The Dan Buettner Podcast

Episode: How to Reverse Heart Disease and Live to 100 with Rip Esselstyn

Date: February 19, 2026
Host: Dan Buettner
Guest: Rip Esselstyn

Overview

In this life-affirming episode, National Geographic explorer and Blue Zones researcher Dan Buettner sits down with Rip Esselstyn—best-selling author, elite athlete, and plant-based diet advocate—to dissect the science and practicalities behind preventing and reversing heart disease. Drawing on the groundbreaking work of Rip's father, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, they explore the concrete benefits of a whole food plant-based diet, bust enduring myths around meat and protein, and offer accessible, no-nonsense advice for anyone striving for a longer, healthier life. The episode, rich in personal stories and scientific evidence, is a vibrant manual for those seeking actionable steps for their own Blue Zone lifestyle.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Esselstyn Legacy: Proving Heart Disease Reversal

[03:45-08:21]

• Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's Study:
  • In the 1980s, Dr. Esselstyn gathered 22 terminal heart disease patients, offering them dietary intervention after being turned down for further heart procedures.
  • Patients adopted a whole food, plant-based diet with no added oils and no nuts.
  • Results: After 5, 10, even 15 years, every adherent patient was alive—outliving expected prognoses by decades, and when they did eventually pass, it was not from heart disease or cancer.
  • A larger follow-up (2014, Journal of Family Practice) found 89% adherence rate to the diet with only 0.8% experiencing a cardiovascular event vs. 67% of those who lapsed had a recurrence or died.
  • Rip: "99.2% went along sailing fine. That's amazing." [08:21]

2. Comparing Diets: Plant-Based vs. Mediterranean

[09:32-11:36]

• The PREDIMED Study (Spain):
  • Compared high-fat Mediterranean diets (with both olive oil and nuts) and a supposedly low-fat version (still 39% of calories from fat).
  • After 4.8 years, high-fat groups continued seeing heart disease and diabetes.
  • Rip: "It's not preventing and reversing this disease whatsoever... Conversely, you look at my father, 100% adherence and you're not going to suffer any more cardiovascular disease."
• Dan: "Perfect is the enemy of good. What would get us most of the way there?" [11:36]
  • Rip: "Eat plant strong just wherever you can... Eat more whole grains, eat more fruits, eat more vegetables, eat more beans." [12:02]

3. Meat, Protein, and Longevity Myths

[13:01-15:42; 32:12-38:48]

• Why Not Eat Meat?
  • Rip: Details the negative effects from meat: saturated fat, cholesterol, heme iron, carnitine leading to TMAO (a molecule that facilitates plaques inside arteries), and highlights a Cleveland Clinic study showing only meat-eaters produced harmful TMAO, not vegetarians/vegans.
  • Dan: "To play devil's advocate, some large studies have shown pescatarians (plant-based, with some fish) live the longest—even longer than vegans." [14:51]
  • Rip: Recognizes value of context—healthiest diet is plant-strong, but having some animal products occasionally, especially for those without chronic disease may be tolerable. For those with health crises, stricter adherence is vital.
  • Rip: "I'm a hardcore kind of person... I want to let them know, listen, if you want to do everything you can to prevent heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's... be kind of hardcore." [15:42]

Building Muscle on Plant-Based Diets

[32:12-38:48]

• Plant Protein is Sufficient—and Often Superior
  • Rip has not eaten meat since 2001, but remains a world-record-holding athlete.
  • Plant-based sources (beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds) easily meet or exceed protein requirements.
  • Rip: "It's an absolute snap to do that eating whole food plant-based." [33:40]
  • Dan: "If we eat more protein, we're going to build more muscle— to your point, going to the gym is going to build the muscle... As long as you're getting enough protein, which is about half of what you think, you're going to build the muscle." [37:46]
  • Notable quote (Rip): "Think of animal protein as being clunky... and think of plant-based proteins as being sophisticated and absolutely brilliant. They're like the Goldilocks when it comes to [amino acids]." [36:28]

4. Practical Tips for the Average American

[21:18-27:26]

• How to Transition in Real-World Food Environments
  • Rip’s “Plant-Strongifying” Approach:
    • Adapt favorite comfort foods (burgers, pizza, fajitas) with plant-based ingredients.
    • Ex: Black bean burgers instead of cheeseburgers, plant-based pizzas loaded with veggies, fajitas with butternut squash or tofu.
    • Start with whole grain breakfasts, oatmeal loaded with fruit, avocado toast, or plant-based pancakes.
  • On motivation: The importance of culture and taste as motivators—people must like what they eat.

5. Debunking Food Myths: Potatoes, Fiber, and Dairy

Potatoes: [52:47-55:46]

• Potatoes are not “empty carbs”—10% protein, fiber-rich, high in vitamin C and potassium.
• Rip: "Potatoes are a fantastic source of resistant starch fiber... Most potatoes have as much fiber as a bowl of oatmeal, as much vitamin C as an orange, and as much potassium as a banana." [53:21]
• The toppings, not the potatoes, cause health problems.

Fiber & Children’s Nutrition: [57:26-59:40]

• Rip: "There's nothing you can't get from plants that you can get from meat and dairy in a smarter, better way." [57:26]
• Plant-based diets provide nearly all required vitamins except D and B12 (which come from sun/soil), and the richest minerals and fiber. Explains children can thrive and excel athletically on plant-based diets.

