How Not to Die

Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease

By: Michael Greger MD FACLM, Gene Stone

Narrated by: Michael Greger MD FACLM

Length: 17 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times Bestseller

“This book may help those who are susceptible to illnesses that can be prevented.”—His Holiness the Dalai Lama

“Absolutely the best book I’ve read on nutrition and diet” –Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones Solution

From the physician behind the wildly popular website NutritionFacts.org, How Not to Die reveals the groundbreaking scientific evidence behind the only diet that can prevent and reverse many of the causes of disease-related death.

The vast majority of premature deaths can be prevented through simple changes in diet and lifestyle. In How Not to Die, Dr. Michael Greger, the internationally-renowned nutrition expert, physician, and founder of NutritionFacts.org, examines the fifteen top causes of premature death in America-heart disease, various cancers, diabetes, Parkinson's, high blood pressure, and more-and explains how nutritional and lifestyle interventions can sometimes trump prescription pills and other pharmaceutical and surgical approaches, freeing us to live healthier lives.

The simple truth is that most doctors are good at treating acute illnesses but bad at preventing chronic disease. The fifteen leading causes of death claim the lives of 1.6 million Americans annually. This doesn't have to be the case. By following Dr. Greger's advice, all of it backed up by strong scientific evidence, you will learn which foods to eat and which lifestyle changes to make to live longer.

History of prostate cancer in your family? Put down that glass of milk and add flaxseed to your diet whenever you can. Have high blood pressure? Hibiscus tea can work better than a leading hypertensive drug-and without the side effects. Fighting off liver disease? Drinking coffee can reduce liver inflammation. Battling breast cancer? Consuming soy is associated with prolonged survival. Worried about heart disease (the number 1 killer in the United States)? Switch to a whole-food, plant-based diet, which has been repeatedly shown not just to prevent the disease but often stop it in its tracks.

In addition to showing what to eat to help treat the top fifteen causes of death, How Not to Die includes Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen -a checklist of the twelve foods we should consume every day. Full of practical, actionable advice and surprising, cutting edge nutritional science, these doctor's orders are just what we need to live longer, healthier lives.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2015 Michael Greger, MD (P)2015 Macmillan Audio

A Skewed Agenda

I found this book to do a good job of taking medical professionals to task for the shortcomings in the profession's nutritional training in favor of being the handmaidens of the pharmaceutical industry.

The information provided on plant-based whole foods, including herbs and spices was informative and inspiring.

Unfortunately, his ability to constantly bash even moderate consumption of anything from an egg to any kind of fish, meat or fowl really seems to have missed the current research on healthful eating. Many studies have shown that our government did us a disservice to stop eating egg yolks but he did point out that Eggbeaters is devoid of most benefits, as are many processed food substitutes.

Lastly, his statements encouraging the eating of sugar and starch for pre-diabetic and diabetic people seems to border on medical malpractice. He references a 1927 study stating that people fed a diet high in carbs, especially sugar & starch dropped their blood sugar while anyone eating fat and animal protein spiked their sugar.

In closing, read this book, take whatever is useful and incorporate it into your eating plan but also see through his religious fervor when it comes to eschewing any other complementary food choices that are acceptable to accompany your plant-based menu choices. Avoid highly processed foods and grains, including GMOs as well as factory farmed meats.

A wealth of knowledge...it's all in this book

It's all up to you...the scientific evidence is made clear in this book. Keep eating the "S.A.D." (standard American diet) and die early. I. just had a friend who died from a massive stroke at 57. He, like most Americans, had the mindset. that "hey, I could get hit by a bus tomorrow...I'm going to enjoy life and eat, drink and be merry". I doubt even in hindsight and knowing all that's in this book that he would regret living the way he did. That's the mindset of most Americans (but not me). The thing is, once you stop eating the crap, the real foods taste great... it. just takes time...several months. This book breaks it down to the facts... you can take it or leave it.

The single most important health and nutrition you could read

I first heard about Dr. Michael Greger by reading magician Penn Jillette’s surprisingly great book on his own life transformation in which he lost over 100 pounds and got rid of almost all the drugs he’d been taking to ward off high blood pressure etc.

Dr. Greger’s thick book (I mostly “read” it on Audible) is simply the single most comprehensive and trustworthy (tons of footnotes) source for addressing every possible ailment - both before and after you may encounter it!

Everyone should read this book!

I recommend this book for everyone. It should be required reading. It's a great gift. Dr. Greger dedicates his life to learning about all the latest unbiased research (with a lot of help from his trained staff) to learn what are the healthiest and unhealthiest foods and supplements. And he does it because he truly wants everyone to be informed so they can be as healthy as possible. His website is free to everyone and doesn't contain any advertisements. All proceeds from sales of this book, his cookbook, and his YouTube channel are donated to charity, so he's not in it for money.

If you care about your health listen to this book.

After listening to this book, I read the printed version with equal enthusiasm. For such a technical subject it was written to be read so I was engaged the whole time. It is a long book, but it reads/listens quickly and is worth the investment of time.

The only way to lose weight

Everyone wants a quick fix these days and the abundance of promising diets is robust, much like your waistline will be if you rely on them! Dr. Gregor provides evidence supporting the beneficial effects of plant based diets which helps shift your mental attitude about food- from eating unhealthy foods that give you pleasure to finding pleasure in eating healthy foods. To me, this is the only way to achieve your optimal waistline and doesn't sacrifice your longevity like certain diets can over time. His "daily dozen" app is a must have for anyone trying to incorporate healthier foods into their diet. It's a great way to remind you what a healthy day should look like with regards to how many servings and of what you need each day. Once you get the hang of it the app isn't needed but it is definitely worth getting just to keep you on track until healthy becomes a habit.

Finally someone sums it up

I am fascinated with Dr. Gregor's book. I used to be so confused by all the information that's out there on nutrition and the do's and dont's. As a dentist I have always been very nutritionally conscientious but this book cleared up a lot of confusion for me. All the information is backed up by pure science from a trusted source. I have no idea how Dr. Gregor manages to review all this literature and sum it up without getting paid for his time. I will forever be grateful to him. I am also on his website every day learning about all the new facts. My patients are amazed at how much I know about their diseases, and my suggestions but I do tell the truth and give the credit to Dr. Gregor!

informative

Beautiful written book, full of information, wealth of defined knowledge, Best author for the field.

A must.

a must to anyone who cares about their diet or the diet of their loved ones.

Incredible!

This book is amazing! It has plenty of facts (which I need) and so much helpful information on living a plant based Whole Foods life. Very much loved it and would recommend to anyone in search of being a healthier you!