Dinnertime for Sheila Lewis these days usually has a green theme. This Houston mother of three now eats healthy for a reason. You see, just nine months ago, she was a very sick woman.
"At night, when I was sleeping, I would be awakened by something abnormal going on in my, you know, with my chest. And I said, you know, something is not right," Lewis said.
Something was wrong. She was suffering from congestive heart failure and had an 85 percent blockage in her arteries.
"I was really devastated and uh, it was kind of scary. Because I lost my mom -- she was 59 when she passed -- and she had congestive heart failure," Lewis said.
Cardiologist Dr. Baxter Montgomery gave her several options, including bypass surgery and implanting a defibrillator. But he also had another idea.
"I also talked to her about changing her diet. I talked about the power of nutrition," Dr. Montgomery said.
He urged her to eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and cut out the foods she's enjoyed all her life. No more meat, chicken, dairy, sugar or bread.
"Either you're gonna do it and live or don't do it and suffer the consequences," Lewis said.
And after five months, the blockages in her heart were gone.
"Because it was so amazing. It was unbelieveable," she said.
"To be honest, we see similar results routinely," Dr. Montgomery said.
It's why Dr. Montgomery has now created a new concept in health care that combines traditional medical treatments with nutritional intervention.
Lewis makes her own meals and has inspired her family to cook and eat healthier.
"I'm living witness that our bodies will heal itself. And I'm just still blown away," she said.
In addition to clearing the arteries in her heart, Lewis also lost weight -- about 30 pounds in 5 months. She says she feels like she's been given her life back.
