How Not to Die Summary

By Michael Greger

What age would you like to live to, and would you like to know how to
lead a healthier and longer life?

How Not to Die uses practical cutting-edge nutritional science, to show us

that a plant-based diet is scientifically proven to prevent, and even
reverse disease. The book is divided into two parts that deal with the
theoretical science behind lifestyle and diseases, and practical ways to
live a healthier and longer life.

Dr. Michael Greger is an internationally-recognized physician and founder

of NutritionFacts.org, and he shows how a plant-based diet can lead to a
long and healthy life. According to Dr. Greger, most deaths in the United
States are preventable, and are related to our diets. He has spent
countless hours reviewing credible scientific journals, that bring us
cutting-edge information on plant-based nutrition. And, How Not to Die
sums up complex science, in a digestible way, so that we can all take
responsibility for our health.
We'll briefly look at the main ideas in How Not To Die. Part One of the book
delves into the top causes of death in America, including heart disease,
various cancers, diabetes, and high blood pressure. It also explains how
nutrition and lifestyle can help us to heal without drugs and invasive
surgeries. Part Two provides a checklist of foods that we shouldconsume
daily. These foods are called, Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen. Hereyou'll get
some practical ideas such as upping your intake of blueberriesto boost
immunity and aid post-workout recovery. Or, drinking hibiscustea as a
way to help with high blood pressure and hypertension.

Greger's Own Story

The journey through the book parallels what happened in Dr. Greger's
own life. Greger's grandmother made a miraculous recovery, after being
diagnosed with end-stage heart disease. The family contacted Dr.
Nathan Pritikin - an inventor, engineer, nutritionist, and longevity
researcher. Under his guidance, Greger's grandmother adopted a plant-
based lifestyle, and within three weeks, she was out of her wheelchair
and walking 10 miles a day. She lived for a further thirty-one years. This
sparked Greger's decision to pursue a medical career, focusing on how
diet is a leading factor in health.

Dr. Greger's belief, that following a plant-based lifestyle can reverse

coronary heart disease, was further confirmed by Dr. Dean Ornish's
landmark 1998 publication, the Reversal of Coronary Heart Disease. However,
despite this groundbreaking study, the practice of medicine hasn't really
changed, and heart disease remains the leading cause of death for men
and women in the USA. The question that haunted Greger during his
medical training was, 'if the cure to the number one killer could get lost
down the rabbit hole, what else might be buried in the medical literature?'
He made it his life's mission to find this out.

Should We Pay So Much Attention to Nutrition?

Quite simply, yes we should.

However, Greger argues that there's a disconnect between, science,

medicine, and public policy. You'd think that nutrition would be the
number one thing taught in medical school, and the first thing your doctor
asks you about during consultations. But this isn't the case. He argues
that education about nutrition and its role in disease prevention and
longevity is deficient at a tertiary level. In 2001, a bill was introduced in
the California State Legislature, that would require physicians to receive
twelve hours of nutritional training, over four years. However, the
California Medical Association opposed it. The California Medical Board,
requires all doctors to receive twelve hours of instruction in pain
management and end-of-life care, but apparently has less interest in
using nutrition to stop people from getting sick.
There's an even more significant disconnect when it comes to science
and public policy. Greger uses the example of smoking in the 1950s.
There was convincing evidence that linked smoking to lung cancer, but
because smoking was considered the social norm, this evidence was
largely ignored. With reassurance from medical associations that smoking
in moderation was fine, on average, Americans were smoking half a pack
a day. It took over a decade, and seven thousand studies, before the
American Medical Association came out against smoking. Greger says
that today the same disconnect between evidence and policy applies,
regarding the dairy, meat, and processed food industry. And, until this
disconnect stops, we're the ones who need to take responsibility for our
health.

Diet Can Be More Effective Than Medication

According to the Global Burden of Disease Study, published in 2010, the

number one cause of death and disability in the USA, is related to diet.
Prescribed medications typically target symptoms, but diets treat the
cause of disease.

Our health is being hammered by the standard American diet (which,

unsurprisingly, is abbreviated to SAD). The S.A.D consists mainly of meat,
sugar, salt, eggs, dairy, and processed foods, and is high in calories but
very low in nutritional value. Studies show that people who have diets
rich in these food groups, are at higher risk of heart disease, diabetes,
and other chronic ailments. Furthermore, excessive animal fats and
processed meats, result in high cholesterol and elevated heart disease
risk. However, merely restricting the amount of animal-based processed
food we eat, isn't going to do much good. Dr. Greger says you're still
beating yourself up - just with a smaller hammer. Why beat yourself up at
all?

The healthiest diets minimize, dairy, meat, eggs, and processed foods,
and maximize fruit, beans, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. We
could describe the latter as, real food that grows out of the ground. Dr.
Greger gives us actionable advice on plant-based food, that can prevent
the top causes of death in the USA, with a chapter dedicated to each
ailment.

