October 2009
Vol. 8 Issue 10
Report from the September 11 to 13, 2009
Advanced Study Weekend
Over 160 people attended this biannual McDougall event in Santa Rosa , California . As always the enthusiasm, education, food, and friendship were over the top—far greater than anyone expected.
February 19 to 21, 2010 , Advanced Study Weekend Speakers Guest speakers so far will be: Dean Ornish, MD – researcher on the effects of a low-fat diet on reversing heart disease and prostate cancer. Neal Barnard, MD – founder of the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and researcher on the treatment of diabetes with a plant-food based diet. George Lundberg, MD – past Editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and past President of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. Amy Lanou, PhD – senior nutrition scientist for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) and critic of dairy foods. John Mackey, Chairman and CEO of Whole Foods Market, Inc., will be delivering the Friday evening opening lecture (February 19) on Whole Foods Markets' efforts to change the world through better nutrition. Jesse Miner, Vegan Personal Chef, will be presenting cooking demonstrations. |
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Highlights of the September 11 to 13, 2009 Speakers:
Our keynote speaker, John Mackey, Chairman and CEO of Whole Foods Market, Inc., an $8 billion Fortune 500 company that is now one of the top 10 supermarket companies in America, quickly won over the audience with his charm and wit. Comments from people were all positive and included:
“My biggest surprise of the weekend was John Mackey's strong commitment to continually strengthen and refine the health education of consumers through the Whole Food Markets. He is clearly not resting on his laurels, but truly wants to improve the health of Americans.”
“I think the most important thing I learned was not to pre-judge someone. I wasn't sure I would care for John Mackey after reading the interview in the Wall Street Journal about his stance on health care reform. But after listening to his two presentations, I found him to be a real stand up guy, concerned, of course, about the continued viability of Whole Foods, but also deeply caring about his employees and customers.”
“I was also very pleased to hear from John Mackey, founder of Whole Foods Markets, that they plan to have available to their customers healthy plant-based, unprocessed whole foods, avoiding added fats, as to-go options in their stores. That will be a big help for people on the go.”
Chad Sarno, Immersion Programs Coordinator, R&D Chef, and Culinary Educator of Whole Foods Markets was considered one of the top speakers of the weekend with a unique ability to connect with the audience. Comments included:
“Chad Sarno, executive chef of Whole Foods Market was so fun and interesting. He showed us that eating healthy does not mean giving up taste or variety. He is a master of bringing together many styles of healthy cuisine.”
“My biggest surprise of the weekend was how delicious vegan food could be. I am thinking specifically of Chad Sarno's seitan samples. I was amazed at the quality of the meatballs and sausages. OK, I'm still a foodie! But it doesn't matter how healthy something is for you, if it tastes like dog poo, who's going to want to eat it?? I am going to try and make my own seitan, and play around with it. I was fascinated by that whole process.”
“ Chad, the Whole Foods consultant chef, not only had good recipes but was very clear in his presentation.”
Luigi Fontana, M.D., Ph.D. , Researcher and author of many scientific papers taught people about the importance of restricting calories in order to live longer and healthier. Many people considered him to be the highlight of the weekend. “Dr. Fontana stands out for me because of his solid scientific research on the impact of nutrition on health and lifespan, and because of the clarity with which he presented his findings and conclusions.”
Jane Hightower, MD, best-selling author of the book Diagnosis: Mercury: Money, Politics, and Poison and an opponent of the fishing industry taught us the importance of minimizing seafood. Her fact-filled presentations caused one person to say, “I had wondered what I would find interesting or useful in a lecture about mercury & fish (after all, I don’t eat fish!) and had contemplated taking a walk, or probably a nap. But I knew if she was on the schedule, there was a reason…and I found her lectures riveting.”
Doug Lisle, PhD, Jeff Novick, RD, and John McDougall, MD provided their usual high quality entertaining information for the attendees.
Note of Upcoming Events:
10-Day Live-in Programs:
December 4 to 13, 2009
January 8 to 17, 2010
March 19 to 28, 2010
Costa Rica :
Feb 5 to 12, 2010
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