08: A Whole-Hearted Approach to Health | Dr. Heather Shenkman

It’s no secret. Heart disease is the #1 killer of Americans. But did you know that according to the World Health Organization, it is the #1 preventable killer in the world?

Most of us have several loved ones at risk, or who have already suffered a heart attack. I know I have loved ones who have, and they describe it as the scariest thing they have ever experienced. I am so grateful that they are still with us because of emergency medical intervention, but not everyone is so lucky. 

We hear that smoking, exercise, and diet are all main factors that can make or break our hearts...and when diet IS such a big factor...what exactly does the best diet for the heart look like? 

Here to break it down for us bite for bite is vegan cardiologist, Dr. Heather Shenkman, who is a practicing interventional cardiologist in Tarzana, California and serves on the Board of Directors for the California chapter of the American College of Cardiology.

And, she is the author of the book The Vegan Heart Doctor’s Guide to Reversing Heart Disease, Losing Weight, and Reclaiming Your Life.

While she performs complex angioplasties to open up clogged arteries, she prefers to help her patients reduce their risk of heart disease through a healthy lifestyle, including a plant-based diet and regular exercise.

She herself is an avid athlete, having completed over 100 events of various distances, from sprint triathlons to Ironman distance triathlons, marathons and ultramarathons, and several 100-mile century cycling events.

You are really going to dig our conversation because we cover:

1. Why most doctors don’t communicate the power of a plant-based diet to their patients, and the injustice we see in the health care system related to that.
2. The major problem with the food that hospitals and schools provide, how it impacts you and the people you care about...and you’ll be really surprised to hear what’s being done about it.
3. How exactly Dr. Shenkman counsels her patients on diet to improve their quality of life, and what a healthy vegan breakfast, lunch, and dinner looks like.
4. And you’ll even hear about what she eats and how she exercises while currently 35 weeks pregnant!

Dr. Shenkman also gives us an honest look at whether or not vegans are at risk of a cardiac event while setting the record straight on what a healthy diet looks like.

Dr. Shenkman's Website:http://drheathershenkman.com/

FB:https://www.facebook.com/HeatherShenkmanMD/

IG:https://www.instagram.com/veganheartdoc/

Twitter:https://twitter.com/VeganHeartDoc


Thanks for listening!

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