The goal is to eat a whole-food plant-based diet. But, as with all things,
not all plant foods are created equal, and there are certain plants with
unique medicinal properties. Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen checklist contains
foods, that we should aim to eat on a daily basis. Fruits, leafy greens,
vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, and
beverages, along with an extra serving of exercise are included.

Fruits, and the Importance of Berries

We've all been told to eat an apple a day, but we should actually try toeat
three fruit servings a day. Fruits, particularly berries, are rich in
antioxidants, which limit cellular damage and reduces inflammation. One
study showed that over a six-week period, a cup and a half of blueberries
per day, doubled natural killer counts in athletes, after intense exercise.
Natural killer cells are critical to the immune response because they fight
off tumors, and virally infected cells. Berries also help with brain function.
Women who ate one serving of blueberries, and two servings of
strawberries per week, had slower cognitive decline rates. And, if you're
worried about the sugar, don't be. The science shows that if you eat
whole fruits, as opposed to juicing them, then the fiber, as well as the
antioxidants and phytonutrients, cancel out the fructose by lowering
absorption rates.

Eat Five Servings of Leafy Greens and Vegetables

Every Day

Eating a wide variety of vegetables every day, will improve your overall
health. Leafy greens such as kale, spinach, arugula, and chard, are
particularly important and should be eaten twice a day, because they
contain the most nutrition per calorie than any other food on earth.
Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, or cauliflower, should
be eaten once a day, and carrots, beetroots, and mushrooms are also
recommended.

A 2010 study involving longtime smokers, revealed the superpowers of

broccoli. Participants who were fed twenty-five times more broccoli per
day than that of the average American, showed astonishing results.
When tested after the tenth day, this group's blood contained just over
40% fewer DNA mutations, than that of smokers who didn't eat broccoli.
And, it's important to note that taking supplements doesn't have the
same nutritional value, and they're often very expensive. So, Dr. Greger's
advice is to load up on broccoli sprouts, because they're an inexpensive
and effective power food.

Eat More Beans

Eating three servings of beans is easier than you may think. Just a
quarter of a cup of hummus counts as a single serving, as does ½ a cup
of cooked beans. If you don't have time to boil beans, canned beans and
lentils are just as healthy. Just be sure to rinse them first, as brine can
contain a lot of salt.

Whole Grains, Nuts, and Seeds

Try to eat three servings of brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, millet, oats,
quinoa, and yes, popcorn, per day. The more colorful a grain, the higher
its antioxidant content. Be careful of packaging, and remember, that grain
products labeled 'multi-grain' or 'stone-ground' are not whole grains.
When grains are processed into flour, they digest more rapidly, and their
glycemic index increases.

Dr. Greger says that just by eating a quarter cup of nuts every day, you
can increase your lifespan by two years. Phytates found in nuts and
seeds, detoxify excess iron in the body, inhibit free radical production,
and increase bone density. Walnuts are the most nutritious of all nuts,
and pistachios can even serve as a substitute for Viagra! Studies have
found that three to four handfuls of these tasty nuts, can increase blood
flow to the male genitalia, decreasing erectile dysfunction. There are
many interesting ways to incorporate nuts and seeds into your diet, to
maximize your daily intake.

Herbs and Spices Don't Just Make Food Taste

Better

Herbs and spices also improve your health and wellbeing.

Did you know, that just by adding a teaspoon of oregano to your food,
you can up your antioxidants by 150 units? Turmeric is another wonder
ingredient and contains curcumin, which reduces lung disease, brain
disease, cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and ulcerative
colitis. If you consume an eighth of a teaspoon of turmeric every day,
you'll reduce free radical damage and DNA breakage by 50% in extracted
blood cells.

Drink More Water

We all know that staying hydrated is essential, but even so, most of us
aren't drinking enough water. Dr. Greger recommends 10-15 cups of
water per day for men, and 8-11 for women. But, there are other
beverages that have health benefits too. For example, coffee seems to
benefit the liver and the brain, and tea has a broad range of medicinal
effects.

Get Moving

While healthy eating is essential to a longer and healthier life, exercise

should also form part of any lifestyle. The daily recommendation is 90
minutes of moderate exercise such as brisk walking, or 40 minutes of
intense exercise such as running, active sports, and weight training.

In Conclusion

Dr. Greger's advice for living a longer and healthier life, may seem like a
rigorous list of boxes that need ticking, but you needn't feel boxed.
Transitioning to a plant-based diet doesn't have to be complicated, or
make you feel deprived. There are three ways that can make the process
easier. These are, adapt, add, and experiment. So, try 'adding' health to
your meals. For example, add an extra side of greens to your meal.
Adapt, by swapping the beef in your chili with beans, or by replacing your
ordinary spaghetti with a wholegrain version. View this transition as an
experiment rather than a complete lifestyle change. And finally, listen to
your body and let it tell you what it likes.

So why not begin by committing to a plant-based diet for three weeks,

and see what happens?