Dr. Oz's 28-Day Vegan Challenge for Cowboy Rocco - Heart Disease Reversal Through a Plant-Based Diet Goes Mainstream - Sort Of

Click here if you don't see this video on your screen

Watch Dr. Oz Explain to Rocco the Cowboy How to Reverse His Heart Disease Through a Vegan Diet

11/6/09 Update: Find Out How Rocco Did After His 28 Day Challenge

"After 28 Days on Dr. Oz's Vegan Challenge, Cowboy Rocco is on His Way to Health--"If I Can Do It, Anyone Can!"  Click Here

Here's the pitch:

Rocco is a meat-eating cowboy who has volunteered for Dr. Oz's 28-day Vegan Diet Makeover.

Step 1--Rocco has a CT scan of his coronary arteries.  Turns out it is not a pretty picture.  His scan puts him in the 97th percentile for plaque in his age group.  He has the heart of an 85 year old!

Rocco's Reaction?  I could swear he has tears in his eyes.  He asks, "Is it reversible?"  According to Dr. Oz, "Everything is reversible."  

Rocco vows to take it as an opportunity to make the best of a bad situation and says, "No one will try harder than I will."  "I can't look back, I've gotta look forward."  As for a vegan diet:  "...that's not a change of diet--that's a change of venue!"

Dr. Oz's 4 week plan for Rocco

Rocco is going to be followed by a cardiologist--thank goodness--and the plan is to totally reboot his taste buds.  No meat, no dairy, no eggs.  The emphasis is more on ditching the animal protein--not so much on the importance of adding in high nutrient vegetables, like greens, eating high fiber low-glycemic grains, or eliminating added fats.

Rocco is concerned about how this diet will affect his sugar.  Apparently he has type-2 diabetes and is on medication.  Dr. Oz says, "Not to worry.  I bet when you get rid of your belly, your blood sugar will come down, and you'll probably be able to get off your medications."

Week 1

Detox week.  No meat. No dairy.  No eggs.  Break fundamental habits.  Replace meat protein with nuts, beans, and seeds.  Take a B12 or mulitvitamin.  Rocco loves the taste of Oz's bean chili.

Week 2

Go forward.  Find alternatives to meat.  Emphasis is substituting meat for "fake meat" alternatives, like seitan, fake soy burgers,  faux barbequed ribs, or faux hotdogs.  Lots of soy protein here.

Week 3

Learn to avoid the junk food. Be cautious.  Just because it's not meat, dairy or eggs doesn't mean it's good for you.  Eating French fries & potato chips is not what the diet is about.  Oz encourages Rocco to find healthy snacks--fruit, vegetables, whole-grain or soy chips.  A little chocolate is OK as long as it has a 75% cacao content. 

Week 4

"Vegan meets reality"  Dr. Oz says it's now time to add back a tiny bit of meat--but just as an  "accoutrement".  In my opinion, this could be the downfall of this LITE version of a "heart-disease-reversal-diet".

What Do I Think of Dr. Oz's 28-Day Challenge?

Oz's heart is in the right place--but I don't think Rocco's heart is going to be in the right place after his 28-day challenge.  Yes, Rocco will be better off getting off of meat and dairy.  But reliance on fake soy foods?  I don't think so.   And what about making sure Rocco doesn't gorge himself on carbs?  What about instruction on eating high-fiber low glycemic grains, beans, & legumes?

Millions of people potentially will be watching Rocco's challenge.  They deserve to be taught more.

Too bad Dr. Oz didn't pass on Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's advice on what Rocco can do to restore his vascular health.

Hope he has Rocco read:  Yes, You Can Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease - But Are You Up for the Challenge?  Let Dr. Esselstyn Convince You!

Some Q & A From the Esselstyn Father & Son Team: The Plant-Strong Fireman & the Plant-Perfect Doctor

Dr. Esselstyn's Advice on Keeping Your Heart & Blood Vessels Healthy

1. Pay attention to the conclusions of Dr. Lewis Kuller's  (University of Pittsburgh) decade long cardiovascular health study. You are not immune from heart disease:  "All males who are 65 years of age and all females who are 70 years old who have been exposed to the typical Western diet already have cardiovascular disease and should be treated as such."

2. The truth is that cardiovascular disease needn't ever exist.  It's absolutely a toothless paper tiger.  But if it does exist, it needn't ever progress, as long as you are willing to change completely to an oil-free plant-based diet.

