Testimonials
Share Your PlantPure Story
Then why not make a difference in someone else's life and share your PlantPure story here and we’ll share it with the rest of the world. We want to know how adopting a whole food, plant-based diet and lifestyle changed your life. Show us your Before and After photos and maybe your story can inspire someone to start living a healthier life!
Check out some of the other testimonials already submitted, and enter your story by clicking the button below.
(Individual results may vary)
Meet Derick and read about how switching to a whole-food, plant-based diet changed his life and the lives of his entire family in southern Louisiana.
Hello everyone, my name is Derick Harrington and I've been plant based for 4 years now and wow has it changed my life! First off, I'm from south Louisiana which many of you know revolves around food, hints the reason I got to weighing in at over 278 lbs! Every weekend was all about where my next meal or my next drink would come from, my world revolved around food and alcohol! 5 years ago my brother in law josh lajaunie decided to go WFPB, at the time I thought he was insane! After about a year of seeing his progress and watching the weight fall off and seeing how this lifestyle was affecting his health I decided that I had nothing to lose and slowly got on board and it was the best decision I've ever made! It was extremely difficult at first with all the peer pressure and my love for meat and alcohol! At this point my entire family had gone WFPB, I was the only one who hadn't made the switch yet because I was scared to death!
Since going plant based I slowly became interested in running as a form of exercise, at first I couldn't run a tenth of a mile without feeling like I was going to die. Fast forward three years I've ran my first ultramarathon which was a 50k, I ran my first half marathon in February of 2017 and decided to jump straight to the 50k so I immediately signed up and committed to cleaning up my diet and training. I've lost a total of 110 pounds so far and still going! My family is my support group, without them I would be nothing today! I was overweight, had extremely high blood pressure and cholesterol, I also had an autoimmune disease and was also on the verge of type 2 diabetes! After going plant based within 2 months my blood pressure and cholesterol were normal again and I was cured of my autoimmune disease!
These days I'm sitting at a very healthy 168 lbs, healthy as could be and I owe it all to a plant based lifestyle! My family has lost more than 1200 lbs as a unit and gained our health back! My wife and I had been trying to conceive for almost two years before we transitioned to WFPB with no luck at all, after 6 months of being WFPB we were able to finally get pregnant! To this day I still say that we would t have our perfectly healthy, happy little 2 year old boy if it weren't for the WFPB way of life! I'm beyond blessed and extremely happy and proud of myself and my family! If we could do it, anyone can do it! - Derick Harrington, Thibodaux, LA*
(Individual results may vary)
Meet Mark and Jacqui, a couple who thought they were “eating right.” Follow their journey of discovery, and hear how living a plant-based lifestyle has improved their lives.
Three years ago, Mark and I decided to live a plant-based lifestyle... and we did it overnight. We are so passionate about what we have learned, that we want to do our part in spreading this information. For many years, we thought we were "eating right". We had cut out all red meat - eating only chicken breast and ground white turkey meat. We stuck to skim milk and low fat yogurts. We ate wheat pasta and pizza with low-fat cheese. We ate lots of salad with low-fat dressings. But as we aged, and I headed into menopause, we were constantly tired and saw the pounds creep up.
We were always watching what we ate all day…counting fat grams and calories. And then we would step on the scale and wonder why we gained or stayed the same. Talk about frustrating! Little did we know that "diet" or "low fat" was actually worse for our health because of added salt and chemicals.
Then one day, we were scanning Netflix and came across "Forks Over Knives". As we watched that documentary, our eyes were opened. We looked at each other and decided that from that moment on, we would no longer eat meat and dairy. We wanted to learn as much as we could, so we watched other documentaries and researched the topic of the plant-based diet. We did not know that when you eat a whole food, plant-based diet you…
- lose weight
- feel better and have more energy
- can prevent and reverse chronic health conditions such as heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure
- take fewer medicines
Questions kept popping up…Why isn't this information more mainstream? How did I not know this?? As we watched more documentaries and read more articles, frustration turned into anger…especially after finding out that Big Pharma, our government, the dairy and meat industries (to name a few) were lobbying to prevent this info from getting out into the public because it would hurt their bottom line. We were floored that this info was not shared or discussed….especially in the doctors office. Our family medical histories include diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Instead of discussing dietary changes to reverse these issues, our family members take tons of pills to "control" it. We did not want that to be our future. We are so glad we made the decision to change our way of eating. In the three years of living a plant-based lifestyle, many great things have occurred:
- we feel great! No more draggy feelings after lunch…no more afternoon coffee. We have so much more energy.
- we have lost weight
- I have stopped allergy shots and no longer take a daily antihistamine.
