Rip Esselstyn, former professional triathlete and firefighter

As old man 2012 drags himself off the stage, now is a great time for a resolution to “make health a habit” in 2013. And that is the title of a recent TEDx Talk by Rip Esselstyn, author of the best-selling Engine 2 Diet.

This 17-minute video is a great summary of what we should be eating if we want to make health a habit. Rip uses superb graphics as he deftly answers all the questions that people have about a shift to a plant-strong diet—and shows many delicious foods that you can enjoy for the rest of your life.

You’ll especially like the way he moved from slaying dragons (fires) as a firefighter to slaying a completely different kind of dragon:

The five-headed dragon of chronic disease—accounting for 75% of our health care costs. Heart disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes and obesity.

Slaying the 5-headed dragon of chronic disease

The Bottom Line. This is the video to share with your friends who’re thinking about taking charge of their health—whether as a New Year’s Resolution or simply a sound decision anytime of year.

This former professional triathlete illustrates that his plant-strong diet-style can be a very manly way of eating. As for heart disease, he says that the canary in the coal mine—the first sign of heart disease—is an under-performing penis.

Watch this video, then share it with everyone you care about. If you want to watch it in full-screen mode, you’ll need to click on YouTube in the lower right hand corner after clicking the Start button.

Mr. Rip Esselstyn, son of the great Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., of The Cleveland Clinic

Handy 4-piece take-charge-of-your-health kit—from Amazon.com

• The movie that’s changing the lives of millions: Forks Over Knives DVD 
• Healthy Eating, Healthy World, The “big picture” about food (our book)
• An essential scientific resource: The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell
• Dr. McDougall’s new book, The Starch Solution, with lots of great recipes.

Want to find out how healthy your family is eating? Take our free 4Leaf Diagnostic Survey. It takes less than five minutes and you can score it yourself. After taking the survey, please give me your feedback as it will be helpful in the development of our future 4Leaf app for smartphones. Send feedback to jmorrishicks@me.com

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J. Morris Hicks, working daily to promote health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.

For help in your own quest to take charge of your health, you might find some useful information at our 4Leaf page or some great recipes at Lisa’s 4Leaf Kitchen.

Got a question? Let me hear from you at jmorrishicks@me.com. Or give me a call on my cell at 917-399-9700.

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Blogging daily at hpjmh.com…from the seaside village of Stonington, Connecticut – Be well and have a great day.

—J. Morris Hicks, board member, T. Colin Campbell Foundation