For the last few days of my 737 daily streak, I want to revisit our book, Healthy Eating, Healthy World. While driving to Ithaca this past week to work with Dr. Campbell, I decided to listen to our book on Audio, something I hadn’t done in over a year. While listening to the Foreword, I was thinking: What is missing in our book? What would I add now if I could?

I am going to answer that question on Monday, February 11. But, meanwhile, I am going to share the Foreword with you today. Later this weekend, I will share the Introduction (that I wrote).

Foreword By T. Colin Campbell, PhD, and Nelson Campbell

Dr. Dean Ornish wrote the cover endorsement—-and we filled the entire book with a heavy dose of “big picture” CLARITY.

Most of us live apart from Nature, within artificially constructed environments that bear little resemblance to the mountains, meadows, forests and streams experienced by our ancestors. And living apart from Nature, we too often forget that we are part of an interconnected whole.

No matter how hard we try, however, we cannot escape this fact forever. We can construct our material world and engage in individualistic pursuits, but eventually must face the fact that we do not live on islands. We are connected to one another and to the larger natural world of which we are still a part.

There may be no better illustration of this truth than the way we eat. The decision of what to put at the end of our fork is a private decision and one that seems to have no relevance beyond the edges of our dinner plate. But the truth is this: the effects of what we eat ripple round and round the world . . . and this is the story of “Healthy Eating, Healthy World” by J. Morris Hicks.

When Jim approached us about writing the foreword for this book, we did not hesitate to answer his call. Jim is a good friend, but more than a friend—he is an intelligent man whose life experiences have prepared him well for this moment. Trained as a strategy and process improvement consultant, he has spent much of his professional career helping organizations understand and improve the quality of their operations, services and products. He is trained to see the world from a “big picture” systems perspective, so it was not hard for him to grasp the interconnections between what we eat and our broader world and how we might make changes within this system to improve the quality of our lives.

Too often in a field of study, we rely solely on those people who have established themselves as the inside “experts.” Yet, sometimes the most interesting perspectives are those that come from outside the field. And this is the case here—Jim’s perspective has enabled him to tell a story in Healthy Eating, Healthy World that is informative, engaging, and compelling.

While told from a “systems” perspective, this story also is one of personal empowerment. As it turns out, what is best for the system is also best for our individual health. When we consume a whole food plant-based diet, with minimal additions of fat, salt, sugar and other refined ingredients, we optimize a larger system encompassing economics, politics, and the environment, while also optimizing the internal system that gives us life.

This picture of the Campbell family appeared in People Magazine circa 1982. That is Nelson in the upper left; Colin was in his mid-forties at the time. The co-author of The China Study (Dr. Tom Campbell), is in his mother’s arms.

This is a powerful idea with a bright future. The idea that we can control our health largely by what we eat offers a bright light within a seemingly dimly lit world. We often feel out of control, not always because we are out of control, but because the world we live within feels increasingly out of control. So the idea that we can take charge of what is most precious to us, our personal well-being, is a powerful idea indeed.

And many of us are more open to transformative social change than ever before. Population growth, rapid technological development, environmental destruction, and increasing economic and political control in the hands of people who have forgotten the old-fashioned idea of civic virtue, all have propelled us to a point in human history where the acceptable margin for error has become a thin line. There is an urgency that exists today that did not exist in years past, and it is this sense of urgency that will open people to the story of this book.

J. Morris Hicks and his son have put together an interesting tale that will enlighten you while also giving you great hope. The message of plant-based nutrition already has transformed many lives, including the life of this management consultant and former senior corporate executive. Not only has he put himself and his family on a path to optimal health, he has also become so passionate about the idea that he has launched a new career to share this good news with others. That new career features a blend of speaking, blogging, consulting and writing—all beginning with this powerful book that you hold in your hands.

—T. Colin Campbell, PhD, and Nelson Campbell

Dr. T. Colin Campbell, author of “The China Study,” is the world’s foremost science expert in the field of plant-based nutrition and is working with his son, Nelson, who is coordinating an effort to develop and implement a strategy for promoting the message of plant-based nutrition into the mainstream.

Want to buy a copy of  Healthy Eating, Healthy World in paperback, Kindle or Audio? Click here for the Amazon page. Over 90% of the reviews on Amazon scored our book at 5 Stars out of 5.

On Saturday, February 11, I posted the entire Introduction to our book (written by J. Morris Hicks)

After leaving Ithaca this past Thursday, I stopped by Casper Farms for a bite to eat with owner, Michael Casper.

After my visit on 2-7-13, Michael was kind enough to re-post an earlier review of our book in his blog. Click here to take a look. 

Consecutive daily blogs

My daily streak will end on February 11 with my 737th consecutive daily blog. But don’t worry—hpjmh.com will NOT be going dark. My plan is that it will be around for a very long time—hopefully long after I am gone. In the meantime, I will continue blogging, updating and adding pages that will focus on my mission of promoting health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.

Want to help support our mission? Click here for a few ideas

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.

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