- I have stopped taking meloxicam - an anti-inflammatory for back pain
- Mark no longer takes medicine for high triglycerides
- we no longer have heartburn or constipation
- our blood results are "pristine"
- food is no longer boring! We have discovered SO many new plant-based foods
- we have learned more about how our choices impact the environment.
- we no longer support factory farming and the unnecessary killing of animals for food.
- we have a new found love for cooking
We have so many ideas that we can't wait to explore! - Mark & Jacqui Russett, Fort Wayne, IN *
(Individual results may vary)
Meet Sharyn, a vegan for many years, who discovered the missing piece to her health quest. “For the first time in my whole entire life, I have a healthy relationship with food!”
Hi! I've been a strick vegan for many years, and at first I lost alot of weight. Then over the past few years, my weight crept back up,197lbs to be exact. So I'm struggling along using my fitness pal counting every calorie. Losing weight was such a struggle.
Then one day I'm on Facebook and my favorite chef , Chef Fernando owner of Plantpure Cafe in Philadelphia is going to be featured on PBS. I couldn't wait to watch it! So I'm watching his segment and he is talking about why he changed his name for his Cafe , to Plantpure Cafe. He also mentioned these movies "Forks Over Knives and Plantpure Nation, and how meeting with these people from the movies, he decided to take away the processed oil based vegan food off the menu, and replace it with amazing whole foods whole grain plant based food. All I knew was I must watch these movies!
The very next night I invited some girl friends over and we had a viewing party.There it was that missing piece to my health quest! I just knew this was the way of life I wanted. I gave up all oil and all vegan processed foods. That was it. Weight came off effortlessly. Finally the perfect diet! I can eat as much as I want. And I do! I love my food and cooking and baking has become a real passion of mine. Also spreading the word about whole foods living.
For the first time in my whole entire life, I have a healthy relationship with food! Seriously this is big! I also can't stop researching ! I'm hooked on Nutrition facts .org.I also watch everything McDougall on YouTube, along with Campbell and Dr. Esslestyn. These guys are my rock stars!
People are interested and want to know what I'm doing. That's when I realized , to get people to listen you have to be the example. So I put 100% trust into what these guys are saying. I follow the rules and it works! Not only did I lose 45 lbs, but I feel great! Energetic and most of my aches and pains have vanished! People think it's too hard too restricted, but it's the complete opposite! It's freeing !I no longer count calories, I eat my delicious whole foods to my heart's content! The scale keeps going down and my energy keeps going up!
So in closing I really want to thank Chef Fernando for being a pioneer in bringing this delicious and nutritious food to the restaurant venue, there really isn't any place like it! Fernando you have given me my life back. I have so much joy now and it all started with you and your PBS interview." - Sharyn Councell, Springfield, PA
(Individual results may vary)
Meet Richard, who began his journey because he didn't to be put on blood pressure medication, and discovered the world of vegan bodybuilding.
"I lost 150 pounds and kept it off for almost 5 years now.
Initially, I lost the weight because I did not want to be put on blood pressure medication. This helped me learn about what foods I put in my body, what foods to avoid eating in my quest to lower my blood pressure.
After losing the weight, I was eating what I thought was the healthiest form of eating, but was dealing with a lot of loose skin. I was weight lifting but was not building much muscle.
It wasn't until I heard about vegan bodybuilders, especially Robert Cheeke, that I became aware of vegan bodybuilding. But I didn't want to just be vegan, I wanted the healthiest diet possible, which is how I stumbled upon whole food plant based.
I've been eating this way since September 6, 2016 and feel great. The muscles that I've built since going plant based tightened the skin in my arms considerably. I actually put on 20 pounds of muscle since then, which should make the question "where do you get your protein from?" obsolete!" - Richard Hubbard, Torrington, CT *
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Meet Beverly, who suffered from angina, shortness of breath, and fatigue and decided to take her health and her future into her own hands.
"Less than a year ago, at the age of 49, I was well into my second year of suffering from angina, shortness of breath, and fatigue. I used the maximum dose of nitroglycerin daily to help with the chest pain, but it didn’t improve my exercise tolerance and I was extremely limited in my day to day activities. A trip to the grocery store would require most of a day to recover from. I gained weight from a combination of inactivity and relying on processed foods and takeout because I lacked the energy to cook. I was miserable physically and mentally.
The fact that nitro helped reduce my chest pain was a clue to the source of my problem, but after diagnostic tests ruled out major artery blockages I was told that I might have microvascular angina. No stenting or surgery can help those tiny blood vessels so there was very little more to be done but learn to pace myself. I was advised to control my risk factors by taking statins, but no doctor ever mentioned that I could control my risk factors through diet. They certainly didn’t tell me I could reverse my condition by adopting a whole foods plant-based diet.
