10 Lessons I Learned from My Plant-Based Journey That Can Help You Get Your Best Health Ever
I’m scared of getting the coronavirus. Not a one of us knows what it will do if it gets inside our body. Not one of us. So little is known about it, which is why people are so scared of it. At first it appeared that “only” elderly with underlying health conditions were being the most affected. Then it expanded to younger and younger people, often without any known health issues. Then young children, and even newborn babies. Now young people are getting massive strokes due to strange blood clotting caused by the virus. COVID-19 has no boundaries. Even worse, it’s now believed that you are not protected from getting re-infected after you already had it and recovered. This is a new frontier for researchers and healthcare providers.
If I went back in time prior to May 13, 2019 I’d be even more scared than I am now. Why is that date so significant? Because that’s the day my whole life changed, the day I started on a plant-based diet. Well, I call it a plant-based lifestyle because I hate the word diet. To me, a diet signifies tiny portions, counting calories, weighing and measuring food, and being hungry most of the time. Eating a plant-based “diet” allows you to eat what you want, when you want, and as much as you want. And still lose weight, get healthy, and reverse chronic diseases. It’s a lifestyle, a way of life.
Each time I read and hear about COVID-19 killing mostly those with underlying health conditions I cringe. I used to have several of those underlying health conditions. Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure. They’re all a thing of the past right now, as I’ve ate my way to great health. In contrast, I had eaten my way to bad health and developed those underlying diseases. Your health is directly proportional to what you put on your plate. Sadly, we are led to believe that certain foods are good for your health when in fact the impetus behind those promoting such foods are reaping huge monetary rewards at the cost of your health.
I used to feel like my body was in total chaos. That’s the best way I can describe it. I’d have to set my alarm for numerous times at five-minute intervals because I couldn’t wake up and get up on the first few alarms. Then I’d sit up on the side of the bed for awhile and feel like cement was coursing through my veins instead of blood. I felt more exhausted than when I went to bed the night before.
Once in the kitchen I would check my blood sugar. My fingers felt like pin cushions from always getting stuck with the little lancet needle. A big sigh could be heard as I looked at the screen which displayed my glucose level at 259. It wasn’t going to be a good day. Starting there, it was only going to go higher.
I’ve been a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist for over 32 years and have done over 70,000 anesthetics to date. The majority of cases have been anesthesia for organ transplants (hearts, liver, lung, kidney), neurosurgery, trauma, burns, and orthopedic joint replacement surgery. The biggest thing in common all these patients have is multiple underlying health conditions. The devastating effects of each disease were things that had to be dealt with for each patient. Even just one disease, say diabetes, creates many other health issues such as heart disease, vascular disease, and kidney disease. Dealing with critically ill patients has been a normal way of life. Obviously, I know all the devastating effects they have on the human body.
On Labor Day of 2017 I discovered I have type 2 diabetes, with blood sugars over 510. Me, a medical person, had been ignoring all the symptoms for many months, like probably a year or a bit longer. Some subtle, some blaring. Each and every one was ignored or rationalized. According to the American Diabetes Association, of the 34.2 million adults with diabetes, 26.8 million are diagnosed and 7.3 million are undiagnosed. So, I wasn’t alone.
Here’s what warning signs of type 2 diabetes are, in case you or someone you know has any of these symptoms. Frequent urination, extreme thirst, increased hunger, numbness or tingling of your hands or feet, slow healing wounds, blurred vision, unexplained weight loss. You won’t necessarily have all these symptoms, but maybe even just a few. It can be easy to brush them off to some other reason, which explains the huge number of undiagnosed cases.
The Primary Care Physician I was going to at that time wrote out prescriptions for metformin, glipizide, insulin and a statin drug. My whole life I’ve avoided pills of any sort, instead gravitating to a natural way to treat or cure something. This time was no different. Each one of those drugs, as with most any drug, comes the potential for mild, moderate or even severe/fatal side effects.
After discovering I have diabetes, I began feverishly researching a natural way to cure diabetes. A year and a half later I still had not found it. That Primary Care Physician fired me stating I was “too high risk” for him due to my non-compliance. While it was true that I wouldn’t take any of the drugs he continually prescribed, I did start on the keto diet he recommended right when I discovered I’m diabetic. I exercised religiously every day and stuck on that keto diet as he said. For a year and a half.
Initially my blood sugars came down from in the 500’s to the 250’s. Better, but hardly safe. Aside from the fact that those pills made me as sick as a dog, the possible side effects of the drugs, especially Metformin, was the biggest deterring factor. Januvia and Victoza were prescribed to me as well, neither of which I’d take. During that whole time, I continued trying desperately to find a way to naturally cure diabetes. Each time I visited that physician I’d ask if there’s a way to do this. He stated that diabetes is worse than cancer, because there’s a cure for many cancers. Continuing, he stated diabetes is a progressive disease for which there is no cure. In March of 2019 he fired me and even followed up with a Certified Letter stating as such.
As fate would have it, a month later I discovered the whole food plant-based diet. This is a diet in which the foods include whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables. A simple way to put it is that you don’t eat anything that has a mother or a face. No oils either as they are highly processed foods. I soon learned that medical schools do not include nutrition training as part of their curriculum, although this is now changing. Most physicians don’t know about the plant-based diet and the power it has to prevent, treat, and reverse most common diseases. This, too, is changing, thanks to pioneers like Dr. Neal Barnard and others who are leading the plant-based movement.
I jumped into the plant-based diet on Monday, May 13th at 4:00 pm to be exact. Since that fateful day, I’ve learned many things. You can read my whole story in my new book A Food Revolution: How the Plant-Based Lifestyle Can Win the Global War on Diabetes, Obesity, Heart Disease and Other Diseases.
