Success Stories Helping People Take Charge of Their Health The most gratifying part of all that I have learned about health and nutrition is that I have been able to help people that I care about take charge of their health as well. It is particularly rewarding to be able to have a positive effect on family members, especially my three very young grandchildren. As I have learned in the past few years, your diet as a child has a tremendous impact on your health as you grow older. I ate a very inadequate diet for over 50 years; thankfully, my grandchildren will have the knowledge to get started much earlier in their lives. I recently put out a request for success stories and here is a sampling of what I received....Regards, Jim Hicks. December 2007 - Jason Hicks, 34 year old man, Holden, MA. Since my son has not yet written his story, I decided to go ahead and share some of his progress. A very busy father of three young children, Jason would never take the time to read the health/nutrition books that I had given him. But he watched what I have been doing and has gradually made tremendous changes in his diet...one change at a time over a period of two years. In late 2003, he casually mentioned to me one day that he had given up red meat for good. When I asked why, he said he had been watching the success I had found with my new dietstyle and everything has started “working better”. Then, every few months, he would announce that he had given up yet another one of the unhealthy parts of his diet. This past summer he gave up seafood, which was the last remaining animal food that he was eating. A personal trainer in his spare time, Jason has always been very health and fitness conscious; but like most of us, he reached the age of 30 on the standard American diet (S.A.D.) and always felt that he was a healthy eater. Since making the change to a whole, unrefined plant-based diet, Jason has noticed a lot of improvements in his body: sick less often, sleeping better, able to end his anti-depression medication, more energy, happier, no wasted time reading on the "john", and is down to a 31 inch waste...not bad for a tall (6'2") strapping young man who wears a 44 Long jacket and bench presses 200 pounds. Finally, he has actually read a few health books recently; the first being Dr. Fuhrman's latest book, Disease Proof Your Child, that I gave him this past Christmas. Knowing how much he cares for his three children, I had a feeling that he would read that one from cover to cover. I was right, and he has since made tremendous strides in helping his young children adopt a healthy diet. He also went on to read Eat to Live and is The China Study. Jason turned 34 recently and will enjoy the benefits of a truly healthy diet for over 25 years more than I will. I now refer to Shawn (below) and Jason as my two "poster-boys" for a healthier way of life...Jim Hicks. November 2007 - Barney Elliott & Valeria Ruiz. (34 and 28 respectively) Paris, France.  In the beginning of July, 2006 my wife (Valeria) and I met Jim Hicks.  Its one of those things that do happen for a reason.  Maybe you call it the force, energy, divine intervention…whatever - the point is, our life changed overnight. I have grown up on a totally meat based diet as well as other saturated fats, sugars and everything else that one whom is not in the know rightfully thinks “if they put it out there, it must be alright.”  Valeria (from Peru) was more familiar with fruits and vegetables than I was (as she was not force fed carnage like my boarding school had been so kind to enlighten me with) but still was no guru on the subject of eating and health as well. Since the middle of 2005, Valeria had kept saying that she was desiring meat less and less, for me it went in one ear and out the other.  It wasn't until January (2006) that I started to have less of an interest in a meat-based diet - you become the ones you hang around - nevertheless I continued. Then in July, Valeria and I met Jim.  Jim never forced the subject of diet on us but as we had a curiosity about it, and saw his eating habits, we inquired.  What we learned was something we couldn't have expected. Jim gave us some literature to understand more about what we were putting into our bodies and it was a no brainer - we had to change!  Not only did we learn that most of the foods that we were consuming on a daily basis were unhealthy but also we were contributing to animals in pain.  Again, this information was not preached - simply, it is out there and if you are willing to look, it is more than evident that not only is the meat-based diet that we eat bad for the body; but also there is a lot of animal suffering that occurs before we walk into the supermarket and pick that clean, nicely wrapped piece of thigh off the shelf.  As such, when people asked me why I have changed my diet, I tell them it was for health reasons first but I stay on it because of the cruelty that is involved. So, the most important part: how do Valeria and I feel?  Well, we've both lost weight…not a significant amount but enough that people asked if “we've been working out.”  We wake in the morning and instead of desiring caffeine, we desire juices and fruits.  We have more energy.  We look forward to creating new recipes of wholesome foods.  And ultimately…we just feel better. We didn't know what we didn't know until we knew it. May 2007 - Lisa A. (33 year old woman) Worcester, MA.  When I was asked to write my “success story,” I thought, well, I just recently began eating healthy, so I felt that I was more of a “work in progress, “ rather than a success story. However, I have noticed some quite significant differences, which I will share with you. So, why did I choose to alter my eating habits? Quite simply, I met a man. Usually, women change their hair, makeup, clothing, etc.  