Plant Prescription Podcast

We are joined by the former president of the American College of Cardiology, Dr. Kim Williams. Vegan since 2003, he has been a prominent figure in advocating for the role of a plant-based diet in the cardiology field. Dr. Williams is quite well known for his famous quote: “There are two kinds of cardiologists: vegans and those who haven’t read the data.” 

We cover: 

• His prowess as a tennis player & why he became vegan 
• Modifiable risk factors for COVID-19 
• Protecting children early 
• The role of sugar, sat fat & cholesterol 
• How heme iron (found in meat) oxidizes cholesterol 
• His thoughts on coconut oil, fish oil, & dairy 
• Reversal of heart disease 
• The role of statins 
• High HDL & mortality 

You can connect with Dr. Williams on Twitter: @cardio10s and through his RUSH Website 

Episode Resources: 

• J Am Coll Cardiol 70(4) (healthy PDD) 
• J Am Coll Cardiol 60(25):2631-9 (LDL Mendelian) 
• Am J Epidemiology 173(3):319-329 (NHS mortality risk) 
• JAMA Intern Med 174(4):516-24 (sugar and CVD) 
• NEJM 378:e34 (Med diet w oil/nuts) 
• J Am Coll Cardiol 70(4):411-422 (healthy vs unhealthy PBD) 
• Am J Lifestyle Med 2019 (industry & cholesterol) 
• IJDRP 2(1) (egg on your face) 
• Am J Clin Nutr 100(1):320S-328S (PREDIMED) 
• Am J Clin Nutr 110(1):24-33 (red vs white meat) 
• JAMA 317(9):912-924 (diet & mortality) 
• Circulation 141:803-814 (coconut oil) 
• JAMA 176(10):1453-1463 (animal vs plant protein) 
• Lancet 336(8708):129-33 (Ornish 1) 
• JAMA 280(23):2001-7 (Ornish 2) 
• J Family Prac 63(7):356-364 (Esselstyn) 
• JAMA 316(22):2373-2384 (GLAGOV) 
• Eur Heart J 38(32):2478-2486 (HDL & mortality) 
• IJDRP 2(1) (amino acid def) 
• Dr. Belardo: Green/yellow/red light nutrition 

Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to the Plant Prescription Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published. 

IG: Muzammil: @dr.plantbased, Cass: @plant_fuel

We are joined by a guest from Calgary, Alberta today: Dr. Justine Dowd, a researcher passionate about empowering others to heal themselves holistically. Justine's fascination with the psychology of behaviour change led her to complete a PhD in Health Psychology. However, she met an unexpected challenge when she discovered she had celiac disease immediately before beginning her doctoral studies. This diagnosis would not only influence Justine’s lifestyle but also shape her future. This experience has fueled her passion for her research on dietary behaviours of people living with celiac disease. In addition, Justine believes strongly in, and has also researched, the power of self compassion to help achieve optimal wellness and manage chronic disease. Combining her personal experiences and scientific knowledge Justine frequently leads holistic health seminars and coaches people one on one to find natural solutions for their health challenges. 

In this episode we cover: 

• Her own experience being diagnosed with celiac disease 
• The difficulty in navigating a gluten-free diet and struggling with IBS 
• Aspects of life that are impacted by a celiac disease diagnosis 
• How much gluten people with celiac disease can actually tolerate 
• Why a gluten free diet sometimes isn’t enough to alleviate symptoms 
• The importance of sleep 
• Her favourite strategies for stress management 
• The key components of self compassion 
• How to incorporate self compassion into your life 
• How exercise can positively affect the gut microbiota of people with celiac disease 

You can connect with Justine on Instagram: @justinedowd.phd and Facebook: @JustineDowdPhd 

Her website is here: https://www.justinedowd.ca 

If you have celiac disease, consider downloading the MyHealthyGut app that Justine co-created! 

Episode Resources: 

• J Clin Psychol. 2013: A pilot study and randomized controlled trial of the mindful self-compassion program 
• Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2020: Feasibility and effects on the gut microbiota of a 12-week high intensity interval training plus lifestyle education intervention on inactive adults with celiac disease 
• Restaurant (Bragg Creek, AB): The Heart of Bragg Creek 
• Justine’s Books: You’ve Got This, Healthy Mama and You’ve Got This, Mama, Too 

Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to The Plant Prescription Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published. If you enjoy our material and are listening through Apple Podcasts, please leave us a review as this will help more people discover this podcast. We would love to hear from you guys on what you thought of the episode and what you'd like to hear in the future so please connect with us on Instagram. 

