The Doctor's Art

How Not to Die | Michael Greger, MD


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The American diet is the leading cause of death among Americans. Accumulating medical evidence now shows that poor diet not only contributes to heart disease, diabetes, and stroke, but also to cancer, Alzheimer's disease, liver disease, and much more. Despite its direct and indirect roles in causing half or more of all deaths, food is not something doctors learn about in their training, nor is it something that's emphasized enough to patients by the medical establishment. 


Our guest on this episode is Michael Greger, MD, a specialist in lifestyle medicine and one of the most trusted voices in evidence based nutrition and public health. He is the internationally best selling author of How Not to Die (2015), How Not to Diet (2019), and How Not to Age (2023). 


Over the course of our conversation, Dr. Greger shares his approach to healthy living, focusing on the surprising power of whole-food, largely plant-based diets in transforming our bodies at a molecular level. He discusses strategies for helping patients and ourselves achieve behavioral change and explores how our brains and palates are rewired by processed foods, how we can reverse this, the ethics of patient counseling around lifestyle interventions, why there is such a mismatch between nutrition beliefs and behaviors among physicians, and his most high-yield recommendations for starting your journey to eating well.


In this episode, you’ll hear about: 


2:45 - How Dr. Greger’s grandmother’s miraculous recovery due to diet change inspired him to build a career in nutrition science


6:58 - The disconnect that exists between the American medical system and the science of nutrition 


13:57 - Why nutrition education is lacking in American medical training 


21:31 - Issues with compliance among patients trying to adopt a lifestyle of healthy eating


28:00 - Supporting patients who are not interested in preventative healthcare measures 


35:15 - Navigating the confusing and often conflicting landscape of nutritional studies 


43:20 - Whether there is a universal dietary recommendation


46:49 - Simple ways to improve your diet, starting today


Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and review our show, available for free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you know of a doctor, patient, or anyone working in health care who would love to explore meaning in medicine with us on the show, feel free to leave a suggestion in the comments or send an email to [email protected].



Copyright The Doctor’s Art Podcast 2024


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The Doctor's ArtBy Henry Bair and Tyler Johnson

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