Why I enrolled in the T. Colin Campbell Plant-Based Nutrition Certification Course

When I started the T. Colin Campbell Plant-Based Nutrition Certification Course, on day one studentswere asked to write about why we decided to take the course. We posted our reasons in the publicforum. This is what I wrote:

After 17 years of encouraging a plant-based diet in one-on-one or group discussions/arguments aboutdiet and lifestyle, I have found one powerful strategy to be exceptionally effective. When recentlyapproached by an individual at a vegetarian festival who said, "So, I heard that you're going to try totell me that whey protein is bad for me," I replied, "No, science is going to tell you that." As his eyeswidened, I went on to reference Dr. Campbell's work, especially his China project research, and somespecific examples of how animal-based foods help diseases within the body to grow and lead to seriousillness. I find that we have the tools at our disposal, we just don't always use them.

Sometimes we point fingers, avoid the root cause of the problem, let our emotions get the best of us,and forget the fundamental fact that we have science on our side. When you look at the statistics ofillness within America and other industrialized nations growing and consuming large quantities of animalproducts, the connection between food choices and ensuing illness becomes irrefutable. This was alloutlined in Dr. Campbell's lecture, complete with compelling data of great significance.

Therefore, my encouragement for others is to learn more about the subject matter you're trying toconvince others to take seriously, and thoroughly understand it. After all, Einstein said, "If you can'texplain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."

When talking with the more passionate defenders of a standard American diet who don't want to takea plant-based diet seriously and don't believe its benefits, I share with them a quote from Mark Twainwhich says, "Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do,than by the ones you did do," and then again state sincere concern for their long term health. One wayto do this is to find what is particularly meaningful to the person you're talking with (having a long lifeto spend with grandchildren, having energy to pursue a sports interest, living without pain, avoidingexpensive and painful surgery, etc.).

That's my two cents on the subject.

-Robert Cheeke

For more information about the T. Colin Campbell Plant-Based Nutrition Certification Course, please visit www.ecornell.com/robertcheeke