SOSH 21: Dr. Steven Lawenda

Dr. Lawenda, a Family Practice Provider for Kaiser Permanente, struggled with obesity and had a family history of diabetes and heart disease. Both his father and grandfather suffered heart attacks at a young age and Dr. Lawenda worried that if he didn't make some serious improvements to his own health, that he was destined for a life of similar health struggles.   Not learning much about nutrition in medical school, Dr. Lawenda tackled his weight with the only two strategies he knew, exercise and portion control. After years of yo-yo dieting, he felt like a failure and like he was simply genetically destined to be overweight and sick.   After haphazardly stumbling into the science of plant based nutrition, Dr. Lawenda was curious. He found the concept of eating whole plant foods without portion control very logical and appealing. He tried it out and was really blown away by his results. He began dropping weight at a steady pace and after 8 months, had lost 75 pounds.   After having his own health transformation, he wanted to share this plant based approach with his own patients.    In this episode, you will hear Dr. Lawenda discuss:   - The types of transformations that he has seen in his own patients - How he went from Yo-Yo Dieting to losing 75 pounds and keeping it off - Practical tips to make plants the center of your dinner plate   And much more....   This is an interesting episode with a lot of take aways so, if you are sitting down, be sure to grab a pen and take notes