After an alarming diabetes diagnosis, Eric Adams, the president of New York City’s most populous borough, Brooklyn, turned his health around. Here is his story.

My plant-based journey started in early 2016. I was having vision problems and tingling in my hands and feet, but I did the typical American man thing. From playing football, you learn to suck it up.

Shock, Then Determination

While overseas in Israel, I started having serious pain in my side. After tests, the doctor diagnosed a stomach ulcer, but he was more concerned about the results of my A1C test, which measures average blood sugar. Anything over 6.5 percent is considered diabetes; mine was in the high teens. The doctor said, “I’m surprised you aren’t in a coma.”

I visited five different doctors here in the city. They all said I needed insulin. They said diabetes is hereditary, that the tingling in my hands and feet signaled permanent nerve damage, that my vision wouldn’t improve.

I wanted to try lifestyle changes before signing up for insulin injections. To their credit, two out of five doctors were willing to work with me, though they thought it was a long shot. I Googled “reversing diabetes,” and a slew of results came up, including Forks Over Knives and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn at the Cleveland Clinic.