IG: Muzammil: @dr.plantbased, Cass: @plant_fueled. 

Facebook: @theplantprescription. 

Music credit: Scott Holmes. 

*Please appreciate that this information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, always seek the opinion of a physician or qualified healthcare provider!*

We’re joined today by Dr. Vivian Chen, an integrative health practitioner and a medical doctor, who truly believes that food is medicine. Dr. Chen trained as a doctor in the UK practicing as a family physician. Her own struggles with health and well-being led her to discover the power of food and the role of lifestyle medicine in disease prevention and treatment. These days, Dr. Chen runs her own company, Plateful Health, where she helps her clients take back their health and live the life they deserve. 

In this episode we cover: 

• The experience with her newborn daughter that led her to question the health effects of dairy 
• Lactose intolerance vs dairy allergies 
• Effects of hormones naturally found in dairy 
• The contribution of cheese and milk to saturated fat intake 
• Bioaccumulation of environmental toxins 
• The fact there is actual pus in milk 
• Why dairy is physically addicting 
• The myth that dairy is essential for strong bones (and how it may even increase fracture risk) 
• The best plant-based sources of calcium (and the role of plant-based milks) 
• The health effects of whey and casein 
• Whether lactose-free and A2 milk are better alternatives 
• mTOR, dairy, and the cancer connection 
• The role of dairy in constipation, type 1 diabetes, acne, and heart disease 

You can connect with Dr. Chen on Instagram: @plateful.health and her website is here: https://www.platefulhealth.com 

Episode Resources: 

• BMJ 2014: Milk intake and risk of mortality and fractures in women and men: cohort studies 
• Osteoporos Int. 2009: Veganism, bone mineral density, and body composition: a study in Buddhist nuns 
• NEJM 2020: Milk and Health 

Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to The Plant Prescription Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published. If you enjoy our material and are listening through Apple Podcasts, please leave us a review as this will help more people discover this podcast. We would love to hear from you guys on what you thought of the episode and what you'd like to hear in the future so please connect with us on Instagram. 

IG: Muzammil: @dr.plantbased, Cass: @plant_fueled. 

Facebook: @theplantprescription. 

Music credit: Scott Holmes. 

*Please appreciate that this information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, always seek the opinion of a physician or qualified healthcare provider!*

Our guest today is Robbie Lockie, an inspiring changemaker and one of the co-founders behind Plant Based News, a global news platform for all the up to date plant-based and vegan news. He has worked with a variety of ethical brands, gives public talks, helped co-produce a short documentary, and been involved with the production of vegan ads and online campaigns. Robbie is such a force for the plant-based and vegan movement. He even initiated World Plant Milk Day, a day dedicated to promoting dairy alternatives on August 22! We hope you enjoy this conversation! 

In this episode we cover: 

• Robbie’s childhood and his move to London 
• The experiences that led him to try a plant-based diet and become vegan 
• Why he was inspired to become an advocate for the vegan movement 
• How Plant-Based News came into existence and what growth has looked like 
• The problem with meat eating being an expression of masculinity 
• His thoughts on plant-based meats and fast food restaurants offering vegan alternatives 
• His thoughts on “lab meat” or cellular agriculture 
• Why shifting to a more plant-based economy will benefit global society 
• The future for Plant Based News 

You can connect with Robbie on Instagram: @robbie_lockie, Facebook: @veganchangemaker and Twitter: @robbielockie 

Follow Plant-Based News on Instagram: @plantbasednews and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plantbasednews/ 

The main Plant-Based News website is here: https://www.plantbasednews.org and YouTube channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJRjK20fHylJyf-HiBtqI2w 

Episode Resources: 

• Film: Forks over Knives 
• Film: Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead 
• Film: Food Inc. 
• Film: Earthlings 

Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to The Plant Prescription Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published. If you enjoy our material and are listening through Apple Podcasts, please leave us a review as this will help more people discover this podcast. We would love to hear from you guys on what you thought of the episode and what you'd like to hear in the future so please connect with us on Instagram. 

IG: Muzammil: @dr.plantbased, Cass: @plant_fueled. 

Facebook: @theplantprescription. 

Music credit: Scott Holmes.

This episode features the incredible Dr. Michael Greger, physician, internationally recognized public speaker, and New York Times bestselling author of multiple books including the popular How Not to Die and most recently How to Survive a Pandemic. He is the creator of the nonprofit charity, NutritionFacts.org and a founding member and fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. We were honoured to share this time with Dr. Greger and took a deep dive into all things chicken and eggs! 

