Children have superheroes, and adults may need heroes too.  As long as we
remember they're human and fallible, our heroes can teach and inspire us, broadening our vision and deepening our insight.  My heroes include Albert Einstein, Jerry Garcia, Noam Chomsky, and my mother, along with other famous and non-famous people who've helped improve my soul.
         I have three heroes for a healthy diet:  John McDougall and Dean Ornish (both M.D.s), and John Robbins.  Each has authored several books.  All recommend low-fat, vegetarian, whole foods to counteract the epidemics of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other "diseases of affluence" that stem largely from rich foods and processed foods.  Ornish's research has proven that heart disease is reversible with diet and lifestyle changes.  Robbins is passionate about animals suffering in "factory farms."  McDougall sticks with human health concerns; his clearly written and carefully researched books are loaded with references to studies published in major medical journals.
         Distancing himself from longhaired fringe elements of society, McDougall barely uses the word "vegetarian," proclaiming that he himself eats turkey on Thanksgiving.  "Feast foods" are fine (he says) when eaten on rare occasions by healthy people, but health is destroyed when we consume them constantly.  McDougall sees his diet as conservative medical therapy, referring to recommended foods as "health supporting."
         Some vegetarians have a horrendous diet, gorging on high-fat dairy and eggs along with oily food and processed junk food.  McDougall excludes milk and eggs, so his diet is not just vegetarian (no meat) but is also "vegan" (no animal foods at all, pronounced "vee-gun").  He also excludes vegetable oils, which are highly concentrated derivatives from the original foods and are 100% pure fat.  The ultimate food addiction is often to fat:  vegetarians may load up on cheese, vegans on oil.  The small amount of fat we truly need is easily obtained from whole foods, and protein is no problem if the diet is varied and includes beans, grains, or potatoes.
         Years of propaganda (such as the "Four Food Groups" and Dairy Council
"educational" materials in our schools) have convinced us that our protein needs are much higher than they actually are.  Our greatest protein need is in infancy, but human breast milk is only 5% protein, while 21% of the calories in cow's milk are protein.  (Whole cow's milk is 49% fat.  "2%" milk sounds low-fat only because they count the water; its calories are 28% fat and 28% protein.  Skim milk is 41% protein.)  Our body's greatly preferred source of energy is carbohydrate.  Excess protein strains the liver and kidneys; calcium is robbed from the bones to neutralize the acidic pH of protein waste products, and this calcium is often lost in the urine.  Years of "negative calcium balance" lead to osteoporosis, which is epidemic among older women in the U.S.  Our high milk consumption certainly does not appear to be preventing osteoporosis.  Cows themselves, along with elephants, build very strong bones eating nothing but vegetable foods after they are weaned.  Cow's milk is also a frequent allergen and is strongly implicated in childhood ear infections, which caused my parents and I to suffer through many surgeries and left me
with a permanent hearing loss.  Regardless of what the ads say, milk is not a health food.
         A diet like McDougall's may seem so foreign that some people won't try it, despite its phenomenal benefits for both long term health and current quality of life.  Changing to a low-fat whole foods diet may require several weeks or months of learning new skills in buying and preparing food, but the benefits will last a lifetime.  McDougall's books (along with those of Ornish and Robbins) are packed with shopping and cooking tips, including countless recipes.  Whole grains and whole grain breads and pastas, vegetables, beans, and potatoes are easily combined and prepared with herbs and spices into an enormous variety of luscious, tasty dishes that are satisfying and filling.  Fat-free apple crisp might make a delicious dessert, while popcorn, fruits, and guilt-free cookies are among endless possibilities for snacks.  Since "the fat you eat is the fat you wear," most people can eat all they want, and body weight will gradually normalize on its own.  One of Ornish's books is actually called "Eat More, Weigh Less."
         Sometimes we wait for a major shock to goad us into action.  People contracting lung cancer often quit smoking; those suffering heart attacks may change their diet.  Why wait?  Dr. Ornish says that those who make positive changes not only protect their future health, but also feel much better pretty quickly.  Why not change now?
         One powerful source of inertia stems from the dietary habits of others and of our culture.  I'm frequently offered rich food; refusing it sometimes necessitates delicate social steps, because the "breaking of bread" together is a basic expression of human community.  I'm improving my ability to tactfully say no.  It's important to me not to be a food bigot on a crusade, but nevertheless to quietly avoid swallowing things that make me feel lousy or undermine my health.  McDougall has many practical strategies in this area.
         For some, additional motivation for change may come from considering the larger consequences of our food choices.  Intensive animal-based agriculture is incredibly wasteful and polluting.  According to the University of California publication "Soil and Water," an acre of prime land can produce 40,000 pounds of potatoes or 30,000 pounds of carrots, but only 250 pounds of beef.  Over 70% of the U.S. grain harvest is fed to animals; lots of fossil fuel is used to grow that grain, and pesticides applied to the monoculture crops pollute our water.  It takes 10-15 pounds of grain to produce a pound of meat, while the rest of the grain energy is dissipated as heat or converted to manure.  A moderate amount of animal waste spread on a field nourishes the soil, but mountains of manure in one place cause serious pollution problems.  One "farm" in Utah can produce millions of pigs per year along with more manure than the human waste from the city of Los Angeles.
         We are insulated from the way meat is produced today.  Many of us may have no problem with the simple idea of killing an animal, but would be repulsed to see how animals suffer through life and death in factory farms.  Animal cruelty laws in the U.S. exclude "standard agricultural practices," but anyone who treated a cat or dog the way we routinely treat billions of chickens and pigs would suffer both prosecution and the collective disgust of the community.  George Bernard Shaw said that "custom will reconcile people to any atrocity."  Along with moving testimonies about the character and qualities of farm animals, John Robbins describes factory farming in excruciating detail, and points out that the healthiest diet for us is (not surprisingly) also best for other creatures and for the planet as a whole.
         Robbins also contemplates the spiritual nature of food--the value of giving thanks to the earth or a higher power before eating, and of eating slowly and sharing the experience with loved ones when possible.  It's important to enjoy our food, savoring each bite and chewing it thoroughly, not taking another bite until the previous one is swallowed.  Not only does this improve digestion and avert the tendency we sometimes have to stuff ourselves, but it also puts us into deeper contact with our food and with the larger whole from which it comes.
         My three nutrition heroes continue to inspire me.  John Robbins started an
organization called "EarthSave" that now has chapters throughout the world.  Dean
Ornish and John McDougall continue to reach large audiences with lifesaving information.  These are worthy heroes who have helped me steadily improve my diet for 15 years.  Now I feel ready for a major step forward:  to make a committment to myself to put only those things into my body that I believe will support health.  Why not, and why not now?
 

        Please see my earlier article, Food For Thought, for some internet links regarding nutrition and food production.