I was just a kid when the doctors sent my grandma home in a wheelchair to die.

在我還小的時候，奶奶只能坐著輪椅，聽從醫生的建議出院，並回家等候死神

Diagnosed with end-stage heart disease, she had already had so many bypass operations

奶奶被診斷為心臟病末期，她做過多次冠狀動脈繞道手術

that the surgeons essentially ran out of plumbing.

基本上已經無法再做手術了

Confined to a wheelchair,

且只能以輪椅代步

crushing chest pain, her doctors told her there was nothing else they could do.

胸口承受巨痛，醫生們都已無能為力

Her life was over at age sixty-five.

她的生命於 65 歲劃下句點

But then she heard about Nathan Pritikin, one of our early lifestyle medicine pioneers,

但她後來耳聞 Nathan Pritikin 這位營養學家 — 早期生活型態醫學先驅之一

and what happened next was documented in Pritikin's biography.

而接下來所發生的事則被記載於 Nathan Pritikin 的傳記裡

It talks about Frances Greger, my grandma.

其論及到 Frances Greger — 我的奶奶

It was a live-in program where everyone was placed on a plant-based diet and then started

她參加一種住宿療程，參與者均採用植物性飲食

on a graded exercise regimen.

搭配漸進式運動

They wheeled her in, and she walked out.

奶奶是坐著輪椅被推進去，最後卻是自己走出來

Within a few weeks she was walking 10 miles a day and went on to live another 31 years

幾週內，就能每天行走十英里，而且多活了 31 年

until age 96 to continue to enjoy her six grandchildren, including me.

直到 96 歲高齡，讓奶奶得以和六個孫子共享天倫之樂，包含我在內

Her miraculous recovery not only inspired one of those grandkids to pursue a career

她奇蹟般地康復，不僅激勵了我這個孫子投入醫療志業

in medicine, but granted her enough healthy years to see him graduate from medical school,

且賜予奶奶足夠的健康歲月，看我從醫學院畢業

so it's really all thanks to her.

所以這一切，真的都該謝謝她

During medical training I was shocked to find out that this whole body of evidence on reversing

在醫療訓練的過程中，我很震驚地發現有大量證據顯示

chronic disease with lifestyle changes, opening up arteries without drugs, without surgery—was

改變生活方式，即可逆轉慢性病、疏通動脈，亦不需藥物和手術

being largely ignored by mainstream medicine.

但卻被主流醫學所忽視

Wait a second, if effectively the cure to our #1 killer could get lost down some rabbit hole and ignored,

等等！如果連可治療國人頭號殺手 (心臟病) 的解藥都能被忽視

what else might there be buried in the medical literature that could help my patients?

那還有哪些能幫助病人的相關醫學文獻被埋沒呢？

I made it my life's mission to find out.

於是，繼續探索相關療法成了我今生的使命

That's what led me to start NutritionFacts.org and that's what led me to write the book "How Not to Die."

這帶領我成立了 NutritionFacts.org 網站，並促成了《食療聖經》這本書的誕生

Surveys show people wildly overestimate the power of pills and procedures to keep them healthy.

調查顯示，人們嚴重高估了藥物和手術對健康的助益

For example, patients believe cholesterol-lowering statin drugs are about twenty times more effective

例如，病患對降膽固醇的 Statin 類藥物預防心肌梗塞的功效認知

than they actually are in preventing heart attacks.

比實際功效高上 20 倍

No wonder most people continue to rely on drugs to save them.

難怪大多數人仍持續仰賴藥物來救命

But our leading killers aren't caused by drug deficiencies.

但國人前幾大死因當中，卻沒一項是源於「藥物缺乏」

The dirty little secret is that most people surveyed said they wouldn't be willing to

他們不想跟你說的是，受調查的人大都表示

take many of these drugs if they knew how little benefit these products actually offered.

若事前知道這些藥物的實際功效這麼小，他們一開始就不會想服用了

Whereas cleaning up our diets is not only safer and cheaper

然而，透過「調整飲食」不僅更安全、更省錢

but can be more effective in preventing, arresting, and reversing some of our leading causes of death,

且能更有效預防、抑制與逆轉一些常見死因

because you're treating the actual cause of the disease.

