Mary C wrote:

<<I don't think you can entirely blame the government for the bad
health of the masses of Americans....it is logical to me to have the
realization that if you are fat, or gaining weight, getting sick on your
present diet, it is up to you to look into your diet and make changes to
help
yourself.
I think many people are just lazy mentally and follow whatever anyone says
so
they won't have to be responsible... they can pass the blame on to someone
else.>>


  I share this belief to a certain extent.  But I think many people try to
educate themselves, but there is too much conflicting information out there.
How long have most on this list been looking for proper diets?  Many here
were once vegans and vegetarians in their quest for good health.  Many who
arrived here also have put extraordinary amounts of time into research in
order to get here.

I have no interest in exonerating the government, the majority of medical
doctors, or any others who hold positions where their voices are heard.
There is a moral responsibility that goes with these positions, especially
if one wishes to be regarded as an authority on a particular subject.
Politics has everything to do with our government's position on diet.  In
service of those who are unable to follow the long, confusing trail of a
healthy diet, we must not quietly walk away from the rampant mis-information
being distributed by the government and medical doctors.

Can we believe that everyone involved in distributing incorrect information
knows what they are doing?  I doubt it.  They, like the average citizen,
trust those in authority.  Those who stand to profit greatly (large
companies, high-powered politicians, and the pharmaceutical industry's
financial backers) are those who knowingly perpetrate this mis-information
upon all.

For my part, I remind myself of when I was earnestly seeking and not finding
(but thinking I had found), and "plant seeds" whenever I get the opportunity
to do so.

Finding this way of nourishing myself did not happen because I'm more
intelligent than someone else, it happened because it is an issue that
sparks the passion in my heart.  While I'm following this trail and learning
things that I love to share with others, someone else is on another trail
that sparks passion within them and has valuable information to share with
me - information I don't have the time to get for myself, because of the
trail I have chosen.

Peace,
Siobhan