Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure Reviews

• A must read for anyone who wants to remain alive as long as possible

  
  By A3JJK12NWLCNEF on 2007-02-08
  This is an extremely important book. Dr. Esselstyn has conducted the longest-running study, with the most impressive results, of any study in which heart disease has been arrested and reversed. I have read it once and plan to read it a second time. I had known of Dr. Esselstyn's work prior to reading this book, but it is wonderful to have all of his thinking and recommendations available in one easy-to-read book, together with a treasure trove of wonderful recipes supplied by his wife Ann Crile Esselstyn. Dr. Esselstyn points out that everyone over 60 who has been eating the standard American diet has some level of heart disease and it is increasingly found to be starting in children and young adults.
  
  I used to think that there was nothing one could do about the chronic diseases of aging such as heart disease and strokes. It is exciting and heartening to learn that there is something one can do to prevent, arrest and even reverse heart disease. The proof is shown in the stunning photos of actual angiograms before and after Dr. Esslestyn's treatment (you can actually see that the arteries are wider after the treatment!) and more importantly, in the remarkable improvement in his patients that he tells about.
  
  I have decided to follow Dr. Esselstyn's lifestyle guidance and I encourage all of my friends and associates to do the same. I direct a residential special needs school and have changed the menu plans for the 230 students at our school to follow Dr. Esselstyn's guidelines. I plan to send a copy to a cardiologist I know. I wish every physician would read this book. Do yourself a favor and read this book. It could be a life-saver, literally.
  
  Matthew L. Israel,Ph.D.
  Executive Director
  Judge Rotenberg Center
  Canton, MA 02021
  
  
  

• Okay, but simplistic and incomplete

  
  By A2HEU3CKSRS9T4 on 2007-03-23
  The author definitely presents some facts, but is inconsistent. He asks why health professionals don't recommend anything but a vegan diet, but he pushes drugs to lower cholesterol when Niacin does a far better job of raising HDL (the good cholesterol) and he never mentions Niacin. Why not? Why does he push liver damaging drugs and never mention a natural alternative that is safer and even cheaper? And at least one of the people on his program died of a heart attack. From what I've read Co Q-10 may have prevented that. I think he has some good information in his book, and since I read all I can on this subject I don't regret buying it, but if you want to prevent heart disease I recommend a (in my opinion) much better book called REVERSE HEART DISEASE NOW by Stephan Sinatra, formerly chief of cardiology and director of medical education at Manchester Memorial Hospital in Connecticut. Stephan Sinatra talks about Niacin and Co-Q-10 and fish and anti-oxidants and many other very important food supplements that Caldwell Esselstyn completely ignores. Caldwell Esselstyn is not a cardiologist, and many of the 5 star reviews have come from PETA associates. Google the names of the reviewers (like Neal Pinckney) that gave his book 5 stars and you will see. I still think this book has some valuable information, but I think the book by Stephan Sinatra is much better and still allows you to eat helathy things like fish. Do the research, and watch out for phonies like Neal Pickney.
  
  

• Meet Dr. Esselstyn, say goodbye to your cardiologist

  
  By A1VZZOBJ6H5LJ9 on 2007-02-10
  Dr. Esselstyn's brand new book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, delivers just what the title promises. 21 years ago, Dr. Esselstyn took 17 people who were very sick. They had had heart attacks, bypass operations, angioplasty, pills, you name it. These people had by and large been sent home to die by their cardiologists, their heart disease so severe nothing further could be done. Doctors told several they would be dead in "less than a year."
  
  But they didn't die. Instead, each agreed to become part of Dr. Esselstyn's study, and adopted a low-fat plant-based diet as their medicine. 12 years later every one of these patients was alive, free of heart disease, and living full, active lives. Even those originally given a death sentence of "one year to live" are alive today 21 years later; and all thank Dr. Esselstyn for giving them knowledge, inspiration -- and recipes -- to save their lives. Their experiences as well as the many in his ongoing counseling, are documented in this amazing, highly readable book and backed up by 20 years of rock hard, peer reviewed science.
  
  This is not a book just for people with heart disease (one out of every two Americans will die of heart disease). This is a book for anyone wanting to regain or preserve their health, anyone wanting to enjoy great health throughout their entire life.
  
