How NYC Democratic Mayoral Candidate Eric Adams Transformed His Life By Going Plant-Based

We'll wager you don't come to mindbodygreen for the latest political updates—nor do we try to take on that responsibility. We do believe, however, in the power of healthy food to transform your life; we also know that the complex, systemic issues surrounding said healthy food (like access to fresh fruits and veggies) ultimately require some government intervention to make headway. 

Rewind to 2016, and Adams was not well: He was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes after undergoing a colonoscopy due to an intense stomach ulcer, he tells us. He lost sight in his left eye and was slowly losing it in his right. He had nerve damage in his hands and feet, and he couldn't feel his right thigh. His doctor even revealed he was at a comatose level. 

But let's back up to even before he reached this serious diagnosis: Leading up to these intense symptoms, Adams didn't know anything was wrong. He explains that he had an "over-fixation with meat" and an attachment to unhealthy recipes passed down for generations. "Sugar, fat, salt, processed—that was my diet," he says. Sure, he didn't feel amazing, but he didn't think he ever could: He thought that was just his baseline. 

It all paints a rather bleak picture, and as Adams notes, it's not an uncommon one for many Americans. "My family members were diabetic," he explains. "I saw it almost as a natural transition when you get to a certain age in life." 

Today, he makes fruits and veggies the star of his plate: He discovered broccoli, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, kale, and other vegetables he had never heard of before. "The dam broke," he writes in his book, Healthy At Last. "I was soon eating mushrooms, carrots, asparagus, sweet potatoes, red cabbage, beans, peas, and more." (He even had fun finding new plants to cook with—items like cherimoyas, pawpaws, and pomelos make it into his regular rotation.)