I changed the way I ate. But seriously, yes, he was the one who introduced me to this “eating lifestyle,” however, in the end the decision had to be mine.   When I met Jason this past winter, I learned of his eating habits, and agreed to read “Eat To Live” so that I could understand why he ate the way he did. After reading the book, I thought, why not? Coupled with my father's triple bypass surgery at 50, and my husband's sudden death at 29 due to a heart condition, I did not need much more convincing. Fuhrman's strong argument for a plant-based diet, along with Jason as living proof, led me to begin my journey to truly eating healthy. I decided to begin immediately, and surprisingly, I found it much easier than I thought it would be. I actually enjoyed the foods I ate, and felt instantly “lighter.” I no longer had that uncomfortable full feeling I used to get. Within about a month, I found that I had much more energy and no longer got sick. Being a teacher, I used to get sick quite frequently. I also noticed that my menstrual cycle was lighter, shorter, and cramp free. All of these changes were proof to me that this diet does indeed work. I am going to continue eating this way regardless of the constant barrage of comments I get from family and friends. I have never felt better, and expect to continue noting changes in the way I feel and look. I continue telling them, "It is not about what I don't eat, it is all about what I do eat." September 2006 from Shawn Lankton, 26 year old man, Atlanta, GA.  I received a book from my uncle eight months ago entitled, Eat to Live. Between its covers I found a very persuasive argument for switching to a mostly plant-based whole foods diet. The author, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, made a very strong case for the fact that the safest, healthiest diet for humans is plants, and lots of them. He talked mostly in terms of benefits including weight loss and prevention & reversal of heart disease and hypertension. I am a 23 year old man who has always been trim. Currently, I show no outward signs of heart disease, and I've never had a problem with blood pressure. So why did I care? Truthfully, it was mostly because of some of the other, smaller, benefits that he listed... better eyesight, better sleep, more energy, stronger bones, and more potent libido. However, the idea of living a prescription-free life and not dying from a painful heart attack sounded pretty appealing as well. Dr. Fuhrman suggests switching to his Eat to Live (ETL) diet full-on. I decided to take his advice. I cleaned out my refrigerator, my freezer, and my cabinets. I went to the grocery store and loaded up on fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, beans, and whole grains. I began eating fruit and oatmeal for breakfast, large vegetable salads for lunch and, and veggie stir-fry's or veggie casseroles for dinner. I didn't keep meat or dairy products in my apartment at all. I would still occasionally eat meat, cheese, and other animal products or processed foods while out at restaurants or with friends. The results? I have always been a slender guy, and I usually work out 4-7 times per week, so I'm pretty athletic as well. I didn't think I had any weight to lose. I dropped 20 pounds in 2 weeks! This was all while making gains in the weight room. I was very happy with the way I looked afterwards too. I noticed that my abs popped out, and I looked generally more toned. I noticed other changes as well. I am never thirsty. I am not usually hungry. If I get sick it lasts for about 12 hours (instead of days and days before). I find that I notice the delicate and delicious flavors of plant foods more than before. Maybe the most interesting effect is that I feel "lighter." I would describe this feeling as having a clear sinus as opposed to being stuffed up, but for the whole body. It's very refreshing. Since then, I have read many other books, and grown healthier and happier about my new way of eating. I look forward to a long healthy life!   Recently, Shawn wrote:  Merry Christmas and thank you for the new John Robbins book Healthy at 100. I think that the bigger present you have given me though, is opening my eyes to health and nutrition in the first place. That was almost a year ago at my Mom's house when you gave me Eat to Live... It has really been a life-changing event for me and it's really helped to have you as a mentor and friend in all of this. I can't wait to finish Diet for a New America and start on Healthy at 100. I'll be sure to give you my reviews of each...Shawn Photo of Dr. Lankton was taken at Georgia Tech on December 11, 2009. ******************************************************** Note that all of these "success stories" were from young people who had never been overweight, were regulars at the gym and had always felt that they were eating a fairly healthy diet. But, after learning the truth about nutrition, they all made dramatic changes in their diets and have noticed dramatic improvements in their lives.  As you may have already learned from reading other parts of this site; the dreaded diseases of affluence like heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis don't just happen randomly when we are in our fifties and beyond.  They begin to happen the moment we start eating the Standard American Diet and continue until we either die a premature death or spend our final years without much joy in some form of assisted living. In addition to preventing disease, consuming the optimal diet for humans is all about optimizing our quality of life for however many years we may reside on Planet Earth.   Sincerely, Jim Hicks