  The infomation in Dr. Esselstyn's book can save your life, and the recipes alone make it a must-have.
  
  

• Long Awaited - Much Appreciated

  
  By AZJXA4T3VV0UT on 2007-02-09
  I ordered four of these books before they were finished printing because of having heard Dr. Esselstyn lecture on a DVD of the 2003 VegSource conference. I am impressed with Dr. Esselstyn's integrity, commitment and intelligence. His book has been a big help to me. Before reading his book I had a pretty good idea of what to do, and even a fair commitment, but since reading the book I have made some changes. Everyone that lives in an affluent country, such as the U.S.A. can benefit greatly from Dr. Esselstyn's book, and following his advice. His presentation style is at once informative and easy to read. His program is very clear. Dr. Esselstyn has impeccable credentials in the field of heart disease prevention and treatment. Read this book and follow Dr. Esselstyn's advice,if at all possible. (Dr. Esselstyn's program is for all those seeking better health, not just those with cardiovascular problems).
  
  Short history of personal serum cholesterol starting the day I received the book:
  
  Date Tot.Chol. HDL Ratio
  2/06/07 196 44 4.5
  2/22/07 176 44 4.0
  3/26/07 148 39 3.8
  
  :)
  
  
  

• An excellent book

  
  By A3S3R88HA0HZG3 on 2007-02-12
  This is an excellent, easy to read book for anyone who has been following the SAD (standard American diet) and has high cholesterol and/or other warning signs of heart disease. Dr. Esselstyn's approach is straight forward and no nonsense and it works.
  
  About half of this book is filled with some great recipes that are easy to make and very helpful when you need ideas for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I've only tried a few so far, but I plan to do most of them over the next few weeks.
  
  I've already sent this book to someone as a gift and will probably send out a few more. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is concerned about getting or staying healthy.
  
  
• The land of Esselstyn... where the living is easy!
  By A2VMFIR9I7RVV0 on 2007-09-06
  My cousin turned me on the Esselstyn lifestyle. Her husband, who has suffered from genetically high cholesterol, had seen many male family members die before their time due to heart disease. When vegetarianism and then veganism didn't solve his problem, they went hardcore into the Esselstyn lifestyle.
  
  In 5 short months, my cousin (average size 12 American female) lost almost 30 pounds, much of it by foregoing the core of their vegan diet: olive oil, nuts, avocados, etc. Her husband also lost weight; better yet, his high cholesterol finally responded and is now in the excellent range.
  
  My cousin then recommended the Esselstyn book to me, as my husband's cholesterol has stubbornly remained above 200, and he, too, has a history of heart disease in his immediate family. Though we believed we were already eating a healthy diet, several hours of reading through Esselstyn's findings soon proved we were wrong. We made a pact to try the diet for just 1 month and evaluate where we stood.
  
  Well, 1 short month convinced us that this is the way to eat for life! We've now been following the program for 37 days, and the changes are already obvious. My husband has lost about 12 pounds and 3" in his waistline. He feels "lighter" and less bloated, and is "completely satisfied" (his words) by the wide variety of natural and delicious foods we eat.
  
  As for me, I have lost about 9 pounds and a total of 12"; I will soon need new jeans! My mid-afternoon cravings are miraculously gone. And no one was more surprised than I to discover that we do not miss eating the staples of our previous diet, such as grilled salmon, eggs, olive oil, fat-free dairy products, dark chocolate, and an occasional 96% Laura's Lean sirloinburger. Another side benefit is that we are spending less at the grocery store!
  
  If you're on the fence about this one, do what we did... try it for just 1 month (but be sure to give it 100%) and then make your decision.
  
  
• It's Been Said Better By Others
  By A1IOJ96FW3T3C7 on 2007-04-29
  No publishing house will publish a book on veganism, or even vegetarianism, without the contents containing cooking recipes. But Dr. Esselstyn's book does just that to an extreme. Of the book's 308 pages, 173 are devoted to recipes and related cooking instructions. As for that part of the text offering nutritional advice, it's been presented in far more detail, along with supportive clinical documentation, in the individual published works of Drs. John McDougall, Joel Fuhrman, Dean Ornish, Neal Barnard, and the early writings of Julian Whitaker. Is Dr. Esselstyn's book worth the "admission price"? Not really.
  