In this episode we cover: 

• Why there is so much confusion surrounding the health effects of eggs 
• How the egg industry designs misleading studies 
• What to keep in mind when interpreting studies 
• The effects of choline and cholesterol on health 
• Whether egg whites have a place in a healthy diet 
• Which diseases eggs are associated with 
• If chicken is really a healthy choice when it comes to animal protein 
• The true saturated fat and sodium content of chicken 
• How chickens are linked with antibiotic resistance 
• The connection between chicken and urinary tract infections and lymphoma 
• Why the chicken industry may be the cause of the next global pandemic 

You can find Dr. Greger on Instagram: @michaelgregermd and @nutrition_facts_org, Facebook: @NutritionFacts.org and Twitter: @nutrition_facts 

And be sure to check out nutritionfacts.org for the latest in clinical nutrition! 

Episode resources: 

• Book: How Not to Die 
• Book: How to Survive a Pandemic 
• Video: How the Egg Board Designs Misleading Studies 
• Video: Egg Industry Response to Choline & TMAO 
• Video: Eggs, Choline, & Cancer 
• JAMA Intern Med. 2020: Association between plant and animal protein intake and overall and cause-specific mortality 
• JAMA. 2019: Associations of dietary cholesterol or egg consumption with incident cardiovascular disease and mortality 
• Int J Cancer. 2016: Associations between unprocessed red and processed meat, poultry, seafood and egg intake and the risk of prostate cancer: A pooled analysis of 15 prospective cohort studies 

Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to The Plant Prescription Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published. If you enjoy our material and are listening through Apple Podcasts, please leave us a review as this will help more people discover this podcast. We would love to hear from you guys on what you thought of the episode and what you'd like to hear in the future so please connect with us on Instagram. 

IG: Muzammil: @dr.plantbased, Cass: @plant_fueled. 

Facebook:

This episode features the incredible powerhouse husband and wife couple of Drs Dean and Ayesha Sherzai, two neurologists who are passionate about cutting-edge brain science and educating people on how to prevent cognitive diseases and achieve long term health and wellness. They are both co-directors of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Program at Loma Linda University Medical Center. 

In this episode we cover: 

• How Dean and Ayesha met 
• Why they coined the term preventative neurology 
• The role of genes vs lifestyle 
• Underlying mechanisms behind Alzheimer’s disease development 
• How to prevent Alzheimer’s 
• The dietary pattern best for brain health 
• The type of fats the brain needs 
• Eggs, coconut oil, avocado, olive oil and brain health 
• Why Paleo and ketogenic diets may not be optimal 
• How we should be evaluating nutritional research 
• Carbohydrates as brain fuel 
• Their thoughts on recent studies showing vegan diets are “bad for brain health” 
• Diet and migraines 
• The importance of exercise, stress management, and sleep 

You can Dean & Ayesha on Instagram: @teamsherzaimd,Twitter: @TeamSherzai, FaceBook: @TeamSherzaiMD 

Their website is here: https://teamsherzai.com and YouTube channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/teamsherzai 

And be sure to pick up a copy of their book, The Alzheimer’s Solution 

Episode Resources: 

• J Neurol Sci. 2018: Insulin resistance and cognitive test performance in elderly adults: National health and nutrition examination survey (NHANES) 
• Epidemiol. 2013: Mediterranean diet and cognitive function in older age: results from the Women’s Health Study 
• Arch Neurol. 2003: Dietary fats and the risk of incident Alzheimer disease (Chicago Health and Aging Project) 
• Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2009: Midlife serum cholesterol and increased risk of Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia three decades later (Kaiser Permanente database) 
• @thesciencekids on Instagram 

Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to The Plant Prescription Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published. If you enjoy our material and are listening through Apple Podcasts, please leave us a review as this will help more people discover this podcast. We would love to hear from you guys on what you thought of the episode and what you'd like to hear in the future so please connect with us on Instagram. 

IG: Muzammil: @dr.plantbased, Cass: @plant_fueled. 

Facebook: @theplantprescription. 

Music credit: Scott Holmes.

Dr. Michelle McMacken is an internal medicine physician and assistant professor of medicine at NYU School of Medicine. After attending a lifestyle medicine conference in 2013, she was inspired to integrate lifestyle changes and a whole food, plant-based diet into her clinical practice. She works tirelessly to educate patients and health care professionals alike, is the author of multiple research articles, and speaks regularly at medical conferences. Dr. McMacken is also the director of the NYC Health and Hospitals/Bellevue Plant-Based Lifestyle Medicine Program.  

