In this episode of NOTeD, I had the pleasure of interviewing renowned lifestyle medicine and nutrition specialist Dr. Neal Barnard.

In our discussion, we analyze his team’s recently published, peer-reviewed study of two healthy diets for weight loss and cholesterol control: Mediterranean Diet versus Vegan Diet. We also get to some great bottom line, actionable, information for our own lives (hint: minimally-refined and processed, plant-based low-fat foods are phenomenal for weight loss with minimal hunger).

Beyond that, Dr. Barnard allowed us to delve into what makes him tick related to his passion for plant based foods as medicine to prevent and reverse disease with context of his background history and upbringing, along with an indelible learning moment he experienced during an autopsy from his medical school days. Dr. Barnard shares a compelling, epiphanic moment immediately after that experience, and tells us how it shaped his devotion to not only the health of humans, but for the animals with which we share the planet, and the planet itself.

Viewers also receive a little surprise regarding something Dr. Barnard and I share in common outside of medicine, and his thoughts on Sir Paul McCartney’s journey to vegetarianism (which may be a bit of a clue to the “surprise”).

This is a compelling conversation, so by all means click play now and enjoy our video interview!