0:00:16.438,0:00:20.031
So, can anybody tell me what this is?

0:00:22.024,0:00:24.828
Somebody there said it,[br]a Redneck smoke detector.

0:00:24.848,0:00:26.668
(Laughter)

0:00:26.698,0:00:28.310
That's a Redneck smoke detector,

0:00:28.330,0:00:31.364
and I want you to know[br]that as a former firefighter,

0:00:31.370,0:00:34.449
I can tell your that this is not[br]a very good smoke detector.

0:00:34.469,0:00:36.009
(Laughter)

0:00:36.020,0:00:40.182
And in all seriousness,[br]when you go home tonight,

0:00:40.192,0:00:42.972
it'd be nice if everybody[br]would check their smoke detectors

0:00:42.992,0:00:45.443
to make sure that you have[br]a working smoke detector.

0:00:45.463,0:00:48.615
Working smoke detectors save lives.

0:00:49.095,0:00:50.570
(Audience) Thank you!

0:00:50.590,0:00:52.664
You're welcome!

0:00:53.179,0:00:57.483
My name is Rip Esselstyn,[br]and I'm a former professional triathlete,

0:00:57.503,0:01:01.556
and a former firefighter[br]for the Austin Fire Department.

0:01:01.566,0:01:07.219
And for the last 23 years,[br]I have eaten a plant-based diet

0:01:07.239,0:01:13.250
to fuel me as an athlete,[br]as a firefighter, and as a man.

0:01:13.660,0:01:18.134
And I can not tell you over the years[br]how many people have told me,

0:01:18.154,0:01:21.184
"That is just way too insane.

0:01:21.204,0:01:23.772
That's way too radical,[br]I could never do that."

0:01:23.872,0:01:26.128
What I want to talk to you today,

0:01:26.148,0:01:32.118
is about why it's really the standard[br]American diet that is so radical,

0:01:32.138,0:01:34.510
and why eating a plant-based diet

0:01:34.520,0:01:37.800
has a potential to be[br]absolutely revolutionary,

0:01:37.830,0:01:42.956
and why it can revolutionize your health,[br]and this whole country's health.

0:01:45.343,0:01:48.372
If you are eating[br]the Standard American Diet,

0:01:48.392,0:01:51.632
you'll more than likely die[br]the standard American death,

0:01:51.642,0:01:55.526
and acquire the standard[br]American diseases, okay?

0:01:55.772,0:01:58.104
Let's talk for a second

0:01:58.124,0:02:02.224
about why the standard American diet[br]is such an abomination.

0:02:03.973,0:02:07.282
Sixty-three percent of America's calories

0:02:07.302,0:02:12.225
are coming from refined [br]and processed foods

0:02:12.245,0:02:14.935
that are nothing but empty calories

0:02:14.955,0:02:20.520
that do nothing to enhance[br]your health and only hurt it, 63%!

0:02:22.498,0:02:26.433
Twenty-five percent are coming[br]from animal-based products,

0:02:26.453,0:02:29.053
like meat, dairy, eggs,

0:02:29.073,0:02:33.893
that have all the building[br]blocks that create disease.

0:02:34.153,0:02:38.841
We have animal fat, animal[br]cholesterol, and animal protein.

0:02:39.581,0:02:45.211
And we have 12% that are coming[br]from plant-based foods,

0:02:45.231,0:02:48.549
wonderful plant-based foods,[br]and believe it or not,

0:02:48.570,0:02:53.132
half of that 12% is coming[br]from french fries.

0:02:53.152,0:02:54.662
(Laughter)

0:02:54.687,0:02:57.510
So really ...

0:02:59.992,0:03:03.467
Really, only 6% of America's calories

0:03:03.487,0:03:08.252
are coming from fruits, vegetables,[br]whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds.

0:03:08.482,0:03:11.876
So we really are a country[br]that is incredibly plant-weak,

0:03:11.896,0:03:13.996
and it is my mission, it is my goal,

0:03:14.016,0:03:19.370
it is my crusade to get America[br]to become more plant-strong.