  
• JUST SAY NO to heart disease
  By A2XUSC7S9T53V2 on 2007-05-06
  This is a very clear, very concise book.
  
  A plant-based diet can prevent and reverse heart disease.
  
  It has the potential to save millions upon millions of lives.
  
  My cardiologist suggested that I try the South Beach Diet. Somebody slap him for me. Living proof that medical school nutritional education is NOT only pathetic, BUT actually DEADLY. I'd love to be able to say that this was a joke. Actually, it was. But true too.
  
  Luckily I had read Ornish. McDougall is great. Esselstyn is the clearest and most up to date AND he recommended a vegan diet PLUS statins, with ZERO further cardiac events for those who followed the program. What more did you want? Did my cardiologist thank me for excitedly passing on that information? HA! Have you got a lot to learn ...
  
  BUT you are not alone. You have Drs. Ornish, McDougall and Esselstyn and (biochemical) Dr. T. Colin Campbell. As for an actual live family practioner or a cardiologist, you may get lucky, but unfortunately I wouldn't count on it. When you have a new diagnosis of heart disease and you are petrified, or 'they' are shoving a coat hanger up your leg, is that tough? Oh Yeah ;-).
  
  Younger doctors may be more open and/or have less to lose? (Sample size = 1 ;-) ).
  
  Find support on McDougall's online forum and see if Dr. Esselstyn starts one. The very best of luck to you.
  
  May you be as lucky (and Iron Willed) as those already happily following the advice.
  
  (REMEMBER the one about the Formula One driver in Australia. A spectator says to a friend of the driver, "He's very lucky." To which the outraged friend replies, "Yeah mate, and you know what? The harder he works, the luckier he gets!"). Trust Drs. Esselstyn, Ornish and McDougall, be lucky and you'll do fine.
  
  Esselstyn recommends reading The China Study. Having now done so, all I can say is "My God. What you don't know can SERIOUSLY damage your health." So that is why Ornish, McDougall and also Esselstyn say NO DAIRY. Got Cancer?
  
  Can't do it? Willpower of a gnat? That's too bad because from here on heart disease is surely suicide by fork and spoon.
  
  
• Have a Heart--Save Yours!
  By A3AQY7OPVP7XRK on 2007-02-09
  Anyone with a heart problem or who wants to avoid heart disease needs to read this book. Dr. Esselstyn details the results of a 20-year study that proves that heart disease can be reversed. This reversal was accomplished not by surgical procedures but by a nutritional program that has been remarkably effective. Unlike other doctors who tell you to eat a balanced diet, Dr. Esselstyn spells out the foods you must eat and those to avoid to promote a healthy heart. To help those who need guidance in preparing meals, the book provides over 150 easy-to-prepare recipes.
  
  Dr. Esselstyn is a remarkable man who has written a remarkable book that dares to challenge his professional colleagues. In an era where so many people are eating themselves into chronic illnesses like heart disease, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease presents a simple nutritional solution to a problem that has evolved into a national health crisis. His recommendations empower each individual to take charge of his/her health instead of turning to the medical profession for surgical intervention.
  
  He says, "I have an ambitious goal: to annihilate heart disease--to abolish it once and for all." His goal will be realized only if his message is widely disseminated and people to turn their backs on unhealthful eating patterns to embrace a lifestyle that encourages their wellbeing.
  
  Hopefully, doctors, instead of mocking and marginalizing practitioners like him, will change their focus to prevention instead of surgical procedures that cost thousands of dollars and offer no cure. He points out that surgery is far more lucrative for doctors than providing nutritional guidance to make that surgery unnecesary. As Esselstyn concludes, "We can start teaching people how to walk alongside the edge of the cliff instead of trying to save them after they fall off."
  
  
• A wealth of practical advice based on solid scientifically based research
  By A136HC7BWDGRDK on 2007-02-12
  If you or someone you love has coronary artery disease or you fear that you will develop it, order this book immediately. It will show how to adopt an food plan that will prevent and reverse heart disease, avoiding surgery, drugs and other forms of treatment that fail to address the true symptoms of this deadly condition. The book is very well-written and nicely illustrated, It fully explains how modern medicine has failed to provide the easiest, most cost-effective means of maintaining heart health - a healthy diet. Unfortunately, most Americans are confused about what a truly healthy diet consists of. Dr. Esselstyn's clarifies misconceptions about health-based food. His wife, Ann, provides a wonderful collection of delicious and easily prepared recipes. Dr. Esselsytn's credentials, including a significant peer-reviewed research study, lend full support to the powerful statement this book makes. I have donated a copy to my local library with the hope that it will empower other readers to take take charge of their health.
  