In this episode we cover: 

• How she transitioned into medicine from being an English major 
• Discovering lifestyle medicine and integrating it into her practice 
• Why physicians should not assume patients are not willing to change 
• How she discusses food and diet with her patients 
• All about The Plant-Based Lifestyle Medicine Program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue 
• Common nutrition myths 
• Optimal protein sources and why protein combining isn't necessary 
• How a plant-based diet can be cost effective 
• Talking nutrition with patients below the poverty line 
• The relationship between dietary cholesterol, saturated fat, and LDL cholesterol 
• Why it's ok if your HDL drops when you go plant-based 
• Remission of type 2 diabetes in patients who adopt a whole food, plant-based diet 

You can connect with Dr. McMacken on Instagram: @veg_md and Twitter: @Veg_MD 

Information about the Plant-Based Lifestyle Medicine Program is here: https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/bellevue/health-care-services/plant-based-lifestyle-medicine-program/ 

Episode resources: 

• Front Nutr. 2019: An economic gap between recommended healthy food patterns and existing diets of minority groups in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013-14 
• ACC Expert Analysis: Quality Over Quantity: The Role of HDL Cholesterol Efflux Capacity in Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease 
• Drugs Context. 2018: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) functionality and its relevance to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease 
• J Am Coll Cardiol. 2006: Consumption of Saturated Fat Impairs the Anti-Inflammatory Properties of High-Density Lipoproteins and Endothelial Function 
• EAT Lancet Summary Report 
• Canada’s Food Guide 

Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to The Plant Prescription Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published. If you enjoy our material and are listening on Apple Podcasts, please leave us a review as this will help more people discover this podcast. We would love to hear from you guys on what you thought of the episode and what you'd like to hear in the future so please connect with us on Instagram. 

IG: Muzammil: @dr.plantbased, Cass: @plant_fueled. 

Facebook: @theplantprescription. 

Music credit: Scott Holmes.

Seb Alex, an animal rights activist, joins us today. Seb was born and raised in Lebanon and later moved to Europe to pursue a career in sustainable architecture. However, after a year in the corporate world, he made the bold decision to step away from that life and follow the path of his heart: to spend all his time advocating for the animals. Now he advocates through social media, helps organize grassroots events and gives presentations across the globe on veganism, animal exploitation, speciesism, and sustainability. Seb truly has the most beautiful, kind soul, and we were grateful to share this conversation with him. 

In this episode we cover: 

• Seb’s childhood and growing up in Lebanon 
• Why he initially became vegan and eventually a vegan activist 
• What is veganism? 
• Common logical fallacies people use to justify eating animals 
• Why milk is also called “white blood” and how dairy is unethical 
• What the egg industry does to male chicks 
• Industry practices that are considered “humane” 
• The truth behind “grass fed beef” and “free range eggs” 
• Why it is harmful and unnatural for chickens to produce eggs daily 
• What is a sentient being and what is speciesism? 
• Why cultural differences do not justify immoral practices 
• How supporting the honey industry doesn’t help the environment 
• How farmers are not the problem, public demand is 
• The subsidies given to animal agriculture 
• Human rights violations in slaughterhouses 
• The impact of slaughterhouses on the surrounding communities 
• Seb’s love of ice baths 

If you would like to connect with Seb, you can find him on Instagram: @seb.alex and FaceBook: @sebalexactivism 

His website is here: https://www.sebalex.org and his YouTube channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/sebalex 

And be sure to download a copy of Seb’s FREE ebook, When Animals and Logic Meet. It is available here: https://www.sebalex.org/ebook 

Episode Resources: 

• Film: Dominion (YouTube) 
• Film: Okja (Netflix) 
• Film: What the Health 
• Video: Meet your Meat 
• Article: Slaughterhouse Workers (Food Empowerment Project) 

Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to The Plant Prescription Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published. If you enjoy our material and are listening through Apple Podcasts, please leave us a review as this will help more people discover this podcast. We would love to hear from you guys on what you thought of the episode and what you'd like to hear in the future so please connect with us on Instagram. 

IG: Muzammil: @dr.plantbased, Cass: @plant_fueled. 

Facebook: @theplantprescription. 

Music credit: Scott Holmes.

