we can greatly improve our odds of aging in good health and enjoying active lifestyles well into our golden years, depending on what we eat. And the evidence continues to mount that an unprocessed, plant-based diet is our best hope. In the book’s second half, Dr. Greger dispenses practical yet very specific advice on how to rework your diet for optimal health. While this isn’t a traditional cookbook, he does present a number of simple, delicious, healthy recipes. How about a cauliflower steak served with tahini and paired with a pumpkin pie smoothie? Undergirding everything in the book are a staggering 133 pages of footnotes. He cites literally thousands of studies from nutrition and medical journals. Dr. Greger has been accused in some quarters of cherry-picking research and exaggerating the benefits of a vegan diet. But his case rests on a mountain of evidence. While the media loves to trumpet outlying studies showing that butter is good for you or that carbs are the devil, the reality is that the largest, long-term nutritional studies have reached remarkably similar conclusions: Vegans and vegetarians live longer and experience lower rates of heart disease, cancer and diabetes. It gets trickier when it comes to smaller studies that look at the effects of specific foods on specific diseases. Here, rock-solid, incontrovertible conclusions are much harder to come by. But Dr. Greger argues that it makes no sense to deprive yourself of the remarkable, evidence-based benefits of turmeric, blueberries, kale and other antioxidant- and phytonutrient-packed plants while you’re waiting for absolute proof. In “How Not to Die,” Dr. Greger avoids using the word “vegan” and makes a point of stating that you can still enjoy a serving of your mother’s Easter ham, so long as your regular diet revolves around vegetables, fruit, beans, nuts, spices and whole grains. Health, in other words, is not an all-or-nothing proposition, but it is based largely on nutrition. This year, doctors in the U.S. will write 4 billion prescriptions for various ailments. That’s a lot of disease, and a lot of drugs. Hippocrates must be turning in his grave.

Being familiar with Dr. Michael Greger’s web site and the free audio talks I knew the material would be good, but wondered about its readability. It was a pleasant surprise to find the book an enjoyable read, it does not read like typical medical literature. He finds ways to make nutritional information interesting and humors: “Want fries with That Lipitor?”. And even when covering a subject I’d normally consider to be dry, like oxidative stress, he adds metaphors and keeps the subject simple and fun. Almost every page has one or more references to nutritional or medical studies, making it one of the best health oriented book's in modern history. All too often health professionals are offering unsubstantiated, pseudo, outdated claims which only confuse the public. Finally we have a book which gives us the facts and the references to prove the claims. And Dr. Greger keeps the experience impartial and professional. It gets right to the most pertinent nutritional facts early and often. For example: “the twenty-year old from the 1990’s might live ten of those years with chronic disease, whereas now it’s more like thirteen years with heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or a stroke.” When you sit back and consider that fact along with “our genes often account for only 10-20 percent of risk at most.”... both quotes (above) reference a study. So being ignorant or procrastinating our nutritional health is just like giving yourself a 13 year prison sentence. So we can be a prisoner in a broken-down body, or be worry free and enjoy good health in our later years. I'd consider myself to be nutritionally informed, but this book repeatedly adds new and surprising facts. For example what are some of the reasons the meat industry adds salt to its products? And what contains more salt, a large McDonalds fry or a chicken breast? You might find it surprising that “between the ages of twenty and fifty, the greatest contributor of sodium to the diet is chicken” and the meat industry can increase the weight of meat by as much as 20% simply by adding salt, which allows the meat to retain more water. Other troubling qualities for people are the addictive qualities of sweet and salty foods, which keeps us coming back for more and how it promotes high blood pressure. The book covers many topics, one of these being the barriers which has hindered widespread knowledge of these facts. Most of us were raised eating a dysfunctional diet, and needlessly suffered as a result. While there is nothing we can do to change the past, it’s inspiring to see how quickly our bodies can readjust and heal. My own personal experience with diet mirrors the material written in this book, and it’s important to understand a quality diet is going to make you feel so much better. I lost weight without effort when converting to a vegetarian diet (several years ago), but the true power of diet is revealed when you start to increase the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet. Energy levels skyrocket, and probably the most revealing health attribute (skin tone) can radically improve. It’s somewhat common for strangers to give you a second glance, their expression appears to imply: “this person looks different”, as a person over the age of 35 rarely radiates good health. In youth a person may give the false impression of good health, but this quickly and needlessly fades when eating the SAD. If you’re planning to change your diet, I’d recommend keeping a simple journal so you can track things like: mood, appearance, skin tone, pain, weight, worry (relating to poor health) mental clarity and of course health statistics like cholesterol. It's learning to make enjoyable, healthy foods, along with awareness of our progress which will turn your plan into a life-long tradition. It would not be a surprise to see the authors win a Nobel Prize in literature for this book. A great read and so needed for the average person struggling to heal or wishing to obtain optimal health. A big thanks to MG and team!

