Chapter 1: It Works!

[Rachael]

In the first chapter, the Ornish's mention that their program has four main components: a whole-foods plant-based diet, moderate exercise, stress management, and love, support, and intimacy. "In short: eat well, move more, stress less, love more."

What is one change that you are thinking about making in your life to help meet one of these goals?

[Donna]

Rachael wrote: "In the first chapter, the Ornish's mention that their program has four main components: a whole-foods plant-based diet, moderate exercise, stress management, and love, support, and intimacy. "In sh..."

So I am going to set a goal to strive to “move more”. Winter in Pennsylvania and us still being in Omicron surge of COVID has kept us more sedentary than I would like. The biggest impact I feel I can personally make is to get more moderate exercise (different from physical activity in that it is PURPOSEFUL and at a set intensity done for a specific time).

There are so many reasons to follow Dr. Ornish’s work. Here are the benefits or all the “REVERSALS” he lists in Chapter 1 of the book:
Reversing even severe coronary heart disease…type 2 diabetes…Reversing, slowing, or stopping the progression of early-stage non-aggressive prostate cancer…high blood pressure…elevated cholesterol levels…obesity…some types of early-stage dementia…some autoimmune conditions …emotional depression and anxiety”.

Not mentioned in the beginning of the book, but intuitively makes good sense that immune function also gets improvement. As far as I can tell this is a bonus during pandemic.

Eric (or anybody) have any other areas of the changes Rachael had quoted as a change you might make from Chapter 1?