I was in a Facebook group where someone mentioned Dr. Esselstyn’s book and the promise of preventing and reversing heart disease through diet. This prompted me to start looking around the internet to see if Dr. E was some kind of a quack. I found no evidence of that, in fact quite the contrary, but I did discover a whole world of information about the whole food plant-based way of eating and its benefits. I watched Forks over Knives with my husband and before it was finished, we decided this was something I needed to try and he was keen to participate as well. I dove into The China Study, watched Plant Pure Nation and discovered many resources online and in books to not only convince me this was the right path, but to help me do it.
By the end of the first week of my new diet, I started to feel woozy and headachy and generally unwell. This was disappointing until I realized that these were the exact symptoms I’d felt before becoming accustomed to the vasodilation from an increased dose of nitroglycerin in the past. The symptoms went away as soon as I reduced the dose. My body was starting to work properly again! I was able to reduce the dose every week until after 4 weeks I was wearing no nitro patches and had no more chest pain.
Curing my angina would have been reason enough to continue eating this way, but the benefits kept coming in. I have so much energy I can exercise for 1-2 hours a day, keep up with all my housework, work in the garden and do whatever else I want without having to pace myself. My eczema completely cleared up, seasonal allergies almost vanished, sore joints are a thing of the past, and my digestion is now perfect. As a “woman of a certain age” I had been experiencing many of the symptoms of peri-menopause, but they have completely disappeared as well. I lost close to 40 pounds without ever using any willpower or feeling deprived. Since I feel so much better physically it makes sense that I would feel better mentally as well, but I detect an additional lightness of mind resulting from the whole foods plant-based diet.
The remarkable thing is the speed with which these health improvements took place. Within weeks I was feeling back to my old self again and nine months later I actually feel younger than I have in years. I turned 50 this spring without the slightest bit of trepidation.
I recently went zip lining on a hot day. At one point I thought of myself the previous summer not only being unable to do such a thing, but unable to contemplate that level of activity, especially in the heat. I felt sad for a moment, but decided my old sick self wouldn’t want the new healthy me to waste any time feeling sorry for her. This made the thrill of flying through the trees extra sweet!" - Beverly Frans, Almonte, ON, Canada *
(Individual results may vary)
Meet Karen, who was tired of taking medication her body couldn't tolerate and dealing with lifelong drastic weight gains and losses.
"Hi , My name is karen and I am 63yrs.old. My story starts in 2013. I had high blood pressure and had a hard time finding meds I could tolerate. I was at my highest weight,167lbs. All my life I have yoyo'd up and down as much as 25-30lbs. always to gain it back yet again. I read Joel Furman's Eat to Live and thought,well I'll give it a try for a month,can't hurt. During that month I also started to educate myself. I watched hundreds of youtube videos by lots of plant based people. I read The China Study, Whole, The Starch Solution, How to stop and reverse Heart Disease, all the good ones with the latest being How not to Die. I watched lectures by Alan Goldhammer, Caldwell Esselstien, T. Colin Campbell, John McDougal,Pamela Popper, Neal Barnard, all doctors all with stellar reputations. AND I was losing weight steadily and eating all the plant foods I wanted... I was in heaven.I also became aware of the horror of factory farming ,animal cruelty, and environmental damage the standard american diet causes. So now , in 2017,I easily maintain a healthy 117lbs.on my 5'5'frame. I take NO meds, I have super energy,I exercise every day, I eat whatever and however much I want from the plant kingdom and it's whole plant foods. I feel like I am thriving and content..I plan to grow old and die,not grow old and be sick for years and then die. This is how we were meant to eat and live. Thanks so much to all the dedicated doctors,authors, and youtubers who helped educate me on my plantbased path. I now, can't see living any other way. It really is possible to teach an old dog some new tricks!!" - Karen Kulik, Bisbee, AZ *
(Individual results may vary)
Meet Brandon, who was unhappy with his bloodwork after a routine doctor's visit, and decided to focus on nutrition and feeling good again.
