From Donuts to Potatoes-Meet Esther Lebeck Loveridge

Esther Lebeck Loveridge is the poster child for a Whole Food Plant-Based (WFPB) lifestyle, only she’s not a child.  She’s in her mid-70s. (She has a childlike love of the world and the people in it though.) She recently published her story in From Donuts to Potatoes, My 366 Day Journey on a Plant-Based Diet. 

This is Esther before she embarked on her health journey. 

I first met Esther in a Facebook group and found out she had her own group where she chronicled her day-to-day progress as she healed a laundry list of chronic ailments following Dr. John McDougall’s Program for Maximum Weight Loss, a whole food plant-based (WFPB) approach to health. Esther writes about the success she found following the program:

“Success in achieving a healthy body, mind and soul chased me down the street. I was able to eliminate all medications including statins, pain and sleeping pills, Levothyroxine, and lithium (some medications I had taken for over 30 years). I reversed all diseases (GERD, pre-diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, low thyroid and constipation). I actually eliminated the need for knee replacements and as a bonus, I lost 130 pounds.“

~Esther Lebeck Loveridge

In today’s world, most doctors focus on the management of chronic illnesses, not their elimination. Esther’s knees were giving her trouble, and it seemed knee replacements were her only option. However, the doctor said he wouldn’t even consider the surgery unless she lost 70 lbs. Along comes a friend who gives her Dr. McDougall’s book. The rest, as they say, is history, as was the need for the knee replacement. 

Esther’s Nutritional Journey Facebook page is a place for inspiration, and that is what her book is designed for as well. Along with documenting on Facebook her daily food intake through a photo journal, Esther posts a Word of the Day, which lends itself to inspire those who are embarking on a similar journey of wellness and change. Her book offers 366 days of these word-of-the-day inspirations. 

Her message is simple. Eat plants and eat them as close to their natural state as possible. Your taste buds will readjust, and you will begin to really taste food again. Both Esther and I agree that the change in diet is just the beginning of a larger transformation. 

Esther and I have talked on the phone a few times, and I am continually inspired by her journey. She has reclaimed her health, and therefore, her life. Many people with chronic illnesses believe that they must suffer through pain and discomfort, but Esther is proof that our bodies are capable of healing at every age. 

I hope you get to meet Esther, but until then, join her Facebook page along with her thousands of fans. She shows us that giving up our addiction to fattening, processed, and unhealthy foods is not a sacrifice. On the contrary! Once we reclaim our taste buds from the salt, fat, sugar, and additives that are prevalent in our food today, we will love eating, but most of all, we will come alive as we are supposed to, full of energy and the vitality of life. 

I highly recommend this book. Dr. John McDougall recommends it as well. Health is our birthright, and I am grateful that Esther is out there spreading the word. Thank you, Esther!

Note: Dr. McDougall offers the basics of the Program for Maximum Weight Loss free on his website. 

Esther’s book can be found on Amazon and at Balboa Press.