160: Dr. James Loomis on Lifestyle Medicine
Connecting a plant-based diet and lifestyle to positive health benefits.
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James F. Loomis Jr., M.D., M.B.A., received his medical degree from the University of Arkansas, where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and graduated with honors. He subsequently completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Barnes Hospital/ Washington University in St. Louis, MO. and received an M.B.A. from the Olin School of Business at Washington University.
Dr. Loomis is the medical director at the Barnard Medical Center in Washington DC. He is board certified in internal medicine and has also completed the certification program in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell University. He has served as team internist for the St. Louis Rams football team and the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, as well as tour physician for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.
Before coming to the Barnard Medical Center in Washington, DC, he practiced internal medicine and was the director of prevention and wellness at St. Luke’s Hospital in St. Louis. Dr. Loomis is on the clinical faculty of the department of internal medicine at Washington University School of Medicine and also serves on the board of directors of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
In This Podcast:
Greg talks to a doctor that he met a few months back. Dr. Jim is fabulous at bringing the complexities of healthy eating to simple and memorable analogies. Transitioning from a standard American diet to a plant based one to improve health and vitality is something that Dr. Jim can talk about because he did just that. He was one of the worst kind of patients because he already knew the side effects of the meds he was prescribed, and his search for a healthier lifestyle is now what he shares with others.
Listen in and learn about:
- How he practiced medicine the way he was taught – talking a little and prescribing meds to deal with one issue then having to prescribe medications for another
- How he ate and dealt with his own health
- How a knee injury led to inactivity and then weight gain, then sleep apnea, then heart issues, then pre-diabetes and cholesterol issues
- He was given meds to treat the symptoms and was reluctant to fill the prescription
- How he was introduced to the idea of using food as medicine through the video Forks over Knives
- The difference between veganism and whole food plant based diets
- How he changed his diet overnight and was willing to try it for three months
- The results were losing 30 lbs, and drop 30 points on his cholesterol in 3 months
- And seen other health benefits
- He has since run in several marathons, and lost 50-60 lbs over all
- The difference he sees in what he calls “sick-care” and “health-care”
- How lifestyle and nutrition has such a big influence on the health of a person
- What a plant based diet is and how it is important from a physiological perspective
- The physiology of plant based diets
- What our early ancestors dealt with in the process of rest, recover, refuel
- How the current lifestyles are not resembling the patterns of our ancient predecessors
- How we tend to fight emotional stress instead of physical stress
- This leads to the lack of resilience and is replaced by exhaustion instead
- How nutrition is a major factor to health
- What the whole-diet is based around
- How our systems were not design for dairy
- How so many of the current chronic degenerative diseases are not ones that our ancestors faced and have been linked to over-consumption of animal protein and processed food
- How toxin exposure is also a factor
- How the connection between diet and exercise and rest are important to wellness
- The physiological impact animal products have on the human body
- A business or financial analogy that helps explain the benefits of plant based and animal based diets
- What happens when too much protein is consumed
- The connection between diet and inflammation
- The Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids and what they do in the body when the ratio is out of ideal
- What oxygen free radicals are and how they relate to our body
- How the recovery time is effected when nutrition is improved
- An analogy of a house to explain bacteria in the body
- How a standard American diet harms the gut
- How long it takes to help the gut heal and improve the Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio
- How people are encouraged and coached to make the transition to a plant based diet
- What three things he uses in his practice that to help his clients change their behavior and stick with the change
- What a learned environmental behavior is and how they trigger a response
- What is motivating him to continue on this path to help others
As well as:
- His advice to podcast listeners
- Three steps to get started to change to a healthier lifestyle
Documentaries recommended by Dr. Jim:
Dr. Jim’s favorite Books
How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease
Forks Over Knives – The Cookbook: Over 300 Recipes for Plant-Based Eating All Through the Year
Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health
Websites recommended by Dr. Jim
How to reach Dr. James:
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