"Chow Down" is the story of three people, who when faced with heart disease, decide to follow Dr. Esselstyn's advice and follow a no-added fat vegan diet. Uplifting, with insightful commentaries from Dr. Esselstyn and Dr. T. Colin Campbell (among other experts), this DVD also includes some clever explanatory animations.
"...CHOW DOWN exposes the three factors that fatally impact our country’s health: the medical community’s allegiance to the status quo, the government’s allegiance to the food industry, and Americans’ allegiance to cheap, convenient food." [from the "Chow Down" website with a trailer]
Emotionally and intellectually convincing, with a lot of disturbing statistics, the authors and producers of "Chow Down" should be praised for taking on a hard topic and pulling few punches. The medical establishment has been inept in ignoring the solution to what they have not been able to do: reverse heart disease via a no-added fat vegan diet, as Drs. Ornish and Esselstyn have proven through, collectively, 40+ years of peer-reviewed research.
The problem is a serious one:
"Estimates for the year 2006 are that 81,100,000 people in the United States have one or more forms of cardiovascular disease (CVD)" [Source: American Heart Association]
Here's a fun embedded animation from the DVD (also available at the website here) on "Blockage Bill" and what really causes most strokes, dispelling a common myth.
It's also worth noting that Dr. Esselstyn believes that it is added [not a real food anyway] oil or fat, that fuels development of these smaller plaques and the potentially devastating consequences:
"...Every forkful [or spoonful] of fat [or oil], he [Esselstyn] says, causes an immediate biochemical assault on the endothelium, the lining of the arteries. White blood cells collect there, gobbling up bad cholesterol and creating fatty deposits over time. For many people, especially those who smoke or have other risk factors, accumulation of plaque is a time bomb for a coronary event..." [Excerpt Source]
Everyone needs to be aware of the truth, not only why we are dying in epidemic numbers by various degenerative diseases, but how we can prevent, stop, and reverse that process. This fine DVD is a very big step forward in getting the word out. Kudos to "Peanut Butter Productions" for all their hard work. Lives will be saved by your efforts, and you have every right to be proud.
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