My relationship with food was established long before I understood health. I grew up eating fried foods, refined carbohydrates, dairy, sugary treats, and frequent takeout and fast food. In my early 20s, that pattern only deepened: Eating out was normal, convenience came first, and vegetables were more of an afterthought than a meaningful part of […]
Before discovering the power of plant-based eating, Weston was 60 pounds overweight, on the verge of needing statins, and struggling with brain fog and fatigue. I was 27 years old when my mother passed away from breast cancer at 59, after a long and difficult fight with the illness. I had been married for only […]
Jolie Blanche Levene-Pryor thought that following a vegan diet would help her reach a healthy weight. But it wasn’t until she committed to a whole-food, plant-based diet—cutting out highly processed foods and added oils—that she shed more than 80 pounds and eliminated chronic pain. My journey away from a standard American diet began in 2009, […]
I began struggling with obesity before the age of 10. Even though I ate moderate amounts of food, I couldn’t seem to stop putting on weight. I spent decades stuck in a cycle of yo-yo dieting, losing and regaining hundreds of pounds. At my heaviest, I weighed 420 pounds. I had hypertension, acid reflux, liver […]
Editor’s note: After adopting a plant-based diet in 2012, Tim Kaufman reversed multiple chronic conditions and lost nearly 200 pounds, a remarkable transformation that he shared with Forks Over Knives in 2016. Since then, Kaufman has continued to inspire others through his blog and books. Now, more than a decade into his plant-based journey, he […]
Just two years ago, I could barely walk up one flight of stairs to my office, and once I made it upstairs, I would have to stop and lean against the wall to catch my breath and relieve my back pain. Keep in mind, this was just one flight of stairs. I suffered from high […]
There’s nothing more inspiring and energizing for us than hearing how a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle has improved readers’ health and well-being. Over the years, we’ve been deeply moved by stories of people reversing debilitating and sometimes life-threatening diseases. We’ve witnessed many do a U-turn on multiple generations’ worth of poor eating habits, establishing a healthier […]
For much of my life, I was the stereotypical “never going vegan” guy: double cheeseburgers, meat-lovers pizzas, Mmmm…bacon jokes. My parents are retired dairy and cattle farmers, and I farmed pigs and chickens myself. I was also an avid fisherman. Veganism was not remotely appealing to me. In fact, I ridiculed it. In 2019, my […]
Before transitioning to a whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle, my health was heading in a dangerous direction. I was diagnosed with gout, had high blood pressure, and was prediabetic. I carried significant extra weight and often felt tired, sluggish, and generally unwell. My diet was typical of the Western lifestyle: full of processed foods, animal products, […]
I never liked meat, so I went vegetarian as a young adult, and I dabbled in veganism starting in 2011. But I ate lots of unhealthy vegan foods, like potato chips, french fries, Oreo cookies, and dairy-free Ben & Jerry’s. I used food, especially highly processed salty and sweet foods, as a coping mechanism. The […]
In 2015, I was trapped in a cycle of stress and poor habits. Overwhelmed by the demands of being a hospital doctor and the responsibilities of a growing family, I indulged in unhealthy foods as a coping mechanism, and my health declined. I developed obesity, prediabetes, hypertension, and elevated cholesterol. The turning point came when […]
GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound are being prescribed in record numbers, and they may soon be covered by Medicare and Medicaid. While these medications have helped many patients lose weight, they come with some widely reported downsides—unpleasant side effects during treatment and trouble keeping the weight off once the medication is discontinued. […]
