Letters

October 16, 2006

Exclusive to the East Hampton Star

Dear Mr. Rattray,

Re: “Food & A Healthy Life” Seminar

There is much confusion as to what healthy eating is and the substantial positive impact it can have on the quality and longevity of people’s lives.

In an effort to inform East Enders there will be a free seminar, “Food & A Healthy Life”, by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Professor Emeritus, Cornell University. The date is Thursday October 26th from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at the East Hampton Middle School Auditorium.

Dr. Campbell will discuss his book, “The China Study”, the most comprehensive nutrition study ever conducted. This groundbreaking book, highly acclaimed by the New York Times, has been embraced by thousands who want to improve their health and their lives.

Dr. Campbell’s credentials are impeccable. His life started as a farm boy in Virginia with heavy consumption of animal products. There was a time in his career when he believed that protein would be the nutritional salvation for the world. Today he and his family are vegans. His knowledge of human nutrition is second to none due to his life-long career as a biochemist in the laboratory, field and political arena. He is beholden to nobody and speaks the truth as he knows it.

Nutrition for Wellness Foundation is proud to co-sponsor this event with the East Hampton Middle School’s Bonac on Board to Wellness program and the YMCA East Hampton RECenter.

We urge all East Enders to attend this free seminar and learn the facts about the significance of food choices and the healthful benefits attainable through proper nutrition. Registration can be accomplished by calling 329-2590. More information can be found on the Nutrition for Wellness Foundation’s web site: www.nutritionforwellness.org

Sincerely,
Douglas D. Mercer, President
Nutrition for Wellness Foundation
East Hampton, New York

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February 12, 2006

Exclusive to the East Hampton Star

Dear Mr. Rattray,

Re: Low-Fat Diets

Last week, the media widely reported The Journal of American Medical Association’s publication of the results of low-fat diet studies on women, 50-79 years, which showed that the typical American diet, when only slightly modified, will not produce significant health benefits.

It is a fact of biology that what one eats influences health. If modest changes in the American diet do not work what will? From eight years of studying nutrition and learning by eating different foods it is my opinion the answer is to consume primarily plant foods, i.e. beans, whole grains, vegetables, fruits and nuts. This does not mean one can not eat an occasional small portion of lean meat or wild fish but it is essential to move away from the standard American diet of animal products and processed foods that are certainly a factor in America’s health crisis.

Over the last fifty years there have been an increasing number of scientific studies showing the health benefits of plant foods and the negatives of animal products. The most recent and conclusive is The China Study lead by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Professor Emeritus at Cornell University. Today there are enlightened practicing physicians who have helped their patients achieve good health primarily through changing diets to plant foods. These nationally prominent and published doctors include Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., Joel Fuhrman, John McDougall, and Dean Ornish. It should be noted that Dr. Campbell and Dr. McDougall challenged the subject study founders in the early 1990’s that the moderate diet they intended to use would not be adequate. Having personally made their recommended changes to my own diet over the last eight years, I no longer get chronic bronchitis, my cholesterol is 118 with an HDL risk factor of 2.3 and I have lost twenty pounds. I believe my risk of cancer has been substantially reduced due to the increased intake of phytochemicals and antioxidants found only in plant foods. I exercise regularly, sleep well and believe this should be a part of all wellness plans.

Why is the good news about plant foods not better known? Doctors are trained in curing not prevention and are almost exclusively taught medicine and surgery. The pharmaceutical, vitamin supplement, dairy, meat, poultry, pork, fish and processed foods industries are economically motivated to sell products. Scientists and politicians are influenced by lobbyists. The result at best is contradictory and misleading information for the consumer.

At Nutrition for Wellness Foundation, a non-profit organization I founded last summer, our aim is to educate the community about the healthful benefits attained through proper nutrition and to provide a support system for those seeking a healthier diet. We strongly encourage everyone in East Hampton to make food choices for themselves and their loved ones based on full knowledge of the subject.

Sincerely,
Douglas D. Mercer, President
Nutrition for Wellness Foundation

65 Dunemere Lane | East Hampton, NY 11937
ph. 631.329.2590 | f. 631.329.3714
www.nutritionforwellness.org