0:03:19.390,0:03:21.028
Okay?

0:03:24.336,0:03:28.590
Last year, there were five diseases

0:03:28.610,0:03:31.775
that were responsible for 75%

0:03:31.795,0:03:36.483
of America's 2.3 trillion[br]dollar health care cost.

0:03:38.398,0:03:42.263
And every one of these diseases

0:03:42.273,0:03:46.243
is either preventable, or reversible[br]by eating a plant-based diet.

0:03:46.273,0:03:49.645
And the research is irrefutable.

0:03:50.563,0:03:54.558
Heart disease, number one killer[br]of Americans, this is radical.

0:03:54.578,0:03:58.078
What is radical is that[br]one out of two of you

0:03:58.098,0:04:00.143
will die of heart disease.

0:04:00.163,0:04:01.873
Those are the facts.

0:04:01.913,0:04:04.817
What is radical is that 50% of the time,

0:04:04.827,0:04:08.547
the first sign[br]of a heart disease is what?

0:04:08.572,0:04:10.712
Instant death!

0:04:11.047,0:04:12.512
It's true.

0:04:12.542,0:04:17.724
What is radical[br]is that 50 million Americans

0:04:17.744,0:04:20.219
are taking a statin[br]cholesterol lowering drug,

0:04:20.239,0:04:23.561
and the only subgroup[br]that benefits marginally

0:04:23.581,0:04:26.067
are those people who've had[br]a prior heart attack.

0:04:26.237,0:04:31.492
For everybody else taking a statin,[br]the benefits are about 1%.

0:04:31.732,0:04:35.304
Big pharma has messed[br]with the numbers so much

0:04:35.314,0:04:38.732
that everybody thinks[br]they are being helped 30, 40, 50%.

0:04:38.742,0:04:40.413
The reality is 1%.

0:04:40.423,0:04:44.013
You're just as well off[br]eating a placebo sugar pill.

0:04:44.245,0:04:47.593
What is radical is that bypass[br]surgery, open heart surgery,

0:04:47.613,0:04:51.635
where we basically cut our sternum,

0:04:51.655,0:04:56.818
take a vein from our leg[br]and craft it around the blockage,

0:04:56.838,0:05:00.175
or when we put a balloon up in there,[br]it's called a angioplasty,

0:05:00.185,0:05:01.505
and spread it open,

0:05:01.535,0:05:04.041
or when we put a metal cage[br]in there called a stent -

0:05:04.061,0:05:07.313
which President Clinton just had[br]another one - and open that up,

0:05:07.333,0:05:09.803
the thing about these[br]procedures, believe it or not,

0:05:09.823,0:05:12.944
is they do little[br]to nothing to extend life

0:05:12.964,0:05:15.864
or protect you from another heart attack.

0:05:15.874,0:05:20.624
That is because these types[br]of blockages here are stable.

0:05:20.801,0:05:23.501
Believe it or not,[br]90% of the hearth attacks

0:05:23.521,0:05:25.451
occur when a little juvenile plaque,

0:05:25.471,0:05:28.356
almost like a little pimple[br]on the inside of the artery,

0:05:28.376,0:05:31.440
ruptures, a blood clot ensues,

0:05:31.450,0:05:33.820
and now there is no blood[br]getting to the heart.

0:05:33.840,0:05:38.022
So all these procedures, and all these[br]pills that Americans are taking

0:05:38.042,0:05:40.455
are really doing almost nothing

0:05:40.485,0:05:43.576
to protect us from the[br]number one killer of Americans.

0:05:43.775,0:05:48.857
However, the research[br]is absolutely clear,

0:05:48.867,0:05:52.277
that if we decide to play big,

0:05:52.287,0:05:57.069
if we decide to go plant-strong,[br]we can absolutely eradicate this disease.

0:05:57.099,0:05:59.733
The number one killer of Americans,[br]we can eradicate it.

