Food Sanity

Food Sanity Foreword by Harvey Diamond

Author of Fit For Life www.harveydiamond.com

Imagine how everyone felt after Christopher Columbus proved the world was round and not flat. What many people believed at the time to be true, he exposed as false. Dr. David Friedman is a modern-day Christopher Columbus! In Food Sanity he looks at many of today’s so-called common health and nutritional “truths” and exposes them for the fallacies they are. He then goes a step further, pulling back the curtain to educate the reader, and expose the conflicts of interest and money trails that all too frequently are behind many of today’s health recommendations.

Nearly three decades after my book, Fit for Life, was published, our industrialized food industry continues to sweep important, lifesaving information under the carpet. Even though it’s our consumer money—and our tax subsidies—that keep them in business, Big Pharma, Big Agra, and Big Dairy certainly do not have our best interests at heart.

Back in the 1980s, the food industry was promoting partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (better known as trans fats) as a healthy alternative to saturated fats. I was ridiculed when I warned everyone about the dangers of eating this artificial food additive. Research now shows ingesting just two grams a day of trans fats, the amount contained in just one donut, increases your risk of heart disease by 23 percent! Many people ridiculed me when I spoke out against the dairy industry in Fit for Life and showed the detrimental health effects that drinking milk can cause, especially in children! Fast forward three decades and the dangers of milk, particularly from the hormones and antibiotics it contains, are common knowledge. Even so, the dairy industry still runs massive advertising campaigns to fool us into believing that milk promotes strong bones—when unbiased scientific evidence now shows just the opposite. In Food Sanity, Dr. Friedman traces back the little-known but very profitable dairy industry/government partnership that began almost a century ago!

There’s no denying it; dis-ease in the body comes from the bad food choices we make! The health advocates who shout the loudest are the ones who can make a difference in the lives of millions of innocent consumers. In Food Sanity, Dr. Friedman grabs his megaphone and shouts from a mountaintop! His message is loud and clear— take action and reclaim your own health! What I enjoyed most about Food Sanity is the way Dr. Friedman gives you impartial, unbiased information that helps you make up your own mind. He doesn’t take the “it’s my way or the highway” approach of so many other authors. He points out how scientific studies are often anything but objective—many are sponsored by the very corporations that have vested interests in producing the most profitable outcome. It is a sad commentary but opinions, scientific data, and legislation can all be purchased for the right price. Dr. Friedman shows you how to follow the money behind the science and decide for yourself where the truth really lies.

Fit for Life was originally rejected by numerous publishers—many told me the book had no information that would be of interest or of worth to the reader. I was told my “peculiar theories” on how to eat were outlandish! But belief in my message, and unshakable perseverance was rewarded and came to fruition when Warner Books saw the potential of the book. Nearly fourteen million book sales later, Fit for Life remains one of the bestselling health books of all time! It held the #1 position on the prestigious New York Times bestseller list for an unprecedented 40 consecutive weeks. The book earned a coveted position on the Publisher’s Weekly list of Top 25 Bestselling Books in Publishing History, along with Gone with the Wind and The Bible. Changing how you eat will (not might) heal and prevent disease! In addition to learning how to make the right food choices, Food Sanity does a wonderful job of exposing the dangerous chemicals commonly used to process, color, preserve, and tenderize our food. You won’t find many of these ingredients listed on a food label or restaurant menu—but with this book, you’ll now be able recognize and protect yourself from them.

When Fit for Life was first published in 1985, obesity was not the epidemic it is today. At present, 70 percent of the population is now overweight and obesity has become the leading health affliction in history! Why is the U.S the fattest developed country in the world? We have access to thousands of diet books, weight-loss programs, diet pills, and diet shakes; our grocery store shelves are filled with sugar-free, fat-free and low-calorie foods. Dr. Friedman makes the point well—no matter what type of fad diet or program you go on, although you may initially lose weight, more often than not, six to twelve months later, chances are even greater that you will not only regain the weight you lost but you will likely end up heavier and even more unhealthy than before. The key to achieving permanent weight loss is to embrace a healthy lifestyle—not a fad diet or product. Food Sanity gives you the information you need to attain permanent weight loss, improve longevity, and reach optimal health.

I was one of the first health advocates encouraging people to at least cut back, if not eliminate entirely, red meat from their diet. In fact, Dr. Friedman himself cut red meat from his diet after reading my book while he was still in college! The question is frequently asked, “If humans weren’t designed to eat red meat, why then did our Stone Age ancestors eat so much of it?” Dr. Friedman does an admirable job revealing forensic proof that cavemen ate a widely varied diet that only rarely included red meat.

Before Dr. Friedman began writing this book, he asked me as a friend if I would share the secret to creating a national bestseller. I told him, “Just be yourself, share your passion, and most importantly, don’t talk over the heads of your readers. If you share your knowledge on a level everyone can grasp, they will embrace your vision.” I’m pleased to say, he took my advice! Food Sanity gives you a wealth of important information in a way that’s easy to follow, with lots of great stories gleaned from his considerable experience with his many patients.

When asked to write the foreword for Food Sanity I unhesitatingly and enthusiastically agreed to do so. As we all journey our way through this thing called life, we are, on occasion, blessed by crossing paths with those whose integrity and desire to do good in the world is exceeded only by their genuine caring for the well-being of others. Just such a person is Dr. Friedman, who is the supreme personification of these high ideals.

Some of what you read here may make you angry; some may make you laugh, but every chapter will inform and inspire you. You’ll come away with the understanding that we cannot rely on our health care system or on prescription drugs; we must take charge, take back control, and reclaim our own health! Dr. Friedman is here to assist you in that lofty endeavor.