The Engine 2 Diet

In an earlier posting I referred to The Engine 2 Diet and promised to return to it. Let me begin by saying that this is another book you should read if you are interested in making a change in your health. The author is Rip Esselstyn, a Texas firefighter and the son of Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., who wrote the book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. The diet described in the book was inspired by his father’s research on plant-based diets and was put into practice by Rip, his co-workers and others with great results.

His story is interesting. Before becoming a firefighter Rip competed as a professional triathlete. He began eating “plant-strong” to enhance his performance and recovery. After seeing results in his personal health, he encouraged co-workers at the fire house to take the challenge (hence the name Engine 2), and it worked! Next, he implemented a study comprised of 58 people who participated in a six week program eating plant-based diets. Each saw improvement in their numbers and they all lost weight. The average cholesterol level dropped from 181mg/dl to 142mg/dl and the average LDL fell from 109 to 77. Women lost between 2 and 26 pounds and men lost between 2 and 31 pounds.

In this book you’ll find two versions of a four-week program. This makes it easy for you to begin the journey at your own level of comfort. As a “fire cadet” you will ease yourself into this healthy way of eating. As a “firefighter” you will immediately eliminate all dairy, meat, eggs, oil and processed foods. Either way, you WILL feel better, and you WILL see a change in your weight and numbers! There are exercises, recipes, food substitutions, weekly planners and shopping tips that make it a very friendly diet. There’s also a website with information and a forum for posting questions and finding answers. If you go to www.theengine2diet.com, you will find a lot of people (like you and me), some struggling and others helping. Take a look. I believe if you change even one thing as a result, you will be taking a step in the direction of better health… so give it a read.