I beg for a moment of your time. Id like to share the story of Queen Olive. You never knowQueen Olive may inspire you to achieve a higher level of health, fitness and weight loss. Queen Olive was a mighty queen who reigned in the fertile land of olive trees. The olive trees grew olives and from the olives came oillots and lots of oil. Everyone in the kingdom knew that Queen Olives oil was sweet and pure and ever so good for young and old. Thats what Queen Olive told her trusting subjects so thats what they believed. They never questioned their benevolent queen. Why would they? Their queen was wise and gentle and had a very kind heart. She would never do anything to harm her people. So Queen Olive and the whole kingdom contently ate Queen Olives oil every day. They ate it in sauces and dressings and mixes and dishes. They used it in baking and cooking and frying and even spreading on favorite breads. Queen Olives oil was delightful. It made taste buds happy and bodies healthy; so everyone thought. Almost everyone. A few people dared to question the queen and her word, but they were scoffed at and hushed and rushed, ever-so-politely, right out of the kingdom. One day Queen Olive got sick. It was her very kind heart that started to fail. Doctors, the best in the land, tried their hand at fixing the queen. They gave her pills and potions and secret doses. But Queen Olive got sicker. Everyone was very sad. No one knew what to do. The word spread far and wide to all other kingdoms, until it reached one lone man. His name was Caldwell Esselstyn. He was a doctor and a very wise man. He traveled over hill and vale until he reached the bedside of Queen Olive. He most humbly kneeled before the good queen and took her hand. I have helped many a folk with an ailing heart so they could laugh and work and play againjust like they used to. I can help you too, dear queen, if you will open your mind, listen, and do exactly what I tell you. However, I warn you. You will not like what I have to say. She smiled and nodded her head. She would do anything to make her sick heart betterher kingdom needed her. The wise doctor whispered five magical words in her ear: No animal fats. No oils. Ah, of course, Queen Olive exclaimed, the fat from beef and chickens and turkeys and milk and cheese and yogurt and even fish bog down my heart and clog up my bloods vessels. But surely you dont mean that my precious oil from my kingdoms olive trees hurt my heart too. The wise doctor quietly, but firmly repeated: No animal fats. No oilsincluding olive oil. The queen gasped but believed, I just never knew. How could I know? Thats what the good king, my father, told me and what the good kings father told him. I just did what they did. Now look what Ive done to me and others. Queen Olive did what she was told. She nourished her heart with fresh foods from plants and stopped hurting her heart with fats from animals and oil from her olive trees. Miracle of miracles. Queen Olives heart healed and everyone cheered, Long live Queen Olive. Long live Queen Olive. Queen Olive made a new decree to all her loyal subjects: Hear ye, hear ye, one and all. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day. No more fats from animals. No more Queen Olives oil. And Queen Olive and her friends lived happily ever after, even without olive oil. A special side-note from Dr. Leslie Van Romer: Dr. Esselstyn is an M.D. and a researcher. I have followed Dr. Esselstyn and his work for over fifteen years. He is one of the references I use in my own work. I have the utmost respect and admiration for him and his work. He works with people who have very sick hearts, many of whom are literally dying. He will not work with anyone who doesnt follow his rules: No animal fats. No processed oils, including olive oil. I had the honor and thrill of hearing him speak at the North American Vegetarian Societys conference, Summerfest, where I also spoke. By following his plan, people were actually able to reverse progressed heart diseasenot slow down but actually reverse heart disease. The opposite is true also. Heart disease in people who did not follow his advice and followed the diet recommended by the American Heart Association continued to worsen. He showed what happened to blood vessels after eating one serving, yes, just one serving of olive oilblood vessels constrict and dont dilate again for many hours. Heating olive oil is even worse. His findings are profound and life-saving. Olive oil is not a health food. In fact, it hurts your health. Again, Dr. Esselstyns message is very simple and very clear: No animal fats. No oils. Also, as a side-note from me to you, olive oil is fat (forget the good fat, bad fat mantrayou get plenty of fat from plant foods) that adds fat to your fat. Who needs it or wants it? It gets stored in the fat under your skin, the fat that builds up in your blood vessels, and the fat that surrounds your vital organs, like your heart. |