"My name is Brandon Porter, I am a 41 year old male. Most of my life, as I'm sure is the case with many of us, I knew little about nutrition and ate mostly what I wanted - with the exceptional moment or two of health consciousness that never lasted more than a day or two. Last October, I went to the doctor to get some blood work done. My numbers came back less than stellar. In short - here's where I was:
- I weighed 224 pounds (I'm only 5'6")
- My blood pressure was around 140/95, give or take
- I had heartburn every night and took an OTC medication daily
- I had pain in my upper abdomen that was never diagnosed, even after an ultrasound
- My fasting blood glucose was 101, and my A1C was 6.1
While these numbers aren't alarming for many people, I was not ok with them! I immediately began working on my health. Since my younger sister is a registered dietician, I called her and she suggested I count carbs and try to hit macronutrient precentages of 40% carbs, 30% each of protein and fat. 30% fat! At the time, this sounded reasonable. So I began counting calories and my macro percentages, and exercising.
I did lose some weight, but my blood pressure, my heartburn, and my blood sugar levels didn't really change 3 months later. I went back for bloodwork 6 months later...same thing, no big change.
This past June I watched "Forks over Knives", and then some other documentaries, then I read "The China Study" and decided to give this a try. Since August 1st I've been "plant pure" and here are my latest numbers:
- Weight: 166, down from 224
- Blood Pressure: average of 110/65
- heartburn is gone
- Abdominal pain is gone
- Fasting glucose: 82
- A1C: 5.1 and dropping
I feel great! Lots of energy, lots of comments from others! I am convinced that this is the right path for human nutrition. Thanks for reading my story - I hope it might inspire others to try." - Brandon Porter, West Chester, OH *
(Individual results may vary)
Meet Nancy, a former smoker who was left feeling unhealthy, even after kicking the habit. “I want to share my journey with the world. I want to help people.”
"Hi! My name is Nancy Mathews, I’m 53 years young. I’ve been whole food plant based since March 1st, 2012. My journey began when I gained 60 pounds after quitting smoking. One addiction led to another. I ate everything not nailed down. I was also 40 pounds +/- over weight when I quit smoking. I felt terrible, I was short of breath, out of shape, all my joints hurt plus I was starting the menopause journey.
I had lost 20 pounds through Weight Watchers, but didn’t feel any better, my knees hurt, my back hurt I was still short of breath. Then a miracle happened. I saw the Forks over Knives link come through my wall on Face Book. The title intrigued me, I was a Netflix member I thought, what the heck I’m watching it. Along with my husband we watched Forks Over Knives.
[I want to interject right here that my father was classified as a cardiac cripple. At 47 years of age he had his first heart attack. He proceeded to have multiple heart attacks, two open heart surgeries that resulted in 13 veins being bypassed, developed congestive heart failure then died from Carcinoid Cancer. I should also mention my mom has advanced chronic Osteo and Rheumatoid arthritis and is a breast cancer survivor].
My future was not only looking short, but very unhealthy at best. I’m having a very hard time putting into words the profound impact watching Forks over Knives had on me. I cried my eyes out while watching the documentary. I went through every emotion there is. I felt robbed, betrayed, sad, mad, I felt the loss of my dad all over again, I felt like a horrible parent, I felt sadness for our country. I could go on and on. Then, I felt grateful as my personal universe had just tilted on its axis. Life as I had known it had changed FOREVER there was hope.
I should mention, that I was raised on a farm, my dad was a commercial walnut and almond farmer. His parents farmed and ran a dairy. My other grandparents raised market cattle they were raised beef. So, when I say my universe turned on its axis. It not only shifted it turned upside down!
After the movie finished, I looked at my amazing husband and said I’m done; we went directly into our kitchen and cleared it, we gutted it, we threw out everything and I mean everything. That was March 1st 2012, I call it my rebirth day as I’ve never turned back. Here I am 4 years later; I’m now down another 75 pounds. I feel amazing; no more shortness of breath, nor more fatigue, no more brain fog, no more joint pain, my skin is amazing. I made it through menopause with weight loss not weight gain. I’ve ran two half marathons, I’m training for a 75 mile bicycle ride and most importantly I’ve recently been approved to start a Plant Pure Nation POD / Group in my hometown. I’m planning our first meeting in a few weeks. This is my journey, to help spread the word through Plant Pure Nation, through my personal success. I have to share what I learned.
During these four years I’ve done immense self-education through books, documentaries, You Tube videos. I’m like a squirrel after a nut. I can’t get enough education in Plant Based Nutrition. I’ve made the decision to earn my E-Cornell Certificate in Plant Based Nutrition as well as becoming Starch Solution certified and last but not lease PCRM certified. I want to share my journey with the world. I want to help people. I don’t want one more person to live like my dad did or die like he did.
