Dr. Lana Nelson shares a few random and not so random thoughts and insights from a general surgeon practicing in the Heartland as well as highlights from a plant based diet and lifestyle

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Plant based eating, and how I found a healthier me

In 2011 I decided to pursue a healthier way of living and become a vegetarian. The decision came after hearing a presentation at a continuing medical education event on obesity in Houston, TX.  Although I was there as a surgeon to learn more insight for my practice, I came away with some personal insight.  I was inspired by a lecture given by Garth Davis, MD, a practicing general and bariatric surgeon from Houston. Although his presentation seemed a little out of place at first (he didn't focus on surgical treatment of obesity), the points he shared resonated with me.  He spoke more globally about the contributors to overweight, obesity, and overall poor health in America, and blamed it on our diets.  It may seem like it should be intuitive after he presented it, it was the first time that someone presented a "diet" which made sense.  Struggling with weight myself, I had tried many things throughout the years including Adkins, South Beach, Body for Life, and many others.  I tried limiting consumption or increasing physical activity, but none of it seemed to stick.  I had resigned myself to being an overweight weight loss surgeon, and justified it by convincing myself that patients would relate to me more easily if I didn't appear too thin or too healthy.  I tried to ignore the possibility that I may be judged for my weight, and some patients wouldn't take my advice since I hadn't found the keys to successful weight loss myself.

Dr. Nelson with her husband in 2010
on the Standard American Diet aka SAD
Dr. Davis brought to light some of the problems with our meat and dairy supply.  This included the unnatural way the animals are raised, in captivity, in crowded conditions, dirty and disease ridden.  They are given hormones to make them grow larger, and antibiotics to suppress infection, as well as raised primarily on grains instead of being allowed to eat a natural diet.  The animals that ultimately become our food supply are themselves unhealthy, and they pass along the hormones, antibiotics, and increased fat from their unnatural diets to humans who consume them.  During the time that our meat consumption has increased, our health has deteriorated.  Humans grow larger than before, experience puberty at an earlier age, and have cancer and heart disease as leading causes of death.  I could see the correlation between the change in our diet, our lifestyle, and the overall decline in our health as a species.  Of course this oversimplifies the relationships as presented that day, and have further learned, but it is not my intent to provide a dissertation in the decline of health in the US.
For several months, I eliminated meat as the only real dietary change.  It was a noble but misdirected effort at becoming healthier.  I still ate out a lot, and continued to consume dairy, eggs, fish, and alcohol.  Although I lost a few pounds, I can't say I really felt any different.  My husband, who agreed to make the change with me actually gained about 10 pounds during this time period.
Fast forward to February 2012 and my husband and I happened to watch a documentary entitled "Forks over Knives."  The film follows a few different individuals as they adopt a plant based lifestyle.  It showcased health transformation including diabetes remission, improved cholesterol levels, and reversal of heart disease. It featured several physicians and researchers.  It made sense, but it seemed a little extreme to me.  My husband began doing a little research and decided he would give it a try for himself.  I had just made a batch of homemade yogurt, and felt obligated to eat it before I gave serious consideration to joining him.  After about a week, I decided to join him and support him as he had supported me several months earlier when I decided to give up meat.  I have never looked back or reconsidered that decision.
I have continued to educate myself on plant based eating, and feel that this is the best diet for me and most, if not all, humans.  It is a diet that leads to improved health, through decreased rates of cancer and cardiovascular disease, and providing the body with the tools to best be able to heal itself whenever possible. It has been a journey, and the foods I eat today look much different than the foods I ate when first starting out a few years ago.  I continue to learn, my diet an lifestyle continues to morph.  My cholesterol is down more than 60 points, my markers of inflammation have gone from high to low normal, my weight is down more than 60 pounds, and I enjoy a much more active lifestyle including running and backpacking.  I no longer rely upon caffeine to get me going, and I feel better and more energetic than I ever have before.  I share this with you to help you understand, and hopefully inspire you.

Dr. Nelson and her husband in 2014
after nearly 3 years on a plant based diet
and after running an 8K