Finally some much needed CLARITY from the “system”

In their Spring 2013 Journal, America’s largest managed care company and hospital system has taken a bold stand on the superiority of plant-based nutrition to promote health. This is big news and deserves widespread distribution. Please share this blog with your doctor.

“Physicians should consider recommending a plant-based diet to all their patients…encouraging whole, plant-based foods and discouraging meats, dairy products, and eggs as well as all refined and processed foods.”

Background. Although our medical doctors receive little if any nutritional training in med school, they are the primary gatekeepers when it comes to advising patients about what they should be eating. And since most of the doctors eat the Standard American Diet (the S.A.D.) themselves, naturally that is what they advise their patients to eat. That practice has resulted in the sickest nation on Earth with by far the highest cost of healthcare. But things are finally beginning to change.

From the Spring 2013 Kaiser Permanente Journal

The objective of this article is to present to physicians an update on plant-based diets. Concerns about the rising cost of health care are being voiced nationwide, even as unhealthy lifestyles are contributing to the spread of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. For these reasons, physicians looking for cost-effective interventions to improve health outcomes are becoming more involved in helping their patients adopt healthier lifestyles. Healthy eating may be best achieved with a plant-based diet, which we define as a regimen that encourages whole, plant-based foods and discourages meats, dairy products, and eggs as well as all refined and processed foods. Research shows that plant-based diets are cost-effective, low-risk interventions that may lower body mass index, blood pressure, HbA1C, and cholesterol levels. They may also reduce the number of medications needed to treat chronic diseases and lower ischemic heart disease mortality rates. Physicians should consider recommending a plant-based diet to all their patients, especially those with high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or obesity. Of all the diets recommended over the last few decades to turn the tide of these chronic illnesses, the best but perhaps least common may be those that are plant based…Despite the strong body of evidence favoring plant-based diets, including studies showing a willingness of the general public to embrace them, many physicians are not stressing the importance of plant- based diets as a first-line treatment for chronic illnesses. This could be because of a lack of awareness of these diets or a lack of patient education resources. (See link below to view the complete Kaiser Pemanente Journal source document.) Hooray for Kaiser Permanente. This is exactly what has been needed to promote health and reduce disease, obesity and the outrageous cost of healthcare in the United States. Now begins the process of helping the doctors learn about the awesome power of plant-based nutrition and how to best convey that knowledge to their patients. Please share this blog with your doctor—while there is still time for her/him to sign up for this conference. We’ve come a long way since last year’s HBO obesity special, “The Weight of the Nation,” when plant-based nutrition was not even mentioned. See earlier blog link below. Now let’s see if we EVER hear this story from our mainstream news sources. Why is all of this such a big deal? Kaiser Permanente is the largest HMO in the United States with 182,000 employees, including 17,000 physicians. My next blog on this topic. Real Bad News for Big PHARMA & Big FOOD

Kaiser Permanente Spring 2013 Journal. Article on Plant-Based Diets.

Teaching medical doctors all about whole foods, plant-based nutrition. pbnhc.com

A blog from last week. Most M.D.s have no clue when it comes to promoting health.

An earlier blog. HBO Special Bottom Line—Confusion over Clarity

An earlier blog. Meet the “Big Three” Generals—in the War on Obesity

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 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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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. SHARE and rate this post below. —J. Morris Hicks, board member, T. Colin Campbell Foundation