Book Club: How Not to Die


 
Catchy title, huh?

I read this book yesterday straight through without stopping. When you are as sick as I am, a book like this seems like an imperative read. But here’s the thing, it’s even more important for people who are not sick (yet) and that is why I thought I would recommend it to all of you. It’s quite a book. I don’t want to sound all preachy, however, it could very well save lives. So, I thought it would be fun for all of you to read it and then we could discuss it! Our very first book club book!
Just to whet your whistle, here are some snippets from the book:

Though breast cancer is the most common cancer specific to women globally, Asian women are up to five times less likely to develop breast cancer than North American women. Why? One possibility is their intake of green tea, a common staple in many Asian diets. Green tea has been associated with about 30% reduction in breast cancer risk.

Happier people are less likely to get sick.

People eating plant-based diets appeared to experience significantly fewer negative emotions than omnivores.

People who eat dairy-free, plant-based diets were found to have significantly lower blood levels of the PCBs implicated in the development of Parkinson’s disease.

Common foods that may be protective against radiation damage include garlic, turmeric, and mint leaves.

The lowest validated rates of Alzheimer’s disease in the world are found in rural India, where people eat traditional, plant based diets centered on grains and vegetables.


So as you can surmise, the book is about foods that keep you healthy. And I am all about this... I say, as I am sucking down a green juice. After reading the book, mark my words… You will never eat meat, poultry or eggs again! Why? Because it’s fucking gross, that’s why.

The book is a complete eye-opener so let’s discuss! Get the book, read it and leave your thoughts in the comment section and sadly say goodbye to beef bourguignon.

39 comments:

  1. I haven't read this particular book but have read many books in general on the topic and I detox at an Austrian clinic from time to time and they shared interesting information. THey say ( I am just the messenger ) that pork is the worst thing to eat for auto immune conditions because the meat is so similar in DNA structure to humans that it causes the immune system to attack ourselves instead of digest the item in the digestive tract. Things with phyto oestrogen like soy reacts differently to different bloody types and ethinicity. So Asians digest it well but in Caucasians it has been known to increase incidents of tumour. Have you also read about the Nun Study where the studied nuns as they have relatively the same lifestyle? Happiness, veg, meditation and certain trace nutrients were key in staving off illness. Stress is the worst and yet how do you fight an invisible intangible entity. I just got back from Asia and while my family eat meat they don't like to touch the factory farmed stuff not just for obvious reasons but the cortisol levels in the meat only enter our body's ecosystem if you will. But this can turn into a touchy subject because people think I talk rubbish if I say organic is better for you so I will stop here! Wishing you a treatment and that you find something that works for you.

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    1. This is interesting to read about Pork, because it's been linked to longevity - the Blue Zones in the world (places where the population live to 100 or older with good health) all have pork in their diet in common, which is especially interesting because some of these villages/ regions are the only places where this is consumed compared to the general population of the wider country.
      There is so much to learn about diet and how our bodies process what we eat - the research into gut microbes is the big frontier at the moment it seems. It sounds like an interesting book Ellie.

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    2. Hi how do I sign up to receive your blog...interesting blog on hgtv couple The Gaines but its Waco for gods sake, noone in their right mind would want to live there right??

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    3. go it, just cldn't find where I entered email addy...

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    4. Go over to the side bar on the right hand side and go up and find 'Subscribe Here' and type in your email account and hit enter - easy peasy!
      Cindy F

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  2. My cousin died from mad cow disease so it was easy to quit eating beef as it scares the hell out of me. Eggs are wonderful and I could never give them up. How would I make carrot cake or a mushroom Swiss cheese omlet without them?
    Sheila

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    1. Have your own chickens; treat them beautifully, and you can enjoy eggs forever! (just be sure to get the ones not raised by the poultry companies!) We are getting 10 bantam eggs a day! Delicious!!!



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  3. you really don't have to completely say good bye to beef bourguignon. you can substitute delicious portobellos and other mushrooms. it is one of my favorite things to make in the cold months! x

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  4. Thank your for the recommendation and count me in!

    Renee in Northern California

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  5. I watched the movie Forks over Knives 4 years ago and have been following a plant based diet ever since. I follow several plant based doctors on their blogs, FB and Instagram and I love love love Dr. Greger and watch his short, informative and often humorous videos all the time. Haven't read this yet but plan to. If you haven't was the F over K yet, it's a must! The China Study is great too. Check out Dr John McDougall too! best wishes!!

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    1. Thank you for bringing Dr. Greger's book to our attention; I plan to read it. I read The China Study and two Michael Pollan books, and this book sounds just as informative and interesting. A lot of research and speculation about the correlation between diet and longevity. I wish that I could convince my husband and kids to avoid meat and diary (le sigh).