0:05:59.753,0:06:04.465
And I'm intimately acquainted[br]with the 25 years of research

0:06:04.485,0:06:06.675
at the Cleveland Clinic,

0:06:06.685,0:06:10.658
were they have shown that you can prevent,[br]halt and reverse heart disease,

0:06:10.678,0:06:15.257
because that researcher[br]has been my father.

0:06:18.870,0:06:22.788
So really, you can die with arteries[br]that look as clean as this one.

0:06:22.808,0:06:25.448
They don't have to get all blocked up.

0:06:26.142,0:06:29.999
What is radical is that cancer

0:06:30.019,0:06:35.149
is projected to surpass heart disease[br]as the number one killer of Americans.

0:06:35.349,0:06:38.978
What is radical to me, is that cancer ...

0:06:48.652,0:06:53.287
... is that cancer is a war[br]that we've been fighting since 1972,

0:06:53.307,0:06:55.924
when Richard Nixon[br]declared war on cancer.

0:06:55.959,0:06:58.349
And to me, it's almost[br]like we've been pile driving

0:06:58.369,0:07:02.274
all this money, all this research[br]into trying to find an answer to cancer.

0:07:02.284,0:07:06.386
We've been walking for the cure,[br]running and shopping for the cure,

0:07:06.420,0:07:08.175
we've been flying for the cure,

0:07:08.232,0:07:11.135
and the thing is,[br]we know what the cure is.

0:07:11.145,0:07:13.349
It's about eating for the cure.

0:07:13.379,0:07:17.204
If you eat for prevention,[br]you're not going to get

0:07:17.224,0:07:20.464
the two major cancers[br]that are bringing America down:

0:07:20.474,0:07:22.654
breast cancer and prostate cancer.

0:07:22.694,0:07:26.124
And the research[br]is absolutely clear on this.

0:07:26.344,0:07:29.341
Dr Dean Ornish at the University[br]of California at San Francisco

0:07:29.361,0:07:33.001
has shown that you can slow down,

0:07:33.021,0:07:36.026
stop and even reverse[br]prostate cancer and breast cancer.

0:07:36.047,0:07:40.071
And he has also shown that you can[br]actually change your gene expression,

0:07:40.091,0:07:42.597
that you can turn off[br]cancer promoting genes,

0:07:42.617,0:07:46.137
and you can turn on[br]cancer preventing ones.

0:07:48.499,0:07:53.037
What is radical is that type 2 diabetes,

0:07:53.047,0:07:57.641
which used to be called adult-onset[br]diabetes, has become a pandemic.

0:07:57.657,0:07:59.990
One in three children[br]born after the year 2000

0:08:00.000,0:08:02.560
will come down with type 2 diabetes,

0:08:02.580,0:08:06.801
and this is a springboard[br]to heart disease, to amputation,

0:08:06.821,0:08:11.436
to kidney failure,[br]and a host of other ailments.

0:08:12.346,0:08:16.772
And once again, this is a disease[br]that never has to occur.

0:08:16.792,0:08:21.131
Dr Neal Barnard

0:08:21.151,0:08:23.903
at George Washington University

0:08:23.923,0:08:30.256
has shown that type 2 diabetes[br]can be reversed by a plant-strong diet.

0:08:30.276,0:08:32.693
Eat big, go plant-strong.

0:08:33.560,0:08:37.487
And of course, everybody knows about[br]the obesity epidemic in America right now.

0:08:37.537,0:08:41.644
Almost 70% of America is overweight,[br]almost 34% of America is obese,

0:08:41.664,0:08:44.865
and this is a tragedy because once again,

0:08:44.885,0:08:49.932
this is the springboard to heart disease,[br]to Alzheimer's, major cancers.

0:08:52.393,0:08:57.158
I joined the Austin Fire Department[br]in 1997, and I was convinced

0:08:57.168,0:09:00.499
that every shift, I'd be making[br]a big old burner like this one here.

