The “Big Picture” about the food we eat — in 400 words or less

About ten years ago, after reading 40 or 50 books on the “optimal” diet for humans, I had a “blinding flash of the obvious” one weekend in the spring of 2003. My conclusion was: “Oh my God—we’re eating the wrong food!” As you might expect, Mother Nature provided the “right” foods for all of the millions of species—including humans. And she intended for us to eat primarily whole plants—fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. As close to the ground as possible—still in nature’s package

Meat, dairy, eggs and highly processed carbs make up the majority of most Americans’ diets.

But, in just the past hundred years, we have drifted far from that “natural” diet for our species—now deriving most of our calories from meat, dairy, eggs, and highly processed carbohydrates. Nowadays, we get less than ten percent of our calories from the “right” foods that Nature intended for us to eat exclusively.

Largely as a result of eating the wrong food, the cost of health care in the United States has spiraled out of control. We know that this trend is unsustainable—as are many other global issues that are driven by what we eat.

Have you heard about the gross inefficiency of our meat-based diet when it comes to the use of water, land and energy?  On a per calorie basis—it requires at least ten times as much of all three to produce meat & dairy foods as it does to produce plant-based foods. Just think about the implications on such global issues as world hunger, global warming, the energy crisis, and a clean & abundant water supply.

Promoting health, hope and harmony on planet Earth—and the longterm sustainability of the human race.

What we have now is simply unsustainable for a host of reasons. And you can make a difference—by choosing to add lots of whole plants to your diet. Since 2003, I went from less than 20 percent of my calories from whole plants to over 80 percent today…and I have been rewarded with vibrant health.

Not necessarily vegetarian or vegan, I am talking about maximizing the percent of your calories from whole plants. Not only will your own health improve, but you will also be teaching your children—and their children—how to enjoy vibrant health for their entire lives. You’ll also be doing some wonderful things for the environment, the energy crisis, world hunger and so much more. Rest assured…

Your healthy eating will indeed do you—and “our” planet—good!

• Earlier blog. My “blinding flash of the obvious” in 2003
• Earlier blog. “Natural” Diet — Exactly what do I mean by natural?
• This article on FoodChannel

Handy 4-piece take-charge-of-your-health kit—from Amazon.com

• The movie that’s changing the lives of millions: Forks Over Knives DVD 
• Healthy Eating, Healthy World, The “big picture” about food (our book)
• An essential scientific resource: The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell
• Dr. McDougall’s new book, The Starch Solution, with lots of great recipes.

Want to find out how healthy your family is eating? Take our free 4Leaf Diagnostic Survey. It takes less than five minutes and you can score it yourself. After taking the survey, please give me your feedback as it will be helpful in the development of our future 4Leaf app for smartphones. Send feedback to jmorrishicks@me.com

International. We’re now reaching people in over 100 countries. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter or get daily blog notices by “following” us in the top of the right-hand column. For occasional updates, join our periodic mailing list.

J. Morris Hicks, working daily to promote health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.

For help in your own quest to take charge of your health, you might find some useful information at our 4Leaf page or some great recipes at Lisa’s 4Leaf Kitchen.

Got a question? Let me hear from you at jmorrishicks@me.com. Or give me a call on my cell at 917-399-9700.

SHARE and rate this post below.

Blogging daily at hpjmh.com…from the seaside village of Stonington, Connecticut – Be well and have a great day.

—J. Morris Hicks, board member, T. Colin Campbell Foundation