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

Caldwell B. Esselstyn, JR., M.D., was a researcher and clinician at the Cleveland Clinic for more than thirty-five years. In 1991, he served as the president of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons and organized the first National Conference on the Elimination of Heart Disease. In 2005, he became the first recipient of the Benjamin Spock Award for Compassion in Medicine. Dr. Esselstyn and his wife, Ann Crile Esselstyn, have followed a plant-based diet for more than twenty years. They work together to counsel patients in Cleveland and at the farm in upstate New York where Dr. Esselstyn grew up.

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease challenges conventional cardiology by posing a compelling, revolutionary idea-that we can, in fact, abolish the heart disease epidemic in this country by changing our diets. Drawing on the groundbreaking results of his twenty-year nutritional study, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., a former surgeon, researcher, and clinician at the Cleveland Clinic, convincingly argues that a plant-based, oil-free diet can not only prevent and stop the progression of heart disease, but also reverse its effects.

Furthermore, it can eliminate the need for expensive and invasive surgical interventions, such as bypass and stents, no matter how far the disease has progressed. Dr. Esselstyn began his research with a group of patients who joined his study after traditional medical procedures to treat their advanced heart disease had failed. Within months of following a plant-based, oil-free diet, their angina symptoms eased, their cholesterol levels dropped significantly, and they experienced a marked improvement in blood flow to the heart. Twenty years later, the majority of Dr. Esselstyn's patients continue to follow his program and remain heart-attack proof.

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease explains the science behind these dramatic results, and offers readers the same simple, nutrition-based plan that has changed the lives of his patients forever. In addition, Dr. Esselstyn provides more than 150 delicious recipes that he and his wife, Ann Crile Esselstyn, have enjoyed for years and used with their patients. Clearly written and backed by irrefutable scientific evidence, startling photos of angiograms, and inspiring personal stories, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease will empower readers to take charge of their heart health. It is a powerful call for a paradigm shift in heart-disease therapy.

Foreword   T. Colin Campbell     viii
Introduction     x
The Heart of the Matter
Eating to Live     3
"Someday We'll Have to Get Smarter"     13
Seeking the Cure     19
A Primer on Heart Disease     29
Moderation Kills     35
Living, Breathing Proof     46
Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me?     57
Simple Steps     67
Frequently Asked Questions     76
Why Can't I Have "Heart Healthy" Oils?     82
Kindred Spirits     87
Brave New World     94
You Are in Control     101
The Joy of Eating
Simple Strategies     113
Advice from Ann Crile Esselstyn     119
Breaking the Fast     127
Feasting on Salads     138
Sauces, Dips, Dressings, and Gravies     157
Vegetables, Plain and Fancy     173
Soups, Thick and Delicious     186
Sandwiches for All Occasions     207
The Main Course     219
Wonderful, Easy Desserts     265
Acknowledgments     287
Notes     289
Safe Food     292
Resources     294
Publications on Heart Disease by the Author     300
Index     301