0:09:00.534,0:09:04.962
The reality is, over 80% of our calls,[br]and this isn't just in Austin,

0:09:04.982,0:09:07.893
this is in San Francisco,[br]in Chicago, New York;

0:09:07.913,0:09:09.547
over 80% of our calls,

0:09:09.567,0:09:14.237
we are responding to[br]and fighting Western disease.

0:09:14.257,0:09:16.750
So we get to see up-close and front

0:09:16.770,0:09:19.825
the destruction that is being caused[br]by the fork and the knife,

0:09:19.845,0:09:22.647
and it is absolutely disheartening.

0:09:23.958,0:09:27.762
Here is a quick video to show

0:09:27.782,0:09:31.142
what the average firehouse[br]eats for breakfast.

0:09:31.172,0:09:33.985
(Video) RE: Ah, ah, ah! And eggs.

0:09:33.995,0:09:35.975
"And eggs, moon eggs!"

0:09:36.205,0:09:39.781
RE: So, how are we having[br]the eggs today? Sunny-side up?

0:09:40.176,0:09:43.792
VV: No, I'm going to flip them,[br]I don't know, I guess I just fry them.

0:09:43.812,0:09:45.713
RE: And is this just like sausage?

0:09:45.743,0:09:48.088
VV: Yes, pork sausage.

0:09:48.118,0:09:50.252
RE: And then what do we got here?

0:09:50.275,0:09:51.939
VV: Croissant rolls, baby!

0:09:51.969,0:09:54.435
RE: Croissant rolls. And this?

0:09:54.475,0:09:56.435
VV: Somebody made that[br]while we were gone.

0:09:56.455,0:09:59.467
RE: I got you. Alright.

0:10:00.322,0:10:02.710
And here's a little fun we got.

0:10:02.848,0:10:06.488
We got chips, oatmeal creme pies.

0:10:06.518,0:10:11.320
We got granola bars, Nutty bars.

0:10:11.806,0:10:19.166
We got Big Texas,[br]Skittles, Starburst, M&M's.

0:10:20.012,0:10:23.469
We got Oreos,

0:10:23.499,0:10:28.359
and this is Butter Lovers popcorn.

0:10:29.709,0:10:32.797
We got Monster Drinks down here,

0:10:32.817,0:10:36.267
and then, what do we got? Oh yeah!

0:10:36.517,0:10:38.591
(On stage): You get the picture!

0:10:38.621,0:10:41.481
And it gets worse for lunch[br]and even worse for dinner.

0:10:41.491,0:10:44.174
And it's probably very similar[br]in every house in America.

0:10:44.194,0:10:46.906
This is Station 2, it's a hop skip[br]and a jump from here.

0:10:46.926,0:10:50.322
This is were I spent the last eight years[br]of my career as a firefighter,

0:10:50.352,0:10:54.198
and we are an island of health[br]in a sea of fast food restaurants.

0:10:54.218,0:10:58.876
We've got McDonald's, Wendy's,[br]Papa John's, Domino's and Pizza Hut.

0:10:58.896,0:11:01.283
Right next door, we used[br]to have a Burt's Barbecue,

0:11:01.323,0:11:04.047
It burned down about three[br]years ago, and they are blaming

0:11:04.067,0:11:06.437
the vegetarian firehouse[br]for not putting it out.

0:11:06.457,0:11:07.897
(Laughter)

0:11:07.917,0:11:13.068
But we were not[br]always an island of health.

0:11:13.364,0:11:18.596
What happened is - those [br]numbers are a little funny -

0:11:18.606,0:11:22.006
in 2003, we had a bet to see[br]who had the lowest cholesterol.

0:11:22.226,0:11:29.063
The results came back, and J.R.'s[br]cholesterol was 344 at the age of 33.

0:11:29.084,0:11:32.902
and so, in an act of solidarity[br]to save J.R.'s life,

0:11:32.922,0:11:36.622
we as a group, started eating[br]plant-strong the very next shift.

0:11:36.662,0:11:40.241
Within a month, he had[br]his cholesterol rechecked,

0:11:40.281,0:11:43.561
and it had gone from 344 to 196.

0:11:43.591,0:11:47.302
We got a flood of media attention.

