My father passed away at the young age of 52 from heart failure. He is not alone. Even though we spend far more, per capita, on health care than any other society in the world, two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and more than 15 million Americans have diabetes. We also fall prey to heart disease as often as we did thirty years ago. I was a very young mother at the time my father passed away and at the time accepted his death as inevitable. Now, looking back, I realize this could have prevented through simple lifestyle changes.
Now I am always looking for ways we can use prevention in our lives. The movie soon to be launched, “Forks Over Knives” (see trailer below) focuses on Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s book, The China Study, a book that Dean Ornish, MD states: “This is one of the most important books about nutrition ever written….reading it may save your life.”
The recent transformation of former President Bill Clinton is a result of a plant-based diet, one which he was inspired to go on after reading Colin Campbell’s book, The China Study. He revealed the true motivation for this healthier lifestyle was that he and his wife, the current Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, “would like to be around if there’s grandkids…”
I was introduced to The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, PhD after listening to him being interviewed on The Kathleen Show, a radio talk show featuring the country’s most provocative thought leaders who challenge convention and inspire us. Dr. Campbell basically described in this interview the struggle, still ongoing, to understand and explain the vital connection between our health and what we eat.
Marilyn Gentry, President of the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) states, ” Today, AICR advocates a predominantly plant-based diet for lower cancer risk because of the great work Dr. Campbell and just a few other visionaries began twenty-five years ago.” Junshi Chen, M.D.,,PH.D., Senior Research Professor at the Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, states, “The China Study is the most convincing evidence yet on preventing heart disease, cancer and other Western diseases by dietary means. It is the book of choice both for economically developed countries and for countries undergoing rapid economical transition and lifestyle change.”
T. Colin Campbell states in his book, “Impressive evidence now exists to show that advanced heart disease, relatively advanced cancers of certain types, diabetes and a few other degenerative diseases can be reversed by diet….eating the right way not only prevents disease but also generates health and a sense of well-being, both physically and mentally.”
I am looking forward to the launch of the movie, “Forks Over Knives” that will be out in March of 2011. Meanwhile, I am going to finish reading Dr. Campbell’s book and try out some of those plant based recipes for myself. What about you? Have you considered this lifestyle change? If so, how is it working for you?
