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A Sneak Peak of the Plant-Based Comedy Plant B

Article written and reviewed by Cyrus Khambatta, PhD and Robby Barbaro, MPH
Published December 18, 2018
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Podcast Transcript

Bassem Youssef: A lot of people made fun of me, and I said, “You know what? I'm fine with it”, because here's the thing, because within the hates, and within the making fun of everything, now you started a conversation.

In the same day that I posted that picture on Instagram, with all the hate I got, and all the people attacking me, and even writing whole article saying that I'm misleading the people, vegan searching Google, for one day, surged 200%.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Welcome to the Mastering Diabetes Audio Experience, where we teach you how to sit in the driver's seat of your diabetes health for the rest of your life. We'll teach you how to reverse insulin resistance, achieve your ideal body weight, gain energy and get your best A1c following more than 85 years of evidence-based research in the Mastering Diabetes Program.

Robby Barbaro: Our program teaches you how to reverse prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, and how to simplify your life with type 1 diabetes by maximizing your insulin sensitivity, using food as medicine.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: We're on a bold mission to reverse insulin resistance in 1 million people. We're glad to have you joining us.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Today we have an awesome episode on the Mastering Diabetes Audio Experience. We have an exclusive interview with Bassem Youssef, who is one of the most famous human beings in the entire Middle East, who was a heart surgeon for many years. And he grew increasingly frustrated with the rising political tension in Egypt. So, he decided to create a comedic series, and he posted videos on YouTube and became an instant internet sensation, gaining millions of views, and millions of followers all around the planet.

He grew so popular that he was interviewed by Jon Stewart, here in the United States. And when he returned to Egypt, he had become such a controversial figure, that he actually had to flee Egypt and move back to United States in order to remain a free man.

Now, what does this have to do with plant-based nutrition and diabetes? Well, Egypt, like many countries around the world, is plagued with the exact same health conditions as many countries who adopt a Western diet. In fact, the entire Middle East is now suffering from increased rates of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, obesity and chronic disease in general, by increasing their intake of refined packaged and processed foods, and by adopting a Western diet, high in fat, high in protein, and low in carbohydrate energy.

Now, Bassem himself became a vegan a couple of years ago. And by adopting a plant-based, whole-food diet, he completely transformed his own health, and it gave him some perspective on his previous life, as a heart surgeon.

He decided that he wanted to educate people around the world, not by creating more knowledge, but by spreading comedy. So, Bassem has created, he has teamed up with a team of producers and directors here in the United States, and they're creating a web series called “Plant B”, which is a play on the word “Plan B”, and it's a web series that's going to be going live in the beginning of 2019, to document the effectiveness of plant-based nutrition for reversing conditions like diabetes, insulin resistance, heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, chronic kidney disease, liver failure, fatty liver, you name it.

But they're doing it, instead of the typical documentary style by hitting you on the head with more information, and more information, more information, rather, they're using comedy. Because people in the Middle East respond to satirical comedy, as he's clearly demonstrated through his rising career as a comedian in the Middle East.

So, Plant B is a phenomenal documentary series that's going to be a combination of information, plus scripted comedy, that's absolutely brilliant. I had an opportunity to get interviewed for this, and I am very hopeful that this series, that's going to be aired not only in the Middle East, but also in the United States, is going to be able to transform the way people think about their diet, about their lifestyle choices, and about what they can do to transform their health from the inside out.

So in today's interview, we're going to learn a lot about Bassem himself. About his personal journey, about his objectives, and exactly how he's transforming the lives of millions of people around the planet, using the thing that he does best in the world, making people laugh.

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Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: So, tell us about your previous profession as a heart surgeon.

Bassem Youssef: 19 years I've been studying and working as a heart surgeon in Egypt, and in 2010, after 19 years of studying and working as a heart surgeon, I was finally accepted to start a Pediatric Neurosurgery fellowship in Egypt. And at that time, I was ready, waiting for my papers to come along, and then while I was waiting, something happened in the Middle East. We had the Arab Spring revolution, January 2011 in Egypt. And me, like many people, I wasn't a revolutionary person, but I didn't really like the fact that you are under the same, ruled over by a man for 30 years.

So I went down, and I did my job as a doctor. It was basically healing people from the clashes. And there was a lot of clashes in the streets. But what I noticed was not just the injuries, but I discovered there was two kinds of realities. There's the reality in the streets, or people asking for democracy, and for freedom. You go home, you watch TV, and it's a different reality. It's brainwashing propaganda, run by state-run media. Telling people that those people in the streets are not revolutionaries. And these are the operative’s paid spies, and I didn't believe that people that were in the in the middle of all this.

