Course Recap
I just completed the second course, “Diseases of Affluence,” in the 3 course Plant-Based Nutrition certificate program through eCornell, and I sure learned a lot!
My two favorite modules were Dr. Lisle’s presentation on the pleasure trap (see previous post), and Dr. Esselstyn’s presentation on arresting and reversing heart disease (expanding on his research and book). Dr. Campbell also did a 3 part series on cancer, including the stages (initiation, promotion, and progression), some of the biochemistry that is involved, the causes (such as chemical, virus, genetic, stress, and others), the overemphasis on examining chemicals in research studies, and the de-emphasis on looking at nutritional imbalances as a cause, and how plant-based diets offer a protective effect against the disease while animal-based diets do not. Very provocative stuff!
Dr. Campbell finished up the course by covering some of the more prominent causes of autoimmune diseases like diabetes and MS, and discussed the role of nutrition in regard to these, as well as outlining some principles to help guide our thinking on nutrition.
Making an Impact
I really enjoyed this course, and am looking forward to the last in the series, which starts in early June. I feel that I’ve come a long way on my plant-based odyssey, and this has been a major stepping stone for me. I think I’m more prepared than ever to talk to anyone who will listen about the benefits of ditching their old and destructive animal-protein diets and adopting a health-promoting, plant-based approach. In fact, my new knowledge has already made a difference in some people’s lives I’ve spoken to recently, and I’m thrilled at the prospect of doing even more.
I would highly recommend this program, regardless of background, although there are some concepts that may go over your head (I experienced this just a little at points). My colleagues were all just terrific as well, and we had some really fantastic discussions and chats, which also brought out topics that were not discussed in the main curriculum. It was clearly one of those learn-as-much-from-other-students-as-from-faculty situations. It was really a lot of fun.
Have a great plant-based day!
