World-class professional triathlete turned firefighter Rip Esselstyn knows how to eat right and stay in shape. The son, grandson, and great-grandson of renowned physicians, he had been eating a plant-based diet for years. So when he discovered that one of his fellow firefighters had dangerously high cholesterol (344), he created and implemented the Engine 2 Diet to help others at his fire station reduce their cholesterol and improve their overall health. His fellow firefighters adhered to a fully plant-based diet for 28 days. They significantly reduced their cholesterol levels and lost weight by eating foods that were nutrient-dense, naturally low in calories and high in fiber--not to mention delicious and easy to prepare. The results were astounding. That firefighter whose cholesterol was a whopping 344 dropped his levels to somewhere in the 270s a year later. Then he agreed to try Rip's plant-based plan. Three weeks later, his cholesterol was down to 196! In 2008, 15 people started the second 28-day Engine 2 pilot study. At the outset, the group's average cholesterol was 196. By the end, participants' average cholesterol levels declined 62 points. The average weight loss was 14 pounds. Rip's book, The Engine 2 Diet: The Texas Firefighter's 28-Day Save-Your-Life Plan that Lowers Cholesterol and Burns Away the Pounds, comes out today. We recently chatted with Rip about his healthy eating habits, the book, and how anyone can adapt the Engine 2 Diet for their lifestyles.  Q: The diet started because you were helping some fellow firefighters lower their cholesterol. Is the Engine 2 Diet primarily for people who are trying to lower their cholesterol? Can anyone adhere to this diet? A. The E2 Diet is the easiest and most delicious way to lower your cholesterol, but it does much more than that (although low cholesterol is one of the most important ways to stay healthy--it’s the number one risk factor for heart disease). The diet is for everyone who wants to look great, feel great, and stay great--and anyone who wants to lose weight while learning to eat the best foods on earth. And yes, anyone can do it: The diet is easy and fun to follow--so much so that many people report that once they’ve done it, their friends want to do it, too! Q: How much resistance did you get when you started to help your fellow firefighters improve their health by changing their diet? A. Not much. In addition to being firefighters we are a close-knit family. And as a family we wanted to do everything in our power to prevent firefighter James Rae from following in the footsteps of his heart attack-prone male ancestors--that’s how the whole thing started. When food is hearty, tasty, and beautiful, firefighters are happy people. Q: You didn't arbitrarily adopt a plant-based diet. You have three generations of prominent doctors in your family. Tell us a little about your own family history and the research that led you to eschew meat and animal products. A. On my mother’s side, my great-grandfather, George Crile Sr., founded the Cleveland Clinic; his son, Barney Crile, was one of the world’s leading surgeons. And my father, Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. who was chief of surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, has over 25 years of research showing that a low-fat, plant-smart diet cannot only halt heart disease, but reverse it. Before writing my book I, too, did several pilot studies that proved the dramatic effects a plant-based diet can have on the body in as little as four weeks. The results were absolutely jaw-dropping. Q: How important is fitness in the E2 Diet? A. If you want to feel great, I highly recommend incorporating a combination of aerobic and resistance training each week, and that’s why I devoted a chapter in the book to the Engine 2 exercise program. Still, I believe a plant-sensible diet is the foundation of your health. Q: Is the Engine 2 Diet a lifelong commitment? What would happen if animal products were reintroduced, even in small portions? Would all progress be lost? A. My goal with the Engine 2 diet is to show people what they can do when they give themselves a fighting chance. I ask them to eat as close to plant perfect as possible for the 28 days--but after that, it’s up to them how plant-strong they want to be--100, 90, 80, 70 or even 50 percent. Considering most Americans eat a paltry 10 percent of their calories from whole-food plant sources, an upswing of 40 or 50 percent is a huge improvement. Q: These recipes look pretty hearty--filling enough to satiate a firefighter. Was that a consideration when you developed these recipes? Should "regular" people scale down the portion sizes? A. The recipes are hearty, filling, tasty and firefighter friendly. I highly recommend people find their true appetite and eat until they are content. Remember that on the E2 diet, you’ll eat as much as you want! Be smart and save the rest for leftovers the next day. There is nothing like healthy E2 leftovers. Q: You liken the introductory period of the E2 Diet to the probationary period that rookie firefighters endure. You write, "You, too will have to be thick-skinned, because even some of your best friends may try to beat you down and get you to return to your old ways. You need to feel so good about the diet that you don't care what others say. After all, nobody on this planet cares about your own health as much as you should." What advice do you have for people whose loved ones aren't supporting their decision to commit to a healthy lifestyle? A. It can be a real challenge when your loved ones don’t support you on your quest for better health. Understand that they may be threatened by this change; give them space until they come around. Don’t badger them and don’t take a holier-than-thou stance. Just set a wonderful example and in time they will either come around or they will end up respecting your decision when your cholesterol level drops, you lose weight, and you look great! Q: Firefighters are thought to be strong, fit, and brave. "Vegetarian" in our society tends to have a connotation that is quite different from that of "firefighter." How do you reconcile