Plantstock 2017 - The #WFPB Mecca in Upstate NY

After changing to a #WFPB (Whole Foods Plant-Based) lifestyle 2.5 years ago, I have recently begun to read much more and seek other sources of information, because I realized that there is a profound change in the works in my own life, but also in the world.

Caldwell, Rip, and Anne Esselstyn at Plantstock 2017

Attending Plantstock 2017 seemed like the thing to do, and boy am I glad I did. The roster of speakers was quite impressive, and covered a wide area of expertise and life experience. Below I'll just recap the stories as best as I can, to bring out the points that seem the most relevant for now. The bottom line is, as I've shared in previous posts, #WFPB is not a diet, but a new nutritional paradigm that is very much based on a solid body of research, starting with The China Study, which was just re-issued in an updated 2017 edition. The theoretical foundation of the China Study, combined with the clinical work of Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and many others, plus a cascade of newer research have create a broad-based new approach to health, nutrition and medicine, which is actually closer to the Hippocratic ideal than most of modern medicine manages to be. Hippocrates is thought to have said "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food," regardless if he did say it or not, he also formulated the principle of "do no harm," which is in the Hippocratic oath that doctors take, and apparently promptly forget. In the US, with the most expensive (and unaffordable!) healthcare system in the world, iatrogenic illness continues to be a leading cause of death, if not THE leading cause of death.

The biggest thing about the #WFPB lifestyle is that you can no longer get around it after hearing numerous doctors say that the greatest improvement in health outcomes is the simple dietary change to #WFPB, which far surpasses any medications in its effectiveness (which is not to say medications have a role to play, sometimes). At Plantstock, we heard a mixture of research reports and clinical experience, both personal testimonials of lay people, and experience from doctors. The enthusiasm knew no bounds, for these are life-changing experiences, and people can't shut up about them!

I keep attempting to simplify the definition of the #WFPB concept, and I think you could say it this way:

• Maximize fiber, not protein, this automatically leads you to plant-based nutrition, and away from animal protein, which has been shown to be a carcinogenic in the high dosages that are common under the Standard American diet (SAD).
• Use Whole Foods as much as possible, and avoid added oils, or sugar, and limit salt. Small amounts of oil or sugar as it naturally occurs in vegetables, fruit (e.g. avocado) and nuts.
• Get a healthy level of exercise.

The point is, we over-consume protein, and we don't get enough fiber. #WFPB fixes that in one fell swoop, and people can eliminate all supplements except B12, and most medications, as 75% of health care spending is on treatments for chronic, degenerative diseases, which respond well to the #WFPB diet, and in many cases, patients are getting off of all or most of their medications within the first year, and sometimes immediately. Instead of worrying about drug interactions and side effects, you should worry about your next cup of spinach.

One clarification about terminology is in order. The term vegan is not meaningful in the sense that it is more a marketing concept than a well-defined nutritional practice. "Vegan" includes people who are motivated by animal welfare, environmental concerns, weight loss, or nutritional wholeness. Famous are the stories of malnourished vegans, who merely eliminate animal proteins, and mabye even honey, but do not follow #WFPB, and therefore tend to lack complete nutrition. If you go vegan and continue to eat donuts, you will fail. The Whole Foods Plant-Based paradigm is defined in all its glory in the books The China Study, and Whole by T. Colin Cambpell, Ph.D. which include an account of the foundational research. Within #WFPB there is the "Plant Strong" plan which Rip Esselstyn promotes, which is for otherwise healthy people who want to get healthier. For severe heart patients, the original Esselstyn diet, as defined by Caldwell Esselstyn is sometimes referred to as the "Plant Perfect" diet in which you avoid not only added oil, but also fruits such as avocado and coconuts which have a lot of oil, as well as most nuts. Other vegetables still contain whatever little bit of oil the body really needs.