So, after the president stepped down, there was like a kind of like a new era, a new hope. And I started… Why waste it waiting for my paper score from Cleveland, to start my career as a heart surgeon in America. I started to do these little short YouTube videos, satirizing the state, reminding people of what kind of brainwashing, and lies, and fake news they were spreading. And then, maybe 10,000 people watched my show. And I ended up with 5 million watching, in a couple of weeks. And then, every single network in the region wanted me to come and start my show. I was like “I'm a doctor, I'm going to America.” And then I said, “You know what? I'm going to give it give it a try.” And before I know it, I was called the Jon Stewart of the Middle East. And I hosted on Jon Stewart show.

And then, season one was a success, season two was even a bigger success. We created the first ever live audience show in the Middle East. Real audience. And we started to satirize whatever comes to power, at that time, there were days sometime, that we had prairie pushback from their supporters. And then, Jon Stewart came to my show in Egypt, and he supported me. And he was there on my show. That was me being validated. Why? Because I watched him all my life.

And then, I was interrogated, I was arrested. Interrogated for six hours. And I went out on bail, and went back to do my show. And then, the Muslim Brotherhood then were overthrown by the military. Now, the military came in, and they are, you know, the military are pretty much secret in the Middle East. So, they took over. And I was a hero, I was the guy who got rid of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is not true. But I was the nation's hero.

But then, when the military came in power, I started making fun of them, because now they are an authority. So I overnight, I went from a hero to the most hated person, because I dared to make fun of the military.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Did you know that by making fun of the military at that time…

Bassem Youssef: I absolutely did, we knew what we were stepping into what we couldn't, we have to be true to ourselves, who can make fun of those brotherhood. Now they're gone, you cannot do that. They have to see us in power, and you have to criticize them. And that was untouchable. And then the military is kind of like heavy handed. Sort of like The Muslim Brotherhood, they're better, it just that one has much more experienced dictatorship than the other. So, under the military, I had my show jammed twice, it was stopped twice. And then I ended up escaping from the country. And I came here to America, restarted my career in comedy and satire in a totally different language, for a totally different audience.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: So, what would have happened if you would actually stayed in Egypt at that time? Would you have gone to jail?

Bassem Youssef: Oh, yeah. 100%. Now, I have 5 or 6 personal friends of mine that are in jail right now, just because they wrote some posts on Facebook. So, you are not talking about someone who's been followed by 40 million people. That was the kind of artists that I have in Egypt, every single show.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Yeah. Wow. Yeah, so you came to the United States. What year was this?

Bassem Youssef: Well, I escaped Egypt 2014. I stayed in Dubai for a year, and then I came to the States. So, I came here like three years ago. But I know that this is a Podcast about plant-based, and about food…

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Yeah. So, give our audience... They are probably already thinking, “Well, what the heck does this have to do with diabetes, and veganism?”

Bassem Youssef: Absolutely nothing. But, I think this is like a whole journey of you changing stuff. For all my life, I worked as a doctor, then I became a comedian. For all my life, I ate meat, and then 5 years ago, I switched.

So, the last year before I left Egypt I was, and actually the political situation had something to do with it, because when the military took over, I was at that time in this resort on The Red Sea. And we were just having a vacation between seasons, we didn't know what was happening, and then there was Martial laws, so there were no way for us to go back to Cairo. So, instead of staying 3 days in this resort, we stayed for a month. We had to stay put and go back.

And then I was talking to a friend of mine, he’s like, “Oh, you're in that resort. You know, our friend Nadir is in that same resort. You know he was diagnosed with MS”, I was like “What? He was diagnosed with MS” And for me, Nadir, he was the symbol of an old sportsman. We were playing together soccer, and basketball, and volleyball, and track and field, and we're friends. And I hear MS, and as a doctor, I was like “What? This is devastating!”, “No, no. But he’s okay now”, “What do you mean he is okay? Nobody comes back from MS”

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Right. “This is an incurable condition.”

