John Tanner - In a Heartbeat, from Death to Plants

For full episode resources and show notes, visit: www.plantstrong...
A whole food, plant-based diet CAN save your life.
It sounds like hyperbole, but it isn’t, because my guest today is living proof.
John Tanner was out on a run in 2009 and went into cardiac arrest. He collapsed to the ground and his heart stopped beating. Fortunately, the quick action of others to get help saved his life.
In recovery, John started reading everything he could about the causes of heart disease and how to prevent it. His research, of course, led him to my father’s work and he learned what most doctors don’t know - heart disease need not exist. It is reversible and, in most cases, preventable.
John tells his harrowing story and discusses the remarkable advocacy work he is doing now with his non-profit NuSci and food delivery company, Little Green Forks.
In fact, he’s offered a generous discount code at Little Green Forks: Rip15New to receive $15 your first order.
In the meantime, enjoy this conversation with John Tanner as he shares how a plantstrong diet brought him back to life.

[@gayatrishivoham]

I come from a family of highly qualified doctors. Nobody is even remotely interested in spite of various health issues and even when our results speak for themselves. But we just need to keep at it at least for our own sakes I guess. All the best wishes in the world to Dr. Esselstyn and fam for showing us the way !!

[@dougupton1203]

Great podcast rip. The question I would have like you to have asked is if before he had a heart attack would he have changed his diet given a friend telling him about it. This is the struggle I have with telling people. Fortunately I changed my diet because people who I love got heart issues so I started looking for causation. It kept bringing me to diet. I took a 30 day challenge and wow the weight started to come off and my endurance started to increase. I had to stop telling the very people who sent me on this adventure in health because they weren’t interested. Because their doctors gave them no nutritional advice why would they listen to me. So now at 68 my wife and I are at the gym 6 days a week. She loves aerobic and yoga classes. I work out with cardio and weights then I go in the pool and do my 2 km lane swim. The recovery time is incredible and I am feeling the best I’ve felt in years. Now I just try and lead by example and when people ask how I can do this much workout I just say whole food plant based and leave it at that. How else can we make people understand. Fortunately I live in Canada right now with 2 feet of snow and our government has changed our food guide and it clearly says try and get your protein from plants and have changed the drink from milk to water. The problem is nobody I tell has heard of it. Keep up the good work and I must say your record in the back stroke is very impressive

[@kate60]

Excellent. You can't tell anyone. Just do it. Each of us will reap what we sow.

[@deedeemac]

Grateful for all the incredible physicians who pioneered this wonderful lifestyle. My father died at 50 in 1969 from congestive heart failure. He was not overweight. I know I have calcium buildup in my coronary arteries. January 2021 I started having chest pressure symptoms. February 2021 I started WFPBLF lifestyle (overnight) after watching Chef AJ’s Summit. Chest pressure episodes continued infrequently for three months. Absolutely none since! Thank you Rip for your dedication to getting the word out.

[@hawkeye9382]

I know I have calcium in the veins. Wonder what causes that

[@deedeemac]

@@hawkeye9382 In your veins?

[@dottiea.2186]

Glad you knew the warning signs, best wishes to you 👍❤️🙏 keep eating healthy foods...

[@dottiea.2186]

@@hawkeye9382 Plauge builds up in your Arteries ❤️ Keep eat a whole food plant life style, you can reverse it.. WHOLE FOOD means food from its natural state.. 👍 Don't eat meats or Processed foods, even Vegan processed foods are no good, read your labels..

[@ksanClain]

@@hawkeye9382 Read up on vitamin K2. It is different than K1. There are supplements.

[@billdublewhopper3064]

Rip. You and your family have changed my whole family's lifestyle!!

[@edavis6678]

John is my neighbor. Him and the Esselstyn's have completely changed me for the better.

[@catherinebell122]

Powerful message from one with experience is priceless! Thank you for this interview.

[@JW4REnvironment]

It is great that Dr. Tanner found Columbus Baptiste to take a look at his stent issues! Dr. Baptiste comes across as a really insightful and concerned doctor. Congratulations on seeing such a great expert, Dr. Tanner! I find Dr. Esselstyn to also be a wonderful person who genuinely cares about everyone's health. Thank you, Rip, for bringing these great videos and the histories of those like Dr. Tanner who regained health through whole foods plant-based eating! You are doing great things for the health of so many in the States and all over the world! There is no longer any rational doubt about the effectiveness of whole food plant-based eating with minimal or no oil and low/no salt. Even Medicare now funds the Ornish Program for those with heart disease, because it is proven to reduce and reverse heart disease risk! So I think it is inevitable that healthful plant-based eating will start to catch on with mainstream doctors, and hopefully with medical schools in the States as well! I will try an order from Little Green Forks soon!

