WHY HAVEN'T YOU
HEARD THIS BEFORE?
OFTEN WHEN PEOPLE HEAR of scientific information that justifies a radical
shift in diet to plant foods, they can't believe their ears. "If all that you
say is true," they wonder, "why haven't I heard it before? In fact, why
do I usually hear the opposite of what you say: that milk is good for us,
that we need meat to get protein and that cancer and heart disease are
all in the genes?" These are legitimate questions, and the answers are
a crucial part of this story. In order to get to these answers, however, I
believe that it is essential for us to know how information is created and
how it reaches the public consciousness.
As you will come to see, much is governed by the Golden Rule: he
who has the gold makes the rules. There are powerful, influential and
enormously wealthy industries that stand to lose a vast amount of
money if Americans start shifting to a plant-based diet. Their financial
health depends on controlling what the public knows about nutrition
and health. Like any good business enterprise, these industries do ev-
erything in their power to protect their profits and their shareholders.
You might be inclined to think that industry pays scientists under
the table to "cook the data," bribes government officials or conducts
illegal activities. Many people love a sensational story. But the power-
ful interests that maintain the status quo do not usually conduct illegal
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