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Conversations with Dr. Mercola -- Part 4 of 7


part 1 part 2 part 3 part 5 part 6 part 7

In this installment, Dr. Mercola discusses some features of his eating plan and includes an illuminating letter from a client.

Hugs, Gary


Note: I personally recommend that you visit Dr. Mercola's comprehensive web site at and consider joining his informative twice-weekly email list at These are impressive information sources.

Dr. Mercola,

Most people are generally aware that good nutrition is "desirable." Yet, to handle diseases and other health problems, the tendency is to rely on drugs and surgery instead of making some obvious dietary changes. Could you give us some examples of how people have benefited from your eating plan compared to patching things up with drugs and surgery?

My Best, Gary



I doubt if there is anyone (that) who would deny that following a healthy diet is sound advice.

The problem, of course, involves defining a healthy diet. There are many millions of words written on that topic. The traditional wisdom is to follow a low fat diet to stay healthy. Many also believe that a vegetarian diet might be the ultimate healthy diet. Surprising as it may seem, that has not been my clinical experience. Actually it is quite the contrary. I write a twice weekly free Internet newsletter that recently started a 15 part series ( ) that debates the pros and cons of vegetarianism. There are hundreds of scientific references and as many pages that will allow the reader to reach their own conclusion. The low-fat approach, popularized by Nathan Pritikin and Dean Ornish, and recommended by the vast majority of health care professionals is an absolute prescription for disaster for most, but certainly not all, people who are chronically sick.

Over the years I have learned that high insulin levels seems to be the physical basis behind most chronic disease -. Most people, who have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes or are overweight, have high insulin levels which drive this biochemistry. I refer the reader to the previous hyperlink which goes into great detail on this topic. Dr. Rosedale, who is one of the top experts in this area, wrote it.

Two of the most common symptoms that people have, though, are lack of energy and bowel complaints. Irritable bowel syndrome is a painful condition that results from intestinal spasms causing severe pain and altered bowel habits. Following my eating plan, usually with the elimination of wheat, works to clear that up about 75% of the time. (The other 25% responds quite nicely to EFT, as there is usually always an anxiety component involved.) The majority of the remaining 25%...

I used to be called Dr. Fiber in medical school 25 years ago, and I am quite familiar with the benefits of fiber. However, I have learned that most people improve their health by avoiding wheat. This is especially true for anyone who is Irish or Scottish. I am also continuously amazed at how frequently many of my patient's energy improves after following the eating plan

I realize many people are interested in specific examples and I thought that the unsolicited e-mail I received from a native of Turkey who was studying for his MBA in the US would be instructive. I never even saw this person, yet by only following the eating plan on my site, he was able to recover all his lost vitality.


MBA Student Testimonial:

I came to this country one and a half year ago, did everything that I shouldn't have done for a year, felt miserably and bad and have been searching about what is wrong with me. I had problems concentrating to anything.

I felt hungry and tired all the time. I felt like lying to the ground when I walked even shorter distances than I usually walked before. I also felt moody, and became less social. I had come to most of the conclusions you are suggesting after a long search and by using my experiences. You have explained every aspect so clearly and correctly that I couldn't help writing you an email.

I am from Turkey and I had a diet totally natural and a life style as you are recommending, before I came here. I wasn't at great financial situation and I didn't have a car. I was shopping from local stores only, started to eat too many sweets (as there are sweets in everything in most local stores here) which I never did before, started an irregular life style, studying late at night. I used to eat a lot of beef in Turkey, and I felt OK.

Here it made me feel so bad, made me gain weight. I thought it is because of hormones and went to the health food store to buy natural meat. It was definitely better but there was still something wrong compared to meat I ate in Turkey. I now understand, in Turkey, beef is always from grass fed cattle while here it was grain fed.

And eating more fish and eating a big breakfast helped me a lot as well. For cheese, all American cheese made me feel awful and made me gain weight, while imported French and Turkish cheese made from whole sheep's milk, eaten at breakfast improved my energy a lot. (which I used to eat in Turkey)

Lastly, I thought I had hypoglycemia as I was always energyless and couldn't stay long without eating. Eating regular meals helped me so much. Cutting on sugars was helpful. And I started to drink no soda drinks like Coke but only water. And now I am trying to sleep early as you mention, because I feel so much better and have a clearer mind if I go to bed earlier than 11.00 pm. If I sleep later than midnight however much I sleep I feel unclear and bad. I was drinking tap water here and I cut it and started spring water.

I decided, overall, that I should return to my lifestyle and nutrition habits that I had before I came here. Because I was feeling so bad and doctors said I was fine - so it was something about the changes I had since I came here. As I change to my older habits, which have all the aspects you mention, I started to feel much better. The quality of my life, my energy and performance improved so much. I listened to my body, because how I feel after I eat something in the long term, and according to how I arranged my lifestyle exactly indicate what is good for optimal health.

I listened to my body a lot and I had an optimal lifestyle and nutrition before, which I could compare and return to. So I was lucky to find out the way to better health. But I am also amazed at the number of people doing exactly the opposite of what is better for health and was thinking how they would feel much better if they followed the right plan. I couldn't believe how skim milk was promoted, which I found hard to digest and having bad effects on me and I started to buy whole organic milk or half and half only and drank really very rarely.

And everything is so much sweeter here, they put sugar even on meat as a sauce!

Your website gives the exact plan which can improve the lives and health of thousands so dramatically.

I wish people would follow this kind of a diet and natural food becomes more widespread in US over time. Then, I am sure problems like obesity, hypoglycemia, chronic fatigue will diminish substantially. Thank you very much for your excellent work and presenting it to the public.

Best regards,

A reader


Dr. Joseph Mercola


part 1 part 2 part 3 part 5 part 6 part 7