0:11:47.332,0:11:50.802
The word got out about[br]what we were doing at Station 2,

0:11:50.832,0:11:54.018
the charming dissonance[br]of a bunch of Texas male firefighters

0:11:54.038,0:11:57.024
eating this plant-based vegetarian diet.

0:11:57.164,0:12:03.484
... New York Times, NPR,[br]Austin American Statesman ...

0:12:03.514,0:12:06.590
So, I got solicited[br]by literary agents to write a book,

0:12:06.620,0:12:09.414
and all of the sudden[br]I realized that as a firefighter,

0:12:09.434,0:12:12.204
not a doctor, not a nutritionist,[br]but as a firefighter,

0:12:12.224,0:12:14.565
I could reach a segment of America

0:12:14.575,0:12:19.189
that would never otherwise hear[br]this message about eating more plants.

0:12:19.289,0:12:24.249
So I almost felt an obligation[br]to go ahead and write this book,

0:12:24.269,0:12:29.642
and teach people the absolute,[br]undeniable connection

0:12:29.672,0:12:31.642
between what we put in our mouths,

0:12:31.652,0:12:36.165
and your ability to have[br]a perfect weight, ideal health,

0:12:36.195,0:12:39.755
and be bullet proof[br]to chronic Western disease.

0:12:41.539,0:12:44.566
And really, it's all...

0:12:50.396,0:12:52.733
Really, it's all about the food.

0:12:52.763,0:12:56.051
It's all about the food,[br]it's all about the food.

0:12:57.251,0:12:59.224
Here for example

0:13:01.081,0:13:02.788
is red meat.

0:13:03.410,0:13:06.928
Just about everybody knows red meat[br]probably isn't the best thing for them.

0:13:06.948,0:13:12.534
But how many people know that chicken[br]has just as much cholesterol as red meat,

0:13:12.554,0:13:15.906
and it also has acidic[br]producing animal protein,

0:13:15.926,0:13:19.159
which leaches calcium from the bones,

0:13:19.169,0:13:23.044
is an incredible tumor and cancer[br]promoter and inflames the arteries.

0:13:23.044,0:13:24.310
And what about fish?

0:13:24.340,0:13:26.980
Everybody thinks that fish[br]is healthy these days, right?

0:13:26.990,0:13:28.177
Omega-3 fatty acids!

0:13:28.187,0:13:30.622
In reality, if you get a piece of fish,

0:13:30.642,0:13:33.512
that is not tainted with mercury[br]and PCPs and dioxins,

0:13:33.512,0:13:37.096
you still get a piece of flesh[br]which has the animal protein,

0:13:37.116,0:13:39.716
the animal cholesterol,[br]and the animal fat.

0:13:39.736,0:13:41.983
And then eggs, what about eggs?

0:13:42.003,0:13:45.203
There're only two things wrong with eggs,[br]the yolk and the white.

0:13:45.221,0:13:46.471
(Laughter)

0:13:46.481,0:13:48.743
The yolk has over 200 mg[br]of dietary cholesterol,

0:13:48.763,0:13:52.843
and the white is a concentrated[br]form of what? Animal protein.

0:13:54.183,0:14:00.156
And dairy is just milk, flesh[br]in a liquid, cream or solid form.

0:14:00.186,0:14:04.602
It has the same amounts of animal protein,[br]animal cholesterol, and animal fat.

0:14:04.682,0:14:09.051
Now these foods here, these are the ones[br]that are going to give us back our lives.

0:14:09.211,0:14:11.862
The fruits, the vegetables,[br]the whole grains,

0:14:11.882,0:14:14.112
the beans, they have[br]all the phytochemicals,[br]

0:14:14.132,0:14:18.526
all the antioxidants,[br]over 100,000 micro-nutrients

0:14:18.556,0:14:21.336
that are just jonesing[br]to go to work for you

0:14:21.356,0:14:26.486
and protect you from heart disease,[br]diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer's,

0:14:26.516,0:14:28.655
all these diseases.