  
• Life-changing
  By A3FF3IFWQ077Z7 on 2007-02-04
  This is an incredible book. It is evidence based on medical peer-reviewed literature and his own experience. It is obvious that Dr Esselstyn was willing to think 'outside the box' about heart disease and put his theories to the test with good science!!!! My only wish is that more people will take his advice.It includes some awesome and usable practical recipes. This book is for anyone who wants to be healthy, not just someone with known heart disease.
  Another good read is The China Study.
  
  
• Solution for Your Heart
  By A2AN1KPQUX9I4Z on 2007-03-27
  This book shows 20 years of research and that the effect of heart disease can be reversed by changing your diet to a plant based diet. I had a heart attack in 1995. In 2004, after ten years of being on Lipitor, I changed my diet to eliminate eating all forms of cholesterol and to eliminate the drug. To my amazement, my angina went away in days and another benefit occurred. After about 6 weeks, I realized my asthma of fifty years also went away. I now believe I need to share the good news everywhere I go. I have read many books on the subject and "Vegan" is the answer to most of America's chronic diseases. I am Jack Loggins in Arlington, Texas.
  
  
• Buy This Book For Everyone You Know
  By A2KOMKPUGLGP7D on 2007-04-18
  I am a cancer survivor who went whole foods vegan the moment I got my diagnosis in early spring of 2005. I experienced no side effects during six weeks of radiation treatment, and my other health benefits were swift and, frankly, miraculous. Chronic pain in my back, leg, and foot that I'd had for nearly two years was simply gone on the 8th day of "veganism". The pain never returned. My weight dropped to 120 and has remained there regardless of how much I eat. My cholesterol dropped from 191 to 127, and my blood pressure is 90/60 on average. If I pull a muscle or a tendon, I'm good as new the next day. I recently cut my finger chopping vegetables and two days later it was completely healed. When I tell people my story I feel like an impossible testimonial, yet here I am: almost 46 years old and feeling about 18!
  
  I collect low-fat vegan cookbooks and as soon as I saw this book with "150 recipes", I grabbed it. These recipes are the most delicious and easiest to prepare that I've ever encountered. What a PERFECT collection! Everything I make comes out gold! I recommend this book to anyone who wonders, "What do you eat?" This recipe section is all anyone needs to make the switch to low-fat vegan easy and delicious!
  
  As for the rest of the book, I've read it four times already, determined to commit memory everything in it regarding the effect of fat and junk food on our arteries. Dr. Esselstyn has done a tremendous job of writing a book that includes only what's necessary to clearly illustrate a path to health. I appreciate the fact that he avoided "filler" and got right to the point, pictures and all. I wish I could buy this book for everyone. It should be required reading by the time kids reach 5th grade!
  
  
• Lucky To Be Onboard!
  By A20RFNJ5G4N0H9 on 2007-02-21
  I was lucky enough to find Dr. Esselstyn almost 3 years ago after a stress test showed an insufficient blood flow during exercise. Rather than undergoing a quadruple by-pass operation (standard procedure), I adopted his healthy life style and my last two annual stress tests showed no blood flow deficiency. Each day I eat healthily I feel in control of my life. My stamina has returned, my indigestion has gone and my optimism is back. Don't feel deprived. Feel empowered! Edward Flax, Syosset, N.Y.
  
