Community
Print
Dr John McDougall, the renowned author and physician known for his advocacy of low fat plant-based diets, has died aged 77.
In a statement, his family described him as a “beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, mentor and friend,” and said that he died peacefully in his sleep last Saturday (June 22).
Dr McDougall pursued a healthcare career after suffering from a stroke aged 18. He was left with a lifelong disability as a result of the stroke, which gave him a passion for transforming the healthcare system.
He wrote a number of books on diets, including The McDougall Plan, which was a New York Times bestseller. He was a member of the Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit health organization promoting preventative medicine and advocating for plant-based diets.
“The world will remember him as the man who revolutionized modern healthcare and championed dietary therapy,” his family wrote. “In honoring Dr. McDougall’s memory, we ask you to continue to live healthfully, love each other and be kind to the environment and the animals who share it.”
Dr McDougall’s plant-based advocacy
Dr McDougall began the hugely popular McDougall Program in California in 2002. The program aims to “transform your health in 12 days” with a low fat, starch-based, plant-based diet.
The program is high in fiber and with zero cholesterol. It prioritizes foods like pasta, breads, corn, rice, potatoes, as well as fruits and vegetables.
His other books include Dr McDougall’s Digestive Tune-Up (2006), The Starch Solution (2012), and The Healthiest Diet On The Planet, which he co-wrote with his wife Mary (2016).
Dr McDougall’s daughter, Heather, has confirmed that the McDougall Program will continue following his death.
“While this mission began with Dr. McDougall’s dream, it will live on and evolve through the dedication of his children and the team he personally picked to help him turn his vision into reality,” she wrote on Instagram. “This is a family business, and we promise to be there for you, as Dr. John McDougall always was.”
