Kevin Hughes – Natural News July 1, 2025
- Dr. Michael Greger, a physician and nutrition expert, advocates for a whole-food, plant-based diet to prevent, halt and even reverse chronic diseases, as detailed in his bestselling book “How Not to Die” (co-authored with Gene Stone).
- Greger’s mission was sparked by his grandmother’s recovery from end-stage heart disease through dietary changes, leading him to study the transformative power of nutrition.
- Research shows heart disease – the world’s leading killer – is largely diet-dependent, with plant-based populations exhibiting minimal rates. Omega-3 supplements are ineffective compared to whole plant foods, which can reverse arterial damage.
- A plant-based diet also combats lung disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s and aging by reducing inflammation, improving circulation and countering oxidative damage with antioxidant-rich foods like berries, beans and nuts.
- Greger encourages gradual shifts (e.g., whole grains over refined, leafy greens, nuts over processed snacks) alongside exercise and stress management.
In a world where chronic diseases claim millions of lives each year, one physician is challenging the conventional approach to medicine – by proving that the right foods can prevent, halt and even reverse some of the deadliest illnesses.
Dr. Michael Greger, a physician, author and nutrition expert, has dedicated his career to uncovering the science behind food as medicine. His bestselling book, “How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease,” co-authored with wellness writer Gene Stone, presents a compelling case for a whole-food, plant-based diet – not as a restrictive regimen, but as a life-saving strategy.
Greger’s mission began with a family tragedy turned triumph. His grandmother, diagnosed with end-stage heart disease and confined to a wheelchair, was given little hope by doctors. But after encountering lifestyle medicine pioneer Nathan Pritikin, she underwent a radical transformation.
Within weeks, she walked out of Pritikin’s program on her own feet. This miracle inspired Greger to explore how diet could rewrite health outcomes. Decades later, the evidence is undeniable.
Heart disease, the world’s leading killer, is not an inevitable fate but a product of dietary choices. Populations consuming traditional plant-based diets, such as rural Chinese and African communities, exhibit near-zero heart disease rates. Yet when these individuals adopt Western diets, their risk skyrockets, proving that genetics play a minor role compared to lifestyle.
Despite widespread marketing, omega-3 fish oil supplements have failed to demonstrate significant benefits in preventing heart disease or improving mortality rates, according to clinical studies. Instead, Greger points to whole plant foods – rich in fiber, antioxidants and phytonutrients – as the true heroes. Research shows that a plant-based diet can not only halt heart disease progression, but also reverse arterial blockages without invasive procedures.
The benefits extend beyond cardiovascular health. Lung disease, the second-leading cause of death, is heavily influenced by diet. While smoking remains a primary risk factor, fruits and vegetables can slow lung function decline and even mitigate asthma in children.
Similarly, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease – both linked to poor circulation and oxidative stress – may be preventable through dietary changes that enhance blood flow and reduce inflammation. Aging, Greger argues, is largely driven by oxidative damage – a process that antioxidant-rich foods can counteract.
Berries, for example, are packed with compounds that protect the brain, liver and immune system while reducing cancer risk. Beans, nuts and whole grains further bolster longevity, offering nutrient-dense alternatives to processed foods.
Transitioning to a plant-based diet doesn’t require overnight perfection. Greger advocates incremental changes. Swap refined grains for whole grains, add leafy greens to meals, or choose nuts over processed snacks. Combined with exercise, sleep and stress management, these shifts can dramatically alter health trajectories.
Greger’s message is clear: The power to prevent and reverse disease lies on our plates. By prioritizing whole, plant-based foods, individuals can reclaim control over their health without counting calories or extreme restrictions.
As research continues to validate these findings, “How Not to Die” serves as both a wake-up call and a roadmap for those seeking a longer, healthier life. n an era of rising healthcare costs and chronic illness, his work underscores a radical yet simple truth. The best prescription may not come from a pharmacy, but from the produce aisle.
Watch this video about Dr. Michael Greger’s book “How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease.”
This video is from the BrightLearn channel on Brighteon.com.