  
• Caldwell Esselstyn
  By A2JOFK0BWSM6CO on 2007-06-07
  This is the best heart book ever written period. I have about 50 health books. Ornish's book made me think about it, Esselstyn's book made me do it. All other health and heart books are just noise, they will just confuse you. This one is the best in many ways. In many ways the study is more powerful, and the book is more powerful than the Ornish books by far, though I think Ornish is admirable. This book really should be read along with The China Study, as the two authors refer to one another and their work in the two books. The China Study goes more in depth about the science and rational behind what Esselstyn is suggesting. The China Study is also an outstanding book. Congradulations to Mr Esselstyn, he is by far the best thing going at the Cleveland Clinc, this from one of its angioplasty patients. The only addition I would make to his analysis, is once you are able to, you need to add reasonable exercise, it is essential. But I understand his reasons for sort of omitting it. I suggest Mr Esselstyn write a Reversing Heart Disease Part 2, or "Advanced" there I am sure he would suggest strongly about exercise, as seen with himself and his own family. And I am sure he also has a lot to update us on. Great book, a must for anyone with heart disease.
  
  
• A Life Saver
  By AW4EXA4HNKXTG on 2007-03-24
  Dr. Esselstyn's case is very compelling and Ann Esselstyn's recipes are just terrific. I "heart"ily recommend this book.
  
  
• 4 months and what a difference
  By A15N85ZKCXQ330 on 2007-07-31
  I was convinced enough by Dr. Esselstyn's book and "The China Study" to completely change my diet 5 months ago. Since then I've lost 30lbs even though I eat all the time, my cholesterol numbers improved significantly and are now far below Dr. Esselstyn's recommended levels of 150 total, and 80 ldl, and my blood pressure is back to normal after three years on blood pressure medicine. I seem to require less sleep, and I feel great. Time will only tell whether this helps me avoid an early MI like my father, but I'm betting on this and see no reason to stray. It's not all that hard to follow if you just make up your mind to do it. For me, the change in my numbers, weight, and blood pressure in just 5 months is all the proof I need to stick with this for life.
  
  
• Recipes Make Diet Possible
  By AVM5L19ST5TGG on 2007-07-28
  What makes this book unique is that it contains not only Dr. Esselstyn's sound advice about improving health through a plant-based low-fat diet, but also Ann Esselstyn's delicious recipes- which makes following the diet possible, and even enjoyable. My husband and I, who have never before eaten a particular diet, have followed this diet strictly for over a month and have discovered delicious foods and tastes that had previously been covered with sauces and butter. Rather than a feeling of deprivation, we feel that we are exploring a new world of wonderful foods. We feel great and energetic, and have even dropped some weight as an added bonus. I would recommend this book to all.
  
  
• Important conclusions, with one possible exception
  By A1MJMYLRTZ76ZX on 2008-04-17
  I agree with the many other writers here that this is an extremely important work, and that something needs to be done about the harmful American diet. Dr. Esselstyn's amazing results on the group whose heart disease he reversed is the sort of data most scientists would kill for. The book is packed with information and data that support his conclusions. Overall, I agree with everything in this book, with one exception.
  
  Dr. Esselstyn has concluded that any kind of oil, whether animal or vegetable, is harmful to the vascular epithelium, and that this is a major contributing factor in atherosclerosis, and in strokes and heart attacks. He also cites a very interesting experiment in which patients ingested olive oil and had their brachial arteries clamped shut for five minutes, after which they failed to open up right away.
  
  Dr. Esselstyn concluded from this that the olive oil temporarily injured the blood vessels, and that this accounts for the brachial artery's inability to open up in timely fashion after the clamp was removed.
  
  However, I have several problems with this. First, the clamp was on for a long time, five minutes. This is a very long time to clamp a major blood vessel all the way shut, and is something that would normally never happen in the real world.
  
  Second, and most important, is the conclusion that the olive oil is the causative factor in the injury. I have a couple of problems with this.
  
  Thirty years ago, when I was working my way through grad school in physiology and anatomy as a spectrophotometric technician running blood chemistries on a Fisher 1040 Programmachem Spectrophotometer, and was a lot younger than I am today, I happened to feel some very fatty blood serum between my fingers, after it had been spun down.
  
  Fortunately, this was before the days of HIV and I had no cuts on my fingers, so nothing bad happened there. However, I'll never forget how sticky the fatty blood serum felt between my fingers. It was practically like glue.
  
  Normally, spun down human serum (with the red blood cells and other solid fractions removed), is a straw gold color. However, after ingesting fat, such as after one of those good ol' American style breakfasts of bacon and eggs and hash browns, it can be milky white or even pink, looking almost like a strawberry milkshake. That milky appearance is all the fat that's going through your arteries, carried in small, microscopic droplets called chylomicrons.
  
