Forks Over Knives Spring 2018

Welcome to the second issue of Forks Over Knives® magazine! We’re thankful so many of you enjoyed the first issue, which we had to reprint to keep up with the demand. When I released the Forks Over Knives documentary in 2011, my mission was to spread the lifesaving information of a whole-food, plant-based diet to the widest audience possible. With the help of outlets like Netflix and Amazon, millions of people viewed the film, kicking off a healthy-lifestyle movement that continues to grow. Today, through our books, meal planner, cooking school, and website, among other things, we are helping scores of people explore the joys and benefits of plant-based eating. Now the magazine provides a new way to share the lifestyle by providing a beautiful, handy guide that can be conveniently found at newsstands…

Alona Pulde, M.D., and Matthew Lederman, M.D. Drs. Pulde and Lederman created the medical program used in the Forks Over Knives documentary and all Whole Foods Market Medical & Wellness centers. They also coauthored The New York Times bestseller The Forks Over Knives Plan and The Whole Foods Diet: The Lifesaving Plan for Health and Longevity. Cyrus Khambatta, Ph.D. Dr. Cyrus Khambatta is the cofounder of Mastering Diabetes and an internationally recognized nutrition and fitness coach who has been living with type 1 diabetes since 2002. He holds a Ph.D. in nutritional biochemistry from the University of California at Berkeley. Darshana Thacker Darshana Thacker is chef and culinary project manager for Forks Over Knives. A graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute, Darshana is the recipe author for Forks Over Knives Family and recipe contributor to…

You’re probably aware of the epidemics of obesity, heart disease, and cancer in this country. However, you may not be aware that there is a way to prevent or reverse these diseases without medication and surgeries. That way is through eating a whole-food, plant-based diet. The whole-food, plant-based diet is the only diet that has been scientifically shown to prevent and reverse diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes. A WHOLE-FOOD, PLANT-BASED DIET IS CENTERED ON VEGETABLES, TUBERS, FRUITS, WHOLE GRAINS, AND LEGUMES, AND IT EXCLUDES OR MINIMIZES MEAT, DAIRY PRODUCTS, EGGS, BLEACHED FLOUR, REFINED SUGAR, AND OIL. ½ Vegetarians have approximately half the risk of type 2 diabetes as non-vegetarians. (Adventist Health Studies) 60% Nearly. of American men and more than 60% of women are obese or overweight. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) ⅓ About ⅓ of…

Lifestyle, not genes, accounts for 80% of chronic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.—CDC Myth Many people assume that conditions such as heart disease and cancer are hereditary and that there’s nothing we can do if our genes are programmed with these diseases. Fact For chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and many cancers, our genes only account for 10–20 percent of risk. The other 80–90 percent of risk is diet and lifestyle. New research finds that our lifestyle choices (the foods we eat, our stress levels, how active we are) can affect our genes. THE SCIENCE OF AGING Telomeres, the little protective caps on the ends of our chromosomes, get shorter as we age. Shorter telomeres are associated with an increased risk of many diseases and a shorter lifespan. So how…

TIM KAUFMAN From Weighing 400 Pounds and Using Crutches to Running Marathons At 38, I was morbidly obese, weighed almost 400 pounds, and required crutches for a genetic disorder that weakened my joints. Faced with dangerously high cholesterol and blood pressure, I vowed to make one healthy change a day until I’d completely changed my life. I started small by taking the stairs and walking. After switching to a plant-based diet, I increased those changes to hiking the Appalachian Trail, cycling 100-mile races, and running 5Ks, 10Ks, half-marathons, and marathons! I’ve lost 200 pounds. My blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels have all dropped significantly, and I no longer need prescription medications or crutches to ease the pain in my joints. I love that I can now live an active lifestyle. ANGELA MONTANEZ With…

THE TYPICAL WESTERN DIET IS THE NO. 1 CAUSE OF PREMATURE DEATH AND THE NO. 1 CAUSE OF DISABILITY.—nutritionfacts.org IF THERE IS A WAY TO PREVENT AND REVERSE CHRONIC DISEASES, THEN WHY DON'T MORE DOCTORS PRESCRIBE IT AS A TREATMENT? Researchers at Kaiser Permanente, one of the largest managed care organizations in the country, want their doctors to do just that. In their official materials, the company now advises the more than 17,000 physicians in their network to recommend the most-powerful yet least-used prescription to their patients: a healthy, plant-based diet and active lifestyle. 1 HEART DISEASE Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in the United States, but it is virtually absent in cultures that eat fiberrich, plant-based diets. Several scientists and doctors, including Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn and Dr. Dean Ornish, have…