The Esselstyns arrive 46. The brain

Doyens of plant-based release new cookbook

The Esselstyns need no introduction to long-term whole food plantbased connoisseurs, but for the less initiated, there’s something you should know, Ann and Jane, the doyens of everything that should go on a dinner table, have just released a new cookbook.

Just to fill in some of the background here, Ann has been called "the Julia Child of plant-based cooking." She was an award-winning English teacher for twentyseven years, all while juggling raising four children, coaching, and figuring out how to cook delicious and appealing plant-based, oil-free food (pre-internet!).

Her singular focus is on creating recipes to prevent and reverse heart disease, and she collaborates with her husband, Dr Caldwell Esselstyn, in counselling patients.

Ann and her daughter, Jane, also feature heart-healthy recipes on their YouTube channel. Ann graduated from Smith College and received a master's in education from Wheelock College. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio, next door to Jane.

Jane Esselstyn is a fresh, charismatic voice in the plant-based movement. She brings her passion, energy, and can-do attitude to her presentations, cooking demonstrations, and cookbooks. As well as being a nurse, researcher, middle school sex ed teacher, and mother of three, Jane hosts a popular YouTube channel with her spitfire mother, Ann. Jane created the recipes for the #1 New York Times bestseller Plant-Strong and The Engine 2 Seven-Day Rescue Diet. She is the co-author of The Engine 2 SevenDay Rescue Diet with her brother, Rip, and of The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook with Ann. A tireless champion for kids and their health, Jane brings remarkable clarity, compassion and humour to the table. Her research with the Cleveland Clinic's Department of Pediatrics observes the effects of a plant-based diet on pediatric obesity and hypercholesterolemia. The Journal of Pediatrics published one of their studies in February of 2015 where Jane created the classroom and kitchen curricula for the study.

When not working on recipes or research, Jane teaches sexuality education to middle schoolers. Many of the basic healthy messages around being a sexual being for middle school kids make their way into Jane’s adult presentations in hilarious and educational ways.

Jane graduated from the University of Michigan, where she competed nationally as a recruited swimmer and rower, and earned a B.S. in Nursing from Kent State University. She met her husband and fellow plant-based educator, Brian Hart, while working as a field instructor for Outward Bound.