March
2002
Ironwoman
The Satya Interview with Ruth
Heidrich
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In her mid-forties, Ruth Heidrich was diagnosed with breast cancer.
After undergoing treatment, she realized she had to challenge herself
to keep well and change her conceptions about what she needed to do
to stay healthy. She decided to compete in the punishing Ironman Triathlon—a
test of endurance involving a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and
a 26.2 mile marathon. To help her do this and remain cancer-free, she
adopted a plant-based diet and stopped eating animal products. Twenty
years later, she is still running and still cancer free, which has
affirmed
her belief that vegan nutrition and exercise helped to save her life.
Beth Gould talked to Ruth about her philosophy and her experiences
with
the effects of her diet on her health.
In your book, A Race for Life, you describe how your journey of learning
about the benefits of diet and exercise began in earnest when you were
diagnosed with breast cancer. Can you describe the initial stages of
this awakening?
My initial reaction was that of extreme shock and disbelief! I think
that it was even more extreme because I felt I’d done so much to
take care of my health. After all, I’d long since given up red
meat, ate only low-fat dairy, and had been a daily runner for 14 years.
I didn’t know any other person who’d been doing as much, and
couldn’t believe that this was happening to me. It just seemed
so unfair because all my friends were still eating lots of steak and
were totally sedentary.
You are an experienced runner and triathlete. Have you always been such
a committed athlete? How has your exercise routine changed since your
battle with cancer began?
I had not done any exercise since high school; but in 1968, when I
was 33 years old, I came across Dr. Kenneth Cooper’s book, Aerobics,
and started running a mile a day. Over the years, I gradually increased
my exercise routine to six miles a day, and even started running marathons.
Shortly after my diagnosis in the early 1980s, I came across an article
that stated that cancer cells were an-aerobic (thriving in the absence
of oxygen). I thought, “How could this be? I’m getting lots
of daily aerobic exercise.” But since I’d seen the cancer
with my very own eyes, there was no denying that I had a very serious
disease and there were signs that the cancer had spread to my bones
and one lung. I was desperate to do whatever it took to save my life.
Coincidentally, at the same time, I happened to see the Ironman Triathlon
on television and thought There’s my exercise answer! So I added
biking and swimming to my daily exercise routine and immediately started
feeling even healthier and fitter than I had with just running. Then
when I started entering and winning races, I knew I was on to something
big!
You did your own research about the role that nutrition plays in
disease prevention and recovery. Describe the correlation you found
between nutrition and overall health.
Remember, this was back in the early ‘80s and there was little
research on the role of diet in cancer. There was an early study (1975)
by Charles Carroll showing the correlation between the percentage of
calories from fat in the diet and the rates of breast cancer in countries
all over the world. The average American diet was very high in fat and
the U.S. also had very high breast cancer rates—in fact, one of
the highest in the world. There was my answer! Despite my avoiding red
meat and high-fat dairy, my diet was still way too high in fat. All
animal products have fat in them and it’s impossible to trim enough
fat off because the fat is throughout the animal tissue—even the
leanest of animal muscles.
What was the reaction from the medical professionals you shared your
findings with?
My oncologist thought that my idea was ludicrous, that diet had nothing
to do with cancer. My gastroenterologist thought that I would suffer
a deficiency in essential fatty acids. Even the hospital dietitians
told me that I could not possibly get enough protein from this vegan
diet to heal from surgery. Only one physician I knew at the time, Dr.
John McDougall, encouraged me to do this by saying, “If you want
to save your life, change your diet.”
What are the most important points of your food philosophy?
If it comes from an animal, don’t eat it! In addition, if it comes
from a box, can, tin, or jar, don’t eat it! In other words, eat
mostly fruits and vegetables in their whole, natural state.
Your food regimen seems daunting to the uninitiated. Was it difficult
to change your diet from one centered on processed foods to one that
is more natural?
The change for me was so easy. After all, I was convinced that it would
save my life. That’s quite a motivation. I made the change immediately
and was never tempted to go back—plus my arthritis disappeared,
my chronic constipation was no more, I slept better despite the anxiety
created by the cancer diagnosis, and, best of all, I had so much more
energy!
What advice would you give to those who are just getting started?
In the words of the goddess Nike, just do it!
One of the most difficult things for people adopting a vegan lifestyle
is explaining it to their friends and family. What was your experience?
My experience was extremely challenging. Not only did my doctors not
support what I was doing, but my then-husband ridiculed me, saying
things
like, “I thought you were more intelligent than that,” and,
“That doctor must be a quack to say that animal food is not good
for you.” My friends probably felt the same way although most of
them were too polite to say so. In fact, most of them still aren’t
convinced. I don’t know what it’s going to take!
Many vegans and vegetarians stop eating meat purely for the ethic of
non-violence. Did this play a role in your decision to eliminate meat
products from your diet?
At the time of my diagnosis, I was totally focused on saving my life
because with the rapidly spreading cancer, the prognosis was not good.
It was only after I hit the five-year, so-called “cure” mark,
that I started realizing the global effect of following a vegan diet.
I became sensitive to all the cruelty to animals that was going on
around
me and also the devastating environmental effects that are caused by
raising animals for food and the crops to feed them. It became so clear
to me that this was the best diet for ALL reasons!
What are your current projects? Do you have any triathlons coming up?
Since my first book, A Race For Life and The Race For Life Cookbook,
I’ve been working on several other books. I also do a lot of speaking,
trying to get others to quit killing themselves with their poor diet
and sedentary lifestyles.
And, yes, there are triathlons all year-round in Hawaii, where I live,
plus many running races which I love. I have entered up to 62 races
a year, so it’s obvious that this diet gives me a faster recovery
time as well. In fact, I’ve got over 800 first-place trophies from
all the races I’ve done—all since the diagnosis of cancer
and all since changing to my vegan, low-fat diet!
A Race for Life and The Race For Life Cookbook are available
from Lantern Books at www.lanternbooks.com
or call (212) 414-2275.
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