Dr. John Mcdougall dedicated his life to spreading a powerful message: food is medicine. Driven by an unwavering “desire to tell the truth,” a principle instilled by his parents in Detroit, Michigan, John McDougall became a leading voice in advocating for plant-based diets. His daughter, Heather McDougall, highlighted his core values: “He wanted to teach the word and get people to eat better and protect the environment. His number one pleasure in life was helping others — and his family.” This passion propelled John McDougall to challenge conventional dietary wisdom and empower countless individuals to transform their health through nutrition.
Early in his career, John McDougall faced skepticism and criticism, with some dismissing his dietary recommendations as radical or unsustainable. However, mounting scientific evidence has increasingly validated the profound health benefits of plant-based eating. A recent study from the University of California at San Francisco, published in May, demonstrated that men with prostate cancer could significantly slow disease progression by adopting a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, and olive oil, while minimizing meat, dairy, and fish consumption. This research echoes the principles John McDougall championed for decades, showcasing the growing acceptance of plant-based diets in mainstream health.
A Transformative Life Event
A pivotal moment reshaped John McDougall’s life trajectory. At the age of 18, he suffered a severe stroke that caused temporary paralysis on his left side, leaving him with lasting weakness. Yet, John McDougall viewed this adversity as “one of the great fortunes of my life.” This experience ignited his determination to pursue medicine. During medical school, in 1971, he met Mary, a surgical nurse, in an operating room. As Heather McDougall recounted, “She was his scrub nurse. He just fell in love. He tried to get her to go on a date with him. Finally she said yes and three months later they were married.”
In 1972, the McDougalls relocated to Hawaii, where they started their family and Dr. John McDougall completed his residency. He also served as a general practitioner for the Hamakua Sugar Company. This period in Hawaii proved to be transformative, laying the foundation for his life’s work. As John McDougall shared with The Press Democrat in 2012, “My plantation patients taught me how to eat. The first-generation Japanese, Filipino and Chinese kept their same diet. They were trim and they never had heart disease, arthritis or diabetes.” He observed a stark contrast with the subsequent generation: “Their kids raised in Hawaii were eating richer food,” he noted. “The kids had gotten a little fatter and sicker.”
These observations solidified John McDougall’s understanding of the impact of diet on health. “Before my own eyes I saw fully functioning elders thriving on grains and fruits and vegetables. With the inclusion of the two other basic food groups — meat and dairy — the progeny failed,” he later wrote. This realization fueled his commitment to advocating for a plant-based approach to health and disease prevention.
Championing Dietary Medicine
After becoming a board-certified internist in 1978, John McDougall established his dietary-medicine practice in Hawaii. He became an outspoken advocate for public health, successfully campaigning for the removal of talc from processed rice in Hawaii, California, and Puerto Rico. He also spearheaded a movement to mandate that surgeons inform women with breast cancer about treatment options beyond surgery, empowering patients with greater choice and control over their healthcare decisions.
In 1986, John McDougall was recruited to direct The McDougall Program at The Adventist Health hospital in St. Helena, a renowned center for cardiac care. He relocated his family to Santa Rosa and built a highly successful program. By 1999, he expanded his reach, offering his program remotely through collaborations with Blue Cross Blue Shield in Minnesota and a supermarket chain in Florida. In 2002, John McDougall transitioned to an independent model, establishing a permanent program at The Flamingo Resort. Here, individuals would immerse themselves for ten days, learning “a new way of living,” as Jill Nussinow, a dietitian, culinary educator, and cookbook author who collaborated with John McDougall for many years, explained.
Jill Nussinow emphasized the program’s profound impact: “He got many thousands and thousands of people to look at what they were doing and make huge changes for their health and overall benefit.” Dr. Anthony Lim, who succeeded John McDougall as clinical director of the program upon his retirement in 2017, further underscored his legacy. “He redefined the way I view medicine,” Dr. Lim stated. He explained that traditional medical training focused on managing disease with medication, but John McDougall’s lasting contribution was demonstrating that individuals could not only manage symptoms but actively restore their health through dietary changes.
Beyond Medicine
Outside of his unwavering dedication to health and nutrition, John McDougall enjoyed an active and adventurous personal life. He was passionate about windsurfing, traveling, fly fishing, and cherishing moments with his family. “We spent our lives sailing when we lived in Hawaii,” his daughter Heather recalled. “He loved adventure. He was a pilot.”
Heather McDougall shared that the cause of her father’s death was not definitively known, noting, “He did have damaged arteries from his stroke. The ideal death is to just go in your sleep. It happened just the way he wanted it to. Sooner than we wanted but the way he wanted to go. I find comfort in that.”
Dr. John McDougall is survived by his wife Mary, daughter Heather, sons Craig and Patrick, brother William, sisters Linda and Kay, and seven grandchildren. His private services will honor a life dedicated to transforming lives through the power of plant-based nutrition. John McDougall’s impact extends far beyond his immediate family and patients, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of health and wellness, inspiring generations to embrace the transformative potential of diet.
