Rip Esselstyn
Former firefighter and triathlete, no medical credential. Author of The Engine 2 Diet, founder of PLANTSTRONG.
Rip, son of Caldwell Esselstyn, frames whole-food plant based eating as plant strong rather than plant perfect. PLANTSTRONG also sells packaged foods.
Whose words we use: His own talks. Most PLANTSTRONG blog posts are signed by the site admin and are the organization's voice.
Evidence behind the weight-loss advice: Uncontrolled pilot and event data.
Positions by topic
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Calorie density
Choosing foods with fewer calories per pound is the main way to lose weight without counting calories.
AgreesRip says calorie-counting diets do not last and that generous amounts of unprocessed plant food do the work. PLANTSTRONG's site explains weight loss as calorie density: skip liquid calories, high-fat foods and refined grains.
- Engine 2 keynote (2009) at 1:13:31
- PLANTSTRONG blog: calorie densityOrganization page
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Nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds should be cut out or strictly limited for weight loss.
Partly agreesRip includes some nuts and seeds in his food plan. PLANTSTRONG's site is inconsistent: a 2022 page says to limit nuts and cut avocado to lose weight, while 2024 pages list several nuts and nut butters as everyday foods.
- Engine 2 keynote (2009) at 19:32
- PLANTSTRONG: 9 ways to optimize (2022) (archived copy)Organization page
- PLANTSTRONG: WFPB essentials (2024)Organization page
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Oil
Added oil should be cut out completely for weight loss.
AgreesOil goes in week three of his 28-day challenge, and PLANTSTRONG presents itself as fully oil-free. Its blog overstated a 2024 olive-oil trial that did not report weight.
- Engine 2 keynote (2009) at 27:24
- PLANTSTRONG promise pageOrganization page
- Krenek 2024, J Am Heart AssocStudy