First Oprah, now Dr. Oz — the movement of the western world back to the natural diet for our species is beginning to gain some traction with the mainstream…albeit ever so slowly. With Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn and Dr. Neal Barnard as guests on his April 27 show, Dr. Mehmet Oz devoted much of the hour to a comprehensive review of the why and how questions around a whole foods, plant-based diet.

One of America's favorite doctors (first discovered by Oprah) talking whole plants on April 27, 2011.

But as he said in the program, “Notice that I haven’t used the word diet here. That’s because we’re talking about a whole new way of looking at how we eat. Sure, you’ll lose weight, but that’s not what this is all about.”

With the new Forks Over Knives movie opening in theaters across the country next week, Dr. Oz promoted the movie by interviewing the two primary stars: Dr. T. Colin Campbell of Cornell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn of the Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. T. Colin Campbell, author of The China Study

Dr. Campbell spoke very briefly about plant-based eating with regards to preventing or reversing cancer and Dr. Esselstyn (See book) did the same regarding heart disease. As usual, Dr. Esselstyn referred to our nation’s #1 killer as a “toothless paper tiger that need never exist.” Then the show shifted quickly to a review of the foods involved with author Rip Esselstyn (See photo) and Dr. Neal Barnard, both of whom were also in the movie.

Finally, about halfway through the show, Dr. Oz asked Dr. Neal Barnard the famous protein question, “If you’re not eating any meat, dairy or fish, where do we get our protein?” Now, maybe Dr. Oz knew the answer but was just asking it because he knew that millions of viewers were wondering about protein when they saw that the diet-style being proposed included ONLY plants. But after hearing more, I’m thinking that like over 90% of all Americans, even Dr. Oz was thinking that we really do “need” to eat some animal products in order to be healthy. (See protein page)

Rip Esselstyn -- Author of Engine 2 Diet

Dr. Oz went on to say that his wife was a vegetarian and that he eats no red meat but that seafood was very important to him and that they had featured the benefits of fish on the show many times. Dr. Barnard replied that while fish does have omega-3 fats, it also is loaded with other unhealthful fats and cholesterol and that it was missing the things that we need — key things like fiber, vitamin C and phytonutrients that are only found in plants. (See related post on fish)

Great show — good information — good promotion for the movie….BUT my question is this.

Where’s the urgency? Campbell and Esselstyn talked candidly about reversing heart disease and cancer, yet those comments were almost lost in the shuffle. We’re talking about the nation’s top two killers. We’re talking about a toxic diet that is driving up to 80% of our $2.7 trillion cost of health care. Yet there was no feeling of urgency.

J. Morris Hicks, writer, speaker, blogger and health coach

My next question is: “Where does the Dr. Oz Show go from here? He featured a diet-style on Wednesday’s show that has the power to end most disease in this country. So what does he do on Thursday as a follow-up? Does he just go back to the endless discussions of a zillion medical problems? Or does he get real serious about the “big picture” root of 80% of our medical problems? Like a blinding flash of the obvious – it’s right under our noses. It’s what we put in our mouth everyday.

Does he get real serious about getting the truth about nutrition out to the millions of Americans who are about to be diagnosed with cancer or heart disease — are about to undergo serious procedures — and have not been told about the power of simple whole plants to either prevent, slow, arrest or completely reverse BOTH?

I just got a sad note this week from a reader who didn’t learn about the truth in The China Study until AFTER she was diagnosed with breast cancer AND had a double mastectomy. She now wants to know, “When is our government, mainstream medicine, and academia going to get serious about addressing the causes of our disease instead of just treating the symptoms?”

Sadly the answer to her question is up to us. We are forming the grassroots revolution that will demand change in the future. While taking charge of our own health, we plant the seeds of change that will enable millions to get the word – before it’s too late. Thank you Dr. Oz for opening the door, now we must keep telling the story.

Earlier in this blog, I stated that I wondered what Dr. Oz would do next; my concern was well-founded — as he went back to the same old garbage a few days later. The next week, he was almost like a huckster for the dangerous low carb, Dukan Diet. Take a look. 

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—J. Morris Hicks…blogging daily at HealthyEatingHealthyWorld.com

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