Rich Bassin

Until Rich was in his forties, he was a carnivore and grew up eating meat and potatoes. In his late forties, his beautiful wife Denise told him about the Ornish diet where he would have to stop eating meat because his total cholesterol was well over 200. He stayed on the Ornish diet for many years, although he still ate dairy products such as cheese. Then one day, they both discovered the Keto diet. Rich thought, “you mean I can eat meat again?!” 

Perhaps, you can see where this story is going. He stayed on Keto for 6 months until December 2019 when he went in to get a flu shot and they took his vitals. His blood pressure was around 156/94 - way too high. He then got his cholesterol checked and was well above 200 again. So, immediately Rich dropped the meat and dairy and became a whole food, plant based eater. For many weeks, he would ask, “why can’t I have oil?” That was his most difficult adjustment.

After only 4 to 6 weeks, his blood pressure normalized and a few months after that, when he got his blood work again, his total cholesterol was under 150. His LDL, which he struggled with the most, was 81 (from never being below 100). 

Now, Rich is so focused on cooking, eating, and sharing his whole food, plant-based lifestyle and is eager to share his story with anyone who will listen. He has found wonderful recipes online, began to cook the most flavorful meals, and he would never miss meat and potatoes again.