I Believe in the Power of Food
I believe in the power of food. Food maintains life. And when we don’t eat well, we suffer. Suffer from the many chronic conditions common today.
But good food paves the way for a long, energetic life. At 51 I’m in great shape, full of energy, normal weight and with nothing wrong with my body. I plan to live this way for another 50 years, at least. And why can’t you?
After 21 years of healthy living, I’ve decided to share this plant-powered path towards health with the world. I’ve become a health educator.
In my work I’ve seen food make profound changes in people’s lives. One man battling obesity since the age of eight, has tried all sorts of diets in the past, including calorie restriction and low-carb, and always gained the weight back. But on a whole food diet powered by the vast array of grains, beans and veggies, he has found the good habits to keep for life. He’s lost 140 pounds in the last two years and is still losing.
And consider the woman in her 60’s diagnosed with a recurrence of breast cancer. Instead of opting for double mastectomy, she converted to a whole food, plant-based diet, and saw her cancer reverse. After a year she was declared cancer free.
Other people have reduced, or even gotten off of, their blood pressure, cholesterol or insulin medications -- to their doctors’ surprise. They’ve proven to their doctors that they can be active, effective participants in their own health.
It frustrates me that we don’t hear much about the work of the many doctors who do use dietary intervention to stop the progression of disease. Research shows that those who make the right changes can see vast improvements to their health. With a truly, health-promoting diet, the progression of disease can be halted.
I know this sounds simplistic, and also, that change can be hard. We humans are creatures of habit. And these habits are reinforced by family, community and country. For me, going against common assumptions about health and diet has been at times hard and lonely. Most folks just don’t believe that I don’t crave stuff like sweets or cheese. They don’t realize we crave what we eat. Since I don’t eat fatty, sugary foods, I don’t miss them. And people don’t believe that, though protein, for instance, is vital to health, too much protein creates the environment for disease. Who would believe that such a good thing can be bad? It’s counterintuitive. So no, the path towards optimal health has not been particularly easy for me, but it has been oh, so rewarding.
So now I must act. I must teach others about the power of the humble plant to sustain health, vitality and longevity, and counteract or even reverse disease.
I believe in the power of food. And I believe in the ability of each of us to take control of our own health.
Comments
Leslie Goldberg
Inverness, California
Feb 18, 2010
Yes! Yes! Yes! My husband and I have been mostly vegan for many years. He has had Type I diabetes for nearly 40 years and at age 55 he has had no serious complications from that disease. His doctors are incredulous, yet they never ask him about his diet and lifestyle. IT’s time to turn our “disease care” industry to a true “health care” industry. Diet and exercise coaching is the way to do it! Thank you, Kathy
Candice Hersh
Huntingdon, PA
Feb 18, 2010
How do I connect with Kathy Pollard to learn more about a plant-based diet? Thanks.
E
Kane
Feb 18, 2010
words to live by! inspiring.
Claire Holzner
Huntingdon PA
Feb 20, 2010
Yes! Eating well is not all that complicated—get a good variety of vegetables, beans, fruit, grains, and so on, and as Kathy says, the cravings for sweets and fats will stop. But it IS hard to break habits and social conventions, and to go against what we’ve all been taught, that we need meat and dairy products to be healthy. Go vegan, at least for a few days, give it a try!
Gary Gill
Lewistown
Feb 20, 2010
Great work Kathy. The best think I ever did for my self was becoming a vegan. Thanks for spreading the word. I hope more read your message and get off animal foods.
Gary
sally clark
reedsville PA
Feb 21, 2010
You are not alone. My daughter and I are both vegan and know everything you are saying is true. We can inspire others by our actions. I dont preach: it just turns people off. But I have been told by some who see how I eat that they wish they could do the same and I believe maybe someday they will make the change. At 60 years young, I have perfect health, am a normal weight and take no medications. I know my diet is the reason for this. And I know I am helping the environment too by not supporting the raising of cattle, pigs and poultry for our consumption.
Emily Reddy
WPSU, Associate Producer
Feb 22, 2010
For those who are interested, here’s Kathy’s website: http://wellnessforumstatecollege.weebly.com
sally clark
reedsville PA
May 27, 2010
My words are credited to Emily Reddy. I think the statement next to my name is the end of Gary Gills comments.
Post Comment