23 Quotes & Sayings By Michael Greger

Michael Greger is a member of the faculty of the Department of Nutrition at Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA. He is director of public health and animal agriculture at the Humane Society of the United States, where he writes and speaks on food system issues.

1
A placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomised trial of boys with autism found that two to three servings of cruciferous vegetables a day improves social interaction, abnormal behaviour and verbal communication - within a matter of weeks. Michael Greger
2
Many people assume the diseases that kill us are pre-programmed into our genes. High blood pressure by 55, heart attacks at 60, maybe cancer at 70, and so on... But for most of the leading causes of death, our genes usually account for only 10-20 per cent of risk. Michael Greger
3
The typical Western diet is the number-one cause of premature death and the number-one cause of disability. In other words, a long and healthy life is largely a matter of choice. Michael Greger
4
Ounce for ounce, herbs and spices have more antioxidants than any other food group. Michael Greger
5
Popeye was right about spinach: dark green, leafy vegetables are the healthiest food on the planet. As whole foods go, they offer the most nutrition per calorie. Michael Greger
6
As you eat more healthily, your palate changes - it's amazing. Your taste buds constantly adapt: from minute to minute, in fact. If you drank orange juice right now, it would taste sweet. But if you first ate some sweets then drank the same juice, it could taste unpleasantly bitter. Michael Greger
7
A plant-based diet is like a one-stop shop against chronic diseases. Michael Greger
8
Eating a varied plant-based diet - and avoiding all meat, fish, chicken and dairy products - may have much to recommend it, but it's certainly not for everyone. Michael Greger
9
After following more than 60, 000 people for more than a dozen years, University of Oxford researchers found those who consume a plant-based diet were less likely to develop all forms of cancer combined. Michael Greger
10
A good way to adjust to a healthier diet is to think of three meals you enjoy that are largely plant-based. Pasta with tomato sauce can be tweaked to whole-grain pasta with added vegetables. Michael Greger
11
One of the reasons it's so difficult to study the relationship between diet and disease is because many dietary behaviors are associated with non-dietary behaviors. Michael Greger
12
Anyone who's promoting the exact diet that they were in previous years probably isn't keeping up with the latest science, though in general, the balance of evidence has remained remarkably consistent - centering one's diet around whole plant foods. Michael Greger
13
The benefits of a healthier diet are far-reaching because they also equate to fewer animals being bred into inhumane factory farm conditions and fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Michael Greger
14
Simply switching to a healthy, plant-based diet can lessen stroke risk by reducing cholesterol and blood pressure, flooding your body with antioxidants and improving blood flow. Michael Greger
15
Nutrition is an exciting, dynamic field - there are more than 10, 000 articles published on human nutrition in medical journals every year. Michael Greger
16
Mental health can be just as important as physical health - and major depression is one of the most commonly diagnosed mental illnesses. Michael Greger
17
As a physician specializing in nutrition, my priority is to the health of the public. Michael Greger
18
Berries have a lot of soluble fiber. That's why they gel up when you're making your Thanksgiving cranberry sauce, with the pectin. Michael Greger
19
While positive mental states may be associated with less stress and more resilience to infection, positive well-being might also be accompanied by a healthy lifestyle. Michael Greger
20
Everyone feels sad occasionally. A full range of emotions is part of what makes us human. Michael Greger
21
You can be in excellent physical shape, with low cholesterol, a healthy body weight and good overall physical fitness - but that doesn't necessarily mean you're healthy. Michael Greger
22
When the FDA announced its intentions to join other countries and ban quinolone use on U.S. chicken farms, the drug manufacturer Bayer initiated legal action that successfully delayed the process for five years. Michael Greger