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  6. Mormons and Seventh Day Adventists have high veggie diets with NO alcohol or caffeine. I don't remember the exact figure but I think both groups live about 7 years longer than other people in the same geographic area.

    I do know, however, that Mormons eat lots of ice cream!

    Smiles from Charlotte Des Fleurs

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    1. Hi Charlotte, FYI, while practicing Mormons are encouraged to eat a varied diet, it is not plant-based. Alcohol and caffeine are definite no-no's, but more importantly so is smoking. However, this is a high-sugar group and, yes, big on the ice cream!Their longevity is also linked to high degrees of social nutrition and low-risk behaviors encouraged among family and church members.

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  7. I will definitely join you. I love books like this!
    Thanks for introducing us to it:) a dear friend is just about to start Chemo and radiation so I will tell her about the superfoods she should be eating according to this book! Can't wait to discuss!!!!

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  8. Oh Ellie I hope I can get my mom to read your blog. I found out this week she wants to end her life as she's struggled with bladder cancer for the past 8 years. I'm not ready to give her up yet and hope you can inspire her to hang on. I'm planning to read the book and in hopes mom will read it as well. She was on an anti inflammatory diet and kept the cancer at bay. But with the death of my grandmother and step father she gave up and the cancer came back. Based on her experience I know what we eat is so critical to our overall health. Thank you for this timely post!

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    1. Catherine -- I am new to Elie's blog and this post intrigued me. I saw your post and wanted to ask how your mom is doing. I know I don't know you but I do know it is not easy to watch a parent suffer. Thinking good thoughts for you.

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  9. I am on my journey to optimum health, so I greatly appreciate you sharing this book with us. Habits are hard to break sometimes, but I actually do feel so much better when I eat less meat (like maybe twice a week). I once did not eat ANY animal products for six months. I honestly did not miss it and felt 100% better. Why did I start eating meat again, you may ask? Good question! I'm still trying to figure that one out. Thanks again, Ellie! I'm getting the book ASAP.

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  10. Dear Ellie, I will order the book today. I have not eaten red meat for over 20 years and gave up all other meats about 5 years ago after reading Skinny Bitch. One of the things that the book said that pushed me to give up meat is that the animals are treated in such a horrific way before they die and while being killed that when you eat their meat you are ingesting all of their pain. I miss prosciutto and bacon terribly but I just cannot eat it after learning how the animals are killed. I also believe that happy people are healthier, as you know I have struggled with many hardships lately, last one being a terrible betrayal by someone that I trusted and loved and I have been very sad. I have noticed how my health has suffered and I am making gigantic efforts to get out of the sadness that I am in. I will leave comments after I read the book and thank you for thinking of us and sharing it
    Love you
    Lourdes

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  11. I don't know, I like eggs and meat, specifically beef...I had a bout with thyroid cancer almost a yr ago, do I think it was caused by environmental or what I've been eating for the last 59 yrs I dont know. I think its all a crapshoot & im one that never passes on a piece of cake...I think anything in moderation.....:)

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  12. Hi Ellie, thank you for sharing this book as I am all about reading and nutrition. When I was 16 I read a book called:
    "Macrobiotic Cooking" and "You Are What You Eat". I was all over these and stayed with it eating orgainic in days it
    was not mainstream. It was not always easy to find NON GMO organic then. GMO, designed by MONSANTO, (who inviented Agent Orange, the horrible cancer promoting glyphosate "ROUND UP" products) should be gone with all the uproar, but MONSANTO is too powerful. Shutting down farmers globally. There are good documentahe ries on youtube done by these farmer's telling the story. It's horrible what MONSANTO does to these farmers. And now, GMO Mosquitos. I have read Europe is far ahead of the USA in banning GMO foods, crazy in my opinion, the USA is allowing GMO everywhere. XOXO

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    1. The chemicals we allow in this country because of the lobbyists is a shocking thing. Chemicals that are allowed in no other countries in the developed world. We are being poisoned. Bees, birds, butterflies, wildlife. Disgusting. All because of the lobbyists.

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  13. This book sounds like an inclusive source for people to gather vital health info. I have studied & tried to follow a healthful lifestyle for many years, just because it made sense. All of the dietary information you shared from the book is relevant & has been documented. The studies & information have been out there for quite awhile, but this book may reach a greater number of people.

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  14. Well Ellie I just don't know about all of this food thing, what I do know is a fact told to me by a young 38 year old woman, battling nasopharyngeal cancer and travelling to a hospital in Canada for treatment. She used to step over homeless men sleeping at the entrance to the hospital at a much older age than she, alive and well. So you can imagine how these elderly street sleepers ate? My friend lived on her family farm and always had a healthy diet yet there she was going through radiation at a vey young age and the sleeping rough elderly men living a life cancer free! I think it all comes down to genes and luck.