  With such sticky blood coursing through your veins after eating any fat or oil, that could be the reason why the brachial artery didn't open and remained "glued" shut, rather than any injury to the vascular epithelium.
  
  Third, the cell membranes, including those of the vascular epithelium, are essentially fatty, lipid membranes themselves. In the case of nerve cells, they're even fattier because of the presence of large amounts of phospholipids that are needed in nerve cells. My question is why would a typical fatty cell membrane be injured by something that is chemically the same, or at least, very similar to itself?
  
  In Dr. Esselstyn's favor, however, is the one case of a man who had severe angina, which went away when he stopped eating olive oil, when he was already doing everything else right diet-wise. But this could simply be due to eliminating the remaining fat from the diet rather than because of any injury to the blood vessels.
  
  All that having been said, I still think this is an extremely important book, and that Dr. Esselstyn's many other conclusions and ideas are correct. And I plan to change my own diet along the lines he suggests as a result.
  
  Finally, I'd like to say that recently I was priviledged to hear Dr. Esselstyn speak and that he is an dynamic, funny, and witty speaker, and that if you ever have the opportunity, you should go and hear him speak yourself. And his wife gave a brief but equally dynamic presentation at the end of his talk with information and tips on how to prepare and cook a plant-based diet.
  
  
• PRICELESS INFORMATION
  By AZJQKH0QM3FOD on 2007-03-11
  THIS BOOK HAS GIVEN ME INFORMATION AS HOW TO STAY ALIVE. I HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH CORONARY ISCHEMIC BLOCKAGE WARRANTING A QUADRUPLE BYPASS. HOWEVER I'M FOLLOWING THE DIET RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE BOOK, AND I;VE EXPERIENCED VERY POSITIVE RESULTS. MAINLY, THE ANGINA PAIN WHICH I FELT EVERYDAY HAS GONE. NO TRACE OF IT. AND ON TOP OF THAT I JUST FEEL JUST GREAT.
  
  DR. ESSELSTYN RECOUNTING SOME OF HIS CASE HISTORIES AND WHAT HAS LED HIM TO PURSUE THIS MEDICAL ROAD IN DIETARY HEART DISEASE PREVENTION AND REVERSAL AFTER A VERY SUCCESSFUL CAREER AS A SURGEON IS TRULY INFORMATIVE AS BACKGROUND INFORMATION.
  
  IF YOU DON'T HAVE HEART DISEASE----BUY THE BOOK TO PREVENT GETTING IT.
  IF YOU DO----BUY IT TO REVERSE THE CONDITION.
  
  EITHER WAY THE INFORMATION IS PRICELESS. A NEW DAY IS DAWNING IN NUTRITION: SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION VERSUS THE SUGGESTIONS FROM A POT BELLIED DOCTOR.
  
  
• Saved my life!!
  By A1LWGQS7D9NQ0W on 2007-08-03
  After reading and applying the diet and lifestyle changes in this book my chest pain has reduced to near zero, my total cholesterol went from 339 to 119,my weight dropped 21lbs, and my cardiologist has become a believer! All in less than 12 weeks. There is similarity in the diet here to what Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. John McDougall recommend and with similar great results. They are all onto the true answer to heart disease, diabetes, various cancers, etc. The book takes us on a personal level, to the lives and medical histories of the patients in the study and is much more than a clinical analysis. A great read and very inspiring. The recipes were a great touch and a perfect way to wrap up the book. Buy the book and be prepared to not put the book down till the last page. A great read.
  
  
• Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease
  By A1OGUE9GORZ6Y0 on 2007-10-22
  This book put me on a new path to curing my heart disease. It is extreme in what it requires: vegan diet AND no use of oils. This was the hardest thing for me because I LOVE nuts, olive oil and butter. I had previously been a ovo-lacto vegetarian so the step to vegan was not as challenging as it would be for meat/fish eaters. The fantastic thing, however, is that this is actually a way to take personal responsibility for making improvements in my heart health. I am also on a small dose of lipitor, which Dr. Esselstyn also recommends. My hope is to get off this drug totally after things have stabilized. A short time after starting this eating routine, I had blood work done and my cholesterol has gone from 320 total to 160. Not bad after just 5 weeks of effort!
  I bought a bunch of the cook books recommended at the back of Dr. Esselstyn's book and these are very helpful.
  
