If you or someone you love has heart disease, this is the book to read. Dr Esselstyn has been able to reverse heart disease (in general terms, that’s when an artery is blocked by plaque) in his patients by changing their diet.
The Western diet of animal foods, lots of fat, and lots of processed food contributes to – or maybe even causes – heart disease. To reverse heart disease, Dr. Esselstyn recommends a plant-based (vegan) diet that is very low in fat.
If you already follow the 10 steps of Marilu’s Total Health Makeover®, this program will not seem so extreme. If you’re new to THM® then this may seem restrictive at first. But it has plenty of variety (hello, look at all the vegetables and grains out there!). And it’s certainly easy enough if it’s going to save your life, or keep you from living on medication in fear of a heart attack, or keep you from quadruple bypass surgery. (hmmm, maybe we should suggest this program to Bill Clinton?)
The book is in two main parts. The first part describes heart disease for the average reader. It’s a thorough discussion with big words, but they come with explanations and diagrams, so we were able to follow it and learn something. Dr Esselstyn provides a lot of patient case studies, so we see that the dietary change has helped people with a variety of contributing factors in their heart disease.
The second part of the book contains lots of recipes from Ann Esselstyn, Dr Esselstyn’s wife (he admits the kitchen is her domain). The recipes look great, and even if you’re not interested in the total program, you can use the book for these recipes.
Here’s a summary of Dr Esselstyn’s rules for eating to prevent and reverse heart disease. There’s nothing here that contradicts THM®, and so we fully support this program if your health calls for a stricter interpretation of healthy eating.
Do not eat meat.
Do not eat chicken; not even white meat.
Do not eat fish.
DO not eat any dairy products. That means no skim milk, no nonfat yogurt, no sherbet, and no cheese at all.
Do not eat eggs. That includes egg whites and even egg substitutes that contain egg whites.
Do not use any oil at all. Not even extra virgin olive oil or canola oil.
Use only whole-grain products. That means no white flour products. Be sure the list of ingredients uses a phrase like “whole wheat” or “whole grain.” Avoid semolina and wheat flour, which are actually white. Use brown rice.
Do not drink fruit juice. (It is fine to eat fruit, or to use small amounts of fruit juice in recipes or to flavor beverages.)
Do not eat any nuts (although if you have no heart disease, you can occasionally eat walnuts).
Do not eat avocados. That includes guacamole.
Do not eat coconut.
Eat soy products cautiously. Many are highly processed and high in fat. Use “light” tofu. Avoid soy cheese, which almost always contains oil and casein (dairy).
Read The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell with Thomas M. Campbell II (BenBella Books).
Younger Next Year for Women>This book is about aging gracefully. The subtitle (Live Like You’re 50 – Strong, Fit, Sexy – Until You’re 80 and Beyond) makes it sound like there’s nothing useful here for women under 50, but that’s not true. A lot of this is just plain good information.
The authors alternate chapters, which is a good way to balance the sometimes “information overload” of medical details. Crowley is a normal guy, so his chapters take that medical detail and make it real for the rest of us. We particularly enjoyed the chapters on fitness and exercise (chapter 9 had us laughing out loud – for real).
The chapters on diet and nutrition aren’t quite in line with the Total Health Makeover®, but they emphasize lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and lean proteins. There’s mention of low-fat dairy, but we’d substitute non-dairy products and do just fine with the general recommendations.
There are other chapters on maintaining relationships and connections, and staying active in the community that put the book in a “total health” category. And they’re good additions to a book on healthy aging, when isolation becomes a health issue.
Perhaps “Harry’s Rules” are the best summary of the book.
Harry’s Rules
Exercise six days a week for the rest of your life.
Do serious aerobic exercise four days a week for the rest of your life.
Do serious strength training, with weights, two days a week for the rest of your life.
The Engine 2 Diet The Texas Firefighter’s 28-Day Save-Your-Life Plan that Lowers Cholesterol and Burns Away the Pounds
by Rip Esselstyn
Two things will catch your attention if you glance at the cover of this book. First, it’s red. Fire engine red. Appropriately enough, it turns out. Second, the author’s name is “Esselstyn” – could this guy be related to Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, the Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease guy? Why yes. This is his son’s book, and it’s based on the same theory – eating a plant-based diet is the healthiest diet for your body, and it will prevent and reverse heart disease, among other things.
Rip Esselstyn is a triathlete and Austin, TX firefighter (see? fire engine red). He’s in excellent physical condition. And he’s vegan. This is his 4-week program for changing your health, including an exercise plan and a diet plan with recipes. He makes it very easy. The stories are entertaining, and will appeal to men. (Not that they won’t appeal to women, but not every diet book is this macho.)
