Prevent and reverse chronic disease

by Gwyn Whittaker, Owner of GreenFare

When I first read “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease” by Caldwell Esselstyn, M.D., it was an awakening. I had lost my partner to heart disease when he was only 50. Both his parents had also died of it, and his South Carolina upbringing—where food is often barbecued or fried—undoubtedly played a role. Before reading Esselstyn’s work, I hadn’t realized how directly diet could cause heart disease.

Esselstyn showed that in the United States, heart disease is already common among young adults aged 17 to 34. We often treat its symptoms with medications and procedures but rarely reverse the condition through a proven dietary intervention: a whole-food, plant-based diet without added oil.

The revelation that heart disease can not only be prevented but also reversed was profound. As I explored other books—such as “Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes” and Michael Greger’s “How Not to Die”—I discovered a striking pattern: for most chronic illnesses, the cure (not just the treatment) is nearly always the same.

Since 2002, the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (lifestylemedicine.org) has educated medical professionals on the fundamentals of a whole-food, plant-based diet, along with the importance of exercise, sleep, stress management, and healthy social connections. Physicians certified by the ACLM focus on empowering patients to reverse chronic conditions rather than immediately prescribing medications or procedures.

At GreenFare Organic Café, a sign in the window reads: “If your doctor prescribes a medication without asking about your diet, exercise, sleep, alcohol consumption, stress level, or family history, you don’t have a doctor—you have a drug dealer.” While blunt, it highlights an unfortunate truth: some doctors still claim that diet has nothing to do with health. Yet intuitively, we know that “you are what you eat.”

In just 21 days, we routinely see people reduce or eliminate medications for blood pressure and cholesterol, and even begin tapering diabetes medications within the first week. Health is the natural state, yet as a society we’ve grown heavier and sicker because of our reliance on processed foods and animal products. Removing oils and animal foods—and instead eating generous portions of beans, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits without added salt, oil, sugar, preservatives, or dyes—can bring dramatic improvements in a short time.

This rapid recovery remains a well-kept secret, not by design but due to the lack of education about nutrition’s powerful role in health. Most physicians receive only a single nutrition class during training.

The message we share through the GreenFare 21 Kickstart program and other free events is one of empowerment: how to make these changes and let them work for you. The expectations are high, and the results can be life-changing.