ADVENTHEALTH NEWS
AdventHealth Produces PlantWise Documentary
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he grew up in the country living a vegetarian lifestyle and only rarely eating meat. As a substitute, she ate a lot of cheese, eggs and processed foods. Shortly after getting married, however, she started having health issues that eventually escalated with her first pregnancy. “At the 27-week mark in the pregnancy, the doctor ordered a glucose tolerance test. I failed the test quite significantly,” said Karene Bejarano, a registered nurse who works for a west coast hospital. “They told me I had gestational diabetes and I was going to have to see an endocrinologist and do food counseling. They said, ‘But don't worry; it will go away. You’ll just have to be careful. If you exercise and keep yourself healthy, you’ll be just fine.’” But after giving birth, Bejarano experienced terrible muscle weakness, intermittent blurred vision and high blood sugar levels, leading to a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes. “It was very disheartening, and I went through a lot of denial,” she said. “I was truly grieving a loss. I was losing my health, which is part of what all of us have the right to enjoy
also the author of Eat Plants, Feel Whole, a health transformation book. Bejarano recalled how adopting this healthy eating approach made her feel so much more alive. “I thought I was free, but I didn’t really understand what freedom was Courtesy AdventHealth until I changed my lifestyle,” in life.” she said. “You have more Eat plants, feel whole Bejarano is one of six energy, you’re more vibrant individuals who share their Nearly half of all Americans and you’re happier. When you health transformation stories suffer from at least one chronic really decide you’re going to in the recently released film disease, which is responsible change your lifestyle and you PlantWise. In the documenfor 1.7 million deaths every stand firm with that decision, tary, the six showcase their year, according to a study it radically changes your life struggles with debilitating published in the International for the better, and you’ll never health conditions often caused Journal of Environmental want to go back.” by poor lifestyle choices. Research and Public Health. The film PlantWise stems The turning point for each of National lifestyle medicine from AdventHealth’s desire to them is the decision to change experts believe that exposing explore using documentary what they put on their plate the results of unhealthy food films in inpatient and outpaby embracing a whole-food, choices and revealing the tient settings as a catalyst to plant-based diet. For Bejarano, benefits of a whole-food, plant- inspire patients to make lifewhile she couldn’t completely based lifestyle could signifistyle changes. It is a powerful eliminate her medication for cantly help to slow this trend. motivational tool that can give Type 1 diabetes (an irreversible “A plant-based diet is the viewers a new vision and fresh condition), her improved lifebest diet available for humans. hope for their condition, and style allowed her to lower the When minimally processed help them experience vibrant amount she needed to take. plant food is consumed, it can wellness through embracing a “When I made the switch be incredibly health-promothealthy lifestyle. to a whole-food, plant-based ing and even therapeutic, to PlantWise is a 48-minute lifestyle, I started experiencthe point of reversing disease,” film with subtitles available ing significant changes rather noted George Guthrie, MD, in 18 languages. Sponsored quickly,” Bejarano recounted. MPH, a lifestyle medicine phy- by AdventHealth, Ardmore “Within six months, I had lost sician at AdventHealth who is Institute of Health, American College of Lifestyle Medicine and EatingYouAlive.org, the film features 18 leading lifestyle medicine experts from 14 specialties and disciplines. 40 pounds. My doctor said my blood pressure was quite low and that they were going to take me off my blood pressure medication. My cholesterol was dropping too, so he said I wouldn’t need my cholesterol medication anymore. In fact, I was able to get off the majority of my medications.”
View the film and additional resources for free at plantwisefilm.com.
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