Bassem Youssef: He says, “No, no. He followed this weird diet, and I don't know, but he's good now.” So, I got his number, “Nadir, are you here?”, “Yeah, I am. Come over.” And so, I went there to talk to him, and said “What's going on?” And he said in 2006 he was diagnosed with an advanced stage of MS, and he went to take another opinion in America, went to a clinic, and they told him the same thing. And they told him that in 5 years time he was going to be in a wheelchair, and in 10 years time, you're going to be on a, like a vegetable capacity. And this is Interferon, it's going to control 20% of the attacks. And you already have five symptoms, the loss of hearing, numbness and pain, and tingling.

And then he said, “I cannot live like that.” So he started to research, and he started to go to these fasting retreats in South Africa, in Costa Rica, and he started to look at what that diet has. And he was there. This was in 2013, 7 years after his diagnosis.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: And his doctors were telling them he would already be a vegetable by this time.

Bassem Youssef: Yeah, on a wheelchair. And then today, 2018, that's 13 years, he's already playing water polo, he’s running again, and he’s doing these retreats in the Red Sea, helping other people to come to these retreats, to go into fasting, and switching their diet to a plant-based diet. So, when I sat with him, I remember it was 15th of September, so, today, 16th of September… And I was eating my last cheeseburger, Diet Coke, and French fries. And by the time I finished, he finished his story, and I said, “That's it. I'm switching tomorrow” And he said, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Everybody says that.”

Five years later, I didn't just stay, I have so many people, we actually created a huge Facebook page, it has a half a million people, called “Plant-Based Diet Egypt”, and this was created by a friend of mine who's a writer, a comedy writer, who used to make fun of me because of my switch to plant-based diet.

So, a year after I switched, and after every time he met me he would make fun of me, he said, “Listen, I'm overweight. I'm almost 470 pounds. I'm going next week to see if I would do stomach ligation, something, a bypass or whatever, because I can't live like that. I can't even go out. I want to have a last resort. Can you please tell me about your diet?” So, I started coaching him. And he dropped from 470 to 220 pounds.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Over what period of time?

Bassem Youssef: Seven months.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Seven months and he lost more than 200 pounds?

Bassem Youssef: Yeah. And he felt that he had something good that he needed to share. So, he's a very good writer, so he started to write his experience, and he created the page, and now there's a half a million people there. And we have already a community, small, but before that it didn’t even existed in Egypt. So, for the past five years, I was trying to get funding to create a web series to make use of my popularity, and my following in the Middle East, to tell them that there's like a new way to live, a different way to live. You don't have to live with disease.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: By this time, how popular are you? How many followers do you have around the world?

Bassem Youssef: Well, social media wise, I mean, I have a 2.8 million on Facebook, 2.9 million on Instagram, and 11 million on Twitter. So, this is this is my social media, and they’re mostly in the Middle East. So I say, “All right, you know what? Let's try to use that and spread the word.” And I was trying to get funding for a web series, instead of just like writing posts or posting pictures, to actually come and speak to experts and success stories in plant-based diet, whether they’re in America or whether we do that in the Middle East.

Now, what's different about this web series, it is not just another documentary, it's shorter episodes, so they are consumed much better. And also, for the first time ever, you’re going to have it in a hybrid language. So, I'm going to be speaking, when I'm going to be speaking, I’m speaking in Arabic.

But, and it's going to be subtitled in English, so it could be followed by any speakers. And when I speak to experts, like you, kind of success stories like you, when you have a word on our show, you can speak in English and it’s going to be subtitled in Arabic. So, it's going to be followed by people in the Middle East.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Right.

Bassem Youssef: So, what’s special about this show is that you are bridging the gap between two regions, the Middle East and America, who are at odds with each other but they don't know that they actually share a lot of the problems, and maybe a lot of the healing together, which is the disease and the food.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: So, correct me if I'm wrong, but in the same way that diabetes has kind of become rampant in the United States, this exact same thing is happening in Egypt.

Bassem Youssef: It's even worse.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: It's even worse. Why?

Bassem Youssef: Obesity and diabetes. The Arab countries, not just Egypt. Egypt, Kuwait, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jordan. Caught out, all of these countries, the obesity and I think we have bypassed the United States in the obesity and diabetes. And the reason for this is that they’re oil-rich countries. With effluents came adopting the whole Western lifestyle, including the Western diet. So if you go there, you find all the fast food chains over there. Anything, In-N-Out, anything you can think of is there. That's modernization, quote unquote.

And in Egypt, Egypt is not as rich as those countries, but still, there's a part of the population that’s still adopting the western diet. And those who cannot afford the price for fast food, or meat, they still use a lot of oils, vegetable oils, because that's the way to get their calories. So, they fry everything.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Got it.

