From an inspiring first night address by co-founder Dr Scott Stoll to a rousing delivery and standing ovation for final speaker Dr Eric Walsh, the first day of the 2022 International Plant Based Nutrition Healthcare Conference has come to a close.
Whole Food Living is attending the conference online and will be releasing material on its lectures over the coming weeks with an anticipated four-page special to be published in our December print and electronic edition.
In his Friday night opener, Dr Stoll urged attendees to take charge of the future by stewarding the next generation.
“We can inspire people through a future vision, not only of themselves but also of the future we are leaving to the next generation. We can help people see that we are here to make a difference in every single way.
“One of the differences that we can make is by changing the food on our plate, not only for ourselves but trans-generationally through our epigenetics and through the impact on the soil through farmers, the supply chain and the environment.
“We can begin to understand that we are stewarding everything for the next generation. That is true future self and visioning. That helps us all make better choices to be actively involved in doing things we might not do otherwise because we not only see the vision for ourselves, but we see the vision for the next generation.”
First-day speakers included doctors Dean and Ayesha Sherzai, who explored connections between diet and dementia, Dr Apple Bodemer on the role of diet in acne, Dr Hana Kahleova on fatty liver disease, a fascinating review of the latest plant-based research by Dr Andrew Freeman and last, although certainly not least, a firecracker presentation from Dr Eric Walsh on the origins and impact of food addiction.
Walsh didn’t pull his punches. His succinct and devastating demolition of the fast food industry was stunning and drew a well-deserved standing ovation from everyone present.
He said, “Unlike the tobacco industry that got sued because they lied to the American people and said, one ‘our product is not dangerous’ and two, ‘it’s not addicting.’ They got busted, they got sued and had to pay out all that money.
“The food industry ‘never’ lies! They say, ‘bet ya can’t eat just one’. They say, ‘once you pop, you can’t stop’.
He referred to Michael Pollan’s articles published in the New York Times which revealed how highly processed foods were designed to trigger neuro-addictive responses. He said a food scientist pointed out to him that the ‘business of business was business.’
“He said they’ve got to show their shareholders more profit than they had this year, and there’s no way to do that naturally. They design the food not only to be more palatable but profitable.”
