Think Tank examines role of diet in how to live healthy life

Despite paying almost double what any other country in the world pays for health care, the U.S. has declining measures on most health care attributes. We are unhealthy, are prone to heart disease and cancer, and are increasingly overweight. And an increasing number of countries, including those that spend a fraction of what we do on health care, are passing us by.

We’ve dealt with these topics on earlier shows from the perspective of national health care policy. This time we ask the question, “What can I personally do to live a healthier life?” And, “How can I make this easy and enjoyable enough that I will actually do it?”

Could what we eat have anything to do with it? There is increasing evidence that it does.

Yet our physicians receive almost no training or education in the area of nutrition.

Our guests are:

• Dr. Siri Chand Khalsa MD MS (in nutrition) has had a lifelong interest in utilizing delicious plant-based food as a basis for health. Since her residency in internal medicine at Mayo Clinic she has done advanced studies in nutrition and botanical medicine.
• Francine Hardaway is just plain one of the smartest and most creative people I know. And she’s been on a plant-based diet (more or less) for years. Her observations are most always insightful, and in this case she has a personal story to tell on topic.

We consider:

• What types of foods constitute a healthy diet?
• What do you most need to avoid?
• What is the medical evidence for the impact of diet on our health?
• If you adopt a plant-based diet, will you crave meats? Be hungry?
• What happens if you occasionally fall off the wagon? Is this all or nothing?
• And, apart from personal health, what is the impact of our diet on the earth’s environment? What is the impact on animal cruelty?

The Think Tank airs on KTAR 92.3 FM on Saturdays 3-4 p.m. and repeats Sundays 9-10 p.m.

Podcasts are available after broadcast.