Bassem Youssef: So, it's either the meat, and the chicken, and fish, and eggs, or the cheese and the diary, and the oils. And also, the reason is, like at least in America, here, there is some kind of a consciousness, there's some kind of awareness, people can understand. So, there's resistance, but there's awareness. In the Middle East, there's only a resistance. Anybody who talks about a plant-based diet, is considered crazy. Consider Egypt and the Middle East is like America in nutrition 40 years ago.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: 40 years ago. So, we're talking like 1970s.

Bassem Youssef: Yes.

Robby Barbaro: Do they have Netflix?

Bassem Youssef: Yeah, yeah.

Robby Barbaro: And is “Forks Over Knives” on it?

Bassem Youssef: Of course. But how many people we encouraged to watch it?

Robby Barbaro: Exactly, exactly.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: So, any talk about a plant-based diet, what, you get made fun of, you get told you're stupid?

Bassem Youssef: Everything you're imagining. So, when I started to write my experience, you had all kinds of hate comments from, you're a liar, you're a hippie, this is some bullshit, to this is a conspiracy by the West, so we can stop eating meat, so we become weaker, and we get be conquered by them. This is a true comment, I'm saying it word by word, seriously.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Interesting. So, it’s almost like, oh, this is America imposing their imperialist dictator…

Bassem Youssef: Yes. And “You, because you’re in America, you’re brainwashed” And then, you have the whole thing about, you cannot build the muscles on plants. You cannot get cancer from dairy, or the “It's okay if it's in moderation, each of these need to be balanced.” It's not sustainable. It's like, just like right now, the people are just hating for no reasons. I have posted a picture of my, you know, showing my physique.

Robby Barbaro: Yeah. So, people listening to the Podcast can’t see, like, you’re big, you’re ripped.

Bassem Youssef: And here's the thing, a lot of people made fun of me, and I said, “You know what? I'm fine with it”, because here's the thing, because within the hates, and within the making fun of everything, now you started a conversation.

In the same day that I posted that picture on Instagram, with all the hate I got, and all the people attacking me, and even writing whole article saying that I'm misleading the people, vegan searching Google, for one day, surged 200%.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Really?

Bassem Youssef: Yeah, one picture.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Because of you.

Bassem Youssef: So, I didn't, as a matter of fact, I was actually doing this to actually see what are their arguments. And I'm taking the arguments, and I’m using that to refute the arguments in my web series. So we actually, I didn't block anybody. Oh, I did block people who are very profane and obscene. But the people who was like… The justification that, so like, “Oh, what do you mean cows get protein? Because as a big part of its food, they eat insects, and this is where they get their protein.” You know, so it all kinds of stuff. Like we're not designed to be biologically similar, like cows. And essential amino acids are not totally found in, or the whole idea about the incomplete protein. So, if you're going to tell them that meat, and dairy, and fat are the ones causing diabetes, low carbohydrate is it then?

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: So, you guys actually had a really interesting insight as you were developing the web series. Am I allowed to say the name to everyone?

Bassem Youssef: Yes. It's called The Plant B.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Plant B. It’s like Plan B, but Plant.

Bassem Youssef: Yeah, we say like, we tried everything else, we tried every kind of plans, try a different plan, try Plant B.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: So good. So, one of the things when I was talking with you, and I was talking with Jonathan, your director, you guys brought to my attention is that the audience in the Middle East is receptive to a sort of satirical, self-deprecating comedy. And you guys believe that if you kind of try and infiltrate, and spread the message of plant-based nutrition, but not from the documentary, “give me more science, give me more facts” perspective, but rather from a comedic standpoint, you’re going to get more…

Bassem Youssef: We’re doing a hybrid of that. We were kind of like, we are making the web series kind of interesting to watch, for even normal people who don’t know the first thing about diets. So, it's going to be, like, enjoyable to watch. And then we can insert that, the documentary part, the science.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Yes.

Bassem Youssef: So, from that, we are using visuals and animations and stuff, we just want to make people actually interested in watching this. And because, and we got to get ahold of it, but I learned something, it's within the hate that are people who are like, sending you to your inbox, “I want to be vegan, how do I start?” And they already started, just by just posting pictures, and writing posts.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: So, what do you think is going to happen? Fast forward one year. What's going to happen as a result of this Plant B?

Bassem Youssef: I don't know. But this is what I'm hoping. I'm hoping that we would start as kind of a different dialogue, and people will be more receptive, because here is where all the resistance come from.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Where?