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((( Natural News ))) ??? Hmmm, I doubt the war like peoples of ancient Europe had such diets. As far as I can see the likes of the ancient Celts and Spartans had meat diets. War like peoples who stand for traditional values are anathema to the SATT ( the scum at the top).
No wonder they want us to give up eating meat. Also I note that your typical bottle of average Chilean wine ( the best country in the world for wine in my humble opinion ) cost ten euro 25 years ago. Yes folks 25 years ago. It still costs 25 euro. I wonder why????? More SATT activity perhaps? Or am I being paranoid? 🙂
LOL..
Jewes and their fad diets…most of the fat unhealthy pigs of my acquaintance have been on diets all of their lives..which you must admit is supremely ironic…eating healthy has made them obese diabetics…
apparently according to imbeciles with book deals and channels on jewe toob..you can reverse all the damage the food supply has caused you by eating more of it…
nowadays instead of chemical gunks like seed and weed oils..and wholemeal wheat, toxic green vegetables..indigestible beans and pulses and industrial waste..you should eat fruit..it’s a pity that most of it is saturated with pesticide…made from industrial waste..
my advice..eat beef and fat..plenty of eggs and get a little lime tree..slice them into quarters and put in a fresh glass of water…drink a gallon of pure water a day..with limes…you’ll become a sexual tyrannosaur..
I know it’s very hard…but it beats moving to a rain forest in Colombia…which is still a very good idea..
Oh..almost forgot..garlic..plenty of garlic preferably with chillies..the foot long variety..excellent for your blood.. you might smell like grizzled old frenchman in the village square but you’ll have one hell of baguette..
Blut und Gott und Knoblauch.. as some fella said..
Geezers have to start reading food labels. Its simple, just stay away from foods with high cholesterol and high saturated fat levels.
In fact the opposite is true. A carnivore diet is by far the healthiest option. Check out Dr. Shawn Baker MD for a few facts about nutrition and disease prevention. All you have to do is take note of the contrasting physicalities of multiple world record holder Dr Baker and the spindly, pallid little author of this squalid article.
Albert Pike, the theory that high saturated fat and cholesterol causes heart disease has been debunked. Ancel Keys was paid to produce a bullshit theory by the food corporations. Instead, a diet high in carbs, fibre, vegetable oil and generally low fat bollocks is why we have an obesity epidemic and degenerative diseases. Anything that causes a massive insulin spike causes fat storage and disease.
Ask yourself this, what did we eat during an ice age? Plant based food? No, fatty meat, and we weren’t fat and sick like today. Check out the carnivore diet and educate yourself.
@Albert Pike..
quite the opposite Alby..
..plenty of saturated fats and plenty of cholesterols..contrary to what your TV doctor may have told you or those infomercials you spend hours watching..low fat. low cholesterol will have you obese and diabetic in no time at all.. because of course low fat means processed..and quite often replaced with industrial waste..
take a look around you.. the funniest being the vegans who generally look like amphetamine addicts..having spent most of their existence consuming their own body… and vegetarians who seldom come in under 15 stone, having filled their fat faces with pastry..instead of highly nutritious meats and fats…
still there’s asparagus..there’s always something we can all agree on..
It is meet (meaning fit & proper) to eat meat.
pol pot
yeah right, go eat ice cream, hamburgers and pizza everyday and we’ll see how ‘healthy’ your heart is after a year…lol
chesterton
nope…just read my rebuttal to pol pot…
rest asured jews + moslems always eat meat .
Bertie, how is ice cream, burgers, and pizza a carnivore diet? You do know what a carnivore is don’t you?
Several years ago, I became very ill with a lung disease called Aspergillosis. I dropped from 12 stone to 8 stone in a matter of months. As I began to recover, I was put in contact with a professional nutritionist. She advised me to snack as much as possible, to eat cakes and buns and biscuits, to eat meat, eggs and cheese and drink protein shakes every day. What’s healthy and correct for some isn’t necessarily what’s appropriate for others.
I think that chesterton is a little unfair to amphetamine addicts, though. At least speed freaks keep their figures, whereas, it is well known that vegans periodically suffer psychotic episodes, maddened by insomnia. That’s why vegans are bald, with bad teeth.
