#326: Lauren Bernick - Told She'd Have a Heart Attack Soon. She Wasn't Having It.
Lauren Bernick teaches you to ACE your plant-based diet
In this inspiring episode, Rip sits down with Lauren Bernick, host of the podcast, Age Like a Badass Mother and creator of WellElephant.com.
At age 46, Lauren was blindsided by a diagnosis of advanced heart disease, despite believing she was eating a “healthy” diet. Faced with the prospect of lifelong statins and the threat of a heart attack, she took matters into her own hands—turning to Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease approach.
Now, more than a decade later, Lauren shares how she not only transformed her health but also found freedom, joy, and energy in a whole food, plant-based lifestyle. From ditching daily headaches, and navigating family dynamics to going out with friends, Lauren’s story is equal parts practical and uplifting.
Key Takeaways:
Early diagnosis doesn’t define your future: At 46, Lauren’s calcium CT scan revealed her arteries were 75% worse than women her age. Doctors predicted a heart attack within 5–10 years.
Statins weren’t her only option: Instead of accepting lifelong medication, she turned to the Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease protocol—going all-in on a no-oil, whole food, plant-based diet.
Remarkable results: Lauren dropped 20 pounds (and kept it off—even through perimenopause), lowered her cholesterol by 80 points, changed her blood platelet profile, and eliminated daily headaches.
Food freedom: After years of diet confusion, plant-based eating finally gave her clarity, confidence, and energy.
Family & support: While her husband and kids don’t fully eat this way, their support has been crucial to her success. She shares tips for dining out, traveling, and staying consistent without making it a burden on others.
Simplicity works: Oats for breakfast, big salads, and hearty bowls with grains, legumes, greens, and flavorful sauces form the backbone of her diet.
Joy in aging well: Lauren discusses comedy, creativity, and the freedom of this new life stage—proving that health transformation is about so much more than numbers.
Episode Resources
Watch the Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wpJkNgxGgok
Learn more about Lauren’s Coaching: https://wellelephant.com/
Listen to Age Like a Badass Mother podcast: https://www.agelikeabadassmother.com/
We hope to see YOU at one of our 2026 Live Events! https://plantstrong.com/pages/events
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Episode Transcript via AI Transcription Service
I'm Rip Esselstyn, and you're listening to the PLANTSTRONG Podcast.
[0:04] At the relatively pediatric age of 46, Lauren Bernick was blindsided with a diagnosis of heart disease and was told that a heart attack was inevitable. Now, instead of accepting this fate, she transformed her life with a whole food, plant-based lifestyle. Right on, Lauren. More than a decade later, she is thriving, and you're going to hear about her story right after these words from PLANTSTRONG.
[0:39] Hey, my cruciferous cousins, Rip here, and I want to personally invite you to join me and the whole PLANTSTRONG crew for an incredible lineup of events in 2026. So grab a pen, grab some paper, and jot down some notes if any of these kind of catch your fancy. So we're kicking things off in April with our PLANTSTRONG Retreat in Black Mountain, North Carolina. It's a full immersion experience in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. It is filled with education, movement, and delicious unlimited plant-based food. And you will be there with about 80 plus other participants. Then in June, we'll be launching something brand spanking new. This is our Vital Signs 2026.
[1:34] Real food, real medicine, real change. This is a groundbreaking Food is Medicine conference hosted at Case Western Reserve University right in my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. This is also where my father, Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., better known as Essy, went to medical school. But this event will be bringing together healthcare providers and the public to learn the latest and greatest science behind how real food can heal. And then this fall, the big one, this will be our 15th annual Plant-Stock. It'll be returning in person to Black Mountain for a weekend celebration like no other. Details are still cooking on this one, but be sure to mark your calendars. Then we're going to close out the year with our Sedona retreat set against the breathtaking Red Rocks of Arizona as September rolls into October.
[2:33] Here's the thing, It is so important for all of us to find community, to surround ourselves with people who lift us up, share our values, and are walking the same path towards better health. That's what these events are all about. That connection, education.
[2:52] Endless buffets of whole plant-strong foods. So come play pickleball with me, share a meal, and make the time to invest in your health. in 2026. You deserve it. So visit liveplanstrong.com, click on events for all the details,
Lauren's Heart Disease Diagnosis
[3:13] and I hope to see you at one or more in 2026. My guest today has one heck of an inspiring comeback story. At just 46 years old, Lauren Bernick was blindsided with a diagnosis of advanced heart disease. In fact, her doctors told her that her arteries were 75% worse than most women her age and that a heart attack was looming within five to 10 years. But instead of accepting that fate, Lauren rolled up her sleeves, grabbed a copy of my dad's book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, and went all in on a no-added-oil, whole food, plant-based lifestyle. The transformation has been absolutely remarkable.
