The origins of this book go back to the Peachtree Presbyterian Church of Atlanta and the Georgia Tech Alumni Association—both of whom played a key role in my receiving an invitation to speak on the Tech campus in 2002. As a result of the reaction to that speech, I became very curious about nutrition—specifically, the optimal diet for humans.
That curiosity led to five years of intensive study. While I learned from hundreds of people, I was influenced most by T. Colin Campbell, PhD; Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., MD; and Joel Fuhrman, MD. I met all three in 2005 at the Zen Palate restaurant in New York City (and I thank Caryn Hartglass and the people at EarthSave for organizing events such as the one that brought about our meeting). Other MDs who contributed mightily to my body of knowledge were John McDougall, Neal Barnard, and Dean Ornish. I also acknowledge that the authors of Fit for Life, Harvey and Marilyn Diamond, initially planted the seeds of my interest in nutrition way back in 1989.
Six months into my quest for learning in 2003, I read two powerful books—one by John Robbins (Diet for a New America) and the other by Howard Lyman (Mad Cowboy). Until then, my interest was primarily on the relationship between diet and health, but their books raised other food-related issues—crucial issues such as the environment, energy, world hunger, and the suffering of animals. It was a blinding flash of the obvious as the natural diet for our species became crystal clear to me for the first time.
Then there’s my friend Bo Rinaldi, who introduced me to my agent, Marilyn Allen, who secured the contracts with my publisher and with my editor. It was those partnerships with Glenn Yeffeth and his team at BenBella Books and my editor, John Paine, that made this book a reality. Also, quite a few of my business friends have made important contributions along the way: Susan Benigas, Gina Copeland, Nelson Campbell, Bob Pravder, and Kevin Leville.
My personal friends and family have helped in countless ways. For all their unconditional love, encouragement, and support, I thank my siblings, Sherrill, Carol, Paul, and Virginia. And for a number of special reasons, I thank Nigel Richardson, Shawn Lankton, Clark Seydel, Bob Wyatt, Laura Moran, Mary Elliott, Peter Megargee Brown, and Alexandra Stoddard.
I especially thank Ruth Seydel for bringing me to that church mentioned previously and for her suggestion long ago that I become a professional speaker. I greatly appreciate Tom Dickey, my good friend of over forty-five years, for his brutal honesty regarding the all-important tone and voice of this book. I also thank my favorite bartender, Karen Cochran, and restaurant owners, Stephanie and Walter Houlihan, who have joyfully facilitated my learning how to order a healthy meal in any fine restaurant—such as their Water Street Café in Stonington, Connecticut.
Finally, I want to thank my two children. I owe gratitude to my daughter, Diana Shewchuk, for the steady and positive inspiration she has always provided. And I thank my son and cowriter, Jason, and his wife, Lisa, who are living proof of the magic of the wonderful diet style described in these pages. Their enthusiastic participation in this project has been essential.
J. Morris Hicks