Plant-Based Diets are Catching On!

I have to admit, at times being a vegan has been a lonely situation.

When I adopted a plant-based diet in 2005 during my cardiology fellowship training in Rochester New York, most people had no idea what vegan meant, most mainstream health care practitioners were unaware of the health benefits of a plant-based diet.  Were it not for the Rochester Area Vegan Society and their monthly potlucks, I would have been entirely lost.

Now in 2016.... vegan diets have become more mainstream.  Documentaries like Forks Over Knives have made people more aware of the power of what they eat.  After watching Forks Over Knives, I know of two cardiologists in the San Fernando Valley who have started recommending plant-based diets to their patients.  And, in turn, patients are more receptive to learning about plant-based diets.

And I was entirely surprised to hear that Dr. Chad Teeters, the chief of cardiology at Rochester's Highland Hospital, who I knew when we were both training at the University of Rochester's Strong Memorial Hospital, has adopted a plant-based diet after hearing Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn speak at the American College of Cardiology conference.

You can hear briefly about how Dr. Teeters made the transition here.  I had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Teeters speak during this podcast, about the worries that he's had about his own health, and how he's lost 60 pounds in six months on a plant-based diet.  Having known him many years ago, I was very surprised that he took this step, but I am so thrilled for him, not just for the benefit that he'll get to his own health, but that he'll be able to impart this advice to his patients as well.

If you're looking for a plant-based doctor, look here.