[4:02] She's down 20 pounds. She's lowered her cholesterol by 80 points, eliminated daily headaches, and gained a whole new lease on life. Now, more than a decade later, Lauren is thriving. She's the voice behind the podcast Age Like a Badass Mother and the creator of WellElephant.com, where she inspires others to take control of their health.
[4:29] In our conversation today, she opens up about her journey, her favorite go-to meals, how she navigates family and social situations, and why this way of living has given her more joy and freedom than she ever imagined. All right. Lauren Bernick, I want to welcome you to the Plant Strong Podcast. How is life in Austin for you today? Today is great. It's actually gorgeous, cooling off. I mean, we're lucky to live in Austin. You know that.
[5:04] To the best of my knowledge, we've never crossed paths in Austin. Am I correct there incorrect um i mean if i should lie and say you're you're right rip but um i've actually um harassed you and your wife on the street before and i probably shouldn't even tell this because i'm just gonna embarrass myself but um i actually ran into you um and your wife i was with my husband and two out of my three kids. It was on Father's Day years ago. And I was so excited to see an Esselstyn in the wild that I freaked out. And I was like, oh my God. Because I'm just such a fan of your families. And you and your wife could not have been nicer. This was outside of Alamo Drafthouse movie theater. And then you guys walked, we talked, you walked away. And I looked over at my family and they all had their hands covering their eyes, shaking their heads. And I was like, what? And they were like, oh God, that was so embarrassing. You are so embarrassing, mom. You just fangirled all over them. And I was like, oh, sorry.
[6:20] So yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Well, listen, it's a treat to have you on the podcast. And, First of all, you have a podcast yourself called Age Like a Badass Mother. You also have a website, WellElephant.com. If I could just dive into those two things first. So WellElephant.com. Tell me about that name, WellElephant.com. I like it. Thank you. Um, so I named the, the website Well Elephant because elephants are strong, beautiful herbivores supported by their community and you are too. And so I just have all kinds of, um, plant-based recipes. I have an online class where people can learn how to ACE plant-based eating and, uh, ACE is an acronym. A stands for amend the recipe. C is cook without oil. And E is eat on the go. Just so that they can kind of master those things. All important things.
[7:33] And then the podcast is just, you know, I have a lot of plant-based luminaries on there, like same people you have on, Dr. Greger, Dr. Fuhrman, Dr. Klaper. I've had Jane and Ann Esselstyn on. Oh, my. I know. And they were fabulous. And, you know, and then I've had rock stars like Nancy Wilson from Heart and Lisa Loeb. And I've had your friend John Mackey on. And, yeah, so I have all kinds of people. on just talking about the different ways of aging well. And how long have you had the podcast?
[8:10] About a year and a half. Uh-huh. Yeah. A lot of work. It's a lot of work. But yeah, I always tell people, like if they're like, oh, I'm thinking about starting a podcast. I'm like, yeah, it's a lot of work. I mean, you have to really want to do it just for the work and the joy of talking to people. And anything else that comes after that is icing. Yeah. Well, good for you. So, I, I don't really know your story other than kind of superficially. So this will be my first time kind of diving in with you. And I think what's, you know, extraordinarily remarkable is that you got diagnosed with heart disease, right? At the tender age of what? 46. 46. 10 years ago. Well, I'm 47 now. So yeah, 10 and a half years. I mean, I'm 57 now. Yeah. So like 10 and a half years ago, I was diagnosed with heart disease, very serious heart disease. And do you want me to just tell the story or? Well, yes, yes. But, but I, but I want to make this conversational as well. Yeah. I have to relinquish control over here. It's hard when you have your own podcast. So go ahead, ask the question. Exactly. Yeah. Well, I want to know. So we got diagnosed with heart disease at 46-ish.
[9:38] What led up to that? I mean, were you feeling funny? Did you have angina? Were you having shortness of breath? What were the, if there were, any telltale signs? Well, that's a good question because honestly, I thought I was healthy. And I had my juice every morning, my green juice or my smoothie. And I ate mostly kind of junky vegetarian looking back on it now, but I thought I was eating healthy. Once in a while, I'd eat chicken, but I ate fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy and egg whites and avocado and olive oil. So I thought I was eating healthy.