As previously mentioned, I’m 53 years old I feel like a kid again. I feel better at 53 than I did at 30. I owe my rebirth to Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Rip Esselstyn, Dr. John McDougall, Dr. Tom Campbell, Nelson Campbell, Chef AJ, Dr. Fuhrman, and to the many other Whole Food Plant baififised professionals who have steered my future in Plant Based Nutrition. I am forever grateful and hopeful." -Nancy Mathews, Chico, CA *
(Individual results may vary)
Meet Keith, who suffered a heart attack at the age of 36. After doctors couldn’t explain the cause, Keith turned to a plant-based diet to heal his heart.
"I have been in the healthcare field for 11 years assisting doctors in all types of surgeries. In these years I always thought I was helping others, as well as myself. But 2 years 10 months ago at age 36, 2 weeks before my birthday I suffered a heart attack. I was told I had a 94% blockage in my widow maker. I was rushed to the hospital by my girlfriend (now wife), given a clot-buster and flown to Loveland, CO Heart Center. I got a stent placed the next morning. I was put on 4 medications and was told I will be on them for the rest of my life. My diagnosis was bad luck, my cardiologist could not figure out why this happened. No one in my family had heart disease, I was very active and ate what the doctor said was a text book heart healthy diet. I was in shock and didn't want to settle on what my doctor had told me, so I searched for answers. I found the China study, Forks over knives and Dr. Micheal Greger. My girlfriend and I started to eat more vegetarian and then transitioned to completely whole food plant based. Within 6 months after my heart attack I was only taking One medication for my stent and also ran in a Spartan race. 11 months ago my fiancee and I moved to Asheville, NC where we began to thrive. Since we've lived here we have begun trail running in the mountains. I ran my first trail race 2 years after my heart attack and finished 17 miles in 3 hours and 30 minutes. Then I ran another race, my first 50K. I got 4th place then ran a 55.5k about two months later and got 1st in that race. People ask me how I do it and I tell them PLANTS. Thanks to all the great knowledge Dr. Cambell, Dr. Greger, Dr. Mcdougall, the Esselstyn family, and all the other doctors, documentaries, and my wife and our love for whole plant based foods I am alive and thriving with my wife and searching for the next step in helping the future learn the true medicine, PLANTS. Last month I went to my cardiologist to see how I was and found out my heart is completely healed and my blood work and EKG are absolutely perfect. So thank you God, and the knowledge of a plant based diet." - Keith Connolly, Asheville, N.C. *
(Individual results may vary)
Meet Jeff, who was blindsided by a heart attack and coronary artery disease at 49. Less than 10 years later, he now takes no medications and runs marathons.
"I had a heart attack at age 49. I was told by the doctors I was now a patient with coronary artery disease and I would be on the medication for life. I couldn’t deal with the thought that I was on a path with no choices. What were the long term side effects of the battery of drugs they put me on. It is one thing if I was 70 and they put me on these drugs but I was 49! The more I learned, the more I found out that I did have a certain amount of control on how my life would look. I found the book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by famed heart surgeon, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. At the time I thought it was too extreme. So I followed the American Heart Association diet. A year later I was back in the emergency room. That diet almost killed me. It sure didn’t heal me. I picked up Dr. Esselstyn’s book again with renewed interest. I also read the China Study, the most comprehensive medical study done to date by Dr. T.Colin Campbell. Books by Dr. Ornish the father of the plant based movement. Dr. John McDougall and his book The Starch Solution and more recently The Healthiest Diet on the Planet. I read Dr. Greger’s New York Times Bestseller How Not to Die. These doctors all have done their own research came to the same conclusions. A WFPB diet can heal inflammation in the body that causes the majority of chronic diseases in our country and the world. It can heal you too. Today I am 58. I am off of all medications. I have run 2 half marathons this year, the last one under 2 hours. I am training for a full marathon. I weigh what I did in high school and feel as if I found the fountain of youth. No other way of eating on this planet has the cure rate of the chronic diseases that plague America as a Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) way of eating. The only thing that is in your way of a healthier you is you." - Jeff McVicker, Williamsburg, OH *
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Meet Cynthia, whose commitment to a plant-based diet has alleviated her Lupus symptoms, while allowing her to lead the active life she could not before.
"I was prescribed a plant-based diet by my rheumatologist in Little Rock, Arkansas at UAMS one year ago. I've not only lost over 80 pounds, my Lupus and APS symptoms have markedly improved. Also, my blood sugar went from 225 to 98!!! I can not say enough good things about WFPB! Due to the weight loss and the incredible energy I now have, I walk 2-4 miles every day. I now have the energy and strength to get out there and hike some of my favorite trails as well. I continue to lose weight today. I continue to do active things that I could not do before. WFPB has helped me live again!!" - Cynthia Clark, Fort Smith, Arkansas *
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Meet Kimberly, a fitness instructor who looked great, but still felt unhealthy. “My vegan lifestyle…has proven to be a healing source in my life.”