Diets and fads have been a human addiction since advertising and the popular press took off in the c19th. The workshop of quackery.
Soon as somebody has a book to sell or products to schill then the gullibility green light is switched on in many a ‘brain’ . The process then gets magnified and the human addiction to dogma, ideology, rule fetish kicks in to make it a grail or cult with leading exponents boasting of their ‘purity’ and success at this diet, miracle eye opener even OMG!!! Where are Weight Watchers now….
Life changer, mainly for those who come out with a product or regime-think Kellogg .
However, it is true that if you look at news videos, films documentaries etc from European countries say 40-50 years ago the number of fat people is a clear minority. What has changed? The inception of large numbers of non Europeans into the societies whose dietary and other attitudes are profoundly different… Abandoning of structured mealtimes replaced by constant snacking-this connected to corporate slavery that abhors free time, holidays or anything other than the slavery hamster wheel routine.On duty 24/7. Mass advertising of processed foods, prescription drugging, and the me in the moment nihilism of social media that actually induces apathy, sloth and mania for food.
Europeans 50 years ago looked forward to the future, hoped that new tech would provide more leisure, better health, felt things were improving, prided themselves on their cultural difference from Americans, had political movements that were certainly more ‘diverse’ than the EU’s lookalike plutocrats of today. Plutocrats whose main aim is big war at all costs and control of everything in the name of NATO, National Suicide and No More Europe.
Chronic obesity and poor health is due to quantity over quality, allowing kids to eat at all times, drugging by health givers, constant stress from the overcrowded time poor nature of modern life , inculcation of fear-porn from the media and government and the promotion of rat-cage selfish me culture where altruism is regarded as dangerous and totally outmoded. EFU – European Feral Union
MATT HANCOCK WHISTLEBLOWS
Inquiry told of older people ‘culled’ as Matt Hancock defends care home policies.
Care home deaths felt like a “cull of older people who could no longer contribute to the society”, the UK Covid-19 inquiry has heard as Matt Hancock defended his handling of an “impossible” situation,
and said older people were called ” bed blockers” and had to be culled, their homes were taken to pay for their hospital stays, and the money used to import in more migrants.
There were tense exchanges as the former health secretary returned to give evidence to the wide-ranging probe, this time focused on the adult social care sector. Mr Hancock, who resigned from government in 2021 after admitting to breaking social distancing guidance by having an affair with a colleague, responded to an accusation he had “blatantly lied about the situation with care homes”.
At a Downing Street press conference on May 15 2020, Mr Hancock said: “Right from the start, we’ve tried to throw a protective ring around what was going on inour care homes.”
Bereaved families have previously called the phrase a “sickening lie” and a “joke”. The inquiry has heard there were more than 43,000 deaths involving the virus in care homes across the UK between March 2020 and July 2022, and a civil servant was quoted earlier this week describing the toll as a “generational slaughter within care homes”.
On Wednesday, remarks were read to the inquiry from an anonymous witness, who accused Mr Hancock of not being heartfelt or having a proper understanding of the situation care homes were in during the pandemic.
Related video: No apology from Hancock at COVID inquiry (Sky News)
Sky News
No apology from Hancock at COVID inquiry
Counsel to the inquiry Jacqueline Carey KC, who gave no further information on the person’s identity or their role, said: “One person in particular said ‘He (Mr Hancock) blatantly lied about the situation with care homes, there was no blanket of protection. We were left to sail our own ships. He wasn’t heartfelt. He had no understanding or appreciation of the challenges care homes face, pandemic or not, it felt like we were the sacrifice, a cull of older people who could no longer contribute to the society’, just useless eaters who had to go”
god there are some idiots on here
the lancet BMJ the practitioner and new england journal of medicine all say avoid meat and cows milk which is just liquid meat
mad cow disease was caused by feeding cows ground up dead cows and chicken droppings
this goes through the food chain
Prof Lacey lost his job for saying there will will be disease and it will go through the food chain
CJD has hada name change but its still there
please get rid of carl jones
Why was my reply censored? This is a 2 tier comments section.