[10:20] I went to my OBGYN just for my yearly well woman. That was the only doctor I ever saw. And she was like, your cholesterol is just so high. It was over 300. And it's always been high. Like I remember in college, it was 330. And so she said, I want you to get a calcium CT score. Let's see if you have heart disease. And I was like, okay, yeah, this is silly, but I'll do it. Yeah, my cholesterol, even though I've tried to eat healthy, doesn't seem to want to go down. And when I got my calcium CT score, which I'm sure your listeners know, measures the amount of calcification in your arteries. My arteries were 75% worse than every other woman my age. I think my score was like 140, 150, something like that. And so she's like, wow, you really need to go see a cardiologist. So I did. And he was like, yeah, you have some nice blockages there in two of your arteries. So you have coronary artery disease. Well, did he say, did he tell you like what were the size of the blockages?
[11:31] You know, I don't have like a percentage, but he said, if you continue on this way, you will likely have a heart attack in the next five to 10 years. He's like, I just think that you're headed for a heart attack. And I was shocked. Yeah. Well, it sounds to me like with a cholesterol in the 300s, especially when you were younger, It sounds like you have something. Did they diagnose you as having familial hypercholesterolemia? Yes. And I have the high LP little a. And even though I've been doing this diet religiously for the last 10 and a half years, I still have high LP little a. And my cholesterol is not in the range that your dad always suggests, 150. I mean, my cholesterol goes somewhere between You know, 210 to 230, my LPA is still kind of high. But as Dr. Clapper has told me and Dr. Furman, they're like, you know, this is all cholesterol that your body is making. It's not coming from cheese or oil or chicken or whatever. So for whatever reason, my body wants to make a lot of cholesterol.
[12:49] But I have had some extensive testing showing that, you know, the Cleveland Heart Lab panel showing that I don't have any blockages in my carotid arteries. My echo stress cardiogram was perfect.
[13:04] I don't show any signs of inflammation, disease presence or disease activity at this point. Right.
[13:12] So after all this testing and, you know, your cardiologist telling you that, you know, if you continue doing what you're doing, you'll have a heart attack in five years. What was your next step?
[13:27] Well, and then he said, you have to take a statin. And I just started crying. And I was like, I don't want to be on a statin for the rest of my life. And I said, what can I do to reverse this? And he was like, reverse this? And he was like, what? No, I've never seen anybody reverse heart disease.
[13:42] And he was telling me, you know, you need to eat like chicken and fish and low fat dairy and fruits and vegetables and avocado and olive oil. And I was like, that's exactly what I eat. You just named exactly what I eat. So how can that be the correct diet? I just knew in my heart, like, that's not right. That cannot be possible. And so he said, I'm going to call in the statin.
[14:06] And I knew enough from my real job. At that point, I had worked in the adjacent to the pharmaceutical industry for 25 years. I was the director of advertising for a scientific journal that went to compounding pharmacists. So I read their chat boards every day. These compounding pharmacists would talk back and forth. And I knew that they thought statins were the most over prescribed medication. And so I just knew that this was not the right path for me. And he had nothing else to offer me. I cried in his office. I went home. I talked to my dad that night. And he said, well, my cardiologist, he lives in Florida, my cardiologist told me to do the prevent and reverse heart disease by Dr. Esselstyn. And I was like, okay. So I ordered that and I ordered the cookbook by Jane and Ann Esselstyn that came, you know, the corresponding cookbook. And honestly, I read your dad's book cover to cover that night. Did it make sense? Oh, totally. I was like, this is what I, you know, was looking for.
Embracing a Plant-Based Lifestyle
[15:12] And then the next day I got up, I ate oatmeal and I just every day cooked something out of that cookbook until I figured out what I was doing. And what happened to you over the next, let's just say, six months to a year?
[15:27] Six months to a year. So my cholesterol dropped. At first, it dropped 100 points, but it snuck back up to about 80 steadily. I lost 20 pounds, which was crazy because I battled that 20 pounds my whole entire life since I was a child. And it just easily came off. And I have kept it off all these years. Well, hold on. Let me ask you this. So You've kept it off all these years, even during perimenopause and menopause? Yep. Okay. So you hear from women in particular that it's almost impossible to lose weight during that stage. Okay. This is going to be hard to believe. And I am just now going through menopause. I mean, I'm barely just starting to go through menopause at 57 years old. And perimenopause has been such a breeze for me. I talked with your sister about this on the podcast. We think it has a lot to do with, you know, the way we're eating. But yes, I have not gained one pound during this whole journey of perimenopause and now barely menopause. So yeah, no, I haven't had any problems with that. All right. Good for you. But like I said, hopefully it'll stick. Okay. So you lost 20 pounds. Cholesterol came down 180 points. 80 points, I would say. Yeah. What else?
