Death is a very big problem! Although it can't be avoided, we can evade dying prematurely. There are 15 major causes of preventable deaths, which from the greatest risk to the least are as follows: coronary heart disease (375,000 deaths per year), lung diseases (lung cancer, COPD, and asthma: 296,000/year), iatrogenic causes (medical mistakes and risks associated with hospitalization: 225,000/year), brain diseases (stroke and Alzheimer's: 214,000/year), digestive cancers (colorectal, pancreatic, and esophageal: 106,000/year), infections (respiratory and blood: 95,000/year), diabetes (76,000/year), high blood pressure (65,000/year), liver diseases (cirrhosis and cancer: 60,000/year), blood cancers (leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma: 56,000/year), kidney disease (47,000/year), breast cancer (41,000/year), suicidal depression (41,000/year), prostate cancer (28,000/year), and Parkinson's disease (25,000 deaths per year).
According to Michael Greger (M.D., FACLM, founder of NutritionFacts.org and author of How Not To Die) what does the scientific body of evidence conclude are the undeniable leading causes of these deaths? Eating too many disease-laden foods while avoiding nourishine ones. Highly processed and refined food products, meat, and dairy and the primary bad guys. The other team consists of plants, mostly in their pure and natural forms. Being the good doctor he is, Greger copiously supports his conclusions with 131 pages of citations representing broad scientific consensus that buttruss this argument. Unlike those who deny real science, he uses more than just a handful of studies dubiously funded by corporate interests.
Dr. Greger is no doomsday prophet. He brings us some very good news too. By eating fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes, combined with drinking a lot of liquid and exercising, we can avoid dying prematurely and unnecessarily from these avoidable diseases. And if you have indulged too much in eating unhealthy foods, it is, in many cases, possible to reverse the ravages of our self-inflicted suffering with a whole food plant-based diet. His recommendations are simple. Eat three servings of legumes each day, one serving of berries, three servings of other fruits, one serving of cruciferous vegetables, two servings of greens, two servings of other veggies, one serving of flax seed, a small dose of tumeric, three servings of whole grains, five servings of water, and exercise. Do this, and we can all avoid premature death and a lot of unnecessary misery.
My personal reaction after reading this comprehensive study of nutrition, health, and wellnes is that I have not a single reason to eat meat, dairy, or processed foods ever again! I highly recommend this book to anyone having even the smallest desire to learn about how to live a healthy and fullfilled life. After following his daily dozen recommendations for nearly one year, I can say it works better than advertised. This read has profoundly transformed my life.
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