  
• Do you want a healthier life?
  By A1Z0VDIVLMZ4IY on 2007-11-06
  As a physician who ate a "reasonably" healthy diet, but has had a heart attack and bladder cancer, I was confronted with very formitable medical data. That data was shocking in its revealing that the "western diet" was associated with so many diseases. It is obvious to me that the plant based low fat diet will change your health outlook for the better. Dr. Esselsyn is a respected physician from a presitigous hospital. The reversal of heart disease appears irrefutable. Only those who don't have the discipline to change will criticize the conclusions. Western eating is so intrenched in our psyche that it difficult to change. This is analagous to the resistence of people to acknowledge the relationship of smoking and lung cancer. But finally that sunk in. So will this.
  
  
• Easy to understand, straight-forward how-to-do-it guide
  By ARUJ8XS1VUH9X on 2007-02-19
  It's rare to find a book that offers a combination of 20 years of scientific research relating nutrition to health, the experience of a distinguished medical practice and an easy-to-understand, straight-forward how-to-do-it guide to making yourself heart attack-proof. Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease does it all, clearly and convincingly.
  
  Dr. Esselstyn is authoritative, assuring, and highly regarded for his credibility and professional ethics.
  
  This new book takes us back to the beginning of his ground-breaking research project yielding solid evidence that what we eat determines how free of heart disease we'll be, even more than the genes we often blame for this disease. We follow Dr. Esselstyn's earliest patients, who were told they were going to die, that there was nothing more that could be done for them, as they not only halt the progress of coronary artery disease, but actually reverse the blocked arteries. For any doubting Thomases, the before and after graphics of those arteries are included.
  
  The importance of a plant-based diet, absent of added oils and foods that are high in fat, is clearly explained. In simple, understandable language, Dr. Esselstyn examines the scientific studies and epidemiological evidence and draws logical and convincing conclusions.
  
  The first half of this book explores this as it explains exactly how such lifestyle changes can be followed. It also tells us about the vested interests and politics that would keep us from knowing the truth about what we are told about nutrition and health.
  
  The second half of this book is a treasure trove of more than 150 recipes, all plant-based (vegan) and all low in fat. This reviewer, who has seen so many books that seem to include the same recipes basic over and over, found most of the recipes in this book new, interesting, and creative. Starting with breakfasts, and progressing from salads, sauces, soups, sandwiches, main courses and desserts that appear decadent, but are satisfying and safe.The author's charming wife, Ann Crile Esselstyn, deserves credit for this bonanza. The Esselstyns practice what they preach; the entire family follows this healthy lifestyle, and as their children began their own families, now another generation does also.
  
  The book has appendices that include lists of safe foods, resources, publications and references.
  
  Neal Pinckney, Ph.D. Founder of the Healing Heart Foundation and
  author of the Healthy Heart Handbook
  
  
• Does it really work?
  By A2BG9MNZ46UM15 on 2008-04-04
  With all of the promises being made regarding health cures it is hard to figure out which ones really work & which are vehicles to remove dollars from your wallet. I am a skeptic about these apparent fad cures & diets because most ultimately fail while an author or guru gets rich.
  
  I have heart disease and things were going well after my bypass over 7 years ago. After the surgery I changed to a lowfat diet, exercised more and felt good. Throughout my 20's I was a triathlete and was top condition - training 2 to 3 hours 5-6 days a week and understood, so I thought, the value of exercise and an effective diet.
  
  Thinking I had my heart problem beat (pardon the metaphor) after favorable results from 2 extensive thalium treadmill tests 3 & 5 years ago, I went about eating the great American Diet that included the occasional burgers, sodas and the rest.
  
  I found that I was short of breath during heavy exercise (Jiu Jitsu), I decided to have my heart tested with the elaborate systems in the hospital - thinking that it must be my age of 53 years catching up with me and nothing else. I got the shocking news that my heart condition had gotten 50% worse since I had the same test 3 years before! That was truly bad news...
  