[16:55] Changed the size and shape of my blood platelets. They used to be hard and small, and now they're big and round and fluffy. And that was all I knew at that point. But I felt great. I had a lot of energy. Luckily, I never really felt badly before my diagnosis. I might have had angina. I'm not sure. I remember being in yoga several times, and I'd do several poses and I'd be like, this is making my chest hurt. But it could have been angina. But oddly enough, ever since I started the Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease diet, I never had those wonky feelings in yoga anymore. My chest never hurt again after that. So I just felt really good and just energized. Yeah. Did you find this transition from the way you were eating, which sounds almost like kind of Mediterranean style, to a whole food, plant-based, no added oil diet, did you find it to be difficult or challenging?
[18:01] You know, that's a good question because for me, it felt like a relief, a relief in that I finally knew what to eat because in my life, I mean, my mother had me on the Atkins diet as a child. You know, she'd be frying up a hamburger in the kitchen for my breakfast with no bun. And, you know, I had a Waywatchers membership by the time I was 12. And so for me, it came as a big relief. Was it difficult to get started and to stick with it? A little bit.
[18:42] But like I said, this is my advice to anybody. And I think you've probably said the same thing. Dive in. Do not dabble. Do not dip your toe in the water because you need a chance to let your palate change, to make adjustments to your new habits, to your new lifestyle. But once you do that, it's remarkable, the differences.
Navigating Social Situations
[19:08] And it's not easy sometimes, but it's just completely worth it. I think it used to be really hard and scary for me to leave the house. It was fine when I was at home. But if I had to go out to eat or if I was going to be gone all day running errands, I mean, I had like a cooler in the car because I didn't know where I could eat and that kind of thing. What kind of support have you had from family and friends?
[19:36] I think my family was very supportive, my kids and my husband. My youngest wanted to eat the way I was eating. I think my youngest was like 15 at the time. I think that was my only child still living at home. Or maybe my girls were even around in high school or college at that point. But they were all supportive. They wanted me to be healthy. They were very scared that I had this diagnosis. And my husband was very supportive. He does not eat this way. He's changed his diet tremendously. We don't have any meat in the house anymore, but he'll still have eggs occasionally. He definitely has dairy, but he's super supportive. Like when we go on a vacation, he spends so much time researching where he thinks I can eat. So he's been incredibly supportive in that way. That's wonderful. I would imagine though that you have a hard time tell me if this is the case. Smelling eggs in the kitchen and cheese. I just, I find it all to be very, very...
[20:44] Unpleasant. I do too. I really do. And I, it makes me sick, to be honest. Especially, I feel like once you stop eating these things, it really allows you to look at the cruelty of it all. And we talk a lot about that. And so he's, you know, he does. I don't know why he won't just make the leap and eat the way I eat. I mean, I cook constantly. All he has to do is open up his mouth, you know, it'd be so easy for him. But he's, you know, he likes pizza and he doesn't want to give it up. And I think he hasn't had any bad diagnosis. You know, he still runs and he's kind of fit. And so I think luckily his health is good. I think, God forbid, anything ever went wrong. He would be doing this. So yeah, I don't like it though. Yeah. And what's his first name? Andy. Andy. And you have, you guys have been like sweethearts since the age of 15. Is that right?
[21:53] Yeah, I was 15. He was 20. We didn't get together then. Let me just say that before people start calling the police. He was my boss at my first job. And so it took a little while. What job was that? It was at the Houston Post newspaper. This was like a – he ran a telemarketing room full of teenage kids. I was one of the teenage kids, and he was the boss of people just calling up, trying to sell subscriptions for the newspaper. I mean, that's how prehistoric this job was. But, yeah, actually, we just – I just had him on my podcast very reluctantly. We just had our 35th wedding anniversary. Oh, wow. And I know, and I made him come on the podcast and talk about like, why he thinks we've been able to stay together. And it's really funny. We talk about like, I moved into his apartment one day while he was at work. And I just wasn't having any of this no for an answer from him. I loved him from the second I met him. Wow. What were some of the qualities about him that you love so much?
[22:56] Well, that's a good question. He is just so, well, first of all, he was good and is good looking. He has big blue eyes, dimples, beautiful hands. That's what first caught my eye. But he's just so steady. I love the way he talks to people. He just is such a good partner and father. He just considers us in every way. Like I never have to worry that he's making some dumb decision or doing stupid things. You know, he's just a good partner. He shows up for me in every way. I just know what it feels like to be loved wholly and completely. And, you know, he's a good partner. So it sounds like Paul Newman with a great, you know, steady attitude. That's good. Look, I'm not saying – look, we just were bickering before I got on because he's like, where am I, Glass? He loses stuff constantly. We have like 47 pairs of these same reading glasses that we share, and they're just all through the house. And he's like, those are mine. And I was like, no, they're mine because they're on my desk, so I know where they are. Get out of my office. I will help you find yours. I mean, we bicker constantly, but I think that's like a little steam release valve so that nothing builds up. Yeah. Well, I think that we all love to hear about relationships at work, right?
