In my recent review of The Maker's Diet: The 40-day Health Experience that will Change Your Life Forever, by Jordan S. Rubin, N.M.D., Ph.D., I called it "by far one of the most compelling and insightful dietary health books I have ever read, and it will easily be one of the most important and useful dietary health books you ever read."
Since that time I've heard from several of my clinical peers who read the advance review copies of The Maker's Diet, and their praise has been just as high. They agree that this book deserves to become a number one international bestseller because the information in it - and the straightforward and understandable way it is presented - can really "change your life forever."
If you are interested in improving your health for any reason - you have a chronic condition you seek to improve, you are an athlete looking to improve performance, you simply want to optimize already good health - you would indeed "be doing yourself a MAJOR disservice by not reading The Maker's Diet" (which you can preorder now for 30% off at both Amazon.com and BN.com).
Because of my profound respect for this book and its author, I conducted the following interview with Jordan Rubin. It is lengthier than most other interviews I've done and so I am presenting it in two parts (this newsletter and the next). I think you will find it a very engaging interview, and my ultimate hope is that it will provide some deeper insight into why this is one health book I consider an absolute must-read.
1) Dr. Mercola: I believe The Maker's Diet is a groundbreaking health book, and in my review I have already urged everyone with any concern with their health and well-being to read it. But in your own words, why would you say it is imperative that people read The Maker's Diet?
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Dr. Rubin: The Maker's Diet is so much more than an eating plan. It is health program that empowers the reader to achieve health physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally.
Your e-newsletter subscribers are blessed to receive what I consider to be the best information on health and wellness available. They understand that in today's world it's not just about surviving, but thriving. The Maker's Diet guides the reader through a 40-day health experience that will change their lives in many ways, that will similarly help them thrive, not just "survive."
I worked very hard to provide through this book the entire program that, on both a clinical and personal level, has been extensively proven and really will change the lives of those suffering from a chronic disease, bothered by a nagging ailment, and those who seek to optimize their health on any level. Readers will find a lot of crucial new insights in The Maker's Diet, and I also strived to present it all in a way that it is easy to understand and follow.
2) Dr. Mercola: Your story behind why you were driven to write this book and how you developed the profound depth and expanse of health and nutrition knowledge you share with readers in the book is fascinating. Can you share the gist of that story here?
Dr. Rubin: Nearly 10 years ago I was in a battle for my life. I was suffering from what doctors told me was an incurable disease and I felt like I was "trapped in a prison that was my own body." When I looked in the mirror the reflection I saw frightened me. I had withered down to a shell of my former self. I was in constant indescribable pain and grew more hopeless with each passing day.
In my quest to regain my life, I traveled the world visiting nearly 70 health practitioners, both conventional and alternative, as well as trying over 500 treatments and every supplement imaginable.
After two years, however, I was worse than when I started. During my darkest hour, I vowed that if I came out of this alive, I would devote the rest of my life to helping even just one person break free from the bondage of sickness. After two years of suffering I found my answer:
I was led to study the diet and lifestyle of history's healthiest people starting from the Bible and leading up to this very day. I realized that throughout history there have always been people who have lived long, healthy lives free from disease by following a set of specific health principles. I began to incorporate these principles into my own life and in one 40-day period, my health was restored.
After I became well, I began crafting the health plan I call The Maker's Diet. I am now free of disease, off all medications, and am on a mission to change the health of this world one life at a time. I will not rest until the time-honored, historically correct and scientifically proven principles laid out in the The Maker's Diet have reached every corner of the earth. That, in short, is why I spent so much time, energy and passion on this book.
3) Dr. Mercola: One of the primary focal points throughout The Maker's Diet is the great importance of a healthy gastrointestinal tract to our overall health. Nowhere, in fact, have I seen real solutions presented as cohesively as in your book, but many people might not understand just how important gastrointestinal health really is. Can you explain why it is so crucial?
Dr. Rubin: Many people realize that an improperly functioning digestive tract can lead to problems such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, IBS, GERD, ulcers, constipation, gas and bloating, chronic candidiasis, and more. But what many don't know is that the health of your gastrointestinal tract will determine how you feel, how you look and even how long you will live.
Researchers have known for hundreds of years that if you have an unhealthy digestive tract you are at risk for everything from asthma and allergies to acne and psoriasis, and even low energy and loss of sex drive. However, if you have a healthy "gut" you will be blessed with a long healthy disease free life. In The Maker's Diet, I provide readers full insight on the "three keys to healthy digestion":
Readers will also learn the concept of advanced hygiene, which can protect the body from environmental germs and toxins like nothing else out there.
4) DM: The title of "The Maker's Diet" is obviously a biblical reference. Please explain why you chose that title, and expand on the biblical basis for the book.
Dr. Rubin: History has proven that the Israelites of 4,000 years ago were the world's healthiest people. They were handed down instructions from God through Moses on how to eat and live. These instructions prevented them from the diseases that were plaguing the rest of the world.
Only recently has science proven that the diet and lifestyle that was followed by these people of the Bible was not only thousands of years before it's time, but if followed today can give people the greatest chance for living a long and healthy life. In fact, every law written in the Bible regarding health and well-being has been shown true in view of modern science. That may be hard for some to agree with initially since the two areas - nutrition and the Bible - have not typically been considered together, but in The Maker's Diet I demonstrate that that is the case.
Whether you believe the Bible is the word of God or even just a history book, no one can deny the fact that it tells the story of a group of people who lived life according to a set of laws that allowed them to experience extraordinary health. I believe with all my heart that the health plan God has laid out for us in the Bible is as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago.
Expanding on the health principles of the Bible led me to study the diet and lifestyle of other long-lived people groups throughout history. These people followed a much more primitive diet and lifestyle then we do today and had an innate understanding of proper food selection and preparation. They exercised in a way that the body was designed for and they lived in an extremely healthy environment. Even though many of us can never truly live a "primitive" life in this day and age, by following The Maker's Diet we can implement the health principles followed by our not-so-distant ancestors.
5) Dr. Mercola: So in essence this is really a health book that derives the base of its information from the oldest of public health texts, the Bible. At the same time, I was quite impressed with all of your references to scientific studies supporting your guidance, which as you know has always been essential to the articles in my e-newsletter. For those who have understandably become a bit jaded by all the false and exaggerated claims of diets and dietary products out there, can you explain just how extensively The Maker's Diet is supported by clinical research and fact?
Dr. Rubin: It was very important to me to present the public with a health program that was historically correct and scientifically proven. Most diets today are neither.
As I mentioned earlier, all of the recommendations in The Maker's Diet have been proven over time to be just what the doctor ordered. In addition, since November of last year, I have personally led nearly 800 through The Maker's Diet 40-day health experience and have tracked them using a combination of objective and subjective analyses including statistically significant quality of life questionnaires used by many health insurance companies.
The results have been spectacular. People who were overweight lost between 8 and 22 pounds in 40 days. Those who were underweight due to malabsorption returned to their healthy weight. Energy and sleep improved and aches and pains were alleviated. People with blood sugar problems improved greatly. And there were also testimonials of people with serious diseases such as fibromyalgia, Crohn's disease and lupus improving tremendously.
What these results have shown me is that this health plan is for everybody whether overweight or underweight, ill or free of disease.
Dr. Mercola Note: Look for Part Two of the Jordan Rubin interview in the coming Wednesday issue of my free "e-Healthy News You Can Use" newsletter.