EcoLiving Ideas

By Dede Tabak on Sep 5, 2012

0 reviews |

| Login to Comment |

Rosie O’Donnell may be known for her role as Meg Ryan’s friend in “Sleepless in Seattle,” but now Rosie has a new role in “Meatless in NYC!” O’Donnell revealed that she had a heart attack on her blog on August 20, “it's a semi-sunny Monday/the light/bouncing off the flat Hudson/mish is sitting next to me/i am happy to be alive/last week i had a heart attack,” she writes. As a result, she has taken a more serious look into her own health, and decided to become a vegan.

During her heart attack, O'Donnell experienced symptoms, but did not call 911. Instead, she researched “women’s heart attach symptoms” online and took some aspirin. “i took some bayer aspirin/thank god/saved by a tv commercial/literally,” she says on her blog. Her cardiologist later determined that O'Donnell's left anterior descending artery (LAD) was 99 percent blocked. O’Donnell’s heart attack was a wake up call to change her lifestyle. She revealed to Dr. Oz, when he was a guest on her now canceled talk show, that she has struggled with her weight for a while, would secretly overeat and not exercise.

Now, she is making big changes for her health. According to her blog, "this crazy summer/has taken me into uncharted territory/into mornings that begin at 7/long walks and vegetables.” Rosie has adopted a plant-based diet, following the path of Bill Clinton who became vegan after his heart attack last summer and other celebrities wanting to make a healthy change.

Rosie was inspired by the documentary, “Forks over Knives,” a film that examines the claim that a plant-based diet can reverse heart and other diseases. It follows Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn through his past research, which led him to this discovery, and his patients, some of whom were told by doctors that they would die and who are now living proof that a vegan diet saves lives. Rosie said that she is seeking Dr. Esselsytn’s advice, author of the book “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease”, for treatment and reversal of her health issues.

Something Rosie may not know is that a plant-based diet will make not only her healthier, but the planet as well. The meat industry produces the majority of our carbon emissions and drains a lot of the Earth’s resources. This eco-friendly lifestyle doesn’t have to be so extreme to benefit the planet either. Even if you followed Paul McCartney’s Meatless Mondays, you can decrease your carbon footprint, reduce health risks and potentially prevent a situation like Rosie’s