3. The basic understanding we all need to accept is that with every meal of oil, dairy or meat we eat, within minutes there is damage & injury to the "life jackets" of our vascular health--which is the single layer of endothelial cells that line all of our blood vessels. The endothelial cells produce the "magical gas" called nitric oxide which keeps our blood vessels relaxed, prevents our white blood cells & platelets from becoming sticky and prevents the growth of plaque--the dread "hardening of the arteries".

4.  And what can you eat to insure that your endothelial cells will have the raw materials to produce this healing nitric oxide?  Beans & leafy greens.  Load up on kale, collard, chard, bok choy & beans and you will be well on your way to healing the lining of your blood vessels.

5.  On the positive side--as soon as we stop eating these damaging foods--the endothelial cells have the capacity for restoration.

6.  Switching to a plant-based diet trumps every other lifestyle modification you can make.  It trumps exercise and it trumps stress management.  Both are important--but diet is the trump card. 

7.  Switching to a plant-based diet even trumps the genetics card.  As Essesylstyn says, "Genetics only loads the gun--it's diet that pulls the trigger."

My advice to Rocco:  Read Dr. Esselstyn's book as you go through your 28-day challenge.  Stick to real whole foods and don't rely on faux soy foods.  Learn to cook.  Load up on healthy greens.  Get a VitaMix and start making Green Smoothies (low on fruit).  You really can change your taste buds!  Get inspired by the experience of Michael F., who lost loads of weight, changed his taste buds, and best of all--got healthy!

Comments

[Steve Parker, M.D.]

Esselstyne might be right, but his conclusions are not accepted by the cardiology and medical communities. Is his program like Dr Ornish's: low-fat vegetarian, supportive community, and meditation? Ornish probably did show reversal of coronary plaque.

Scientists are increasingly questioning the connection between dietary saturated and total fat, and harding-of-the-arteries. I blogged about it here:
http://blog.nutritiondata.com/heart_health_blog/2009/09/dietheart-hypothesis-rip.html

-Steve

[Thomas]

His (Esselstyn) program is like Ornish, with the exception that he doesn't think the meditation is absolutely necessary. Even maybe a little more restrictive.

[Thomas]

In addition, Dr. Steve, as long as the American Heart Association is better served by keeping Plavix and Crestor in the bloodstream, there is unlikely to be "proof" that the real key is as unsexy and cheap as "eat plants".

Your "Nail in the coffin of the Diet-Heart Hypothesis" is only such because you are cherry picking evidence.

[valerie]

How do I get the 28 day vegan diet that Rocco is on?

[The Healthy Librarian]

Hi Valerie,

Rocco's diet was a vegan diet, which is pretty straight forward: No animal products. But for it to be effective & make you feel great, you have to load up on the healthy stuff, and not rely on all the processed junk soy meat substitutes.

For newbies I'd recommend Rip Esselstyn's Engine 2 Diet. It's fun to read, easy to follow, with great advice--and it's been used successfully by many.

Week One:  Eliminate dairy, processed & refined foods.  aka "Gas Station" food

Week Two:  Stop eating meat, chicken, eggs & fish

Week Three:  Remove added oil

Week Four:  Maintain Weeks 1, 2, & 3

What Can You Eat?

1.Vegetables-lots of greeny leafy ones to restore & heal the endothelial lining of your blood vessels.  Kale, Swiss Chard, Cilantro, Collards, Bok Choy, Parsley, Spinach, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cauliflower

2.Whole fruit

3.Whole grains

4.Beans/Legumes; "light" tofu--cautious use of low-fat soy meat substitutes. Many are highly processed, high-fat junk food.

Rip Esselstyn's Engine 2 Diet:

http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/2009/01/engine2-diet.html

Some Q & A From The Esselstyn Father & Son Team: The Plant Strong Fireman & The Plant Perfect Doctor

http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/2009/05/the-plant-guys.html

Or just click on Vegan Diet over on the left-hand column subject headings and get loads of information. Recipes are under Vegetarian Recipes

[Bob Shafer]

Is the engine 2 diet a good diet to reverse the onset of diabetes?

[The Healthy Librarian]

Bob,

Yes, the Engine 2 Diet would help prevent diabetes--if followed correctly. It will definitely help you lose weight--an important step. Exercise is also an important part of the equation! The links on this page will explain further:

http://engine2diet.com/about-the-science/diabetes/

http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/2010/01/diabetes.html

Good luck!

[thomas]

what happens to all the plague with the new diet

[rooby moon]

and in the end..is it not the overview of getting rocco started into a new lifestyle no matter whose products or advice he follows? everyone has his own guru and good for you. food lifestyles are like religion, choose the one that works for you and satisfies your needs. with the oz help rocco now knows he has a choice besides his past. go oz!