I don’t like what I hear, but there are many unknowns.
And I guess that’s why I don’t blog about them very often. Just this week, a reader asked me a question that inspired this blog. Much of what I have written below was included in my email response to Jan in Canada.
Why are GMOs not an issue that is front and centre in your work, especially when soy, corn, etc are included in the diet?
Canada, the beautiful and wonderful country to our North—and birthplace of James Cameron, well-known movie director and HUGE advocate of the plant-based diet for humans.
Hi Jan. Thanks for your question. After almost 800 blogposts, I have published two blogs on the topic and, as you noticed, have not made it a part of my routine focus? The short answer is that if I try to “focus” on too many topics, then I end up with no “focus” at all.
My feeling is that the GMO issue will someday take care of itself—but only if we start growing much more food for humans than we do for the animals that we eat. We humans must return to the natural diet for our species—whole, plant-based foods.
Currently, 70% of our farming is for feeding animals. When that number shrinks to 20% and the price of fuel goes up, our entire farming landscape will change. There will be more smaller farms and local produce will be in great demand when we can no longer afford the fuel to fly our blueberries in from Chile in the middle of the winter.
My longterm vision is one of denser housing, less shopping centers and fewer sprawling suburbs. As we move to denser housing and employ mass transportation instead of gas-guzzling vehicles, there will be lots of land that can be converted to organic, local farms for human consumption.
See link to my blog below. It contains a pretty scary 108-minute video.
As for the unknowns, let’s begin with the fact that almost everyone is unknowingly consuming GMOs today in the United States. Yet, heart disease and type 2 diabetes are easily reversed with a whole foods, plant-based diet—using non-organic groceries from the supermarket.
Sure, I would prefer to buy non-GMO, local, organic food; but if it is not available or not affordable, then I will have to settle for the standard grocery store selections.
More questions. I have a few other questions that I would like to see answered by an impartial panel.
- What are the primary dangers of GMOs in our food?
- Why were GMOs created in the first place?
- Was it just a money-making and market control ploy by the chemical companies like Monsanto or were there problems that were being addressed?
- What are the most critical problems that have been created by GMOs around the world?
- What would happen to the world’s food supply if GMOs were banned worldwide immediately?
J. Morris Hicks, always trying to focus on the big picture.
Back to my ability to focus. I could be wrong about the GMOs, but I am not wrong about my ability to focus on everything. Quite simply, my focus is on doing all that I can to sound the alarm around the world that we’re “EATING THE WRONG FOOD” and that it’s not only destroying our health—it’s also inflicting so much damage on our ecosystem, that someday Mother Nature will no longer be able to sustain us as a species. Then, after we’re gone, the planet will once again return to the beautiful equilibrium of harmony throughout all of Nature.
As with GMOs, I also don’t focus too often on animal suffering or worry much about the leather furniture in my home. When we stop eating animals, the animal suffering will end—and we’ll no longer be able to afford the leather jackets, shoes and furniture. Today, they’re by-products of the beef industry—so we might as well use them.
My “green” 4Leaf Fiat with cloth seats.
But I did order cloth seats in my new Fiat 500 after several decades of driving in leather seats. Here is one of my recent animal rights blogs. Animal rights & veganism. What comes to mind for most folks?
My blog about GMO that I posted in July of 2012. “The World According to Monsanto” (a documentary). I think it’s disgusting as presented (in the 108-minute video) but like I said, there are many questions that I would like to see answered. In the meantime, I will be focusing most of my efforts on a “big picture” plan to get us back on the right track.
The Bottom Line. There is no doubt in my mind that we’re eating the wrong food for our species. Not only is it wrecking our health, bankrupting our budgets, and exhausting many finite natural resources—but it is also incredibly damaging to our ecosystem—the very system that supports life itself. So what can we do?
We must develop a global plan to address all of the above—before it’s too late. In the eight blogs below that were all posted during July (2013), I describe that my thoughts about that plan in detail. In the last one, I feature a well-known individual who could play a critical leadership role in the execution of that plan.
- A. Do you breathe air, drink water and have sex? (7-1-13)
- B. “Air, Water, Sex and FOOD” revisited — Blog # 777 (7-7-13)
- C. Are humans the “infestation” of planet Earth? (7-8-13)
- D. My letter to Chelsea Clinton — appeal for leadership (7-12-13)
- E. Are you ready for a $35 burger? (7-13-13)
- F. “You’re Screwed” or “We’re F – – – – D?” Take your pick. (7-14-13)
- G. The “4Leaf Solution” including my new 4-minute video. (7-15-13)
- H. James Cameron—on “Walking the Walk” for plant-based eating (7-24-13)
Want to help spread the word? Call me at 917-399-9700 if you’d like me to speak at your venue. That’s one thing that you can do to help ensure the longterm sustainability of our species.
Handy 5-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.
- Dr. Campbell’s new book: WHOLE, Rethinking the Science of Nutrition
Want to find out how healthy your family is eating? Take our free 4Leaf 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
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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 or 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, T. Colin Campbell Foundation
Does Mr. Cameron get it? I believe that he does and I will he reaching out to him soon. With his personal knowledge of plant-based eating, great concern for the environment, uncanny project management skills (See Forbes article below), and global fame—he is in a great position to truly make a difference regarding the longterm sustainability of the human species. Maybe he is the great leader who can direct that global “asteroid” type project described in 
After watching The Golf Channel interview Mr. Player at Muirfield (Scotland) this morning, I decided to feature him in another post. At 5’6′” and 148 pounds, this golfing legend is the real deal—with a grand total of 165 victories in his illustrious career.
A brief excerpt from my April 2012 blog post. As for his diet of mostly plants, I have no doubt that he would tell you that it has been a major factor in his success as a professional golfer. Just this week, I heard him say in an interview that strength conditioning among golfers has become much more popular in the last 15 years. “The next big thing will be improving what we eat,” he says.
J. Morris Hicks, engineer. writer. big picture guy. 