According to this article from Reuters, 400,000 people in the United States will die of heart disease in 2010. A study conducted in the U.K. determined that “around half of those deaths could be averted if people ate healthier food and quit smoking.” The researchers blame poor diet and exercise for contributing to heart disease, obesity, cholesterol, and diabetes.
The article states that “Two-thirds of U.S. adults and nearly one in three children are overweight or obese — a condition that increases their risk for diabetes, heart disease and other chronic illnesses.” Those are shockingly high numbers of Americans who are unhealthy.
If you live off unhealthy food and you hardly ever exercise, chances are you’re not going to be very healthy. It isn’t hard to change your habits, but it does take a little motivation.
First, stop eating meat. A vegan diet is naturally low in fat and high in nutrients, without all the artery clogging cholesterol (cholesterol is only found in animal products). As an added bonus, you’ll also decrease your chances of food borne illnesses like salmonella.
Second, move! I’ll admit that I hate exercises like the ones I had to do in high school – push ups, jogging, sit ups, etc. The trick is finding an exercise program that is fun. I enjoy yoga and kickboxing, and I’m looking for belly dancing classes. If you have fun doing it, you’re more likely to stick with it.
When you transition to a healthier lifestyle, you’ll feel 100% better. I know I did after losing 60 pounds. Wanna see the difference living healthy made?


(Btw – that’s my super-ridiculously tall brother).
I lost weight and became healthier by exercising, eating healthier foods and eliminating empty calories, and being mindful of how I treat my body. Whereas I used to be lethargic, moody, and sick, I’m not energetic, happy, and rarely get ill. I feel amazing compared to just a year ago.
If you take the initiative to change your lifestyle for the better, I promise you’ll enjoy life more once your healthier.
February 1, 2010 at 6:16 pm
It’s not just going low fat vegan. Drs. Ornish and Caldwell Esselstyn have shown, independently with 20 years+ of peer-reviewed research, that you can even reverse heart disease by NO ADDED OIL.
I believe this is where a lot of vegans make a big mistake. They add olive oil, they use very high fat faux cheeses, to their diet. Oil is not a real food and you can get enough naturally without adding oil to recipes.
Here’s a summary page I did about the issue:
http://soulveggie.blogs.com/my_weblog/2009/01/15-reasons-to-avoid-vegetable-oils.html
Glad to see someone else pointing out the heart disease issues. It’s an epidemic that all-together too many people aren’t aware of.
Thanks! Mark
February 1, 2010 at 7:36 pm
Congrats on successfully making the transition to a vegan lifestyle. You’re weight loss story is very inspiring and will hopefully convince more people to make the switch.
February 16, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Congrats too! I didn’t say anything when I saw you because…one just never knows *why* someone loses weight so I usually think its best to not bring it up…