Multi-billionaire Murdock…eating at “4-Leaf” level

Posted on 03/10/2011 by J. Morris Hicks

Trying to live to the record age of 125 years

The New York Times Sunday Magazine (3-6-11) featured a lengthy article on the super-wealthy Dole tycoon, David Murdock, and the diet-style he thinks can keep him alive for another 38 years…when he would turn 125. You can read the entire article by clicking on the link at the end of this blog.

For me and David Murdock, eating at the “4-Leaf” level means eating lots of whole plants like these — in nature’s package.

After reading his very interesting story, I concluded that David, like myself, probably eats more whole plants than well over 99% of the U.S. population. But, also like me, he doesn’t describe himself as a vegetarian or a vegan. In his case, that’s because he eats seafood and egg-whites.

In my case, while I never plan to have any animal products, I do have a few bites occasionally. One of those occasions was this past Monday at the Harvard Club in New York, where I was served a salmon fillet with my lunch….just before speaking to the group about the merits of a plant-based diet….A man’s got to be flexible.

Also, like myself, I concluded that Mr. Murdock is eating at the 4Leaf level, referring to a term that we are introducing in our book later this year. Eating at the 4Leaf level simply means consistently deriving over 80% of your calories from whole plants. In his case, his fish and egg-whites are part of the “other” 20%. In my case, it’s the cocktails, beer and an occasional piece of fish or cheese.

In our trademarked 4Leaf Program, we set up a simple scale of 20-40-60-80 that represents the percentage of one’s calories that are derived from whole plants…going from 1Leaf at 20% to 4Leaf at 80%. Rather than focusing on what we want to avoid eating, we decided to focus on maximizing our intake of whole plant foods, which almost everyone believes are good for you — including your mother.

By comparison, the average American gets far less than 10% of their calories from whole plants, which Dr. T. Colin Campbell says is the natural and the optimal diet for our species. In fact, after reviewing thiLeaf idea with him in November of 2009, I drafted the following health description for persons eating at the 4-Leaf level.

Representing a small minority of the population; they tend to have trim bodies, vibrant health, lots of energy, take no medications, almost never have ANY disease and will very likely live a long & healthy life.

I doubt that Mr. Murdock has never heard of our 4Leaf Program, but it sounds like he is eating at the 4Leaf level, nevertheless. Whether that’s going to take him to 125 remains to be seen. In my case, outliving all my friends and family is not my goal. I simply want to enjoy vibrant health for as long as I may live and pass quietly in my sleep when my number comes up. I also want to make a positive difference in this world. And Here’s how I plan to do that.

With my book about ready to be published, my goal is to give people all the information that they need to know before deciding what to feed to their families. That critical information has simply not been made available to the general public. I had to dig and study for eight years to come up with my “big picture” understanding of food that goes far beyond our own individual health.

People everywhere make their eating decisions for many different reasons. After better grasping the “big picture” about food, my bet is lots of them will make some positive changes in what they are eating. And, as I did, they will do it their way. And some of them might figure out how to live a “vibrantly healthy” 125 years. And, I hope that they do. But, I am afraid that for me and David Murdock, we probably got started a little too late for us to expect that kind of longevity. Now, for my six grand-children — well, that’s a different story.

As for Mr. Murdock, he is # 130 on the latest Forbes list, but his fortune is down to a measly $2.7 billion down from $4.2 billion five years ago. Like the rest of us, the poor guy was a victim of the recession. Even so, if he lives to 125, he could spend over $187,000 a day for the rest of his life and still have a hundred million or so to leave for his heirs.

I just hope he invites me to that 125th birthday party…as I will be a relatively young man of 104 at that time. As promised, here is the complete article on the magnificent Mr. Murdock. The Billionaire Who Is Planning His 125th Birthday – NYTimes.com.

Handy 5-piece take-charge-of-your-health kit—from Amazon.com

Why should we be eating mostly plants? The “big picture” in 4 minutes.

Want to find out how healthy your family is eating? Take our free 4Leaf Survey. It takes 2 or 3 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.

To order more of my favorite books—visit our online BookStore now

For help in your own quest to take charge of your health, visit our 4Leaf page and also enjoy some great recipes from 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.