Here is a recap of the accounts that stood out for me most, in no particular order:

• Dr. Saray Stancic of Ramsey, NJ. Dr. Stancic is a Lifestyle Medicine Physician, focused on #WFPB, and the way she arrived at her new practice was because she was once diagnosed with MS, and ended up dependent on twelve medications she could not tolerate, and then she discovered #WFPB and within one year she was off of all medications, and decided to change her specialty to Lifestyle Medicine. She is also involved with a new documentary we will soon hear more about Code Blue.
• Eric L. Adams, Brooklyn Borough President, his was a story of a personal experience, followed by public action. He was at one point diagnosed with life-threatening diabetes, but refused medication, and consulted Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn instead. Inside of three months, his A1C had gone from the high teens to 5.7, and his cardiologist asked him for Dr. Esselstyn's phone number, as he was about to go in for surgery to get stents, but was clearly interested in an alternative. Since then, Brooklyn has committed $13 million for #WFPB education in schools, and has funded the building of a greenhouse in a housing project. Eric's speech was remarkable in that he explicitly raised the spiritual dimension of the process. There is such a thing as wanting to be well!
• Of course there were Rip Esselstyn, the organizer, his father, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, his wife Anne Crile-Esselstyn, and their daughter (Rip's sister) Jane Esselstyn.
  Rip's presentation about his new book, The Engine 2 Seven-Day Rescue Diet: Eat Plants, Lose Weight, Save Your Health was dynamic and inspiring. The program is a mini course in #WFPB, in which you can make the switch quickly and completely in one week, or use it to get yourself back on track whenever you feel you need new inspiration and simple dishes you can prepare quickly.
  Caldwell Esselstyn was of course inspiring, and you always learn a new nuance about his path to the discovery of #WFPB, which was all about stopping to treat symptoms and starting to treat the cause, since his working experience showed him how heart patients were never really healed, but continued to deteriorate, and he wanted to make a change.
  Jane Esselstyn, RN was an inspiration by explaining in graphic terms how the major mechanisms work, based on her experience as a sex-educator in the schools. Her presentation was unforgettable, because it made complicated stuff, such as the mechanisms of diabetes, simple to understand. Her explanation of why ED is merely an early manifestation of CVD (Cardiovascular Disease) simply because the arteries to the penis are smaller and more easily compromised by a diet full of animal protein.
  The mother and daughter combo was priceless in the way they explained the simple principles of the diet, along the lines of the KISS principle, such as oats for breakfast, a big salad for lunch, and more variation for dinner. One of the most practical suggestions was how to eat simple cooked kale (5 mins) with some balsamic vinegar. At the conference they served it with delicious infused balsamic vinegars from Bema and Pas.
  In short the Esselstyn family is really involved in all aspects of the #WFPB revolution, and they are an inspiration for us all.
• Then there was Dr. Neal Barnard, of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, speaking about his new book, The Cheese Trap, which was super informative and motivating, because once you understand just how bad cheese is and why it is addictive, that is enough to get rid of it for good. He also revealed himself as a rock musician with his group CarbonWorks. There seems to be no limit to this man's range.
• There was Milan Ross, whose introduction to #WFPB hailed from his joining Whole Foods in 2012. He was sent to a #WFPB immersion program by Whole Foods, and it changed the direction of his life. He lost 200 lbs, and became free of medications, including for high blood pressure and cholesterol. He now has his own line of vegan food products. his upcoming book is titled The Change. That says it all.
• There was Dr. Melanie Joy speaking on the unconscious paradigm of carnism, the eating of animal protein, which would help anyone to understand why veganism can be threatening, because it upsets the apple-cart.
• John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods was interviewed by Rip Esselstyn about his new book, The Whole Foods Diet, and also shared some of his experiences in building Whole Foods, including their innovative approach to health care, in which they offer their employees a #WFPB immersion program if they need it, and are self-insured for medical costs. Of course the new acquisition by Amazon came up, and his own decision process, in which he ascertained that it would enhance and not diminish the Whole Foods company culture. Based on what I know about Amazon, they could learn from Whole Foods.
