Whole Food Plant Based Diet

[Bigbob7]

Has anyone here tried a wfpb diet. there is a lot of evidence to prove it can improve heart health and even reverse heart disease.

[SpiritoftheFloyd]

Please see the link to an article on the subject by the BHF. As the article states this idea has been around for some time but the BHF still recommends a Mediterranean Diet.

All authoritative organisations agree that heart disease cannot be reversed. As the article says "We know that changing your diet and lifestyle, as well as taking prescribed medications, will help slow the progression of coronary heart disease, but reversal is another matter."

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

[StressedEric]

Are you referring to the books by Dr Dean Ornish, Caldwell B. Esselstyn and Michael Greger MD, which claim to stop or reverse the progression of cholesterol/plaque build up in your arteries. These books claim to scientifically prove that the diets they advocate, stop and in some instances reverse, the build up of blockages to the arteries. I guess the natural next question is have the BMA or Medical community read the studies that these books are based on and/or have disproven the claims made in these books by their own studies?

[lettingoffsteam]

Well I became interested in this idea after I was diagnosed with very high blood pressure and some mild damage to my heart as a result.I chose to give up meat and initially I was wholly plant based.Since that time I have modified my diet to include fish around once a week, eggs and some low fat dairy but my diet is still very much plant based.I incorporated the other foods to give me more nutritional balance.

As to the results, well I lost five and a half stone which is a massive health bonus as I am now a very healthy weight.My meds are now half what they were and there may be scope to drop them further.My ct angiogram was normal anyway so that was good and I haven't been retested for my heart thickening so I'm not sure about that either.

I'm not sure about the evidence either way but it works for me.People regularly comment about how well I look so I must be doing something right.What is your diagnosis?

[Pollypuss in reply to lettingoffsteam]

Well done . Always love to hear stories like this. I watch what I eat all the time with the hope it helps

[lettingoffsteam in reply to Pollypuss]

Thanks Pollypuss.

[Mikedabike]

Hi Bigbob7, a really good subject for discussion. I can see the logic for a wfpd diet. In fact prior to my AVR last year I started to follow one. In my own case I felt much better for it. The strangest thing of all, was that I expected to miss meat, and didn’t miss it at all. After my AVR I lapsed back to our normal eating as it was just too much effort to cook differently than the rest of the family. I really do think wfpb now has many proven benefits so long as you are aware of certain deficiencies that the diet brings. I now tend to follow I guess a more Mediterranean type eating plan. I love eggs, fish and chicken and have red meat only occasionally. I can honestly say that if was single I would probably try and revert to a more wfpd eating plan. However with a family I’m afraid it’s just too much hard work.

[dunestar]

Not convinced it's right for me. I have mild restless legs syndrome. Opinion seems to be you need the iron from meat.

[Dazza11]

A couple of years ago after high blood pressure diagnosis I also moved to a more plant based diet and there are certainly huge health benefits, mainly because there are very few ready made plant based meals, therefore you are eating more freshly prepared thus healthier food. Simply, it forces you to think of your ingredients and then you can naturally choose healthier, avoiding the hidden demons.

A diet containing meat is no bad thing, lots of vital minerals are gained from meat eating. However it’s about balance. The biggest threats to all our health is obesity, high cholesterol, too much sodium, most of which can be linked to eating processed meals or goods. Sodium levels in foods is eye watering without realising. Simple tin of bake beans is half your daily sodium allowance gone. Throw those beans with a couple of bacon rashers and some white toast and you’ve bit your sodium limit for the day by breakfast!

Keep it balanced, decent amount of fresh Lean meat/fish/vegetables will give you everything you need.

[SunsetM]

Hiya I have also heard about this concept as well and I have been doing some reading on it. It definitely in my view seems worth a short. I don't won't to give up meat completely but I definitely have less and eat more plant based foods and I feel better. A popular book going around is 'how not to die' (sorry I forgot the authors name). In the heart health section, it was quite insightful. However, I felt some evidence for some of the foods being recommended could have been stronger. For e.g. some studies had been done mainly on animals.

I did find quite a nice book the other day called 'the food alphabet for heart healt'h. Again I can't remember the authors name (not the best with names sorry), but the evidence base was better for whole plant based foods. Especially when it came to blood pressure. I was quite impressed.

[pearl777 in reply to SunsetM]

I haven't come across the first book you mentioned but I have come across 'the food alphabet for heart health book' too. It was quite a short book but really helpful nevertheless. I can't remember the authors name either for some reason, but I know it is definitely on Amazon. I think the wfpb diet does have benefits.

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to pearl777]

The author's name is Michelle Leon. Just checked - the Kindle edition is only £4.99.

[Helen_BHF]

Hi everyone,

We know that there’s lots of differing opinions out there on diet and nutrition. For anyone unsure of the BHF’s position, our nutrition lead and senior cardiac nurse have offered the following: healthunlocked.com/bhf/post...

As always, content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and your doctor, it's important to discuss changes to diet lifestyle with a professional.

Thanks all.