"My Name is Kimberly Morrison. I am 51 years young and I am excitingly loving being a vegan. My vegan lifestyle started just 5 weeks ago and has proven to be a healing source in my life. For 20 years I was on hypertension medication along with several more meds. My blood pressure mg was 320mg 25.5 HCT which is very high. Since my vegan journey just in 4 weeks I have reduced my blood pressure medication to half. The rest of the meds I no longer take. I've had the best blood pressure readings I had in 20 years. I even lost 12lbs! I ultimately chose the Vegan lifestyle because I was following a Raw Vegan on Periscope named tierragoesgreen and she suggested watching "Forks over Knives " and that lured me in. As I have been into health and fitness for several years, teaching Zumba, doing Crossfit, and other fitness activities, I still didn't feel healthy but I looked darn good! I knew something different had to happen, so I started searching for healthy alternative lifestyles. There was Paleo, Mediterranean, and other lifestyles, however those lifestyles just didn't work for me until I tried the vegan lifestyle. And the reason none of the others worked is because they all incorporate meat in that lifestyle. To sum this all up, The vegan lifestyle has proven to be a healing, enjoyable, refreshing, and enlightening experience. This picture is a “before and after” of me in 2008 and 2016." - Kimberly Morrison, Clarksville, TN *
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Meet Cheryl, who completely transformed her life by taking responsibility of her health after two emergency surgeries for auto immune bowel disease.
"My story: 2013 went gluten free (celiac) and vegetarian, transitioned to Vegan by 2015 and then plant based 16 months ago, Prior to my taking responsibility for my health --I had had 2 emergency bowel surgery's for auto immune bowel disease. I've been in remission for 2.5 yrs, off all medications, incl. 3 B/P meds and cholesterol meds. I've lost 120 lbs, I've come in first place in 3 triathelons, swim competitively and cycle 50 mi per week on average! I've never felt more energetic in my life! 4 yrs ago I didn't think I would still be alive ---Now I feel like I have another 3 or 4 decades! I will be 63 yrs old in 5 days. I attend 2 Plant based nutrition support groups per month, we have nationally reknowned speakers with all the latest research and study results. We all have our amazing and inspirational stories== and mine is not the exception. So inspirational to hear others. Thank you all" - Cheryl Nagengast, New Baltimore, MI*
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Meet Doug, who faced a lifetime of medication after suffering a heart attack at 49. Although worried about giving up foods he loved, Doug decided to take control of his health.
"Memorial Day 2008. The pain in my chest took me to the ground. I rolled over on my back and hoped it would subside. After a few minutes it did and I resumed walking the yard. Seconds later I doubled over with pain in the chest and my back. What was going on? After a visit to the nearby emergency room, they put me in an ambulance and sent me to another hospital (being Memorial Day weekend they didn’t have staff to take care of me). I was rushed into emergency surgery and the doctor told me what would happen. “We have to go in and see what is going on in your heart. It looks like you are having a cardiac event”. Afterwards they told me, “You had a blockage in your LAD (lower arterial descending artery) also called the ‘Widowmaker’. We put in a stent.” I was now classified with coronary artery disease at age 49. Later I found out how lucky I was. 90% of people who have a heart attack in the LAD don’t make it off the operating table. I was part of a lucky 10%. I was told I would be on the heart medication the rest of my life. My cardiologist would see me once a year, give me a stress test and say see you again next year. He said I could eat 4 eggs a week and to stick to lean meats. He didn’t say anything about altering my diet any more than that. I decided to take matters into my own hands with the help of a wonderful general practitioner. My research lead me to Dr. Esselstyn’s work, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. I thought that it was too extreme to give up all the food I enjoyed. I would just cut back on meat and that would be good enough. A year later I had a scare which sent me back into the operating room. They did another angiogram but decided that I only had 60% blockages and we would just have to watch and see how it goes. They said I needed to have 70% blockages to warrant another stent. Not very reassuring. After that my wife and I worked hard to change to a Whole Food Plant Based diet with no oil (WFPBNO). Eight years later I am off of all medications, even a daily aspirin, and I am over 55 pounds lighter. I feel like I have found the fountain of youth. I am the leanest I have been since high school and I have the energy of a teenager. Needless to say, I will be eating this way for the rest of my life. I hope to live to 100!" - Doug Schmidt, Rochester, NY
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Meet Stephanie, a cancer survivor facing the possibility of needing a kidney transplant, who turned to a plant-based diet to save her life.
