She healed stage 4 breast cancer with nutrition in 1982 then won the Iron Man


My first interview of 2015 is with the incomparable Ruth Heidrich, PhD.

She’s the winner of more than 900 trophies, 6 Ironman Triathlons, 8 Senior Olympics Gold Medals, and 67 marathons including Boston, New York, Moscow and The Great Wall of China.

She is a World Fitness Record holder at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, and was named “One of the Ten Fittest Women in North America”.

She’s author of six books, and was featured in the documentary Forks Over Knives.

ALL of these accomplishments occurred AFTER she healed her stage 4 breast cancer in 1982 with a low-fat vegan diet (no chemo no radiation).

Oh and she’s 85.

And she’s outlived her oncologist by 35 years (Updated in 2021).

Incredible lady = Incredible interview.

Prepare to be inspired!

One thing I forgot to ask her in the interview was about supplementation.
B-12 is the only thing she took, then and now.

Show Notes

  • How she met the “quack” doctor that saved her life with nutrition [10:12]
  • Her daily diet then and now [16:10]
  • When and why she became a raw vegan [17:45]
  • How long it took before she noticed results from her diet change [20:25]
  • Her first Iron Man triathalon [21:50]
  • The inspiration for her first and subsequent books [27:00]
  • Her raw oatmeal recipe [33:45]
  • What her doctor thought about her intensive training regime [38:32]
  • What doctors ought to be telling their patients [40:45]
  • The environmental impact of increased animal consumption [41:29]
  • What cancer cells need besides sugar [43:29]
  • The reason why the medical industry doesn’t take nutrition seriously [44:15]
  • The dietary cause of sexual dysfunction in men and women [51:00]
  • Early warning signs and problems caused by cardiovascular disease [45:42]
  • Why her oncologist didn’t tell other patients about her story [47:58]
  • Normalcy bias and why people won’t make preventative changes to their diet [49:57]

Selected Links from the Interview

People Mentioned

Beat Cancer Kitchen: Deliciously Simple Plant-Based Anticancer Recipes Get it on Amazon here
Beat Cancer Daily 365 Days of Inspiration, Encouragement, and Action Steps to Survive and Thrive Get it on Amazon here
Chris Beat Cancer: A Comprehensive Plan for Healing Naturally Get it on Amazon here, or anywhere books are sold.

I've interviewed over 70 people who've healed all types and stages of cancer. Check them out here. Or use the search bar to find survivors of specific cancer types.

I also created a coaching program for cancer patients, caregivers, and anyone who is serious about prevention called SQUARE ONE. It contains the step-by-step strategies used by myself and many others who have healed cancer with a holistic approach using nutrition and natural non-toxic therapies.

Watch SQUARE ONE Module 1 for free here

(((c)))

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This Post Has 11 Comments

  1. Sarah

    What a beautiful lady. I saw her in the documentary just before my mom’s diagnosis of cancer, and she is actually the one who gave me hope for my mom when we were sitting there getting the news. “Cancer can be healed?” It had never been an idea in my head prior to that film. It’s now a belief for me and my mother, and it’s one of the most reassuring feelings as we all seek to find out the truth about illness together – especially for those of us who are embarking on a journey with unknown destination. Because of people like Ms. Heidrich, my mom and I began to think in a completely different way eventually and that process continues to evolve. I’m so grateful for the wake-up calls we’ve been given.

    That being said, I can’t fib and say that we turned out to be vegans. My mom had to quit work, I’m struggling to find work and the grocery budget is slim. We just do what we can. We buy the healthiest products we can. (Thank you ALDI for the organics) We say a blessing over our food. “Let this food energize, heal and nourish our bodies.” We surrender the rest to God.

    But knowing that diet DID cure some people was extremely helpful and uplifting. It was step one of our learning, and it’s certainly an area to improve later when money is more abundant. So what we can we work on right now when we may not be able to work on something else? We are now studying the internal causes of cancer and how to treat something that Budwig/fresh juice simply can’t.

