Since most of us were encouraged to drink milk as children, we probably associate dairy products with the nurturing, caring environment that is generally associated with childhood. That, together with the multiplied millions of dollars spent on advertising by the dairy industry, has left most of us with an impression of dairy products as wholesome, natural foods.  And it is understandable that we might be reluctant to question this long-held impression.  Nevertheless, while cow's milk is certainly wholesome and natural for calves, many questions have been raised over the years as to whether or not it is really good for human beings.

One of the primary themes of this website-- perhaps the primary theme --is the extraordinary health-benefits of a predominantly whole-foods, plant-based diet." You may rightly wonder why I qualify it in that manner--why do I say predominantly!?

Most of us have experienced being out in the snow on a bright, sunny day, only to experience relative "darkness" upon returning indoors! Similarly, the ambient temperature of one environment may seem "warm" or "cold" depending on the temperature of the environment we just left. This is true whether we're talking about a room, a swimming pool, or even a regional weather system! The same thing applies when we begin the switch from the "Standard American Diet" to a predominantly whole-foods, plant-based diet. Fortunately, our bodies adjust fairly rapidly to such transitions and we need not fear the change!

Having established in earlier articles that, 1) there are very substantial health dividends to be gained by consuming a predominantly whole-foods, plant-based diet (see Disease Prevention & Reversal), and that, 2) we can begin to reap these dividends by learning to distinguish between "whole foods" and "edible food-like substances" -- by minimizing our consumption of the latter (as a percentage of our calorie intake) and maximizing our consumption of the former (see Whole Foods & Nutrient Density) --we are now in position to reduce our calorie intake and increase the nutrient density of our diet, without concerning ourselves much at all about "portion control."

In an earlier article, I wrote about the benefits of a predominantly whole-foods, plant-based diet with respect to Disease Prevention & Reversal. Here, I want to explain the difference between "whole foods" and "refined foods" (aka "processed foods" or, as Michael Pollan calls them, "edible food-like substances"). I also want to talk a little about nutrient density.