"I had cancer when I was 26. Left kidney removed when I was 39, doctors were unsure why it failed, possibly from radiation when I had cancer. At 46, I found a new doctor who did a lot of lab work and sent me to a nephrologist. The nephrologist told me my remaining kidney was functioning at 34% and I was young enough to be on the transplant waiting list. The nephrologist gave me 5 prescriptions, vitamin D and 4 sodium bicarbonate pills a day. The sodium pills pushed me over the edge and I started my own research regarding pH and a plant based diet. (up to this point no doctor ever spoke about nutrition). It's now been just over a year. My last nephrology appointment was amazing. I'm off 6 of the 10 pills (gout, blood pressure and the 4 sodium bicarbonate) and my kidney function is up to 66%! Doctor seemed unsure that it was mostly diet related, but I know if I didn't help myself, I would be looking for a kidney. I still need to lose some weight, but at the moment I feel amazing. I continue my search for more plant based information because I still struggle at times staying plant based versus vegan (there is a lot of vegan junk food out there)." - Stephanie Josephson, Wichita, KS
(Individual results may vary)
Meet Francisco and Sofia, who embraced not only a change in diet, but a change in lifestyle, on their journey to feeling better and healthier.
"Our story began in 2007, when I visited my doctor because of a number of troubling symptoms, including acid reflux and chronic painful heartburn. Blood tests revealed high cholesterol, and my doctor wrote me prescriptions for Simvistatin, Niaspan, Tricor, and Pantoprazole. Over the course of four years, these medications produced small incremental improvements in my LDL cholesterol. But my HDL and triglycerides were not improving, so my doctor kept increasing my meds. I still suffered acid reflux episodes at least once a week, and I had also developed constipation as a result of all the medications. Realizing that I had absolutely no control over my health, I grew increasingly frustrated: Enough is enough, I thought, and I set out on a mission to find myself a cure. I watched many documentaries, read books, and surfed the web. Nothing grabbed my attention until I found Forks Over Knives on Netflix. When my wife and I watched the film, we felt as though a veil had be\en lifted from our eyes. We learned about the "whole-food, plant-based diet" (no flesh, dairy, or eggs, no refined or processed foods like white rice, white sugar, and white flour, and no oils … not even olive oil). We were both inspired to embrace these changes, which we knew would be an enduring lifestyle decision, not just a temporary dietary modification. We made an enthusiastic decision to start the very next day.
Our Whole-Food, Plant-Based Journey
So started our whole-food, plant-based journey on January 22, 2012. Within two short weeks, I started to feel better, and the weight started melting off. One month into this new lifestyle, I stopped taking my acid reflux and cholesterol medications (without my doctor's knowledge), because I wanted to get a clear sense of my true, unmedicated health status on my next blood test. At my next doctor visit four months later, my doctor was stunned. I had lost 40 pounds, my acid reflux had disappeared, my blood glucose had normalized, my LDL and triglycerides were lower, and my HDL, surprisingly, had gone up! She suggested that the medications she had prescribed must have been working. But I told her about my new lifestyle change, and that I was no longer taking the medications. Not only that, but I no longer experienced heartburn or constipation, my digestion, sleep, and skin had improved, my hair and nails grew faster … and even my vision prescription had improved! With eyebrow raised, she advised me to keep doing whatever I had been doing. One year later, my doctor ordered only a lipid panel at my annual physical, as most everything had normalized. She did check my liver, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and protein levels, which I am happy to report were all within healthy limits. Here are my blood test results.
- Measured 2012 2015 Difference
- Total Chol 241 160 -81 points
- LDL 155 57 -98 points
- HDL 33 54 +21 points
- Triglyc 409 162 -247 points
- Weight 180 140 -40 pounds
- Glucose 93 76 -17 points
Our new diet costs us less than I used to spend on meat, cheese, and other dairy products, and I also get to pocket the $200 I used to spend on meds each month. The only negative is that I've had to buy new clothes to fit my size-30 waistline!
I would like to thank FOK and PlantPure Nation for showing me the whole-food, plant-based way, and my beautiful wife Sofia for her patience, creativity, and willingness to join me on this journey. Together, we are advocates of the whole-food, plant-based lifestyle, and want to help others reverse their ailments and try to save as many lives as possible. In 2015 we volunteered as PlantPure Nation Ambassadors and also started sharing inspirational food photos and free recipes on social media and the positive response has been tremendous. Find us at @plantbasedcompanion (instagram & twitter) - We would love to show you how." - Francisco & Sofia Polizzi
(Individual results may vary)
"I’m excited to cook more healthy, delicious meals, that make me feel good!"