    I think that if the root cause of your illness cannot be healed in the dietary/supplement realm, the answer likely awaits in the self-discovery/patient empowerment field. We have been studying from teachers such as Bernie Siegel, Bruce Lipton, Joe Dispenza, and a blogger named Geordie Healer among others. The information all seemed to merge harmoniously, and we have begun to see the larger picture in many areas due to this time of learning. Most recently, Gabor Mate has written an incredible book that describes how denial of the self, or essentially a lack of love for the self, is at the root of most autoimmune diseases such as IBS, cancer, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and more.

    So then the question emerges, “Did my junky diet cause my health problem, or was it just a catalyst for cancer, as the body was already in a chronically stressed state and could not handle further inflammation?” My hope is that people can find some value in both approaches (external and internal) and double the improvements to their health.

    So thank you very much Chris for your sharing of helpful information and allowing others to share their thoughts here as well. Everyone needs an individualized healing plan that they resonate with and believe in ^_^

  2. Helen

    My Dad died of Lung Cancer and its been a close thought that we has his children could get this disease. My Mum died of heart disease. My siblings have history of heart disease. Arthritis and the list goes on. I am struggling with chronic inflammation in a lot of pain on a daily basis in my 40s and I need to change. Its 4am now so going to sleep I started watching this at 3am. Found Dr Ruth very inspirationally enchanting to watch, and Chris you are an all time hero. Thank you. Goodnight from United Kingdom. Tomorrow I will read the links and come back and read your journey again. Blessings x

  3. Lynn

    Chris,

    Thanks for the information you’ve brought my way. It’s just the encouragement I need.

    Lynn

  4. Dolby

    Love this beautiful interview…Very uplifting, informative…Thank you! OM Shanti

  5. Daisy Mae

    Hurray! Great start to 2015, Chris!! Thank you for this unbelievable interview; you keep introducing us truly amazing inspiring people. Thank you for giving us this gift; all your interviews keep giving us hope and more assurance that food is medicine. You empower us each time. God bless you.

  6. Leo M. Schwaiger

    Thanks for another excellent interview of Dr. Ruth Heidrich. What a great way to start 2015. Your “Show Links” is a feature which should be included with every video. It takes time to prepare but is helpful to refer back to a particular section of the video.

    “Selected Links” and “People Mentioned” are also places one can go for added information. You have just raised the bar. These links will give people a chance to see there is much information out there if one could and would take the time.

    Your list of survivors keeps growing. If only the average person were aware of its existence.

    Wishing you and all you touch the very best in health and happiness. Your efforts give people information and hope that things can and will get better.

  7. Lisa

    A quick question about low fat vegan diet that Ruth shared and eliminating animal fats. I am in the process of going all in with the animal fats, but a few questions. What about coconut oil? avacados, nuts, seed oils, etc? Doesn’t the body and brain need fat in order to thrive. How far do you go with this?
    Also, what if you are low in iron, and don’t want to supplement, how can you get it the best way?
    Also what is your take on fish oils?
    THANKS!

    1. Janes Chiarelli

      Hello. My husband of almost 7 years, cheated on me and left me for her and is living with her now. He said he hasn’t been happy in years but never told/showed me he was unhappy. We have a 4 year old son that missed his daddy so much and cries for him to just come home. Our son even crawled all over his car crying “daddy stay home with me.” And he still left. He just keeps saying “he’s never coming back, no matter what.” I didn’t know what to anymore..he left me 5/7/15, the weekend before mothers day this year and it broke my heart and I keep praying to God and he keeps telling me “be patient” I was still trying my best but it was hard when this was hurting my son so badly. I have told my sister about this and she gave me some advice to contact a very good and powerful prophet who can help me pray for my husband to come back and be happy with us again which i did and i contacted the prophet. he prayed for me and my husband cam home begging me to take him back and now we ar happily living together andca family. all thanks to the prophet and his email is (

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      ). May God bless you abundantly!

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