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—J. Morris Hicks, board member since 2012; click banner for more info:

Nutrition Certificate

Posted in Celebrities, Health in General, Healthy Eating 101, Vegan or vegetarian? | 1 Comment

Worried about gas prices? You ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.

Posted on 03/09/2011 by J. Morris Hicks

With an estimated total of 2 trillion barrels to begin with, we have definitely extracted the easiest trillion first. Now we're drilling miles beneath the surface.

Just heard yesterday that we have now set a record in the United States for the price of gas for the month of March…and we’re only in the second week. People are moaning all across the country about paying $3.50 a gallon for gasoline.

Of course Europe has been surviving quite nicely for years now at twice that amount. Little do most of us realize what a precious and powerful resource petroleum truly is and how quickly we have gone through half of the estimated total reserves of the entire world.

You may be wondering why I am writing about gas prices in a blog that deals with the optimal diet for humans. That’s because an aggressive move in the direction of a plant-based diet could lower our consumption of fossil fuels (oil, coal and natural gas) by as much as 30% in the United States. Read on….

Sometimes I think that we often forget that our fossil fuels are finite resources.  We’re particularly vulnerable when it comes to oil because that’s the fuel that drives our economy, flies our airplanes and powers our cars, trucks and ships around the world. It is also the one that is most unstable…because of political turmoil, wars, earthquakes, hurricanes, and potential terrorist attacks. And, without a steady supply of oil, our global economy is in very big trouble.

Big Picture. While researching for our book, I wanted to describe the “big picture” about our dependence on oil and what we could do about it. Here’s the big picture as I see it — my top ten list of things you need to know about our use of this finite resource.

  1. We have already used about 1 trillion barrels of crude oil…over half of that in the past fifty years.
  2. Estimates vary, but many experts project that the trillion barrels already consumed represents about one half of all that we will be able to consume — ever.
  3. All the experts agree that we have gone after the easiest and the cheapest trillion first; and that the second trillion is going to be a problem.
  4. Our global oil discoveries have been in decline for the past 40 years.
  5. Most oil producing countries reached their peak production long ago; the U. S. peaked out in 1971…forty years ago and has declined steadily ever since.
  6. Although demand in the developed western world has leveled off; it is growing at a hot pace in China and India. How hot?
  7. China overtook the U.S. as the world’s largest consumer of energy in 2009, and is projected to DOUBLE its demand by 2035…just 24 years from now. (I.E.A.)
  8. China’s growth is like adding another entire United States to the energy demand mix.
  9. With global demand growing rapidly and production trying desperately to keep up, we are drawing ever near the day that the global peak production will have been reached…long before the demand begins to decline.
  10. Then what? That’s when the old supply & demand formula comes into play and starts driving prices upward.

    That windmill on the right is going to have a tough time delivering the energy needed when its oil well neighbor runs dry.

Bottom Line. We talk about renewable fuels but we’re nowhere close to developing a fuel source that can replace petroleum. We’re going to need more time and the only way we can have more time is to reduce demand. Since those of us in the west simply have no control over the government subsidies taking place in the developing and oil-exporting countries, one of our only options for significantly reducing demand anytime soon is by doing our best to re-invent our food model as quickly as possible.

You see, our model for feeding people in the west is incredibly inefficient. According to an Ohio State study, the least efficient plant calorie is about ten times more efficient than the most efficient animal based calorie of food. The good news is that a shift to a diet of whole plants could lower our fossil fuel consumption in the U.S. by 30%; it can also lower our health care costs by up to 80%. And, for those of eating it, we can testify that it is a totally enjoyable way to go.

So what’s the problem? Why are so few people (less than 5% of the population in the U.S.) eating that way? Short answer — Lack of information. With enough information, a great many responsible citizens will start making better decisions about what they are eating — for their health, for the health of their families and for the future quality of life for all of those who follow us on planet Earth.

You might also want to trade in that power boat and motor home for a more earth friendly form of recreation.

As for those gasoline prices — make no mistake — they’re headed much higher in the future. My advice is to start seriously reducing your own energy needs NOW. Unload that home in the boonies and find yourself an energy efficient home in a densely populated area where people live in compact quarters and can walk to services, schools, churches and public transportation.