[24:24] Unfortunately, they seem to be a little few and far between. And so when you see one that really kind of hums along and…, Uh, there's mutual respect and admiration. Um, it's, it's a beautiful thing to see. So congratulations on that. Thank you. And you have that in your family, be like, as far as I can say, I mean, your parents, my God, what a, what a bunch of role models. And then just seems like you and your siblings all have it figured out too. Yeah. Well, thank you. Thank you very much. So, um, let's get back to you in that first kind of first six months to a year.
Favorite Meals and Cooking Style
[25:02] What is you what were some of your go-to meals like for people at home what were you what were you cooking for breakfast lunch and dinner did you have much variety or did you keep it simple.
[25:15] I think at the beginning, I actually had more variety. Like I said, I was cooking out of your sister and your mother's cookbook, the Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook, just to get an idea of what I liked. But I would keep my breakfast the same. Every morning I had, you know, oats with plant milk and flax seeds and berries.
[25:36] I would keep that the same so that I wouldn't have to wake up and start thinking about it. But I was really experimenting with all kinds of salads and, you know, the open face sandwiches and chilies and pasta and lasagnas and all kinds of things. And I was like, wow, this is amazing. And I really started to enjoy cooking more and seeing it. I have always been like a decent, you know, a good cook, but it really opened my eyes to all the things that you could make this way just out of, you know, legumes and whole grains and vegetables and fruit and some seeds. It was incredible. But as I've been going on, and especially now that we have more of like an empty nest house situation and my husband makes his own meals, I really have solidified it to, you know, I still eat my oatmeal yesterday. For the first time, made your mom savory oats. I don't know why I've been resistant to that. But what'd you think? I loved it. I put a ton of sriracha in it. It was delicious. I was like, this is going to be it. Did you happen to see the Instagram post about that?
[26:48] Yes, I did. That's why I was like, I'm going to get the recipe. They have a version of it in their first cookbook, but I also have their plant-based woman warrior cookbook. So I cooked it out of that. It was fantastic. Yeah. I was at home a couple of weeks ago and just decided to film her making her breakfast. And then we posted it probably two weeks ago, and it's got over 1.5 million views. People are going crazy for it. So yesterday we posted the finished version of it, her eating it, and then also the recipe for people that want the recipe. So it's funny to hear you say you made it yesterday. Yes, I guess that's probably, you know, subconsciously what made me decide to finally try it. And it was really good. So I did that I eat a big salad every day. And I eat what I call home base, my main meal, some version of, it's a bowl, really, just, you know, a legume, a whole grain, green leafy vegetables, some other kind of vegetables, maybe some tempeh or tofu. And I make some kind of sauce to put on it. And, you know, I kind of keep it simple now. But at the beginning, I was really experimenting and enjoying it. Yeah. You know, the simplicity, the longer you do it, I find the the simple way allows you to kind of do this for the long haul and, and you've, I, I could eat, you know.
[28:16] My same cereal every day. And I will until I die and not get sick of it. I love it. Yeah. Absolutely love it. I love it. Yeah, I do too. And I love Rip's Big Bowl. I will say that. I've eaten my share of that. So that's a good one too. Yeah. When you have a salad, is there a typical, I mean, is there a type of greens that you like to use? Do you use romaine, spinach, curly kale? Yeah, I use a combination of, I like red leaf lettuce or green leaf lettuce or romaine. And then I also put a bunch of kale in there. Sometimes I put some arugula in there. And I always have a bag of like a shredded cabbage mix, like a coleslaw mix.
[29:06] And I always put a bunch of shredded cabbage in there. And then I'll decide what kind of salad am I going to make this? Is it going to be more Mexican? Is it going to be more Asian-inspired or whatever? Just so then I kind of decide what the other vegetables will be going in there. But yeah, that's generally my base, the kale and all the lettuces and cabbage. Yeah. My latest jam these days is arugula. I find I just love the... Love the bitterness of it. I love the mouthfeel of it. Love the little leaves. It's good. What do you usually do on your salads for a dressing or do you not use a dressing? Oh, no, I use a dressing. You know, for a while, I get on a kick. I mean, it sounds like you do too, like where you like to eat the same thing for a while, but I'll get on a kick with a dressing. And for a while, actually, I was using one out of, I think it was out of PLANTSTRONG. And it was the one, And it has like Worcestershire and nutritional yeast. Oh, yeah. That's what I'm talking about. That one's good. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. I love that one. That's one of my favorite ones ever. Yeah. And yeah, now I'm on a kick where I'm using like an Asian dressing.