"Going into the 10 day challenge, I was excited to learn more about whole food plant based eating and feel the benefits, and that is exactly what happened! The PlantPure Wellness website gave me the tools I needed to be successful, from the informational videos and the various documents and resources. Even though the 10 days is over, I am still using the website to help me with this journey. I did not end up ordering the PlantPure entrees but instead cooked my own meals. The DIY recipe videos were very helpful when coming up with meals to make.
While meal planning, I realized that most of the meals I had been cooking and eating included cheese. I had not been eating meat for about 5 years, except fish occasionally, so it was not a problem eliminating that. I was a little worried about eliminating cheese, since I have always loved it! To my surprise, I did not miss cheese in my recipes like I thought I would. I did end up making a “cashew cheeze” sauce that I really enjoyed! I’m excited to cook more healthy, delicious meals, that make me feel good!
Overall, my energy feels great, I do not feel bloated, my digestion has improved, and I am learning new healthy recipes to cook! I am very happy that I did the 10 day challenge and am excited to continue eating whole food plant based foods!" - Kristi, Marquette, MI *
"There’s nothing like seeing the proof in numbers to keep you motivated and on track. In addition, the food proved to be very convenient and also tasty!"
“I did your 10-day Jumpstart program and was really pleased with my results! I wasn’t quite sure what to expect since I’ve been eating a plant-based diet for almost 10 years, but I wanted to participate to help me become more disciplined in terms of eliminating the unhealthy carbs and processed foods that had slowly creeped back into my diet and has been increasing my weight over the last few years. I was also very attracted to the convenience of healthy, frozen, whole-food options and figured that I could help assist others who were making a transition to plant-based eating. I was intrigued by the results that were being achieved in the PlantPure Nation video and wanted to see how my body responded so I got a biometric screening right before and right after my 10 day Jumpstart. Not only did I lose 5 pounds, my total cholesterol went from 200 to 159 and my LDL went from 105 to 71. There’s nothing like seeing the proof in numbers to keep you motivated and on track. In addition, the food proved to be very convenient and also tasty! Thanks for all you are doing to help make this world a healthier place!” – Donna D.*
"I am SHOCKED at how much of a change this has done to me already...I started eating your meals 4 days ago. I have already lost 6lbs."
““I am SHOCKED at how much of a change this has done to me already. I am 6′ 1″ @ 355 lbs. I started eating your meals 4 days ago. I have already lost 6lbs. More importantly I take medication for my diabetes. For the last month I could not get it below 268. Since eating your meals, it has been on average of 140. Just wanted to say thank you for all the work you guys have done and most importantly making these meals available. If it was not for that I don’t think I would have ever started this.” – Jim P.*
"We’ve already been on a vegan diet for many, many years, but I have to admit we were eating too much processed food and sugar."
“I wanted to share my and my husband’s experience with the 10-Day Jumpstart. I was pleased to see that my cholesterol level went from 180 to 171 but was absolutely shocked to see that Tom’s went from 194 to 164!! I didn’t even know that was possible. We’ve already been on a vegan diet for many, many years, but I have to admit we were eating too much processed food and sugar.” – Judy P., Bend, Oregon*
"I am thrilled with these results after just 10 days and appreciate all you guys are doing to help people live healthier lives!"
“Hi! I wanted to give you a quick update after the 10 days! My mother’s total cholesterol went down 18 points and triglycerides went down 140 points! My total cholesterol went down 41 points, LDL went down 27 points, and my triglycerides went down 68 points! I am thrilled with these results after just 10 days and appreciate all you guys are doing to help people live healthier lives! – Suzanne L., Knightdale, North Carolina*
"Thanks for the info and helping give me the tools to change. I still have a long way to go but it seems possible now."
“I am a 40-year-old nurse in an ICU unit and have lost almost 25 lbs. since beginning a plant-based diet. I had gotten to the point where I was so exhausted after working several long shifts in a row, that I would do nothing for 2-3 days. I was also suffering from chronic vitamin and mineral deficiencies, even on supplements.I watched PlantPure Nation on Netflix out of boredom one night and it made me realize what I was doing to myself. As a nurse, I understood the importance of nutrition for my patients, but ignored it for myself. I was 298.8 lbs. on January 1 of this year and am now 274.1 lbs. In four months, my cholesterol has gone from 207 to 165, and my triglycerides have gone from 158 to 75 with no medication. My fasting glucose went from 114 to 104 in a month and my A1C had been steadily climbing but is now 5.9. I have a ton more energy, no longer suffer vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and have taken up walking and weight lifting. I am currently working on my family to improve their diet. Thanks for the info and helping give me the tools to change. I still have a long way to go but it seems possible now. ” – Lisa Lynn Trent, RN*