Bassem Youssef: Doctors, nutritionists, bodybuilders. And you know who else? Religion people. Because somehow they will bring religion into this. Somehow. “God created this for us”. And the thing is, they confuse your message the militant vegan message.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Yeah, right.

Bassem Youssef: They start to say, “Oh, who are you to decide that this is more merciful?” Like, I didn't even mention that. They're projecting the stuff that have been here to be hearing because they feel guilty, so they'd be projecting this message on you. But I actually didn't even mention anything about cruelty, or animal cruelty. I didn’t even mention any of that.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Is there a prescribed diet for Islam? I don't even know.

Bassem Youssef: There's nothing, but they made this up. They made this, just because Islam came from the desert, so they didn't drink milk maybe from the sheep. Meat is mentioned in the Quran, like any other kinds of food. But like, it’s there. So what? There's other things that they mention too. And the thing is, because of that one day of sacrifice, you know what, that’s fine, you want to sacrifice, sacrifice that day, I’m talking about the 364 other days.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: So, go back to your previous life as a as a heart surgeon. Now you yourself are vegan, you're eating a plant-based, whole-food diet, you're teaching other people how to do it, you're going to become very controversial in a very short period of time.

Bassem Youssef: Even more. I've always been controversial.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Even more controversial than you already have been. If you were a heart surgeon right now, what would be different?

Bassem Youssef: I would absolutely advise them to change their diet. I mean, this diet is something that we never thought. We only thought about how we perfect the surgery, how to put them on to the medication. But, I would never imagine like, the doctor that I was eight years ago, that whenever anybody come with me to a disease, and I’d ask them, “What are you eating?”

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: It's not even a conversation, right? You guys were never trained in medical school to do that.

Bassem Youssef: No, no, we don't have this, we don’t have that training, and we’re not better than the American lack of nutritional training that people have.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Right? So, do you think that the medical institution in the Middle East is also going to be somewhat receptive to your message?

Bassem Youssef: I don't think they're going to be receptive. I think they're going to be very resistant, and they are going to put politics into it, and they're gonna put religion into it, and they’re gonna put so many things into it.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: So, they're going to be on the front line of the haters?

Bassem Youssef: Oh, yeah. 100%. Most of the people who wrote articles against me when I talked were doctors and nutritionists.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: One of the things that you actually had brought to my attention, which I didn't know, is that on the streets, if you're walking through the streets of Egypt, or you know, any other part of the Middle East, there's actually plenty of plant-based options available, except it's just that they're using lots of oil in the cooking.

Bassem Youssef: Yeah.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Alright. So, give our listeners a little bit of an idea here of like, what are some of the plant-based options that are available, that are commonly eaten?

Bassem Youssef: Well, fava beans are huge in Egypt. Fava beans. Because recently we’ve been doing our falafel with chickpeas, but with fava beans. So fava beans is huge. And this is like our breakfast, basically, it’s our staple food and sometimes for other poor people breakfast and dinner. There are all kinds of vegetables and fruits, you know, with the only thing we don't have that abundant here is avocado. That's not like a very common fruit. But we have amazing mango, we have the summer fruits in Egypt. All kinds of vegetables you can think of. From okra to green leafy vegetables to lentils, and beans. And lentils are also huge there. But for example, we have something like the eggplant. Nobody eats eggplant unless it's deeply fried.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Yeah, I've seen that before. Definitely. Breaded, fried.

Bassem Youssef: Yes, exactly. Yeah, so they say like, it has no taste. We're cooking with oil, even if it’s not drenched and deep fried, you cook with oil. That’s what you do. You cook rice with oil, you cook pasta with oil. Everything is cooked in oil.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Run us through a typical day of eating for you. What do you eat?

Bassem Youssef: Right now?

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Yeah.

Bassem Youssef: Well, I do intermittent fasting. So, I start eating at 12. So I skip breakfast. So, I kind of like, my breakfast at 12, for me, is like a huge smoothie with green vegetables and a banana, and a little bit of coconut milk. And this is like my post workout.

And then, I finish that and maybe there's like the big meal, where there's like, lots of broccoli, sweet potato, potatoes, and there's rice. I kind of, I stopped thinking of breakfast, lunch, dinner a long time ago. But I just like, eat and then I just snack on fruits.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: What time of the day do you stop eating?