[30:19] It's more like Japanese style and has like rice vinegar and has like maple syrup and liquid amino. And it's really good. And I put some oil-free hummus in there and just mix it up. It's really good. Sometimes I just do like an oil-free hummus and I just squeeze a ton of lemon or lime or orange in it, some kind of citrus, and just whisk it up and put it all over my salad if I'm not being too fussy. Now, do you usually make your own hummus or do you buy a store-bought one? I've lately just been buying store-bought because they have the Kava brand. Oh, Kava.
[31:02] The original one doesn't have oil in it. The flavored ones, and they have it at our Whole Foods here in Austin. But sometimes if they're out of it, once in a while I'll make a hummus,
Support from Family and Friends
[31:12] but it's just like one more thing that I have to cook. And so I generally don't, but I should. You seem like you're very outgoing, gregarious. Yeah.
[31:26] An extrovert. What have your friends thought of you in this transition? Sounds like Andy was great, right? How about your friends? I think my friends were really supportive too. I mean, I hear that people getting, like I listened to your podcast with you and Carrie about, you know, what do you do when your people aren't supportive? And yeah, I've had people over the years question it and give me pushback. But for the most part, honestly, my friends have been supportive. Now, let me also say, I try very hard not to make myself a big pain in the butt. If I'm going to book club or I'm going out with a group of friends or whatever, I never say to them, we can't go there. I can't eat. We can't do this. I can't. I never, whatever we're doing, I take care of myself, whether that's sneaking in my salad dressing in a leak-proof container and some tofu so I know that I could bulk up a salad in a restaurant where I am not sure I can eat.
[32:32] Yeah, I'm the queen of sneaking in food. That's what I do at the slaughterhouse. the uh slaughterhouse no the the movie theater that we met oh at alamo draft house alamo draft, slaughterhouse do you sneak in your pot golly do you sneak in your popcorn oh no no no i don't do popcorn but but i i will do like you just said i will do like sliced up tofu and a dressing, and i'll just get you know they have some decent salads there but i'd like to your point i want to like bulk it up, Bulk it up. Exactly. You don't want to feel like you just ate some lettuce with some lemon. Then I'm going to be mad. If I'm eating lettuce and lemon, I'm going to be cranky. Yeah, especially for $14.99. No, thank you.
[33:22] Exactly. And so, and or if I'm going to like to book club or to a party or what, I bring my stuff. If I'm going to like book club, I say, what are you making? So I can make something that's like it. And I bring something similar so I don't feel left out. So I think that's why my friends have I've been fine and on board is because I don't make myself a pain in their rear. I just take care of myself. Well, I would imagine too, you know, when you got diagnosed with the calcification and plaque in your arteries, if they're really good friends, they would have been very supportive of you trying to do everything you could to prevent and reverse a heart attack. Tell me, are there some places when you do go out to eat that you – like do you have some go-to favorites like Casa De Luz or something? Oh, yeah. Casa De Luz.
[34:21] Absolutely. We are so lucky to live here in Austin with that great place, which is like a macrobiotic restaurant. Everything is vegan and oil-free in there. And so, yeah, that's my go-to. Honestly, I go out to lunch and I work there. Um, sometimes I go to that ATX food co truck, food truck, um, the peach tortilla on burn. It makes me like, if I make a reservation, it comes up in my reservation notes and they know me and they make something for me. I just eat whatever they make for me. The well. Yeah. There's a lot of places here. Yeah. Yeah. Um, I like it. What? So I did a little exploration on your Instagram yesterday, and I saw that you and your mom, consistently, and for you before this lifestyle, were getting daily headaches. Yes. And it sounds like those kind of went away.
The Impact on Health
[35:24] And I'm wondering, A, how quickly did that transition happen? And B, has your mom followed suit?
[35:33] So, well, my mom passed away last year and I always tried to get her to do this diet. She's had, she had two heart attacks before she died in COPD. She was not healthy. She smoked, you know, the whole thing. And after one of her heart attacks, I went to her house, I cleaned out her fridge. She lived in Houston. So it was a three hour drive. I stocked her, you know, I made her everything, whole food, plant-based, stocked her fridge in her freezer. And she really didn't, just because she lived on the Atkins diet for so long, she just had that mentality of, oh, like I can't eat this potato, but I can eat the sour cream and the butter and the bacon, you know, it was, so she never stuck to it. And, but as far as my headaches going away.