0:14:30.904,0:14:35.350
And before I forget, what about olive oil?

0:14:35.370,0:14:37.474
It's heart healthy, right?

0:14:37.790,0:14:39.178
No, it's not.

0:14:39.198,0:14:42.698
Extracted oils are the most concentrated[br]source of calories on the planet,

0:14:42.718,0:14:45.588
at 120 calories per tablespoon,

0:14:45.608,0:14:49.702
and they have more empty calories[br]than either white sugar, or white flour.

0:14:50.434,0:14:55.788
And as you'll see here,[br]it's 15% artery clogging saturated fat,

0:14:56.038,0:15:01.729
and there's absolutely[br]zero nutrients to speak of.

0:15:01.869,0:15:04.449
And that's olive oil, okay?

0:15:06.762,0:15:12.998
Now, the results can be revolutionary[br]when you eat plant-strong.

0:15:13.238,0:15:17.230
And these are just some of the results[br]that can revolutionize your health.

0:15:17.580,0:15:21.298
This individual here as you can see,[br]16 pounds in 28 days,

0:15:21.338,0:15:25.073
cholesterol dropped 45%,

0:15:25.093,0:15:30.021
and his LDL which is[br]the lethal, dropped 55%.

0:15:31.069,0:15:34.648
This gentlemen here looks like[br]he's lost 15 years of his life,

0:15:34.678,0:15:37.308
he looks 15 years younger.

0:15:37.918,0:15:41.576
The slide is a little cut off at the top,[br]but it's pretty amazing what he did.

0:15:41.596,0:15:43.256
He also dropped his triglycerides,

0:15:43.276,0:15:47.641
which is the amount of fat[br]in your blood, by threefold.

0:15:48.331,0:15:51.812
And then Tim here[br]lost 33 pounds in 28 days.

0:15:51.832,0:15:54.512
His cholesterol got down to 93,

0:15:54.532,0:15:57.514
basically the equivalent[br]of a rural Chinese person.

0:15:57.524,0:15:59.154
(Laughter)

0:15:59.534,0:16:05.419
And Tim wrote in one of his food logs,

0:16:05.449,0:16:09.539
"For dessert, watermelon," and then[br]in parenthesis "the whole thing."

0:16:09.559,0:16:11.029
(Laughter)

0:16:11.049,0:16:13.304
And the beautiful thing[br]is that by eating foods

0:16:13.324,0:16:15.534
that are low in calories[br]and high in nutrients,

0:16:15.554,0:16:17.943
you get to eat all you want,[br]as opposed to foods

0:16:17.953,0:16:20.633
that are high in calories[br]and low in nutrients.

0:16:21.473,0:16:23.855
This is one of my heroes,[br]Sir Winston Churchill,

0:16:23.875,0:16:25.945
and he has a quote[br]that I love, and it goes,

0:16:25.965,0:16:27.902
"America always gets it right,

0:16:27.932,0:16:30.192
but only after they have[br]tried everything else."

0:16:30.202,0:16:31.712
(Laughter)

0:16:31.732,0:16:34.688
I think it's fare to say[br]that we as a country

0:16:34.718,0:16:38.560
have tried everything else, and now[br]it's time to get it right, alright?

0:16:38.580,0:16:40.719
It's time to play big.

0:16:40.759,0:16:44.034
We all have a skin in this game.

0:16:44.244,0:16:47.604
And the answer to this[br]healthcare crisis that we have

0:16:47.624,0:16:49.803
is not about a pill,[br]not about a procedure,

0:16:49.813,0:16:53.833
not about more legislation,[br]not about rejiggering the numbers.

0:16:53.953,0:16:57.789
It's about everybody stepping up[br]and looking in the mirror,

0:16:57.809,0:17:00.446
and deepening their personal[br]commitment to their health.

0:17:00.466,0:17:04.013
And we can turn this ship around,[br]we absolutely can.

0:17:04.053,0:17:07.073
And that right there is my TED wish!

0:17:07.260,0:17:09.520
(Applause)