Is the media waking up to the POWER of our food choices?

Well, maybe a few of them are–here are three encouraging stories.

Nicholas Kristof

Nicholas Kristof

1. Let’s lead off with Nicholas Kristof’s column in the New York Times a few days ago–“Our Water-Guzzling Food factory.” He starts out with this question: “Which consumes the most water?” The choices are a ten-minute shower, a handful of 10 almonds, a quarter-pound hamburger patty or one washing machine load. From the article (See link below)

The answer? By far, it’s the hamburger patty. The shower might use 25 gallons. The almonds take up almost a gallon each, or close to 10 gallons for the handful. The washing machine uses about 35 gallons per load. And that beef patty, around 450 gallons.

According to my calculations, not only did the hamburger patty win, but it consumed over six times as much water as all of the other three combined. Later in the article he makes a lame attempt at suggesting we shouldn’t be eating so much meat:


Maybe our industrial agriculture system is beginning to change, for we’re seeing some signs of a food revolution in America, with greater emphasis on organic food and animal rights. Just a week ago, Walmart called on suppliers to stop keeping calves in veal crates and hogs in gestation crates.

Timothy Egan

Timothy Egan

2. The second one is from Timothy Egan, also in the NY Times, “The Arrogance of Jeb Bush.” So what’s so arrogant about Bush? The same thing that is arrogant, or simply ignorant, about most elected Republicans across the nation–their almost universal denial of the role of human activity in driving climate change. Egan writes about Bush:

Bush the youngest believes the Earth is warming. No doubt, he’s willing to go further out on a limb and conclude that heat expands, cold contracts and a dolphin is not a fish.

That’s as far as he’ll go. He says the science is “convoluted,” even though the latest assessment from international climate scientists states with 95 percent confidence that humans are the cause of a sick planet. That obfuscation is also understandable. You simply cannot be a leader of the Republican Party without appearing to know less than a fifth grader about earth science.

The point here is that almost everyone over ten years old knows that human activity is driving climate change. They now need to learn that our food choices are driving more climate change than all other forms of human activity combined. Speaking of food choices, I should also point out that Timothy Egan seems to “getting it” to some extent. Later in the article, he states:

“And for the people to say the science is decided on, this is just really arrogant, to be honest with you,” said Bush. “It’s this intellectual arrogance that now you can’t have a conversation about it even.”

Is it arrogant to say that smoking causes lung cancer? That you shouldn’t text and drive? That the American diet and lifestyle cause Type 2 diabetes, which is killing people? There is some wiggle room in each of those assertions. But you test them at your peril.

Interestingly, he might be the first mainstream columnist to matter-of-factly mention the cause of Type 2 Diabetes.

Beyoncé, according to Forbes, the most powerful celebrity in the world


3. Four of the world’s top five most powerful celebrities are either vegan or leaning that way. Beyoncé (#1) and Ellen DeGeneres (#5) are openly vegan. Dr. Dre (#3) says he “doesn’t eat meat, but occasionally fish.” Finally, Oprah at #4, has spoken many times about the many advantages of plant-based eating. See Forbes article below.

It’s time to leverage the incredible power that these people bring to the world table of SUSTAINABILITY.

The Bottom Line. I have been writing about the need for powerful leadership to step forward and form a global coalition that will invest billions of dollars in enlightening the world about the most important topic in the history of humanity–our food choices in the 21st century. And now is the time. It’s time for a few passionate leaders to leverage the science, the health benefits, the more accepting public opinion and the fact that four of the world’s five most powerful celebrities are aware of the world-changing advantages of plant-based eating.

Promoting health, hope and harmony on planet EarthIt’s time to bring all of that together into a globally-organized effort to urgently begin the process of taking the animal out of the equation when it comes to our food choices.

Less animals + more plants = healthy people and a sustainable ecosystem.

The time for change has never been better–and that is why my #1 priority is doing all that I can to identify, enlighten and influence one or more powerful leaders to accept the challenge. We need powerful leaders who will make this global coalition the single most important thing that they will do for the rest of their lives.

What can you do? You can start by getting the “animal out of the equation” in your own diet. You can also become a part of this discussion. You can ask other people to look at the simple arithmetic that any 3rd grader could understand. You can challenge the “leaders” that you know about the unsustainable nature of our lifestyle. You can ask them why no one in power ANYWHERE is talking about this crucial topic. Finally, you can invite me to speak at your company, church, university or club.

Source articles.










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About J. Morris Hicks


4 Responses to Is the media waking up to the POWER of our food choices?

  1. Salvator Liggieri says:


    Still looking for the “ONE” that shall lead us? How about that invisible man that lives in the sky, maybe he can help us.

    Why would anyone listen to Beyonce or Oprah, or any of the other people you listed. Why is it you never list the doctors such as McDougall, Campbell, Essylesten who have been at this WFPB for a long, long time.

    Progress? Stand in a supermarket or box store checkout line and tell me the progress you see? I see none just the usual fat people buying the usual SAD foods.

    Glory, Glory, change is coming!

    My favorite quote: Why is it so difficult to eat a plant based diet and yet so easy to eat the body parts of murdered animals?

    Sal Liggieri

    • J. Morris Hicks says:

      Hi Sal,

      You’re right about Beyoncé, Oprah and the other celebs. They are not the leaders I am seeking. As a professional executive recruiter, I know that they are not suitable to organize the global coalition, but they sure could make the whole effort easier for the leadership team. People are always telling me that I should contact this celebrity or that one, but that would be a waste of time for me–I should focus my time on finding that ultimate leadership team.

      My point in the blog was that those vegan celebs already being in place will make the job of that ultimate leadership team that much more plausible. And some of them might even want to throw in a few hundred million to help spread the word quicker—maybe soon enough to save our ecosystem and our civilization.

      As an engineer and a businessman, I know that it will take powerful leadership to get this done. I have a meeting coming up this summer with someone who just might get this ball rolling.

      Always good to hear from you.

  2. Joanne says:

    The evidenced based science on animal agriculture and its deleterious effects on the planet are rising to the surface. Great article, Jim. We’re witness to a great paradigm shift. The past two days my Co-Coordinator and I have been visiting restaurants in preparation for our plant based Chef Challenge, and I’m pleased to say that restaurant owners/chefs are all saying that more people are requesting vegetarian/vegan options. Trust that your efforts, Jim, are making a difference. All the voices in our plant based family are adding to that difference. It is happening!

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