[36:20] The funny thing is, I didn't even realize this. It was such a thing that I lived with for so long that I always carried around a big bottle of Tylenol or ibuprofen in my purse. And I would take it at the first sign of getting a headache, which was almost daily, because if I didn't, it would really bloom into something debilitating. And it took me a while to realize like, oh, I'm not going through Tylenol or ibuprofen anymore. Like I bought this bottle a while ago and then I started thinking about it and I could not remember the last time I had a headache. And so I think it happened... Fairly soon after, I would say within the first few months, but it took me a while to realize it. And now I'll keep like, I have like just one or two stray tablets, you know, floating around in my purse that I've had in there for years are all clunked up. I just change them out every once in a while. But I rarely, I can't even remember the last time I had a headache. Yeah. It's nice to not have headaches. And I don't even know what was causing it from my other diet, you know? Yeah. Well, you probably had some triggers. Who knows? Maybe it was dairy or something like that. Yeah. I bet it was dairy. I don't know.
[37:42] So I have a question for you. And I actually got this question from you. And I want to ask it of you right now. And that is, because I think it's a great question. And that is, what age do you remember being the happiest? Oh, I did ask that on my Instagram.
[38:02] My happiest age, I think I was about 19 or 20. Well, let me just say, I'm very happy right now. I mean, I'm happy at every age. to be honest, and very happy right now. But I just remember being like 19 or 20. And life was so exciting. So like, I had just moved in with Andy. That was probably the most thrilling part of just moving in. Like I said, I moved in while he was at work, moved in, just the newness and the, you know, that beautiful time in your relationship where it's new. And I was in college and that was very stimulating. And I was doing some improv shows and comedy shows and that was really stimulating. And, you know, you just don't know what life is going to bring and it's so stretched out before you. And so I just remember that being a really exciting, lovely time. Yeah. I really love that description. No, that it's life is exciting and it's so stretched out before you. And you can take that one of two ways. Either that can be a really like exciting or it can be a little bit like anxiety producing.
[39:18] And for you, it was the former. That's great. And I kind of feel that way right now at this point in my life. You know, of course, I loved having my kids and all that. Andy would say his favorite time was having the kids. And obviously, that was great. But this is the first time in my life since my early 20s that it's about me and what I want to do again. And, you know, to be a little bit selfish, again, my life is stretched out before me and all the things that are to come. I love it. It is remarkable. how life ebbs and flows. We just, we just sent our first off to college and it feels like we have a hole in our lives. I know. We're trying to figure it out. And it's really. That first one's brutal. Oh, it's been brutal. It's been brutal. It's really hard when the first one goes off. A lot of tears. I know. By the time the third one goes off, you'll feel better.
[40:16] Tell me about so you mentioned improv and you've done some stand-up comedy and I saw, in your bio that you know you made the semifinals of the funniest mom in America with Rosie O'Donnell I mean did you get nervous before that or did you like I mean yeah what's mentally going through your mind when you're trying to make people laugh well yeah and that's something that I know that your producer did too. We used to do standup comedy at the same club. Carrie and I did. You know what? That, that was a time in my life I did, I did a lot of improv when I was younger and then started doing standup when I was about 35 to about 40 years old. And, um.
[41:03] For about the first six months of doing standup, yeah, I was so nervous. I always had like having an out-of-body experience. It was something I always wanted to do my whole life and finally got the nerve up at 35. But yeah, my knees were knocking. My head was like echoing. I didn't even know what I was saying. It was horrible for like six months. But then, you know, it's like anything else. Then you get more confident and you keep doing it. And by the time that contest rolls around, rolled around, that was Nick at Night's Funniest Mom in America. It was Roseanne Barr. Roseanne Barr. Yeah. And actually, no, I wasn't. I mean, you're always a little tiny bit nervous because you're excited. But it wasn't like those first six months. By the time that came around, yeah. Can you remember a line or a joke for us? Oh, man, Rip, you don't want me saying anything. This is my I worked a little as they say blue.
[42:06] No, I think well, let me try and think. Is there anything? Clean. Well, if it comes, if it comes, you're fine. But otherwise, what do you, you have a pet tortoise named Judy. How old is Judy? Is Judy going to live to 200? No, God, please, Judy, don't live to 200. I have it. Yes, not on purpose. But when my youngest was about 10 years old, that's all they wanted for Christmas or Hanukkah was a tortoise. And I kept telling my husband, this is a terrible idea. You know, these things live a long time. Oh, this is all the kid wants. Let's just get them a tortoise. And so we have the tortoise now. Judy is at least 16 years old. My youngest is 25, moved out, forgot to pack their tortoise. And so now we have a tortoise. And he's smaller. And also Judy's a boy.