因為飲食所治療的，才是疾病的根源

Each year, the CDC compiles the 15 leading causes of death and so I have a chapter on

《美國疾病控制與預防中心》每年會編制國人前 15 大死因，它們在我書中也有個別的章節—

each: How not to die from heart disease, how not to die from lung disease, how not to die from brain diseases,

如何避免死於心臟病、如何避免死於肺病、腦部疾病

digestive cancers, infections, diabetes, high blood pressure, liver diseases,

消化道癌、感染、糖尿病、高血壓、肝臟疾病

blood cancers, kidney disease, breast cancer, suicidal depression, prostate cancer Parkinson’s

血癌、腎臟病、乳癌、可引發自殺之憂鬱症、攝護腺癌、帕金森氏症等疾病

disease and how not to die from so-called iatrogenic causes, which is essentially death by doctor.

以及如何避免死於誤診，即醫生所造成的死亡

That's the first half of the book and the good news is that we have tremendous power

以上為本書的前半部，而好消息是

over our health destiny and longevity—the vast majority of premature death and disability

我們有掌控健康和壽命的巨大力量—因為大多數的過早死亡與殘疾

is preventable with a plant-based diet and other healthy lifestyle behaviors.

都能透過植物性飲食和健康的生活習慣得到預防

I didn't want to just write a reference book, though.

我不想把它寫成參考書

Yes, there's thousands of citations to peer-reviewed scientific papers,

雖然裡面有成千上萬條引證，和經過同行評審的科學研究報告

but I also wanted it to be a practical guide on translating this mountain of evidence into day-to-day decisions, and

但我想將如此大量的證據，轉化為大家生活中面臨決策時的實用指南

so that's what became the second half of the book.

本書後半部即隨之而生

First, I start out with a Traffic Light system to classify everything into red light, yellow light, and green light foods.

首先，我以一個「交通燈號」系統，將食物分為紅燈、黃燈、和綠燈三種類別

Though there are exceptions that I talk about, the best available balance of evidence suggests

雖然也有例外，但大宗的證據均顯示

the healthiest diet is one that minimizes the intake of meat, eggs, dairy, and processed

最健康的飲食，是將肉蛋奶和加工食品的攝取量降到最低

junk, and maximizes the intake of fruits, vegetables, beans (split peas, chickpeas and

並大量攝取蔬菜、水果、豆類 (豌豆、鷹嘴豆和小扁豆)

lentils), whole grains, nuts and seeds, mushrooms, herbs and spices.

全穀類、堅果、籽類、菇類、藥草、香料類

Basically, real food that grows out of the ground.

基本上，就是一些從土裡長出來的真食物

Those are our healthiest choices.

這些都是最健康的選擇

Some foods, though, have particular medicinal qualities and so I then center my recommendations

有些食物具有某種藥用價值，所以後來我就將我每天都會盡量攝足的食物

around a Daily Dozen checklist of all the things I try to fit into my daily routine.

集中在《每日一打》清單中，作為飲食建議

So for example, I recommend a quarter teaspoon of the spice turmeric a day, a tablespoon

例如，我建議每天攝取 1/4 茶匙薑黃粉

of ground flax seeds, berries every day, greens every day,

1 湯匙牙麻籽粉、莓果和蔬菜

I talk about the healthiest beverages, the healthiest sweeteners, how much exercise to get.

我會分享最健康的飲品和甜味劑，還有要做多少運動

The whole Daily Dozen list with recommended serving sizes is available as free apps for

整個《每日一打》清單 (含建議攝取量) 就像免費的 App 一樣

both Android and iPhone, just search for Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen.

都能從 Android 和 iPhone 手機下載，只須搜尋 Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen.

There is only one diet that's ever been proven to reverse heart disease in the majority

史上只有一種飲食被證實能夠逆轉大多數的心臟疾病

of patients, this plant-based diet.

即為「植物性飲食」

If that's all a plant-based diet could do—reverse the #1 killer of men and women,

既然植物性飲食能逆轉男女性的頭號殺手

then shouldn't that be the default diet until proven otherwise?

何不讓它成為人類的標準飲食，直到被反證為止？

And the fact that it can also be effective in treating, arresting, and reversing other

而且植物性飲食還能有效治療、抑制和逆轉其他常見死因

leading killers like high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, would seem to make the case

像是高血壓、第二型糖尿病，有關植物性飲食的功效

for plant-based eating simply overwhelming.

