I had a problem with cholesterol being high, which indicates increased risk of heart attack and stroke. I was scared and did not want to go on statins, which weren’t mentioned to me by the doctor yet but I knew would be inevitable if I don’t take a structured method to improve my health. This meant changing what I eat and being strict about it. At that time I already saw Robert Lustig’s video about the dangers of sugar. Sure, that is dangerous, but several other problems cause high cholesterol, including high amounts of saturated fat and caffeine as well as excessive processed foods and excessive refined grains.
I will provide doctors and studies which show this information and you may agree or disagree, of course, but I lowered my LDL from 120, elevated risk of heart attack, to 65, a very low and some lifestyle doctors and cardiologists say virtually no risk of heart attack or ischemic stroke. This happened in a few weeks.
Just before I switched my diet, I was on the blood pressure medication called Atenolol, which controlled blood pressure as well as a high heart rate. Before treated, it was something around 160/100 for blood pressure and over 100 resting heart rate: not good at all. Sure, the medication worked but I assumed two things back at that time: that these health conditions are not totally controllable without medication, and would slowly get worse of the years and decades, similar to my older relatives.
I started watching Youtube videos in general after cutting back and virtually eliminating watching TV. I believe I was reading weight loss videos and came across some related to veganism, but eventually also the ultra-healthy but strict whole food-plant based diet.
I was willing to make some big changes and went ahead with it after finding Dr. John Mcdougall’s website. Dr. Mcdougall is a lifestyle medicine author and advocate. He has a large amount of Youtube videos to inspire those who want to change and provide them the information to do so. He does provide services such as a 10 day program. In addition, he sells books related to what he describes as the ideal diet for avoiding the chronic diseases of affluent societies such as the United States.
He personally touts potatoes as a great food, and I started with a large amount of baked potato slices, the only potato type I could really enjoy day after day. The program itself is called the Starch Solution, and center stage for the diet is any whole starches, but includes non-starchy vegetables and fruits. Nuts are allowed but can be a problem for some people so in that case elimination may be the best option.
Motivation and Testimonials for a Whole Food-Plant Based Diet 