Success Stories
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Success StoriesSee articleI Went Plant-Based to Avoid Needing Statins. The Results Have Been Incredible
My family was self-sufficient on our small Iowa farm in the 1960s and ’70s. We raised, butchered, and packaged cattle, pigs, and chickens for our freezer and canned all our garden produce. It was hard work but very rewarding. Growing up I was never accused of being skinny, but my weight wasn’t much of a […] -
Success StoriesSee articleFrom Couch Potato to Avid Cyclist: My Plant-Based Transformation
In the fall and winter of 2017 I was traveling a lot and eating at restaurants with colleagues who always wanted the biggest piece of American beef on the menu. I caved to the peer pressure and joined them. By Christmas of 2017, I was the heaviest I had ever been. I felt lethargic and […] -
Success StoriesSee articleI Fully Recovered From a Heart Attack in 3 Months of Eating Plants
Two years ago, in January 2018, I had a heart attack. I wasn’t a candidate for one: I had no particular family history of cardiac disease. My cholesterol levels had always been enviably low. I slept well, albeit with a bit of snoring that kept my spouse awake at times. I had very little stress […] -
Success StoriesSee articleRecovering from Liver Disease on a Plant-Based Diet
Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2020. Scroll to the end for an inspiring 2025 update from Aaron on how his health and life have continued to improve. In 2011 I found myself partying and drinking every day. It had started off as binge-drinking to boost my confidence. Then it became drinking to […] -
Success StoriesSee articleLiving Well, 122 Pounds Lighter on a Plant-Based Diet
At the end of my annual physical in 2016, my doctor tried, once again, to talk to me about my weight. For years, I’d been yo-yo dieting, and weight loss never lasted. “Your cholesterol is climbing and your blood pressure is borderline high,” he said. All I heard was “borderline.” “I’m still in the safe […] -
Success StoriesSee articleAfter Decades of Failed Diets, I Went Plant-Based and Lost 140 Pounds in 2 Years
I was a sensitive child who turned to food as a coping mechanism. I developed a strong dependence on salty and sugary foods. As I got older, I would spend hours in front of the television after I got home from work, stuffing myself with snacks and then eating dinner. Over the span of 20 […] -
Success StoriesSee articleAfter 40 Years in the Pizza Business, I Went Plant-Based and Transformed My Health
Feb. 28, 2018, started out like an ordinary day. In the morning, I went to my doctor’s office for my quarterly blood work and checkup. My doctor told me, once again, to lose weight: 12 pounds over the next 12 weeks, before my next checkup. But I’d gotten used to hearing this same thing over […] -
Success StoriesSee articleAfter a Cancer Diagnosis, I Went Plant-Based and Transformed My Health
Before beginning this journey, I’d tried every dieting fad under the sun: Paleo, protein shakes… the list is endless. Nothing was helpful or sustainable. I always returned to my appalling diet, which included mayonnaise-and-tomato sandwiches on buttered white bread; candy; and lots of chicken (which I ate because I’d heard a “high-protein diet” was the […] -
Success StoriesSee articleA Plant-Based Diet Resolved My Arthritis, Blood Pressure, Insomnia
About nine years ago, I was hit with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), an inflammatory disease that causes intense muscle aches and stiffness. I was a marathon runner and had always been physically fit up until then. At the time of my diagnosis, I was in such pain that I could not even brush my hair, because […] -
Success StoriesSee articleFrom 3 Percent Kidney Function to Dialysis-Free on a Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet
In November 2016 I went into an emergency room, and within just a few hours I was informed that I had stage 5 chronic kidney disease. I was 53, and my life as I knew it was over. I was ineligible for a transplant and my kidney function was only 3 percent. My wife, Kymberly, […] -
Success StoriesSee articleI Went Plant-Based for Glaucoma. Losing 110 Pounds Was a Surprise Bonus
I’ve had a complicated relationship with food my whole life. I grew up in a Sicilian family. One of the few ways the women in my family knew how to express affection was by feeding people, and they were good at it! So it wasn’t that surprising when I grew up to become a chef. […] -
Success StoriesSee articleOur Most-Shared Success Stories of 2019
Positivity is contagious. That’s probably why Success Stories—first-hand accounts from people who have conquered diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, obesity, and other conditions by adopting a whole-food, plant-based diet—are some of the most-shared posts on our website. Read on for the 10 most-shared Success Stories we published in 2019, and prepare to be inspired. I […]
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