Trying to stay healthy can seem like a full-time job sometimes, especially during a pandemic.

But I'm here to make that goal a little easier.

Welcome to the Nutrition Facts Podcast.

I'm your host, Dr. Michael Greger.

Did you ever wonder about the best way to help combat climate change live more sustainable life?

That is what the Barrett's Explorer and their podcast how to be good.

I had the good fortune to talk to them recently on their podcast and we had lots of healthy lifestyle ideas to share. Enjoy.

We are here and delighted to be here with Dr. Michael Greger.

How are you?

Happy to be here. I'm so excited.

Fantastic. Thank you.

Firstly, can we ask about your book, How Not to Die?

You are talking about the major causes of premature death and the solution for it. Could you quickly explain what are the major causes and what's the easy solution for all these?

Yeah, so how not to die? Slow it up into two parts. The first half is just 15 chapters and each of the 15 leading causes of death.

I remember the world diet may play in preventing arresting or reversing each of our 15 top killers. In the second half, I centered my recommendations around a daily dozen checklist of a healthiest of healthy foods.

I encourage people to try to fit into their daily routine.

For example, greens every day, the healthiest vegetables, berries every day, the healthiest fruits, legumes, best beverages, the best sweeteners, how much exercise to get every day, quarter teaspoon of turmeric, tablespoon of ground flaxseeds, etc.

Just trying to inspire people to include some of these healthy foods into their daily diet, but the more broadly the diet found to not only prevent arrest, but even reverse some of our top killers, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, is the diet centered around whole plant foods.

You also talk about the lack of nutritional knowledge and experience from doctors. Do you think that's changing recently and what would you say to doctors, they are not equipped with that knowledge?

Yeah, doctors unfortunately have severe nutrition deficiency in education. Most doctors were just not taught about the impact healthy nutrition can have on the course of buildings, so they graduate without this powerful tool in their medical toolbox.

There's also institutional barriers, time constraints, lack of reimbursement, sometimes doctors just aren't paid for counseling patients on how to take better care of themselves. It's more of a problem I think here in the States.

Drug companies as well play a role in influencing medical education and practice. You can ask your doctor when the last time they were taken out to dinner by big broccoli, it's probably been a while. But the things are changing. In fact, there's a whole new specialty called lifestyle medicine, one of the fastest growing medical specialties.

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