Ending this blog on a good note, there is a silver lining in this picture. Many of those jobs that went overseas will be coming back home along with higher fuel prices. And as for quality of life, where would you rather spend your vacation, in “cheap gas” Houston or in “expensive gas” Paris? Click here for a blog post that addresses this entire “peak oil” phenomenon. Includes three videos.

If you like what you see here, you may wish to join our periodic mailing list. Also, for help in your own quest to take charge of your health, you might find some useful information at our 4-Leaf page. From the seaside village of Stonington, Connecticut – Be well and have a great day.

If you’d like to order our book on Amazon,  visit our BookStore now.

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

PS: Occasionally an unauthorized ad may appear beneath a blog post. It is controlled by WordPress (a totally free hosting service). I do not approve or personally benefit whatsoever from any ad that might ever appear on this site. I apologize and urge you to please disregard. 

Posted in Cost of Health Care, Energy, Environment | 1 Comment

Ralph Lauren (my former boss) — Health Enthusiast

Posted on 03/08/2011 by J. Morris Hicks

J. Morris Hicks -- wearing one of his favorite RL suits -- made in the USA in Lawrence, MA in 1992

Yesterday, after arriving at Grand Central a few hours early for my lunchtime speech at the Harvard Club, I decided to hand-deliver a copy of our book manuscript to Ralph Lauren in his office at 650 Madison. Although Ralph and I have had little contact in recent years, I have always known that he has been very serious about health.

Since the “big picture” information about our food has not been widely available for many reasons, I just thought that the powerful message in our book might possibly resonate with Ralph. And while he may not immediately adopt an optimal plant-based diet, he might very well appreciate the fact that this kind of information should be more widely available — so that people everywhere can have more information to consider when making their own food choices.

Although Ralph was unable to see me yesterday, I did have a chance to visit with his Chief of Staff Charles Fagan and with his brother, Jerry, who I have known since 1984. They both told me that Ralph continues to be very health conscious and is constantly promoting healthier living throughout the RL community.

So I handed the manuscript to Jerry Lauren, along with this note to his brother:

Dear Ralph,

The main thing I remember about working for you was your vision, integrity and passion…coupled with your incredible ability to inspire those around you to achieve unprecedented success. Now that I have my own passion in my work, I can better appreciate yours.

I am writing today to ask you to consider writing a “blurb” for my book…a book about the food that we eat and how it relates to the promotion of health, hope and harmony on planet Earth. The complete manuscript of the book is enclosed along with a preliminary version of the book’s cover.

Hopefully, the book’s message will strike a chord with you and Ricky, such that you may wish to endorse this powerful book. You have a powerful name that could help influence millions of people to take charge of their health while doing some wonderful things for our environment.

Warmly, J. Morris (Jim) Hicks

Although Ralph may not write that “blurb” that I requested, our manuscript may plant some seeds of curiosity that could inspire him to read other books…like The China Study that Bill Clinton credits with opening his eyes about the impact of food on our health.

Ralph Lauren -- and his relaxed "style" that has changed the way the world thinks about clothes, home and life in general

Oftentimes, I find that the primary readers of books like mine and The China Study are vegans, vegetarians or leaning that way. It’s almost like “preaching to the choir” with those groups.

What this grassroots movement really needs are mainstream leaders like Clinton, Oprah and Ralph Lauren to help people everywhere understand that eating the natural diet for our species is not as weird, or as difficult, as some people might think.

As those powerful leaders influence the masses to at least consider another way of eating…this grassroots movement will pick up momentum and we will gradually change the world.

If you like what you see here, you may wish to join our periodic mailing list. Also, for help in your own quest to take charge of your health, you might find some useful information at our 4-Leaf page. From the seaside village of Stonington, Connecticut – Be well and have a great day.

If you’d like to order our book on Amazon,  visit our BookStore now.

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

PS: Occasionally an unauthorized ad may appear beneath a blog post. It is controlled by WordPress (a totally free hosting service). I do not approve or personally benefit whatsoever from any ad that might ever appear on this site. I apologize and urge you to please disregard. 

Posted in Big Picture, Celebrities | Leave a comment