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Book Review: Dr. Ruth Heidrich’s “A Race for Life”

Posted May 16, 2007 at 01:00 PM by Katie Drummond

Section: Her Motivation, Books, Special Features, HAL Reviews

For many athletes, getting up at the crack of dawn for a daily jog can seem like a daunting task under even the most mundane of circumstances. Now imagine contemplating a six-mile run, three days after a double mastectomy. Seem impossible?

Not for Dr. Ruth Heidrich, who, after being diagnosed with breast cancer at 45, transformed her life with a vegan diet and an intensive training regimen. In A Race for Life, Heidrich combines her own incredible story with frightening facts about the current health crisis threatening North American culture, and wise advice for everyone from the novice exerciser to the seasoned athlete.

Heidrich’s story begins with her diagnosis – a shock to the longtime runner with a self-described “well-balanced diet” and healthy lifestyle. After enduring a double mastectomy, the indomitable doctor embarked on a journey to preserve her health and wellness. Shortly after her surgery, she stumbled upon a notice seeking female breast cancer patients to participate in a study exploring the effect of diet on cancer treatment. After meeting with Dr. John McDougall, a proponent of vegan eating for the prevention of chronic illness, Hiedrich decided to forgo chemotherapy and radiation in favor of overhauling her diet in order to eliminate anything with “a face or a label.” She writes that McDougall convinced her to adopt a vegan diet after he presented her with studies showing direct correlations between high intakes of meat and fat and rates of cancer, osteoporosis, and heart disease in North America.

Today, Heidrich credits veganism as a main factor in improving her race times and enhancing her athletic prowess, preventing the recurrence of her cancer, and protecting her from common North American ailments. She convincingly debunks the myth that vegan diets lack protein and essential nutrients by describing her daily menus, consisting of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and describing the nutritional power offered by foods like blackstrap molasses, kale, and brown rice. The back of the book even includes a helpful seven-day menu with recipes for items like split pea soup, eggplant Szechwan, and buckwheat cereal.

But vegan eating is only one of the three facets to Heidrich’s lifestyle overhaul: she also emphasizes the fundamental importance of exercise and athletic training to maintaining a healthy body. Though she was a marathon runner before her cancer diagnosis, she only started intensive training after her surgery. From jogging atop the Great Wall of China, to running fifty-one races in dozens of countries just four years after her diagnosis, to completing six grueling Ironman triathlons, Heidrich has more than earned her title as one of Living Fit magazine’s 10 fittest women in America.

Heidrich goes beyond describing her own athletic pursuits to give readers scientific evidence that expounds the benefits of exercise – from the prevention of osteoporosis to the alleviation of stress – as well as specific advice on how to start an exercise routine that encompasses swimming, cycling, and running. She may be an elite athlete, but Heidrich isn’t writing for ultra-marathoners alone; her practical guidelines and tips are accessible to anyone from the everyday athlete biking to work to the hardcore devotee training for her first Ironman.

Despite the incredible potential of diet and exercise, Heidrich writes that one cannot adopt a lifestyle of wellness without the right attitude and motivation. Among other things, she describes the importance of eliminating negative influences – whether friends or your own pessimistic outlook – to build a solid foundation of positive energy, grit, and endurance. According to Heidrich, the right perspective makes anything possible. She has never not finished a race – and credits a positive attitude and determination as the keys to her success. Healthy eating and intense training certainly prepare the body, but Heidrich adds that mental attunement is the final piece of the puzzle.

To this end, she advocates the indelible power of information, and the importance of informing oneself about the health threats of the modern lifestyle. While her cancer diagnosis pushed her to seek a new path, Dr. Ruth makes it clear that one shouldn’t wait for illness to strike before taking action. Her own book presents some startling facts about the perilous state of North American lifestyles, and she offers advice on discerning valuable fact from skewed statistic for those looking to learn more.

It is hard to imagine anyone reading Heidrich’s impassioned story without wanting to 1) learn more about the transformation she advocates, and 2) make changes to their own lifestyle. Whether or not her readers will ever run six Ironman triathlons – let alone one – Heidrich’s story inspires them to push their personal limits, and embark on their own quests for healing, optimism, and wellness.

For more information and/or to purchase A Race for Life, please click here.

Dr. Ruth Heidrich was also featured as a Success Story on The Final Sprint in January 2007.  To listen to her podcast interview with Adam Jacobs, Editor-in Chief of The Final Sprint, please click here.

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Tags: a race for life, breast cancer, cancer, dr. ruth heidrich, heidrich, ironman, john mcdougall, masectomy, vegan, veganism

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