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  15. Saw it on your Instagram - ordered it immediately.

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  16. Dr Greger is a scientific research genius! You may enjoy his podcast on Rich Roll. Actually, Ellie, you may enjoy many of Rich's podcasts as he interviews cool, smart people about health, longevity, meditation, and the food and dairy industry. Its all eye opening. Another good one is Russell Simmons' new book called The Happy Vegan. Count me in and kisses from Santa B.

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  17. One also has to wonder about what we are exposed to outside of our bodies that affect our health and longetivity. Plastic food containers, plastic wrap, zip lock bags, aluminum foil, Teflon, manufacturing and auto emissions, polyester clothes and linens, deodorant, dry cleaning solution, etc., etc, not to mention all the electronics we are surrounded with today. The list is endless. I remember my parents worried about the aluminum in anti-perspirant 20 years ago - due to studies showing the brains of Alzheimer's patients with higher levels in their brains than normal. The healthy populations in these studies usually come from remote areas or are self-contained groups that live simpler life styles. Diet is number one, but I believe environmental exposure is also to blame. Thanks for sharing this with us, Ellie. I admire and respect you greatly.

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  18. Me too! Instantly; bought it on audible with a credit. I don't get how that works; but I like it! Cant wait to "hear it"; and comment!!!

    XXOO

    Book Club with Ellie!! YAY!!!!!

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  19. WE ALL have to EAT.........WE ALL have to DIE.
    EAT what gives you pleasure..............ENJOY the TIME WE HAVE.
    XO

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    1. I love this answer!
      Sheila

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    2. Best comment. Love you Ellie and pray that you will be healed. Your spirit is amazing.

      xoxox Elena

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    3. Those are the facts of life.....so enjoy your time in the moment

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  20. Oh, how I wish it were that easy for me---can't (shouldn't) eat grains and I'm super sensitive to anything in the night shade family (all of my favorite fruits & vegetables); so I basically eat eggs and chicken and wild fish plus the other remaining fruits and vegs. But red meat--nope. I would love to join an Ellie Book Club. xoxo Mary

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  21. and when is YOUR book going to be ready?! xoxo

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  22. The oldest person in our families was my husband's aunt (his mother's sister). She was a traditionally built woman (in other words, far from slim), ate whatever she felt like - which included meats of all kinds, dairy, eggs, vegetables, salads, fruit, etc - but also she had a major sweet tooth and always kept a lolly jar beside her when she watched television at night.
    Her slimmer sisters (including my husband's mother) died in their late 60s or 70s. She almost reached 100 - just missing by two months. She was also a happy jolly confident woman who enjoyed life. The family matriarch, everyone talked their problems over with her and came away feeling the better for it.
    So I don't think there's any simple answer to longevity. Except perhaps trying to be as positive as possible about what life throws at us, giving lots of love and support - and making the most of every day. None of us knows what tomorrow will bring. My father dropped dead from a heart attack at 48 (he was badly injured in WWII and told me he could live like an invalid and maybe last a bit longer - or just do what he really wanted with whatever time he had - and he chose this). Worrying about tomorrow deprives life of its joy. Best wishes Ellie - you seem to have the answers to making the most of life every day. Pammie

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  23. Hi Ellie, passing this along too, "Back To Eden" book....another I read long ago. I don't have a copy anymore...
    think I will look for it. Love, XOXO

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  24. Well I guess I won't pass along my fab new tiramisu recipe. I still love and accept you even with your alternative lifestyle. If you want me to ship you some Velveeta or cheese-whiz or Hormel bacon bits, just let me know. I'll scribble "fair trade quinoa" on the box and no one will be the wiser. Hope Teddy is more at ease now and that Valentin is settling in well!

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  25. That looks like a great read. I've gone in and out of veganism. I do feel much healthier when I eat better. Bring on the quinoa and chia!

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  26. I wonder if the benefits of a plant-based diet are from the foods or from the absence of obesity. Do plants heal or does the loss of weight? I became a vegan for lent a few years ago. I loved the diet so much I continued it for over a year. I felt awesome...until I didn't. I'm naturally very thin (don't hate) and I kept losing weight..and losing..until I was hovering at 90 lbs. I tried to up my calories, but it wasn't working. I would gain two, encounter a day when I couldn't constantly eat, and lose three.

    I had become so fixated on the "health" aspects that I didn't realize that I had slowly degraded in health from where I started. My energy wasn't as high, my immune system took a hit, and my muscles were wasting. Now I'm back to eating some of everything. My weight is back to normal and I have more concentration, energy, and general health. While this is an awesome diet for many people (especially those with low metabolism and weight problems) it sadly wasn't the healthiest for me.

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