Today we are honoured to bring you Dr. Michael Klaper. Dr. Klaper is a strong proponent of utilizing a whole food, plant-based diet and balanced lifestyle to help patients achieve optimal health and truly heal disease instead of just treating the symptoms. He is passionate about educating health care professionals, physicians, and especially medical students. Dr. Klaper helped form the Moving Medicine Forward initiative and in what he considers the most important work of his career, he now lectures at medical schools teaching students how to use plant-predominant nutrition and lifestyle to heal their patients. 

In this episode we cover: 

• His experience in medical school that inspired him to adopt a plant-based diet 
• Becoming plant-based and removing all violence from his life 
• Telling a patient for the first time to stop their medication 
• What runs through your bloodstream following a meat-based meal 
• His Moving Medicine Forward initiative to educate future physicians 
• How most diseases can be healed instead of simply treated 
• His thoughts on consuming fish 
• The difference between fats coming from plant vs animal sources 
• Why there is such a thing as too much protein 
• If organic produce is necessary for health benefits 
• The effect soy phytoestrogens have on the body 
• The effect real estrogens (found in dairy) have on the body 
• How to start changing your eating habits (and those of your patients) 

If you would like to connect with Dr. Klaper, you can find him on FaceBook: @michaelklapermd and Instagram: @doctorklaper  

His website is here: https://www.doctorklaper.com and YouTube channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJRelOFC3i5aJBobazfaonA 

Episode Resources: 

• Find a plant-based physician: plantbaseddoctors.org or https://plantbaseddocs.com 
• Plant-Based Telehealth 
• Moving Medicine Forward initiative 
• The True Health Initiative 
• TrueNorth Health Center 
• Video: What I Wish I Learned About Nutrition in Medical School 
• Dr. Michael Klaper TEDx Talk: The Most Powerful Strategy for Healing People and the Planet 
• Register for Dr. Klaper’s Master Class in Plant-based Clinical Nutrition 

Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to The Plant Prescription Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published. If you enjoy our material and are listening through Apple Podcasts, please leave us a review as this will help more people discover this podcast. We would love to hear from you guys on what you thought of the episode and what you'd like to hear in the future so please connect with us on Instagram.

IG: Muzammil: @dr.plantbased, Cass: @plant_fueled. 

Facebook: @theplantprescription. 

Music credit: Scott Holmes.

Dr. Will Bulsiewicz (aka Dr. B) joins us today for an information packed conversation all about gut health, the gut microbiome, and why fibre is so important! After following the research and using plant-based nutrition to turn his own health around, he started sharing this knowledge with his patients and with the world. Dr. B truly practices medicine based on cutting edge, evidence-based research to help his patients not just treat the symptoms of their conditions, but get to the root underlying cause and fix it for good. 

In this episode we cover: 

• Where his passion for nutrition came from and falling in love with fibre 
• What gastroenterology entails 
• How he incorporates plant-based nutrition into his practice 
• What the gut microbiome is 
• How our microbes contribute to gut health and overall health 
• How diet changes the gut microbiome  
• The importance of fiber and why we need to eat a wide variety of plant foods 
• Why short chain fatty acids are so great 
• How animal products negatively impact gut health 
• Prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics 
• The microbiome’s role in body weight and metabolism 
• Gut dysbiosis and autoimmune diseases 
• The gut-brain connection 
• “Superfoods” for gut health 
• What a healthy bowel movement routine should look like 
• The story behind the cover of his new book, Fiber Fueled 
• Why you need a bidet 

If you would like to connect with Dr. B, you can find him on Instagram: @theguthealthmd and his website is here: https://theplantfedgut.com 

You can register for his upcoming course here: https://the-plant-fed-life.teachable.com/p/sales-page 

Finally, be sure to pick up a copy of his new book, Fiber Fueled, available wherever books sold! 

Episode Resources: 

• Nature 2014: Diet Rapidly and Reproducibly Alters the Human Gut Microbiome 
• mSystems 2018: American Gut: an Open Platform for Citizen Science Microbiome Research 
• Science 2013: Cultured gut microbiota from twins discordant for obesity modulate adiposity and metabolic phenotypes in mice 

Thank you for tuning in! Make sure to subscribe to The Plant Prescription Podcast so you get notified when new episodes are published. If you enjoy our material and are listening through Apple Podcasts, please leave us a review as this will help more people discover this podcast. We would love to hear from you guys on what you thought of the episode and what you'd like to hear in the future so please connect with us on Instagram. 

IG: Muzammil: @dr.plantbased, Cass: @plant_fueled. 

Facebook: @theplantprescription. 

Music credit: Scott Holmes.