"Are there people who simply can't change their diet? There certainly are. Now, you have to ask, ‘Are they given all the information? Are they given all the motivation? Do they have the opportunity and the environment to support this?’ Most of the time, when I have a patient who can't change their diet, it's because of their surroundings. Environment is huge. Culture is huge."

“I'm a stickler for prevention. If I had to pick out one very difficult conversation, it's one with a diabetic smoker. I actually look at their feet when I'm talking to them and I tell them why I'm looking at their feet: because the amputation rate is so high in that population, as well as heart attack and stroke. It really seems to get their attention.”

“When you eat animal products, you start to form plaques in the coronary arteries. Plaque formation in the arteries doesn't just limit the function of the arteries, it can also block the blood flow, and that's when the heart starts to have some real problems keeping up with the demands of the body.”

“I often discuss the benefits of adopting a plant-based diet with patients who have high cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension, or coronary artery disease. I encourage these patients to go to the grocery store and sample different plant-based versions of many of the basic foods they eat. … Interestingly, our ACC/ prevention guidelines do not specifically recommend a vegan diet, as the studies are very large and observational or small and randomized, such as those on Ornish's whole food, plant-based diet intervention reversing coronary artery stenosis. The data are very compelling, but larger randomized trials are needed to pass muster with our rigorous guideline methodology. Wouldn't it be a laudable goal of the American College of Cardiology to put ourselves out of business within a generation or two? We have come a long way in prevention of cardiovascular disease, but we still have a long way to go. Improving our lifestyles with improved diet and exercise will help us get there.”

“If you look at the incidence of hypertension and diabetes and mortality in men, they actually get reduced when you get higher and higher in how much you restrict animal products.”