[@brendafosmire6519]

Great talk. Thank you

[@indirajayaraman4758]

Nice interview I live in India and I realize a vegetarian diet is not good enough if there is much oil in cooking -and dairy consumption. I am a runner and tennis coach and switched from vegetarian to vegan in Oct, 2021 thanks to a lecture I heard by Doc McDougall. I am a 66 year old lady and when I overtake young men while running they don't know the secret. It's the confidence that I won't collapse since my diet is a starchbased vegan one with very little oil. You should see the oil being used in Indian cooking!

[@ej923]

What a great interview! It’s so wonderful he is giving back and has helped so many others including his own family. If only more people would be open to learning and changing their health when they come across new information.

[@rationalhealth2960]

This guy has really encouraged me that I can do it too!!!

[@SallySalatsky]

I would like your group to discuss heart blocks and when we should worry. I had a 10 hour neuro surgery 18 months ago, My EKG showed a heart block in the EKG. When I question the medical team about this they said they were not concerned.

[@dottiea.2186]

Why not play these Informational videos in Cardiologist waiting rooms?? 👍❤️

[@markcarter3653]

In all medical doctors’ waiting rooms!

[@Autobahn4537]

Because then the patient would get well and never come back! Gotta keep that revenue stream and pill popping going.

[@peghoover7173]

Love this so much…need to convince my husband

[@kristiecox7350]

Wow, this is eye opening

[@greyhnd001]

I am So thinkful I learned this stuff before I had a heart attack

[@demesrvl6761]

John IS a god! Thank you so much for the podcast!

[@heinrichbarbarossa7973]

I‘d like to see Dr. Fuhrman on the podcast.

[@wonderlizz]

Finally tried the chili, it was delish!

[@charlesdeshler202]

What a great podcast.... Can I ask what happened to stop the progression of stints? I think I missed that part while I worked. He had the first one, and 3 months later had to get three more.... Then what?

[@bretthenley7541]

Thank Rip and John for an absolutely, awesome podcast on cardiac health via a WFPB NO OIL Diet / Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr. & Ann Crile Esselstyn (PURE TRUTH - KEEP IT PLANTSTRONG!) 🍎🥦🥬🫐🥭🫑🥔🌽

[@Scor-ah]

Sweet Potato with Marshmallow was not in my Thanksgiving history in Canada...sounds hideous

[@dottiea.2186]

Yes, I've never had sweet-potato 🍠 with marshmallows either 🥴🥴😫

[@JW4REnvironment]

This was actually a treat for our family Thanksgivings--I believe that it was in the tradition of our midwestern family. , I believe. In fact, like Dr. Tanner, I have forefathers from Iowa, so maybe that explains we had marshmallows on sweet potatoes, too. As a kid, I enjoyed it. Today, I just savor the sweet potatoes with cinnamon and sometimes nutmeg all mashed up with no butter or marshmallows any more.

[@HidingFromFate]

@@JW4REnvironment I've been familiar with the marshmallow sweet potatoes, though it's not something within our family tradition. However, candied sweet potatoes we're our tradition over the decades. Primarily for holidays. It was always made for me so I'm not exactly sure of the recipe but I assume it's sweet potatoes thoroughly drizzled with pancake type syrup. Aunt Jemima was our primary pancake and waffle syrup so I'm sure it was that.

[@markcarter3653]

You can get sweet potatoes w/ marshmallows at Boston Market & Golden Corral.

[@Scor-ah]

@@markcarter3653.... yikes

[@olivia9066]

❤👍

[@markwiener1091]

Bottom line: on the diet for 10 years and then the proximal and distal ends of a LAD stent obstructed due to tissue overgrowth. So, what is the prognosis for the repaired stent and the new stents? Moreover, how extreme must one go with diet and based on what factors? What of an oil free spice cake with a maple syrup laden frosting plastered with pecans? I am NOT writing to attack a recipe and I am WFPB but I still wonder about some of the nuances like tissue proliferation causing stents to fail and at what intervals?

[@Scor-ah]

The recipe would not be for heart patients, also they recommend dessert be for a treat not everyday . I myself stick to the diet but once or twice a year I will have whatever I want if I am out with friends. The hard part is how crappy I feel after eating the garbage meals.

[@returntoyehovahthelord6185]

Ohhhh. The body of a god! Ha ha ha! That was a funny moment. I do feel bad for him that he didn’t have a chance to share with his pare what he had learned. That’s all too common unfortunately.

[@jugeebean]

We aren't rabbits.....meat gave us our bug brains.

[@Scor-ah]

Rabbits dont eat beans and rice

[@kopers695]

Bug brains are tiny.🤣