This is why, this past May, the Space Alien traveled to Cleveland with Your Editor to attend a program conducted by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn at the Wellness Center of the world-famous Cleveland Clinic, on the topic of preventing and reversing cardiovascular disease.
The Space Alien hoped readers would benefit from learning about this program that offers scientific and practical information about the relationship between the foods we eat and cardiovascular health.
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| Space Alien Takes an Underwater Swim |
The Wellness Center of the Cleveland Clinic enjoys a bucolic niche in the midst of a busy metropolitan area. Surrounded by a forest of trees, it overlooks a lovely pond where Your Editor photographed the Space Alien enjoying a healthful early morning underwater power swim.
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| Dr. Esselstyn Takes Off |
Following this refreshing exercise, the Space Alien accompanied Your Editor to join some 20 others - physicians and lay people - eager to hear from Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn.
Dr. Esselstyn, a tall, athletic octogenarian, soon strode into the room, stripped off his lab coat down to shirtsleeves, and proceeded to lecture on the relationship between food and cardiovascular disease (which he calls a "foodborne illness").
We learned how our circulation -- so vital to the health of heart and brain -- is affected by what we eat. The Space Alien, possessed of a gentle, kind and loving heart and a razor sharp and insightful brain, resolved to heed this message.
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| Blood Vessels in Trouble |
Many owners of these badly burdened circulatory systems had serious health issues, and it saddened the Space Alien to learn how much misery might have been avoided with this information.
The Space Alien became more determined than ever to urge everyone to adopt a diet of plain, unprocessed, plant-based foods and to stop drowning this wonderful food in oil. (A good first step would be to check out the Bookstore at the foot of this blog for Dr. Esselstyn's book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease).
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| Mrs. Esselstyn Demonstrates |
Also, since the Space Alien loves to give parties and delight friends with healthful plant based food that is easy to prepare, Carol D'Anca's beautiful book Real Food for Healthy People is highly recommended and available at the Bookstore at the foot of this blog.
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| Photo by the Space Alien |
The Space Alien is particularly fond of the short video with Dr. Esselstyn embedded in this Medscape article. To see it, click here.
At the close of the program, the Space Alien was in a hurry to shop for the greens, beans and other recommended foods, but lingered just long enough to take this photograph of Your Editor, Dr. Esselstyn, Beth Damon and Mrs. Esselstyn.
Unfortunately when Your Editor tried to photograph the Space Alien with Dr. and Mrs. Esselstyn, the Space Alien had left the building and was off to a supermarket to fill a cart with plenty of dark leafy greens and other delicious, fresh organic produce!
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| The Space Alien's Shopping Basket |
More on this topic may be found at Your Editor's Whole Food Plant Based Nutrition blog: http://www.wfpbn.blogspot.com/. The Space Alien will welcome your readership and so will your editor!