That’s the best part of the book – it’s accessible to men. If your man is skeptical about THM® then maybe he’d read about the E2 diet. It’s actually more “strict” because there is less animal protein (after the first two weeks, if you choose to ease into it) and less fat. You could certainly prepare these recipes as part of a THM® plan.
There’s a greater reliance on soy subs than in THM®, and less concern about chemicals. In general, the two programs are complimentary, and the recipes would work well for anyone following Marilu’s program. The information about correcting coronary heart disease with diet is really good, and completely in harmony with what we’ve learned from Marilu and other experts.
Dan Buettner first got interested in longevity as part of his interactive, educational “Quest” program, when he traveled around the world trying to answer difficult questions with a team of scientists linked through the internet. Then he wrote the 2005 National Geographic cover story “Secrets of Living Longer.” That story led to this book. In interviewing some of the world’s oldest people, he’s learned some of the secrets of healthy aging – not just living long, but living long well.
Buettner and his team of scientific researchers studied four populations in this book – the centenarians (yikes! they’re all over 100!) of Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Loma Linda, California; and the Nicoya peninsula of Costa Rica.
Each population has a chapter detailing research such as age verification and family trees, regional history, geography, and a social/cultural study. The centenarians were interviewed about their daily and lifetime habits, but Buettner also managed to establish deeper relationships with many of his subjects, joining them for family meals, daily work, social gatherings, and more. Each population also has specific longevity secrets – a few practices that can be adopted for your own life.
The final chapter of the book is a summary of the lessons we can learn from these longevity populations, as well as from the centenarians themselves. These lessons include lots of natural movement, cutting calories, eating mostly plant foods, drinking red wine (in moderation), seeing the big picture, downshifting to relieve stress, participating in a spiritual community, making family a priority, and surrounding yourself with people who have similar values. Each of these lessons has several strategies so you can incorporate the lesson in your own life.
The Blue Zones is easy to read, filled with anecdotes and personal histories. It also makes healthy living seem easy and attainable.
The book is not completely aligned with the Total Health Makeover®, however, it certainly supports many of our dietary guidelines and THM basics. One of the big messages of the book – health is more than diet and exercise – is something Marilu has taught since the publication of her first book on health, The Total Health Makeover. The lessons and strategies of The Blue Zones may be a way to introduce more people to healthy living, and even to THM.
Wear Your Life Well Use What You Have To Get What You Want
by Marilu Henner with Lorin Henner
What I’ve come to realize is that the key to wearing your life well is to fully understand what you have and, equally important, know what you want. You have to take a profound look at your dreams, goals, and aspirations, followed by a good, hard look at your assets, resources, liabilities, and talents. And then, you have to find a way to bridge the gap between the two — while learning to enjoy the adventure!
It’s not enough just to live—you have to wear your life well! Learn how in this inspiring guide from New York Times bestselling author and beloved actress Marilu Henner.
Ten years after actress Marilu started her bestselling Total Health Makeover series, she’s in better shape than ever—at peak health, working with a very active online community at Marilu.com, and celebrating life with her new husband, whom she helped to put his cancer in remission. Now she’s back with an inspiring guide to making your life work for you, whatever your age or condition.
Are you happy? Are you living the life you want, or are you living for other people? Are you guided by your own plans or by the design of others? Do you see your life as a daily grind, or are you eager to face each day and every new challenge? Do you get along well with your family, friends, relatives, and coworkers, or do you harbor anger, resentment, or guilt? Are you working toward a dream, or are you daydreaming about not working? In essence, do you Wear Your Life Well?
With the verve of a teenager and the wisdom of a sage, Marilu breaks down all the elements in our lives—our minds, our bodies, and the world around us—that can sabotage our progress, and helps us discover the best in ourselves. She pinpoints the often surprising ways we are compromising our lives and offers smart, sensible, healthy alternatives. And Marilu also includes a Booty Camp Life Blitz—a five-day jumpstart that uses the principles in the book in a very specific, directed way to get you a fresh start on the path to optimal wellness. So whether you need a major life change or simply want fresh ideas on improving your life, let Marilu be your cheerleader, muse, and guide.
I recently answered this question for an article in Personal Development magazine.
List 3 books everyone should read and why. (If you have written any they can’t be your own.)
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare because it’s difficult to choose only one of his plays to read, and everyone should read at least one; The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, my latest favorite book; The China Study by T. Colin Campbell for the most comprehensive explanation of why we shouldn’t be eating dairy products.
by Robert Cohen and Brian Vigorita 