• Dr. Irminne Van Dyken, MD is a general and trauma surgeon in Hawaii. With her husband she created the Out of the Doldrums youtube channel. She spoke about the effects of #WFPB on intestinal fauna, and the most amazing thing is to learn just how fast change takes place.
• Then there was James Wilks, Mixed Martial Arts champion and budding film maker. His story was amazing. For him it began when he had a knee injury and became interested in nutritional approaches to aid his recovery. He devoured scientific articles, and stumbled across some archaeological research showing that the gladiators in Rome ate a primarily plant-based diet. He experienced powerful help in his recovery from #WFPB. We will certainly hear more about him. He is not one so shut up about it!
• Tim Kaufman, a former trial lawyer from Atlanta, now living in Costa Rica, shared an amazing story about personal recovery, from a time when he weighed 430 lbs and in December 2016 was at death's door with an enlarged heart. Up to the day of the conference he lost 137 lbs in eight months, and he promises to be there next year and weigh 190 lbs. Rest assured this man will not shut up. Check out his blog, Fat man rants. In his moment of recognition of his predicament as a completely self-inflicted wound, he realized that he had spent his professional life as a trial lawyer trying to catch people in a lie, but he had been living a lie himself.
• Josh Lajaunie a self-professed "coon-ass" from Louisina swamp land, who extricated himself from a family tradition of meat eating and chronic illness, and embraced a plant based lifestyle as he became a running champion who was recently featured on the cover of Runner's World Magazine. An almost incredible story, his entire immediate family is now on #WFPB and collectively lost 1008 lbs since they started, the point being as always that #WFPB is rich in fiber so you can eat however much you like and you will automatically return to a homeostatic, optimal weight.
• Adam Sud's story was a searing account of obesity and a cascade of illness ending in drug addiction, which was finally reversed with a #WFPB diet, and he is now a health coach for Whole Foods. Mind blowing stuff.
• Dr. Avram Cooperman is a specialist on Pancreatic Cancer, associated with Mount Sinai hospital in NY, and he is working on a book. His talk focused specifically on the impact of #WFPB on cancer prevention, and was very, very powerful and informative. He is clearly in command of his subject. I cannot wait for his book.
• Susan Benigas runs the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, and her talk was very informative. You now have a way to find medical professionals who understand #WFPB, which makes all the difference in the world, since most doctors are woefully uneducated in nutrition. She also runs the Plantrician project.
• Alexis Fox presented jointly with Susan Benigas, she runs a company called Lighter, which enables on-line buying for #WFPB meal plans.She also made mention of the environmental degradation of animal husbandry which was part of her path to taking an interest in these issues. The truth remains that going vegan is the largest single thing anyone can do to stop environmental degradation and climate change.
• Dr. Elizabeth Winings spoke of the relationship between autism and nutrition, and once again this was a completely surprising discovery that diet can make a lot of difference. 
• And perhaps the greatest surprise of the show was Saudi Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed, who follows a #WFPB diet himself and as an investor is actively involved in areas related to meat alternatives, as well as renewable energy and energy efficiency. He is another person we are bound to hear more about. Abolishing the livestock industry is just one of his personal goals.

Hopefully, the above is helpful. One thing is for sure. #WFPB is emerging as a paradigm shift that is now being propelled by such powerful stories of personal change that it cannot help to take the world by storm. To some, this just looks like a ripple, but as an economist, I know that change happens at the margin, and the growth of this movement is furthermore unstoppable for the simple reason of its solid foundation of unassailable scientific evidence, and growing support from the organizations that include the AMA, and ACC (American College of Cardiologists), various politicians and others from all walks of life.

I mentioned above how Eric Adams was the only speaker to explicitly address the spiritual dimension of the process, but I would emphasize that in all of the personal testimonials there was a strong element of a personal crisis and a catharsis in learning about and adapting #WFPB from what were in many cases near death situations. I will be writing more about this.