Within days of starting the plant-based lifestyle I was starting to feel better and my blood sugar was coming down. Within two weeks my blood sugars were within normal range, I felt like I had energy, and weight was literally melting off. I was eating all I wanted, felt satisfied and was improving each day.
I’ve had a weight problem my entire life and have tried every diet there ever was. None of them ever worked, I couldn’t stay on them, was always hungry, got annoyed with keeping track of points, attending meetings, measuring food, eating small portions. That’s why the weight loss industry is a multi-billion-dollar business, as people are always trying yet the next fad diet in hopes of finding the one that works for them.
I began learning many things about this way of eating. Here’s some of what I discovered.
1. The plant-based diet is extremely high in fiber. You can eat all you want, but you kind of get full quickly, and stay full because of all the fiber. I typically eat 75–100 grams of fiber a day.
2. The plant-based diet can prevent, treat, and often reverse many common diseases like diabetes, heart disease, obesity, hypertension, inflammatory diseases and even some cancers.
3. I had to learn to cook without oil or butter, which is very simple. At first I was very skeptical on how it would taste but much to my surprise it’s pretty much the same as using oil or butter, only a million times healthier.
4. I quickly discovered the endless meals you can create with the four food groups. It is very flexible, you simply aim to get beans, greens and grains together at most meals. There’s endless plant-based oil-free recipes in cookbooks and on-line. I include many recipes in my book for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.
5. Once on this lifestyle, I started having energy for the first time in my life. I almost felt like I was going to burst with all the energy, as my whole life I’ve felt tired all the time. This is typical with the plant-based diet. All the inflammation was leaving my body. That’s one of the main points of this way of eating. Chronic inflammation is the cause of so many diseases. Once it goes away, you feel like a new person. This is so powerful that it even dramatically helps with rheumatoid arthritis.
6. Type 2 diabetes is not caused by carbohydrates and sugar as has been believed all these years. Instead, research has proven that it is caused by fatty foods that can cause fat build-up inside the cells, preventing insulin from transporting glucose molecules into the cells. We can thank the tireless work of Dr. Neal Barnard for this revelation.
7. Your taste buds change very quickly, like within weeks. Any worries about having cravings for things you used to enjoy will quickly fade away.
8. Weight loss can’t be easier! You will lose weight effortlessly with the plant-based diet! Never feel deprived, hungry, or craving things.
9. You don’t need as much protein as you think you do. The plant-based diet provides all the protein your body needs. This is one of the biggest hurdles to get over, thinking that you need tremendous amounts of animal protein to survive. A great thing to reinforce this is by watching the documentary The Game Changers. Here’s the Trailer. Top elite athletes on the plant-based diet than perform far better than they did prior to going on it. They’re stronger, have more endurance, and feel better. You can’t argue with that.
10. I learned that I shouldn’t preach to others about going on the plant-based diet. A person must be ready to go on it for their own personal reasons. No one can make you do it. You must be the one to answer that “why,” why are you doing it. See, I actually learned of Dr. Neal Barnard and his book Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes Without Drugs back in 2007. I wasn’t ready for it then for numerous reasons. But on May 13, 2019, I had been praying for an answer to cure my diabetes. With all my research I never came across the plant-based diet nor Dr. Barnard. Once I did, that door in my mind that had been shut suddenly opened and then I was ready. You are the only one who has the power to take charge of your life and your health.
Of course I’m so very sorry I didn’t start eating this way all those years ago. I can’t dwell on that, but instead look forward to the future and where I’m going now.
So here I am, just weeks away from my one-year anniversary of going plant-based. It’s been quite a journey. Back in September I flew out to Oakland, California to a plant-based conference, where I got to meet and interview Dr. Neal Barnard. You can see the interview on my website www.yourwfpblife.com
I’ve read all the books by the top physicians of the plant-based movement plus dozens of their cookbooks and all the research. I even took an on-line certification at Cornell University in plant-based studies. I literally feel as if I have earned a PhD in plant-based nutrition. I realized I needed to write a book not only about my success story, but a guide for others as to how to go on a plant-based diet. There are very specific steps to make it successful. I also included numerous recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. There are endless delicious recipes that are easy to make and super nutritious.
I’ve now dedicated myself to helping others begin their journey to great health. With all my knowledge and personal success story it’s easy for me to inspire others to make their decision to adopt this lifestyle. Seeing someone who’s been there and done that, and ready to help you do it too makes all the difference.
I’ve reversed my diabetes, got rid of high blood pressure, and lost 70 pounds. I’m aiming now for a total of 100 pounds weight lost. Now I’m back to doing things I thought I’d never be able to do, feeling great, I have tons of energy, and simply feel like I’m glowing from the inside out. It’s easy to stay motivated when you see and feel such dramatic results which start within days of starting this lifestyle.
I started out with an A1C of 12.4 on Labor Day 2017, and now it’s 5.9. I feel like I’m 20 years old. That’s pretty amazing, because I’m going to be 61 in less than three months!
Well, I’m still scared of that coronavirus, but if I still had all those health issues, I’d be a basket case. I can only hope that this global pandemic is a wake-up call to everyone to get started today on getting their best health possible. The plant-based lifestyle is the way to achieve this goal. I’d love to help you begin your journey! Connect with me at www.yourwfpblife.com
A moment in history when the time to start getting healthy has never been more critical. What you put on your plate is the big determining factor of your state of health. Don’t wait another moment. Get started today. I can help you begin your own journey to your best health ever.
Anita Lesko, BSN, RN, MS, CRNA