Dairy, Calcium, and Vitamin D: [59:40-61:33]

• Rip: "The best source of calcium and the smartest and safest is going to come from your tofu, your green leafies, your whole grains... Vitamin D? Just get some sun, or check your level and supplement if needed." [59:57, 60:20]
• Plant-based milks (like Rip’s brand) are made with whole foods, no emulsifiers/stabilizers, and are fortified for nutritional completeness.

6. The Olive Oil Debate

[41:26-50:04]

• Rip is critical of olive oil as a “health food”—calorie-dense and minimally nutritious.
  • "They're the most calorie-dense food on the planet at 4,000 calories a pound... the last thing Americans need." [41:26]
• Dan’s Take: Prefers moderation, not vilification—olive oil is better than lard, but shouldn't overshadow the issue that most Americans suffer from bigger dietary problems.
  • "On the list of foods to avoid, I would put olive oil in the middle... There's so many, there's so much better villains out there." [43:51]
• Ultimately, both agree moderation works for most, and taste and adherence matter the most for long-term change.

7. Plaque Reversal & Timelines

[30:24-32:04]

• Dan: "Can you reverse that [plaque]? Can you erase it somehow?" [30:36]
  • Rip: "You can actually become heart attack proof in as early as three weeks." [30:41]
  • Studies with PET scans show improved blood flow and plaque stabilization within weeks of changing to a whole food, plant-based diet.

8. Longevity Insights from Blue Zones

[17:15-20:59; 39:02-41:26]

• Residents of Blue Zones live long not by willpower, but because their environments naturally nudge them toward healthier eating and movement.
  • Dan: "Don't try to change your behavior because you'll fail... People in Blue Zones are eating mostly a whole food plant based diet... they eat it because it's delicious." [39:02]
  • Meat is celebratory, rare, and usually ethically farmed in Blue Zones (about 20 lbs/year vs. 240 lbs/year in the US).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On reversing heart disease:
  “[My father’s patients] were basically called the walking dead... Five years later, everybody's alive. Ten years later, everybody's alive. Fifteen years later, everybody's alive.” – Rip Esselstyn [06:13]

• On diet adherence:
  "99.2% of the people that were adherent and compliant... went along sailing fine." – Rip Esselstyn [08:34]

• On why meat is a “weak” food:
  "Meat is a weak food. We've been habituated... but meat is loaded with saturated fat, dietary cholesterol, heme iron, and TMAO." – Rip Esselstyn [13:01]

• On Blue Zones:
  “Residents... eat mostly whole food plant-based diets... not because they’re trying, but because the environment makes health the easy choice.” – Dan Buettner [17:15]

• On feeding children:
  "There's nothing that you can't get from plants that you can get from meat and dairy in a smarter, better way." – Rip Esselstyn [57:26]

• On olive oil:
  "Olive oil is not a health food. Now if you need it to make something taste good, absolutely right, I get it." – Rip Esselstyn [49:21]

• On personal drive:
  “As I'm getting older, I'm realizing that if I could let go of the need... to always win, I could have so much more fun.” – Rip Esselstyn [65:42]

Key Segments & Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:45–08:21| Dr. Esselstyn's heart disease reversal clinical trials & results | | 09:32–11:36| PREDIMED study vs. plant-based—why Mediterranean isn’t enough | | 13:01–15:42| The “weakness” of meat and the science behind its risk | | 21:18–27:26| Practical strategies: Plant-strongifying your favorite foods in real life | | 30:24–32:04| Reversing soft plaque and timelines for change | | 32:12–38:48| Building muscle, protein myths, plant-based nutrition | | 41:26–50:04| The olive oil debate: risks, studies, and culinary realities | | 52:47–55:16| The potato: surprising health benefits and tasty, plant-based preparation | | 57:26–59:40| Raising plant-based children, vitamins, minerals, and fiber | | 59:40–61:33| On dairy, calcium, vitamin D, and plant-based milks | | 64:43–68:09| Rip on athletic drive, family expectations, competition, and personal growth |

Tone & Style Highlights

• Dan Buettner: Inquisitive, pragmatic, sometimes skeptical, always looking for practical solutions for the average listener.
• Rip Esselstyn: Energetic, passionate advocate, science-driven but empathetic to real-life struggles and motivations.

Takeaways

• Rigorous, well-studied plant-based diets can not only prevent but reverse heart disease—even in advanced cases.
• Progress over perfection: Even partial adherence to plant-based eating, especially if begun earlier in life, has been shown to add a decade to lifespan.
• Traditional protein beliefs are misplaced; plant protein is ample and offers health advantages.
• Simple swaps and culturally familiar foods make all the difference in dietary adherence.
• Don't fear carbohydrates like potatoes—it's the toppings that do harm.
• Fiber, missing from animal products, is crucial for metabolic, digestive, and immunological health.
• Olive oil is not a superfood; taste and caloric density matter for real-world wellness.
• Vibrant health and longevity are more likely to result from environments that make the healthy choice the easy choice, rather than from willpower alone.

Where to Find Rip Esselstyn

• Instagram: Rip Esselstyn, PlantStrong
• Website: plantstrong.com, liveplantstrong.com
• Products: Available at Whole Foods, some Target and Walmart locations, Amazon, and direct online.

This episode distills decades of cutting-edge research and real-world experience into accessible wisdom—both a scientific and passionate call to eat "plant-strong" and live longer, better, and more joyfully.