Preventing 1 Million Heart Attacks with Dr. Joel Kahn
As “America’s Healthy Heart Doc,” Dr. Joel Kahn has made it his life’s mission to prevent one million heart attacks, and he’s well on his way. A cardiologist, writer, teacher, speaker and restaurateur, he shares his love and passion for plants in everything he does. (And his enthusiasm is contagious.)
Over the last 20 years, Dr. Kahn has taught his cardiology patients that a whole food, plant-based diet can “prevent, not stent.” He’s the author of three books (and a fourth in the works), and his PBS Special, “The Whole Heart Solution” recently aired on DPTV.
Dr. Kahn is also a co-founder of the Plant Based Nutrition Support Group (PBNSG), the largest of its kind in the United States, which provides resources for people who want to prevent or reverse chronic disease and achieve optimal health. Ben Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” but Dr. Kahn likes to say, “An ounce of wheatgrass juice is worth a pound of Lipitor!” Â
To get to the heart of the matter, I called Dr. Kahn up and picked his brain on nutrition, our healthcare system, and that delicious new restaurant he opened...
Dr. Kahn’s Sweet Potato Macro Bowl. Click here for the recipe.
Tell me how you arrived at your current food philosophy…
I was raised following kosher laws, so I’ve always had a moment of pause before eating something. It’s one of the world’s best mindsets - to pause before opening the mouth. Then, when I got to college, I had a visceral reaction when looking around the cafeteria at the food that was being served. My girlfriend at the time - now my wife of 35 years - and I both went in on vegetarianism together, right then and there.
Then in 1990, three weeks to the day after I started my cardiology career, Dean Ornish published his Lifestyle Heart Trial. I still remember the moment I read it; I was sitting on the couch, and BOOM! Here’s some guy saying that diet has a huge impact. I read it five times. The data was amazing, but nobody else seemed to care about it. But I did! I made copies and started sharing it with patients, and letting them know, “Yes, I can put a stent in your artery, and I have medications I can give you, but before you go, I want you to know that there is a possibility to make changes by reexamining the food you’re eating.”
Dr. Kahn’s Berry-Lime Chia Pudding. Click here for the recipe.
You talk about getting 30 days of commitment from your patients. What do you do in that time - and why 30 days?
Most people say it takes 20-28 days to create a new habit. In that time, I want patients to get educated and to at least get breakfast to be plant-based. It depends where they’re coming from, but a lot of patients will feel better within 30 days. If they’re coming from the Standard American Diet, maybe it’s the first time they’ll be making a morning smoothie, or it may be the first time that they have energy to make it to noon. For most people, it’s going to be baby steps that make the difference.
Dr. Kahn’s Tamale Pie. Click here for the recipe.
What are the biggest challenges you see patients facing?
First, the medical community has a huge circle of influence. A patient of mine may go to their primary care provider, even their dentist, and get completely opposite, erroneous information. And second, there are coworkers, friends and family - the social challenges.
The Plant-Based Nutrition Support Group is a grassroots group in Detroit that formed to support people in living this lifestyle. You can talk to peers in small groups and share recipes, and we meet once a month for a big lecture. It’s a place you can go back to once a month to get refocused. The formula (for the support group) was simple; it just took two people to get it started: one patient and one physician. The patient, Paul Chatlin, had a fire in his belly to spread the word. He had saved his life by changing what he ate, and I was the physician who understood and was supportive.
This kind of thing can be started anywhere. It could be 40 people that join, or 200. (Ideally, these groups would be in hospitals, but unfortunately, that’s not happening.)
Have you found the healthcare community’s understanding of or interest in nutrition has changed over time?
It’s miserable. We do have some great examples that we should celebrate, but the average rank-and-file hospital is so far behind, and I don’t see a tremendous amount of movement.
Medical schools are stodgy and curricula change slowly; doctors hardly get any nutrition education. My own personal attitude is that hospitals need to be cajoled to change - because the vibration that would come out of hospitals embracing healthy diets would be revolutionary, and a great place to start.
I was director of my hospital’s cardiac rehab program for a decade, and I’ve gone back to try to educate them about the data. They chose to ignore it; they don’t want to move or change quickly. They said, “It took 25 years to get smoking out of hospitals. You’ve been talking about this for five years; give us 20 more years.” That’s ridiculous, and in the era of the internet, I hope we can speed that up. So, I launched the only Facebook protest on hospital food. Unfortunately, I think embarrassing them may be the only way to move the needle.
The flip-side is that any hospital that embraces healthy planning tends to get in the news. Hospitals that close the McDonald’s, for example, or hospitals that give patients discounted produce get positive press. And from a marketing perspective, plant-based physicians are in demand. Patients everywhere are looking for doctors who can give this type of guidance.
Dr. Kahn’s Blueberry Maca Smoothie. Click here for the recipe.
What prompted you to start your restaurant, GreenSpace Cafe?
About two years ago, my son - who has an MBA - and I started looking at small enterprises. There wasn’t really a 100% plant-based restaurant around. We signed a lease on a small place in a suburb of Detroit, and when we were halfway through the process, the place next door went up for sale. We decided to go crazy and took that lease too. So, suddenly we had a 130-seat restaurant and gorgeous bar on our hands.
We opened December 1, and it’s just been crazy busy. It’s been well received by the community with great reviews. People are flying in from other cities, and we have something for everyone (like no added oil, gluten-free, and “plant pure” menus). Even the people who are hesitant - because maybe they want a steak for dinner - end up falling in love with it.
Are you optimistic about the future of food and healthcare?
I’m optimistic. I think that technology is going to improve and radically change medical care for the better...And the movement is growing. Maybe it’s not happening fast enough, but there’s a growing base of people looking for healthy alternatives. So, I am optimistic.
I got goosebumps the other day when an 18-year-old girl came to the restaurant. She told me that her friends said it was the best place to eat, and her friends are mostly vegetarian or vegan. That’s the next generation - even younger than the millennials. So, here she is; she’s just a kid, and she’s brought her father into the restaurant too because she wanted to try it. That makes me really hopeful.
To follow Dr. Kahn’s heart-healthy and tasty recommendations - customized for you - visit his Lighter profile.Â
Plant-Based Nutrition Support Group
The Doctor’s Guide to Longevity (MindBodyGreen Course)
Dead Execs Don’t Get Bonuses (Book)
The Whole Heart Solution (Book)
