Whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, low-carb, or can’t say no to French fries (which is maybe all of us), we all know that figuring out what to eat can sometimes be complicated. Add in countless influencers arguing about the best diet, and it can be tough to know what’s healthy or not. Thankfully, there have been some amazing people who have given us some more clarity.
While there have been some less than perfect vegans in the news, from the “Bad Vegan” Sarma Melngailis to the Sexy Vegan, Dr. John McDougall did his work with compassion and respect, and everything he accomplished was impressive. What happened to him?
How did Dr. McDougall die?
According to a post on the Instagram account @themcdougallprogram, “Dr. McDougall died peacefully in his sleep at his home on Saturday, June 22nd, at the age of 77.”
From the emotional Instagram post, which includes some sweet photos of Dr. McDougall with his family, we can tell that he was a beloved man who meant a lot to people. As the caption read, “John lived a life full of adventure, love and happiness. Our family will remember him as the man who taught us to live life to the fullest and always speak the truth.”
As he shared in the bio section of his website Drmcdougall.com, he stopped working back in 2017, but his amazing business has been running strong.
Who was Dr. McDougall?
Dr. John McDougall was an important figure in the plant-based world, and anyone who follows a vegan diet can definitely thank him for the amazing work that he did. As the caption of @themcdougallprogram Instagram post read, he “revolutionized modern healthcare and championed dietary therapy.”
According to Plant Based News, Dr. McDougall created the McDougall Program along with his wife Mary McDougall, which has been running since 2002. If you follow this way of eating, you consume food that doesn’t have any cholesterol, and eat a lot of fiber.
As noted by Plant Based News, Dr. McDougall had a stroke at 18, which sounds terrifying. But as is often the case when someone experiences something memorable and scary, he decided that he would work in the health field. As The Daily Mail reported, he spent some time in the hospital and felt that he could help himself with healthy food as he wasn’t getting the information he needed. As we know, whether someone faces gaslighting by a doctor or just isn’t helped the way that they should be, this is an all too common experience.
Dr. McDougall went vegan and wrote on his website, “Looking back at my diet, I can give credit to eggs, double cheese pizzas, and hot dogs for my brain damage, and my good fortune.” According to The Daily Mail, he is the one who came up with a plant-based, high-starch way of eating.
While we might not be vegan ourselves (and we might not want to give up burgers in the summertime or pepperoni on our Friday night pizza), we can definitely respect the work that Dr. McDougall did.
Anyone who signs up for one of his many programs will definitely feel this heartbreaking loss, and we feel terrible for his wife Mary McDougall, who has played an active and passionate part in his programming. We can visit Dr. McDougall’s website and find delicious recipes like Crockpot Pizza Potatoes and Banana Blueberry Bars. We can also check out Dr. McDougall’s 13 books, including The McDougall Quick and Easy Cookbook.