15 doctors who recommend plant nutrition
See which are some of the most famous doctors who recommend herbal and vegan diets.
One of the most remarkable phenomena in recent years is not only the increasing number of people becoming vegan for one reason or another, but also how more medical professionals are awakening to the real benefits to human health of eating a whole plant diet.
However, who else can we count on to tell us that eating fruits, vegetables and foods rich in vegetable protein and fiber, without cholesterol and saturated fat, can prevent heart disease and many other chronic conditions?
The list of doctors who recommend a plant-based diet can be much longer. In this article, we have selected 15 of them, who are of different ages, specialize and practice in different disciplines. What is common between them all? They are all doctors who would not be afraid to recommend their patients to eat a fully plant-based, vegan diet.
In addition to the brief information about each of them, we also provided additional links to their sites, books, and finally each a link to one of their videos. Anyone thirsty for knowledge can seek more information about any of them.
We also recommend the films Forks Over Knives and What The Health, in which we can see quite a few familiar faces in this article.
Hopefully we will find more and more practicing doctors who prescribe apples, spinach and sweet potatoes instead of high blood pills and insulin injections.
Note: Some of the physicians in this article are ethical vegans, while others choose to be vegan. Common to all of them is the belief in the benefits of plant-based nutrition.
Dr. Neal Barnard
We start with the magnetic, charming and always full of useful information Dr. Neil Barnard. Born in 1953, Neal grew up on a North Dakota cattle farm and is the son of a doctor.
Currently, Dr. Barnard is an ethical vegan, clinical researcher, and expert on Alzheimer's diabetes and disease. He began studying the health benefits of plant nutrition as a medical student at George Washington University.
In 1985, he founded the Medical Responsibility Committee in a bid to promote plant-based nutrition as disease prevention, as well as lobby for laboratory animal experiments and animal killing in medical schools. In 2015 he established his own medical center - Barnard Medical Center.
In his career, he discovered that saturated fat and cholesterol not only clog the arteries and lead to cardiovascular disease, but are also a major cause of type 2 diabetes. Since his father died of Alzheimer's, he has begun focusing his research in this direction as well.
The vegetable diet he recommends is a very low fat vegan diet. His guidelines are very easy to follow and far less restrictive than the programs of many other physicians in this article.
Neil Barnard is the author of more than 70 scientific publications and 18 books, the last of which is The Cheese Trap, explaining why cheese is one of the most harmful foods on the planet.
His book, Strong Foods for the Brain, was published in Bulgarian by the East-West publishing house.
Dr. Barnard is a music lover playing various musical instruments and has participated in several bands. His interviews and medical work have been featured in the documentaries Super Size Me, Eating You Alive and What The Health.
More from Dr. Neal Barnard:
4 ways the vegan diet is beneficial for children
Why is it so difficult to refuse cheese?
Does Sugar Cause Diabetes?
Dr. Michael Gregory
Bald vegan doctor with a unique sense of humor! Michael Gregory is the man who tirelessly introduces us to the latest breakthroughs in the world of nutrition science.
Along with his team of researchers, he reads and analyzes nutrition and health research around the clock, which he then presents on his website NutritionFacts.org and a YouTube channel.
Dr. Gregory's medical career is inspired by his grandmother, who is diagnosed with late-onset cancer, undergoes several bypasses and is wheelchair-bound at age 65. One of the pioneers of herbal nutrition treatment, Dr. Nathan Pritikin, takes her under his wing and after only three weeks of his low-fat diet with fruits and rice, Dr. Gregory's grandmother gets out of his wheelchair and starts walking more than 10 km a day, living in good health for another 31 years in this world.
Seeing all this, young Michael Gregger dedicates his life to the medical profession and the spread of veganism - not only as an ethical lifestyle, but also as a prevention against many ailments.
Dr. Gregory has appeared in the documentaries "PlantPure Nation", "Eating you Alive" and "What The Health"His bestselling book "We Can Be Healthy" can be found in Bulgarian.
More from Dr. Gregory:
Dr. Gregory: How not to die and our food to be medicine
We Can Be Healthy: Dr. Gregory's Life-saving Book
Dr Gregory's video with Bulgarian subtitles
Dr. Michael Clapper
Born in 1947, Dr. Michael Clapper teaches us that "Health comes from a healthy lifestyle," in which it includes not only our own health but also the well-being of all other living inhabitants of our planet.
Practicing as a physician for over 40 years, he has cured many patients with atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes - all through a vegan diet of complete plant foods. The basic principle of his diet is - without salt, sugar and oil (or any other oil or fat from a bottle).
Currently, Dr. Clapper is a world-renowned lecturer in Health Nutrition and Integrative Medicine, participating in a number of seminars and webinars, spreading his knowledge of proper nutrition in practice.
He has been a member and advisor on a number of projects at institutions such as NASA or the American Student Medical Association.
He is the author of the books "Vegan Nutrition: Pure and Simple" and "Pregnancy, Children and the Vegan Diet" (Pregnancy, Children and the Vegan Diet).