the two? What do you say to people who say "real men eat meat" (one of the myths you debunk in the book)? A. We need a real paradigm shift here: Real men eat plants and not meat! In my world view, little boys eat meat, and once they discover the benefits of plants and eat them regularly, that’s when they turn into real men. ... I say it again: real men eat plants! (Just as do the biggest, most powerful members of the animal kingdom, such as gorillas, elephants, and giraffes.) Q: While the E2 Diet has seen incredible results, it seems like you're fighting an uphill battle by trying to get the American public to give up meat, dairy, and eggs. What is the most compelling reason you can offer to stick a plant-based diet? A. I don’t think people know the truth about the root of chronic disease in this country. We have the best hospitals and the greatest medical advancements on the planet and yet our health continues to deteriorate. ... On a personal level you can save yourself from ever acquiring heart disease, diabetes, obesity, a major cancer, and Alzheimer's by sticking to a plant-strong diet. I love this quote from Winston Churchill: “Healthy citizens are the greatest asset any country can have.” I would submit to you that what is potentially our greatest asset has become our greatest liability. By starting and sticking to a plant-healthy diet, America’s health can rise from the ashes like a Phoenix. Q: The book Skinny Bitch has been credited with enticing more women to adapt a plant-based diet. Will the E2 Diet have a similar effect on men? A. I want to make it very clear--this diet works for everyone, women, men, and children. Since my pilot study with the firefighters, who were mostly male, I have worked with female firefighters, housewives, career women, and all of them love this diet. This is not a man’s diet. But I do hope that men will join in when they see that so many of Austin’s top firefighters and athletes have tried the E2 diet, and even better, are sticking with it! Q: Just before your initial cholesterol test, you mention eating your "once a year" cheeseburger. You're obviously the epitome of healthful eating and fitness. Do you still allow yourself this indulgence? If not the cheeseburger, then do you have another non-E2 indulgence? A. I haven’t done the cheeseburger thing since 2001. Hey, I’m not perfect (although I am close--dietwise, that is). About once or twice a year I’ll have a piece of salmon and maybe now and then some non E2 desserts. Look, if you really need to eat a piece of cheesecake, nothing’s going to stop you. But that’s OK. This isn’t a constant test. It’s a diet that’s fun and easy. I don’t want people to be plant-perfect. I just want them to be plant-smart. Rip has also shared four recipes from the book: Almighty Healthy Wrap Dark Chocolate Brownies Healthy Homemade Hummus Picadillo Pick Ax Burrito Would you try the Engine 2 Diet? What percentage of your calories do you think come from vegetables and other plants?  You will earn 5 SparkPoints
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Speaking of eating green, I'm going to be making some brown rice and lentils tonight to make lunch with tomorrow. Mmm. Love me some plants. Report
I'm vegan for the animals, the planet and THEN my health but I'm very passionate about this being a healthy way to eat. Report
I have been on this diet for 9 days at this point and really like it. For one thing it is a nice change of pace for me. I highly recoment getting the book. It will answer a lot of the questions that appear in the earlier post. Report
This was not an expensive book either. I spent 13 euros, delivered, to have it shipped to France. If I get some winner recipes out of it, it will have paid for itself. Sparkpeople has taught me that it isn't necessary to follow anything religiously, but also that I should keep an open mind to new things, and having my husband happy with some new vegan recipes would be great. I like it that it is a 'guy' writer and book. Report
STEPHANIEK2-I think Spark posted this not because they are condoning a 28 day diet, then back to old bad habits, but because this is a great way to introduce people to a new idea. I think Spark's hope was to get people thinking more about eating better for life...hoping that if they tried this for the 28 day period, then maybe good eating habits would stick with them. Maybe not 100% plant based, but like the author said a 40-50% increase would be great. Report
The recipes sound tasty--not like diet food at all--which brings me to my next point, I hate having "diet" in the title. But of course the publisher knows what it's doing. everyone is looking for the new "diet" that will solve weight problems. And "diet" in the title. sadly, is still a great marketing word, right up there with "free" and "new," among others. Report
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I think the idea/food behind this diet is commendable. It's no secret that eating plant-based foods is healthy and can lower cholesterol levels. However, I am leery of "diets" and diet books. There are very few, if any, unique ideas behind the popular diets we hear about. It's the same things we've already seen in the past, repackaged in different ways to sell diet books. In this case, this is the vegan way of living (which has been around since 1944) with a firefighter angle. Report
Really? I don't think anything worth doing in life is easy. Report
Don't get me wrong. We all need to eat more veggies. However, the overview of this diet does not sync with the information I have read and discussed with dietitians. Report
I would be interested in seeing this cookbook. It sounds like Southwest cooking.
I can['t always find regional foods.
Sodium content is also a concern at my house. One way to reduce the sodium is to make the beans from the dried instead of using canned. Decent tomatoes are hard to find this time of year. Canned are super high in sodium. Hard to find low sodium products except in 4 oz cans plus expensive.
Speaking of dollars, when we increased the amount of produce in our diet, our grocery bill went up.
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