I'm from a meat and potatoes family but rebelled as a teenager and have been a vegetarian for almost 30 years. This book is packed with page after page of study-based dietary knowledge that you will want to re-read and share with others. It presents a vast and undeniable body of research in a way that is straightforward and humorous enough that I could imagine it influencing folks who link meat eating with their personal identity and social life... because in the end one's health trumps all of that, right? I'm an environmentalist (buy most everything second hand, urban homesteading with chickens and a big veggie garden, buy raw milk from an ethical small Amish farm), but I've never really wanted to be a vegan. My vegetarian husband loves good cheese, whole milk and real butter. He was actually critical of veganism (as being unnecessarily radical). But lately I'd begun thinking seriously about a plant based diet and bought him Greger's book, and he did a complete turnaround. Now we're sprinkling milled flax on everything, maxing out on fresh berries, experimenting with vegan products, cutting out oils and minimizing salt and sugar. Our 8 year old daughter complains that she has no interest in giving up milk, cheese, and eggs. We're respecting that, but are nonetheless scaling back and introducing more fully plant based dishes, with the aim of becoming mostly plant based. The real problem is that our healthy diet is so different from the greasy, meat-and-pasta based meals her friends eat at her Catholic school. Her classmates had never seen humus before she brought it in. I talked with the school about perhaps finding a healthier lunch vendor, or applying for a salad bar grant, but acted annoyed and dismissed the offer. The kids at her school share the same diet as my own blue collar family. My younger brother (at 39) is on blood pressure and several other meds. He and his wife and three children are all overweight. Everyone in their family is on at least one prescription drug. They talk all the time about making changes. I wonder if I gave them Greger's book, would they read it and try to make some real changes, or just make me feel awkward ... the PhD, tree hugging vegetarian who became estranged from her working-class family's food traditions? Greger's story about his grandmother who was rescued from life-threatening heart disease by a plant based diet hit home. My mother died a few years ago from a heart attack (at the age of 63), and my father died two days later from a stroke. She actually had two heart attacks. Following the first one she fell down the stairs and broke her ankle. The percocet pain meds and hobbling in a cast also put stress on her heart. She came to stay with us and we prepared lovingly made, largely unprocessed vegetarian meals, such as my mother's favorite sweet potato dish made from sweet potatoes grown in our backyard. But after about two weeks my mother called my younger brother and asked to visit his family for awhile. Later he told me she complained that we "didn't have any junk food in the house" and she needed comfort food. He went out and bought her burgers and fries and topped the meal off with an ice cream sundae... That night she had a second heart attack, and died. I never spoke about it, but the truth is we'd been feeding her healthy food on purpose to help her clogged arteries heal (she refused to consider surgery until her heart doc returned from vacation) ... and I believe it was that that last meal of burgers, fries, and ice cream that did her in. Michael Greger lays out how a plant-based diet can transform your health and substantially decrease disease risks. It's an amazing book. The dilemma for me is how to introduce this knowledge to friends or family who have health problems but also have strong identity ties with their current diet. Even when on the verge of a heart attack ... most people seem unable to make the dietary changes they need. I laud Greger for trying to get his message out. It is scandalous that most medical doctors have no understanding of nutrition. Doctors are always impressed by my low blood pressure. However, they'll dismiss it when I tell them "it's because I'm a vegetarian." Our society has become so unhealthy, the unhealthy foods are so addictive, and health experts/educators are mostly ignoring the elephant in the room. It's difficult to imagine a mainstream reversal of this trend.

I've read a lot of books on eating whole foods, plant-based, and I am a graduate of the Cornell University program in Plant-Based Nutrition. And when I ordered this book, I thought it would be a rehash of many things I already knew. But I was pleasantly surprised by how interesting the book was and about how down to earth it was. And it is truly based on science. There are 150 pages of referenced footnotes at the end of the book to indicate all of the scientific studies that back up what Dr. Greger is saying. One thing I like about this book is that it's written in two sections. The first section tells us how not to die from fifteen different diet-related diseases. The second section answers the question about what Dr. Greger eats every day. Imagine that! Somebody who writes about nutrition and even goes so far as to tell you what he himself eats! It takes the guesswork out of it. But I've also been intrigued by everything I've read in the book. I find it interesting and informative. Right from the first paragraph I was intrigued. I'm not going to say it's possible to live forever, but I did find the opening statement by Dr. Greger quite intriguing. He states: "There may be no such thing as dying from old age. From a study of more than forty-two thousand consecutive autopsies, centenarians -- those who live past one hundred -- were found to have succumbed to diseases in 100 percent of the cases examined....Most deaths in the United States are preventable, and they are related to what we eat. Our diet is the number one cause of premature death and the number one cause of disability. That's an amazing thought when you think about it. It makes me think of a 105 year old woman in my community who is a member of our Eat Smart Live Longer Club. She drives. She's a member of the Ballroom Dance Club. Sometimes, she'll be on the same equipment I'm using when I'm at the fitness center. And I suspect she will be outliving many others in my community who are much younger. On page 265 of the book, there is this nugget: "Sometimes people's diets take on a religiosity of their own. I remember a man once telling me that he could never go plant-based because he could never give up his grandma's chicken soup. Huh? Then don't....I told him that enjoying her soup shouldn't keep him from making healthier choices the rest of the time." Don't we hear this all the time? We hear people say they could never give up their cheese for example. And what do we tell them? We tell them how bad dairy is to eat. But Dr. Greger suggests, I think, that we instead ask them what they do the rest of the time. Have your cheese, but what are you going to do with the other 95% of what you eat? And if you think Dr. Greger isn't talking about something like cheese when he refers to chicken soup, think again. He goes on to say "The thought of never having pepperoni pizza again somehow turns into an excuse to keep ordering it every week. Why not scale down or reserve it for special occasions?" I personally actually started this way. I read a book titled VB6 by Mark Bittman. That book said to eat basically whole foods, plant-based or vegan for all but one meal during the day. Then for that one meal, eat your favorite foods. That made sense to me because I never imagined that I could actually go vegan. That seemed like too tall of an order for me. But by taking that approach, I finally did. And I think that's what Dr. Greger is saying too. Don't be so demanding on yourself that you discourage yourself from following this way of eating. There are hundreds of good reasons to read this book. So, if you haven't gotten this book yet, I highly recommend you do so.