[43:02] We didn't know he was a boy when we named him and, How can you tell the sex of a turtle? Well, we found out later that the males have concave shells so they can get on top for turtle style. So that's all you wanted to know about that, isn't it? And so, yeah, Judy's a male and he's about 16. And his life expectancy is about 35 to 50 years because he's on the smaller end. He's not like one of those giant land tortoises. That sounds like that could have been good material for your funniest mom. Could have been.
Life Beyond Heart Disease
[43:43] And your dog, is your dog still trying to play ball with Judy? Yes. Daisy. Every day. Every day, Daisy. Oh, my God. She, yeah. Every day, Daisy brings Judy. First of all, she cries when she sees Judy roaming around in the backyard. And Judy will come up to the back door and be like, you know, can I have some bananas, please? And just like begging for food like a dog. And Daisy will start crying. I let her out. She grabs her toys. She drops them in front of Judy. And Judy's like, yeah, Daisy, not going to happen.
[44:22] Does Judy let you like hold him and pet him? Yeah. Oh, yeah. He loves attention. And like if I have people over, he's such a hit. Like he, everybody will pass him around. He's kind of heavy. He's, um, I don't know how much he weighs, but I mean, he's a good size. He's probably, you know, it looks like he weighs eight and a half, maybe eight. Oh, I think he's more than that. I can barely hold him with one arm. I mean, he might be, I got to weigh him. I'll let you know. But anyway, yeah, he's substantial and he lets you pet him on his head and he loves to be fed and he comes when you call him like a dog because he thinks he's getting food so he's great he has ears.
[45:07] I guess so. I mean, that's a good question. You know what? That's a good question. I don't know how he hears. Maybe he's smelling because maybe he feels vibration when we're walking. I don't know. But he knows that we're out in the yard, especially if I'm playing ball with Daisy in the yard. He comes out to see what's going on. hmm lauren as we wrap this up my last question to you is what advice would you give to PLANTSTRONG listeners that have had a shot across the bow with heart disease they are considering, jumping into the lifestyle uh what would you say to them.
[45:58] I would say, you know, give yourself 30 days to really do it and don't cheat. Just, I mean, obviously if you fall off the wagon, get back on. You can always get back at the next meal. Don't beat yourself up. Be easy on yourself. Give yourself a lot of grace, but just do it and make it simple. Have your oatmeal or your ribs big bowl every morning for breakfast. Just have something you like for lunch, like it could be a hummus sandwich with a lot of veggies on it. It could be a taco or a testata with some fat-free refried beans on, you know, just a corn tortilla with piled with a lot of veggies and some salsa and just a salad, a bowl. Just make it easy on yourself, but do it for 30 days.
[46:50] Don't be scared. Just keep going. And that way you can have some results. And I would say that, you know, the thing about not doing it is then the alternative is, okay, you're going to be on a statin, then you're going to be on a blood pressure medicine. It's going to mess up your, you know, your blood sugar, maybe being on a statin, then you're taking metformin. And the list of medications is just going to keep piling up as you age, you're not going to automatically get any healthier unless you take control and do a little something. And don't be afraid to, like I said, to mess up. Just get back on the horse at the next meal. Or maybe I shouldn't say the horse.
[47:32] Get back on the whatever, plastic pony at the next meal. Yeah. Get back on Judy. Judy. Judy the tortoise.
[47:45] It has been really fun meeting you, learning about your journey and how successful you've been and all the great things you're doing now around the lifestyle from your podcast and your website and your free cookbooks that you're offering people. It's great. Way to be. Thank you. Thank you, Rip. Thank you for all you do and all your family does. I mean, I owe my health to all of you, honestly. That's how I feel. Well, our pleasure. And thank you for being such a representative of the lifestyle. All right. Hey, can I get a PLANTSTRONG fist bump on the way out?
[48:30] Lauren is living proof that it is never too late to take charge of your health and rewrite your future. From staring eye to eye with a terrifying diagnosis, to finding freedom and joy with a plant-based lifestyle, Lauren shows us what's possible when you lean into this way of eating with courage, commitment, and a little sense of humor. If you want to learn more from Lauren, check out her podcast, Age Like a Badass Mother, and visit her website, wellelephant.com, where she shares practical tips, recipes, and resources to help others on the journey. If Lauren's story inspired you please share this episode with someone who needs a little hope and remember together we're changing the way the world eats oh yeah and always always remember to keep it PLANTSTRONG.