Dr. John McDougal
The veteran of the medical profession, Dr. John McDougal, born in 1947, is one of the doctors who most unambiguously dispels the myths about carbohydrates.
His message is simple and straightforward - the main source of calories should come from starchy foods such as potatoes, rice, corn and legumes, and the diet should be supplemented with vegetables and fruits. It allows only a minimal amount of fat that can only come from nuts and avocados. McDougall also considers it completely unnecessary to consume any superfoods and supplements (except for vitamin B12), and believes that they can even harm us.
The main results of his studies came in the 1970s, when he did his research on the Big Island of Hawaii, seeing younger generations from the local population become "thicker and sicker" as they began to eat more, rich in meat and fat.
Dr. McDougal is the author of The Starch Solution and offers an online certificate for a nutritionist under his program. However, he refuses to be called vegan and does not want to be bound by certain philosophies and the ideological side of veganism.
Dr. McDougal has starred in "Forks Over Knives," "Food Choices," "What The Health" and "Eating You Alive," and in the 1980s became famous for his television debates against Dr. Atkins and the gurus of low-carb nutrition.
Dr. Kim Williams
Born in 1955, Dr. Kim Williams is a former president of the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Williams has been vegan since 2003 and is not shy about talking about his reasons for being vegan - personally and professionally.
In his famous New York Times article entitled Advice from a Vegan Cardiologist, he described how he was 49 years old with extremely high LDL cholesterol despite his high physical activity and without eating red meat or fried foods.
He then switches to a low-fat vegan diet, and only six weeks later bad cholesterol drops by half. This drastic change in his dietary choices was inspired by the medical literature, verified studies and tens of thousands of people following vegetarian and vegan diets that live longer than carnivores, while at the same time experiencing much less heart disease, diabetes and kidney problems. Dr. Williams fights for systemic change in our society through community and health programs toward healthier choices.
One of his famous remarks is, "There are two types of cardiologists: vegans and non-cardiologists."
Dr. Caldwell Esselstein
Born in 1933, Dr. Caldwell Esselstein is one of the most renowned physicians in the field of plant nutrition. He is the heart disease expert whose patient was former President Bill Clinton in 2010,
In his career, Dr. Esselstein has cured many heart problems through his whole-food program, which is extremely fat-free. He not only throws away all animal products, but also all kinds of nuts, seeds and avocados. He believes coronary heart disease may not exist at all, and if it does, it will not progress. If one day people start eating plant foods and minimize fat, we can completely forget about coronary problems and many other chronic diseases.
Dr. Esselstein's tips also help prevent heart attacks, high blood pressure, obesity, osteoporosis and type 2 diabetes. His work has been featured in "Forks Over Knives" and "What the Health."
Dr. Joel Ferman
Nutrient-rich foods, Dr. Joel Ferman recommends. He is a former figure skater athlete and was born in 1953. According to him, health equals nutrients divided by calories taken.
He calls this diet "nutritarianism", where the focus is on micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients), not macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats, proteins). Unlike many other physicians in this article, he emphasizes fat-rich whole foods and restricts starchy foods.
Like other doctors here, he also focuses on whole plant foods. Dr. Ferman attaches particular importance to green and raw foods. However, he is often criticized for selling his own line of nutritional supplements, despite claiming to be his healthiest and nutrient-rich diet.
There are three books in Bulgarian: The End of Diets. How to live to be healthy and healthy, to eat to live, and to protect your child from illness.
Dr. Joel Kahn
Detroit cardiologist Joel Kahn received the PETA Award for "Sexiest Vegan Over 50" in 2016. The charismatic heart doctor is a professor of medicine at Auckland's William Beumont University of Medicine and has his own medical center. He has written articles for The Huffington Post and Readers Digest.
He has authored 4 books and recently opened his own vegan GreenSpace in Ferndale, Michigan. Dr. Kahn believes that complete plant nutrition is the best source of preventative medicine on the planet.
She became vegan after reading John Robbins's book "Diet for a New America" and reading Dr. Dean Ornish's research into reversing coronary heart disease through plant-based nutrition. He first subjects his parents to his new diet and sees remarkable results.
He has recently been a speaker at many vegan festivals around the world and has appeared on Detroit billboards calling on people to go on a vegan diet to tackle many ailments.
As one of the leading cardiologists, Dr. Joel Kahn has prevented many heart attacks throughout his career. For him, the most important thing is to prevent the need for surgery at all, as people start eating properly and do not have to go under the scalpel at all.
Dr. Garth Davis
Born in 1970, Dr. Garth Davis is one of the most active vegan doctors on social networks. When he is not wearing the white apron, he trains and participates in Ironman triathlon races (marathon running, swimming and cycling).
In his medical profession, he specializes in bariatric surgery and, for several years, has recommended to his patients full-fat, low-fat diets in order to achieve optimal health and perfect weight.
Believing in myths for a long time, he views himself as a cure for "protein." His transition from a protein-rich diet to a vegan diet starts at 36 when he finds fatty balls in his eyes due to high cholesterol. He also suffered from high blood pressure and high fat content in the organs, though he considered himself a sporty and healthy eating man.
