What's down this rabbit hole?

Dedication

“The Mother of Consumerism” This blog is lovingly dedicated to the life, legacy and memory of

Esther Eggertsen Peterson. My hero, my mentor and my friend.



“The consumer has the right to know…”





Hi,

I am Arthur Eggertsen.

The last twelve years of my life have been dedicated to the study and advocacy of nutrition. With my “Food Coaching” programs, I have worked directly with hundreds of cancer patients and designed diet programs for world champion athletes. As a Washington based lobbyist my focus included nutrition education policy, and agriculture production policy. I have owned 2 restaurants, developed menus, and managed for numerous others. My culinary skills were developed through years of working directly with some of the top chefs in the United States. In 2002 I founded Probar LLC.

My world is FOOD. I am a foody’s foody. Anything and everything there is to know about food interests me! Where it comes from, how it gets to me, how it is preserved and packaged. I am fascinated with preparation methods and techniques. Most of all, I am passionate about flavors, aromas, colors and textures. My friends sometimes call me the “mad scientist”. I love working in the kitchen. Dinner parties are spontaneous, well planned, frequent, simple and lavish.

I believe that there are few things which bring people together more powerfully than food. Our fondest childhood memories of family and friends almost always include the sights, smells, and tastes of food. Traditions passed down from generation to generation, are held as precious and dear as Holy Grail. The biggest moments and events in our lives are celebrated with, and revolve around food.

The near irresistible force and power wielded by food is seen clearly throughout history. How many nations have gone to war over food? How many lives have been taken through the cold cruelty of famine? Even in our modern world hunger remains one of the world’s biggest political hurdles.

The impact of food felt in all of our lives does not stop with these issues. Our food choices largely determine our environment, both internal and external. The foods we eat and the methods used to prepare and produce them, impacts everything from how much food is available, to the level of pollution found in our water, air, and bodies. Disease rates are largely determined by the foods we choose to produce and eat.

“Farming” methods continue to be one the leading causes of pollution in the U.S. I bet it comes as a shock to most everyone who will read this that in the U.S. over 60 % of our water pollution is due to vast amounts of animal waste, sewage. There are 5 tons of animal sewage produced every year in this country for every man woman and child. These mountains of crap are heavily laden with pollutants accumulated by the animal from eating feed which has been treated with pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, petroleum-based chemical fertilizers, and even radioactive, heavy metal laden sewage sludge!. Agriculture is also the largest consumer of petroleum, and that is just the beginning.

Warnings are coming from the EPA regarding fish consumption. Carcinogenic fire retardants and rocket fuel solids are turning up in everything from salmon to pork. Our doctors from the Centers for Disease Control, and the National Cancer Institute are telling us that 80-90% of cancer is caused by polluted water, food and air.

It may be a good time to take a step back and reevaluate our relationships with food.


I felt compelled to produce The Food Coach not only for the reasons suggested earlier, but also because there seems to be a severe shortage of accurate, unbiased, straight information about food. In the U.S. 80% of our nutrition “education” is in the form of advertising. The fox is in charge of the hen house. When I first began learning about nutrition, the one thing that kept hitting me was the gap in what science knows versus what the general public is aware of. This is of course what led to my work in Washington D.C.

We are at the mercy of food producers and manufacturers. Corporate citizens, whose records speak clearly of their tactics and morals, are becoming the biggest players in the food industry. When food giants like Nabisco and Kraft are being gobbled up by tobacco companies, it is not the time to smile and sing “don’t worry, be happy”. With diet books being hijacked and “science” being purchased, we need a clear voice to speak the truth. We need a revolution!

We have diet books by the thousand, to help with everything from obesity to obsession, none of which really translates into a realistic lifelong food plan. We try diets to make us skinny, muscular, energetic and calm. Diets are designed to make our hearts, heads, hair and hips happy. To live long or large, whatever happened to health and joy? Most of us only need to know what we can do realistically, on a daily basis, to have energy, and steer clear of disease and injury. We need to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and ENJOY LIFE.


What if I were to tell you that there are only a handful of simple rules to follow that result in great pleasure and health? Are you willing to take the proven steps necessary for yourself and family? Are you ready to trade in “the world is flat” thinking, for the newly discovered promised land of health and vitality? Are you ready to abandon tradition and superstition, for the real Holy Grail? If so, this blog is for you!

Whether you are suffering anything from lethargy to Lupus, cancer or chronic sweet tooth, the following posts contain the information and techniques necessary to bring back vibrant health and vitality. the basic principles and guidelines are outlined which consistently result in disease prevention and reversal, as well as in improved athletic performance and longevity. Many of the posts are dedicated to specific conditions. Each can be read independently of the others, and is fully referenced. The final section includes a resource guide and will reinforce and expand the information presented throughout the blog. Unfortunately there are many conditions not included here. In future posts, and as new science comes, I will include all that I can.

Many of the research pieces presented on each specific condition or issue were generously provided through, and are available from, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

This fine organization’s members have included, Dr. Benjamin Spock, Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. John McDougall, Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Michael Greger, to name a few.

I make it my business to know where science is coming from, and what it has to tell us. I encourage everyone to do their own homework, but when it comes to it, few of us realistically have the time and resources required. I do, and I dig! The questions which must be asked are, who funded, who reviewed, who published, and designed the studies? All of these critical elements must hold up to intense scrutiny.

This is my world. I hope to share it with you, because I know that you and those you love deserve to live healthy, vibrant lives. I also know that if you are anything close to the majority of us, you do not have the time or the resources necessary to navigate this perilous terrain. As a coach, it is my job to make sure you succeed. A coach is only as good as the players they work with. I have spent years refining and simplifying what you need to learn and do to succeed. Please remember I am a foody! This will, in the end, be pleasurable and delicious…