簡直鋪天蓋地

Most deaths in the United States are preventable and related to nutrition.

美國所發生的死亡，大都能預防，且都與營養有關

According to the most rigorous analysis of risk factors ever published—the Global Burden

根據一份有史以來最嚴格的危險因子分析—

of Disease study funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,

由《比爾與美琳達·蓋茲基金會》贊助的《全球疾病負擔研究》

the #1 cause of death in the United States is our diet.

美國人的頭號殺手，就是「飲食」

The #1 cause of disability is our diet, which has now bumped tobacco smoking to #2.

飲食不當是導致殘疾的主因，已把菸害擠到第二名了

Smoking now only kills about a half million Americans every year, whereas diet kills hundreds of thousands more.

現在美國人每年僅 50 萬人死於菸害，死於飲食不當的人則更多

So obviously, nutrition is the #1 thing taught in medical school, right?

所以醫學院最重要的科目，肯定是營養學，對吧？

The #1 thing your doctor talks to you about at every visit, right?

你每次去看醫生，他都先跟你討論營養問題，對吧？

How could there be such a disconnect between the science, and the practice of medicine.

科學和臨床醫學之間，怎會出現如此嚴重的斷層？

Doctors, have a severe nutrition deficiency—in education.

看來醫生常患有嚴重的知識方面的「營養缺乏症」

Most doctors are just never taught about the impact healthy nutrition can have on the course of

大多數醫生都沒學過「良好的營養對疾病的助益」

illness and so they graduate without this powerful tool in their medical toolbox.

於是他們畢業後，工具箱裡自然少了這項威力強大的醫療工具

There are also institutional barriers, such as time constraints and lack of reimbursement.

這與制度上的障礙也有關係，如時間的不足和補貼的不足

In general, doctors aren't paid for counseling people on how to take care of themselves.

一般而言，輔導病患如何自我照顧，醫生是沒錢拿的

Of course the drug companies also play a role in influencing medical education and practice.

當然，藥商在醫學教育和實務上，也扮演著具影響力的角色

Ask your doctor when's the last time they were taken out to dinner by Big Broccoli.

問問你的醫生，上次青花菜大廠請他吃飯是什麼時候？

It's probably been awhile.

恐怕有好一陣子啦

It's like smoking in the 50s.

這就像在 50 年代吸菸一樣

We already had decades of science linking smoking with lung cancer, but it was largely ignored

即便已有幾十年的科學研究指出吸菸和肺癌間的關係，但它卻被嚴重忽略

because smoking was normal.

因為當時吸菸很正常

Most doctors smoked.

大部分的醫生都有吸

The average per capita cigarette consumption was 4,000 cigarettes a year,

平均每人每年吸四千根菸

meaning the average American smoked a half pack a day.

表示美國人平均每人每天吸半包

The American Medical Association was reassuring everyone that smoking—in moderation—was just fine.

《美國醫學會》也向大眾確保，吸菸只要適量，就萬事 OK 啦！

There was this same disconnect between the science, and public policy.

這種科學與公共政策間的不同調現象，並非新鮮事

It took more than 25 years and 7,000 studies before the first Surgeon General report against

耗時超過 25 年，做了超過七千份研究之後，美國《衛生總署報告》才於 60 年代

smoking came out in the 60's.

首度公告菸害的影響

You'd think maybe after the first 6,000 studies they could have given people a heads up or something?

你可能會以為他們在完成前六千份研究時，多少會給民眾一些相關警訊…

It was a powerful industry.

唉！他們可是實力雄厚的產業呀！

And today's meat, sugar, dairy, salt, egg, and processed food industries are using the same tobacco industry tactics

而如今肉、糖、乳製品、鹽、雞蛋、食品加工等行業的手法就和當初的製菸公司一樣

to try to twist the science and confuse the public.

試圖扭曲科學、混淆視聽

Until the system changes, we have to take personal responsibility for our own health, for our family's health.

在該體系得到改變之前，我們必須先為自己和家人的健康負起個人責任

We can't wait until society catches up to the science again, because it's a matter of life and death.

不能再次等到社會趕上科學的腳步才動身，因為… 人命關天呀！