This leads him to take a closer look at the scientific literature and to recognize that physicians receive very few hours of nutrition training at medical universities. After becoming vegan, he becomes much more energetic and runs his first two marathons, followed several times by Olympic disciplines and sprint triathlons, semi-Ironman and finally the full Ironman 4 years later.
Dr. Davis has starred in the documentary What The Health.
Dr. Doug Lyle
Dr. Lyle is a psychologist and director of clinical research at TrueNorth Health Center in California, as well as a psychologist and public speaker at Dr. McDougal's Center.
Vegan has been around for decades and has helped many people transition to plant-based nutrition. He is the author of the book "Esteem Dynamics" and co-author of "Pleasure Trap", where he develops interesting theories about how evolutionarily humans have become addicted to calorie-saturated foods, or how to psychologically break away from oily, salty and animal foods that to replace with healthy plant foods to thrive.
His research and clinical interests range from nutrition and health to personal motivation, our relationships with others, the treatment of anxiety disorders and depression.
Dr. Lyle is able to explain his ideas extremely fascinating and always has an interesting approach to his patients and the audience. Therefore, we recommend watching the video below.
Dr. Alan Goldhammer
The energetic Dr. Goldhammer is one of the most dedicated visionaries of healthy vegan eating today. Like Michael Clapper, he recommends discarding not only animal products, but all refined oils, sugar and salt from the table.
His dietary advice is very strict. Very low fat vegan diet based almost 100% on whole plant foods. Difficult to follow by most people, but life-saving for those who already have health problems and illnesses.
He is treating his patients at his TrueNorth Health Center in Santa Rosa, California, where he includes complete healing programs, including healing fasting and massages. Goldhamer jokingly tells the story of how it all started when he wanted to get better at basketball from his friend Dr. Doug Lyle (see above), but unfortunately Doug also went on a plant-based diet like him and all his efforts failed. The two continue to work together to this day.
You can see it in the documentaries "Forks Over Knives" and "What the Health."
Dr. Rosana Oliveira
Rosana Oliveira is a genetic specialist and director of the Integrative Medicine Program at Davis University, and an assistant professor in the School of Public Health at the University of California.
Combining a longstanding passion for nutrition science with over 20 years of scientific expertise in cardiovascular disease and genetic research, Dr. Oliveira is committed to educating people about how food and lifestyle relate to the expression of our genes - ie. how certain genes are switched on and off in expression of disease or health.
More from Dr. Oliveira:
Why olive oil is not good for your heart
Dr. Dean Ornish
Born in 1953, Harvard University Dean Dean Ornish is one of the renowned physicians who began using nutrition and lifestyle changes to prevent and treat heart disease and various types of cancer.
His many years of work inspire many others to follow his covenant and dietary advice for whole plant foods. It aims to work toward a healthier planet and healthy people who eat mostly plants, exercise regularly, and incorporate yoga and meditation into their daily rhythm.
Ornish's program to reverse heart disease is backed by hundreds of proven studies and is backed by many health insurance companies. In recent years, he has been invited to speak about healthy eating in a number of places, including the Google headquarters and the Davos World Economic Forum. However, he is not vegan and is allowed in limited quantities of non-vegan foods.
He has starred in the documentaries "Eating you Alive" and "Fat Sick & Nearly Dead 2".
Dr. Harriet Davis
Dr. Harriet Davis is the modern version of the comic book hero Wonder Woman. He works as a family doctor and sports doctor. She is also a bikini bodybuilding competitor and spreads the benefits of vegan eating to athletes. All this at 46 years old.
A vegetarian of over 20 years and a vegan of 11 years, Harriet Davis began her bodybuilding career as a vegan over the age of 40. In her blog Vegan Bikini Doc she shares vegan recipes and tips. It aims to participate in and win the famous Olympia bodybuilding race in Las Vegas.
She shares that her father died of heart disease when she was 10 years old. From that moment on, all her family members change their diet.
At first it only removes meat, but gradually eggs, dairy and other animal products. After learning about a lot of research and facts, she finally decides to become vegan.
Dr. T. Colin Campbell
One of the veterans and perhaps the most famous name in this article. Born in 1934, Dr. T. Colin Campbell is a biochemist and professor at Cornell University. He grew up on a farm but remains shocked when his research finds a strong correlation between animal protein and cancer.
He is one of the leading researchers in the China-Cornell-Oxford project, which shakes his beliefs in the benefits of milk and animal foods. The results of one of the largest studies on the link between nutrition and chronic illnesses were later published in the Chinese Study Book, and T. Colin Campbell himself switched to a very low-fat and low-protein plant diet.
He introduced the term WFPB (Whole Food Plant Plant Based), which means a diet of whole plant foods, and adhered to a holistic approach to nutrition rather than the reductionist point of view of nutrition (Dr. Gregory, Dr. Ferman and others.)
He is a senior research advisor at the American Cancer Institute and has appeared in the documentaries "Forks Over Knives," "Vegucated" and "PlantPure Nation" - the latter of which was produced by his son, Nelson Campbell.
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