Bassem Youssef: 8, before 8.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: So, you're basically doing a 16-8 fast every single day. And are you doing that just because it makes you feel better, or because the health benefits as well?

Bassem Youssef: Well, I read about the health benefits, and then I tried it. I certainly, I can't even do breakfast anymore. My body doesn't need breakfast anymore. You don't need that much food anymore. It's kind of like, the shorter the window I have, the less food I have, the more actually energetic.

Robby Barbaro: Where you always so strong, or is it something…

Bassem Youssef: Yeah. I’ve always been big. But I when I was not yet vegan, I was big, but I was chunky. I always lifted.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: You want to get a workout in tomorrow, before you take off?

Bassem Youssef: I'm driving tonight.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: Oh, man, I missed my opportunity. Okay, so if you had a, like you said, there's a lot of similarity here between the sort of Middle Eastern audience that you're trying to reach out to, and the American audience. If you have one piece of advice to give to somebody who's on the fence about adopting a plant-based diet, what would you say?

Bassem Youssef: I would say, read and do your research. And I’d say like, don't take our word for it, watching documentaries, read the books. I mean, if you want to be tomorrow doing a keto diet, you got to be researching the hell out. So, just give plant-based, whole-food diet, the same opportunity, and the same fair chance. And read it, and ask as many questions as you can, and there's resources to answer your questions. And only then, when you understand it, commit to it for a couple of weeks, and then see how you feel.

I mean, because the thing is, I understand. I was a huge meat eater, a cheese lover, I had a horrible sweet tooth. So, I understand how difficult this is. So, that's why I never judge people about their food choices, and I understand it's difficult. And it took someone to explain to me the science for me to buy into it. And then when I did that, I switched. And when I switched, even if it was hard, I stayed on it because it was the right thing to do.

So, research, just like anything else. I mean, research like you’re researching your next car, you're basically researching your next life. Yes. So research it, and only when you're convinced, stay in it. Most of the people, by the way, who attack you don't haven't even read the literature, or read the experience. They just they pick and choose stuff on the internet that confirms their bias, you know, and that's it. And I just saying like, just be fair and read up.

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD: They don’t know, what they don’t know. 100%. Well, thank you for taking the time to be here with us.

Bassem Youssef: Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.

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The second tool is even better than the first. We provide you with access to our online community, with thousands of people that are going through this process with you. You'll be able to interact with our team of coaches, including Kylie Buckner, a Registered Nurse who is brilliant. She also happens to be my wife, and is one of the most kind and compassionate human beings that I've ever met. Adam Sud. He reversed type 2 diabetes. He lost more than 160 pounds and he de-addicted himself from both food and prescription medication at the same time.

You'll also get to interact with Mark Ramirez, who lost more than 50 pounds, reversed type 2 diabetes, and is a certified Food For Life Instructor, through the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. You'll also get the ability to interact with both Robby and myself in the online community. And we guarantee that we’ll answer your question within 24 hours to help you solve problems in real time.

The third tool is a twice monthly Q&A video conference, where you can ask our team of coaches any question that you have about your personal program, and meet others that are going through this process with you. Now, we're proud to say that our coaching program is very popular, and because of that, we've instituted a waiting list to join. The reason we created the waiting list in the first place is because we have more than 2000 active members in our program and want to provide excellent service to our existing members. You can still join the program, but in order to do so you have to put yourself on the waiting list and you'll be notified of when we open next. When we do, we'll send you a personal invitation to join.

To join the waiting list simply go to www.masteringdiabetes.org and click on Coaching in the navigation bar at the top of the screen, or click the link below in the show notes. We can't wait to help you transform your diabetes health from the inside out. We hope to see you on the inside.

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About the author 

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD and Robby Barbaro, MPH

Cyrus Khambatta, PhD, and Robby Barbaro, MPH are the coauthors of the New York Times bestselling book Mastering Diabetes: The Revolutionary Method to Reverse Insulin Resistance Permanently in Type 1, Type 1.5, Type 2, Prediabetes, and Gestational Diabetes. They are the cofounders of Mastering Diabetes, a coaching platform that teaches people how to reverse insulin resistance via low-fat, plant-based, whole-food nutrition. Cyrus has been living with type 1 diabetes since 2002, and has an undergraduate degree from Stanford University and a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from UC Berkeley. Robby was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2000, and has been living a plant-based lifestyle since 2006. He worked at Forks Over Knives for 6 years, and earned a Master’s in Public Health in 2019.