Rip Esselstyn on the Forward Podcast

As I mentioned in my last post, I have a dog.  She’s a three-year-old lab mix with a lot of energy.  I also don’t have a fenced in yard.  This means I spend a reasonable amount of time walking my dog around Midtown.  To help pass this time, I often listen to podcasts including the Forward Podcast hosted by Lance Armstrong.  While Lance’s interviews can be a bit clunky at times, he normally attracts pretty impressive guests* that make for an interesting listen.  This week’s guest was Rip Esselstyn who is a well-known health and food activist.  Lance and Rip have known each other for years, as Rip was a veteran on the triathlon circuit when Armstrong made his pro debut as a teen.  They also still train together as part of a masters swimming program in Austin, Texas.

Rip’s appearance was part of a tour to promote his new book, the Seven-Day Rescue Diet (this tour also included a stop on Emory’s campus earlier this year).  Their whole conversation is worth a listen (http://theforwardpodcast.libsyn.com/rip-esselstyn) but I’ve highlighted a few of the parts I found most interesting below.

·      Rip mentioned several flaws in the typical American diet including the fact that 94% of our nation’s calories come from refined process foods, meat or dairy.  These are all items with limited or no fiber and he believes this is a root cause of a lot of our nation’s health problems. 

·      He also suggests that many people’s efforts to eat healthier are misguided.  For instance some people focus on eating chicken or fish which they believe are healthy protein sources but these items have a similar amount of cholesterol as red meat and contain high levels of saturated fats.  He also points out that eating vegan doesn’t necessarily mean healthy (French fries, jelly beans, etc. are all vegan).

·      Finally, he also mentioned a movie project called The Game Changers.  It is a documentary that hopes to dismantle the notion that real men eat meat by showing high performing individuals that follow a plant strong diet.  As part of that effort, Rip will attempt to break the American record for the 200 meter backstroke for his age group later this year. 

*Guest on the Forward Podcast have included Jimmie Johnson, Bo Jackson, Seal, Ben Harper, Rahm Emanuel, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Malcolm Gladwell, Bill Burr, founders and partners in Zico Coconut Water/Patron Spirts/GoDaddy.Marquis Jet, among others