The Truth Hasn't Gone Away

It's time to lift up the truth again, to reignite our movement for a plant-based world

In our movie, PlantPure Nation, Kentucky State Representative Tom Riner said, “The truth is a stubborn thing – it doesn’t go away.” I agree with this statement but also understand that the truth can be inconvenient and sometimes silenced when it threatens powerful interests.

Well over 15 years ago, I decided to commit the most productive years of my life to the task of sharing the message of plant-based nutrition. Early in this journey, I was confident I had made the right decision. My father’s book, “The China Study,” had become a bestseller, and many people were joining our ranks after watching the pioneering film, Forks Over Knives. I felt the wind at my back, even more so when Kim jumped in to join me.

Somewhere along the way, however, the wind died. Following the successful release of PlantPure Nation (now on Amazon Prime/Apple TV), if you had told me the biggest diet trend ten years later would be the carnivore/paleo diet, I wouldn’t have believed you. We certainly have made progress in sharing our health message, but I believe our movement has flatlined in recent years for reasons I’ll discuss in future letters. My sense of this is backed up by a Gallup poll conducted a couple of years ago, which found that only 1% of Americans identified as vegan and 4% as vegetarian. And based on what I’ve seen the past couple of years, I don’t think these numbers have improved.

The good news is that we have an army of people today who know the health benefits of a plant-based diet, and many more who support this lifestyle because of environmental and ethical concerns. This gives me hope, because transformative change rarely comes from the top – it begins with people who believe passionately in a cause.

In the months ahead, I’ll share ideas about how we can reignite our movement from the ground up, driven by strategies that engage people as truth tellers within their circles of influence. Before diving into strategy, though, I want to return to where it all began – my father’s pioneering research. I want to start here because the most important first step of any successful movement is its rally cry. And our rally cry has been confusing or too often expressed in ways that don’t resonate with mainstream audiences – a shortcoming due in part to our misunderstanding of the science my father discovered.

I hope I can share ideas with you that are unifying and inspiring. I know I’ll also say some things in these letters that are provocative. Whenever I challenge prevailing views, though, I’ll do so with respect for those who hold them. There’s already enough anger and disrespect in the world, and indeed, I admire everyone in our community who is contributing to our collective mission of building a plant-based world.

I also know that I don’t have all the answers. I think it’s important that we always do our best to keep a humble attitude, because when we do, we become better learners. We evolve faster, not only in knowledge, but also in character.

Thanks for subscribing to this newsletter. The truth hasn’t gone away. It’s still here, waiting for us to lift it up again. My goal for this newsletter is to help advance this effort, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my ideas with you. I’ll begin telling my father’s story in the next issue, starting with the arrival of his immigrant father through Ellis Island.

Before you click off this, please take a look at Kim’s recipe below. She recently developed this recipe, and as our official taste tester, I can tell you it’s absolutely delicious.

Until next time,

Nelson

PS: We encourage you to consider upgrading to a paid subscription. Paid subscribers receive more in-depth articles and an eBook each month featuring 5-8 new recipes from Kim – and your support will help sustain this publication.

Pumpkin-Cranberry Scones, by Kim Campbell

I created this recipe using all I know about baking and think I came up with a home run. This is perfectly suited for the Fall season. These pumpkin scones are soft, spiced, and studded with tart cranberries and crunchy pepitas (pumpkins seeds). They are perfect with a hot cup of coffee or tea on a crisp autumn morning.

As I’ll do with all my recipes, you can find them uploaded into our recipe database, where you can see a nice photo with ingredients and instructions, and with the capability of printing them into hard copy form. I suggest you print the recipes you like and compile then in an organized three-ring binder for handy access in the kitchen.

Here is the link to your Pumpkin-Cranberry Scones:

Enjoy!

With love, Kim