  Being fully depressed but determined to not have my quality of life wither away, I decided to do something about it and not wait for the doctors to give me more meds since surgery was not an option. My doctor said that the only reason he could see for my diminishing condition was an increase in cholesterol in my diet that has started to block other heart vessels.
  
  I stumbled upon this book with this bold title including "reversing" written by a heart surgeon - a heart surgeon indeed!
  
  I read it along with the China Study (if you want a tech book about the western diet, this will blow your mind) and made the dietary change - of course, family members gave me grief for eating a plant based diet.
  
  Four months later my results are as follows: Cholesterol went from 230 to 150. Weight 236 to 202, great for someone who is 6'4". My energy during exercise is 50% better than before my checking 4 months ago. Mental clarity improved significantly and that is the short list.
  
  So, does it really work? Try it and find out.
  
  PS
  One family member & wife who scoffed loudly is now on the diet simply by seeing my results (I had no interest in defending or arguing about my choice because I decided to extend my life). They read the China Study as well and decided to give the fast food industry a miss from their eating habits. Read it and you will think twice about it as well.
  
  
• The book that changed my life forever
  By A1PA2O6CRB2A0U on 2007-05-13
  This is one of the most enlightening books I have ever read. My sister heard Dr. Esselstyn speak in Louisville,KY BEFORE the book was released and told me about it. My other sister (3 in all) also has the book and we make several of his soups, we buy the foods he recommends and we FEEL great. We do NOT have heart disease in our family, but we like everything he recommends. Everyone could benefit from this book.
  
  
• RD'S MADE MISTAKES
  By A2TGNXQ51XX9Z8 on 2007-07-05
  Remember the little heart seal the usda allowed to be placed on food products like margerine.Registered dieticians missed that one.
  I have taught science and nutrition for more than 25 years and the nonconformists like Dr. Esselstyn, Campbell and McDougall have impressed me because their ideas are always based on the BEST available science. This book is truthful and insightful and could possibly save your life.Esselstyn is fearless in his report on heart disease.
  "The way we look at smoking today is how we will view the western diet in the future",the time has arrived to get that message out and this text is a step in the right direction.The only change i might suggest is to allow a few seeds and nuts in the program.Very few.
  
  
• A great book!
  By A14BJ6T5RK1AO8 on 2007-08-18
  I first heard of Dr. Esselstyn while reading "The China Study" by Colin Campbell. I was absolutely floored by the description of Esselstyn's study, concerning the use of nutrition to halt the progression of serious heart disease. In this book you can read all the details of his study. You can learn exactly how to prevent and reverse heart disease easily--just by altering one's diet. I truly believe in the efficacy of this approach, as I've read about it in a number of other recent books.
  
  I first borrowed Esselstyn's book from the library. But the recipes in the second half of the book look so good, I will be buying it from Amazon.com. I also intend to buy some extra copies for some relatives with heart problems.
  
  
• Persuasive and palatible
  By A2KI0M4SJAC5WN on 2007-02-17
  The medical information is clear and convincing. And, unllike other strict dietary remedies, the book provides a broad range of often delicious recipes. I wish cooking demonstrations of the better ones could be seen on a TV cooking or lifestyle show.
  
  
• Dr. Esselstyn is the BEST
  By AYWZ3GML511FQ on 2007-03-13
  I've heard Dr Esselstyn speak on several occassions and admire him very much. I have no heart disease but ordered the book out of respect to Dr. Esselstlyn and to share his book with those who do. The work he and his wife have done to help so many is wonderful. Anyhow, Iam a Vegan and have made 56 of the 150 recipes he has in the book all are Yummy and most very easy, even my Atkins (UG)with heart disease loving husband will eat the food I've created from Dr. Esselstyn book. I have purchased 15 copies to share with friends and plan to eat my way through all the recipes. Treat yourself and your family to a real treasure, and the story he tells before the recipes is inspiring. Need to go cook something new I think it will be luscious lemon cake page 280 now, you know that will be good.
  
  

• The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health
• Reverse Heart Disease Now: Stop Deadly Cardiovascular Plaque Before It's Too Late
• The Mcdougall Quick and Easy Cookbook: Over 300 Delicious Low-Fat Recipes You Can Prepare in Fifteen Minutes or Less
• Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease: The Only System Scientifically Proven to Reverse Heart Disease Without Drugs or Surgery
• Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss