Hi Everyone,

Once again, the USDA has released the new 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. While I’m glad to see the recommendations for people to cut down of sugar and protein, I was really disappointed to learn that the original document also recommended that Americans adopt a more plant based diet. The power of lobbyists for the American Dairy Association and the Meat Industries managed to get that recommendation of eating a more plant based diet for overall health and the sustainability of the planet, removed from the document. It’s infuriating that the power of corporations and associations can trump the health of the American people and the health of the planet. The global footprint of producing meat is far worse than all of the cars in this country, and as the population grows, the demand for meat is not sustainable. Half of all Americans, approx. 117 million people, have one or more chronic, diet related, preventable disease, and the numbers are not declining. A plant based diet is good for everyone’s health and it is certainly better for the planet. I’m not expecting everyone to become a vegan, but if everyone cut down on the amount of animal products they consumed, and expanded their intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, it would go along way in improving the health of our population, reducing our greenhouse emissions, and reducing our health care costs. It’s a win-win scenario, all the way around!

This week, on the Progressive Radio Network, I am very excited to invite as my guest, Parvati Markus, an old friend, and author of the new book, Love Everyone, which is a collection of stories from the Westerners who spent time in India with Neem Karoli Baba, a spiritual teacher and guru. Prior to writing her own book, Parvati worked on books by various members of the Neem Karoli Baba Community, from Ram Dass’s classic, Be Here Now, and Dada Mukerjee’s, By His Grace and The Near and the Dear, to Krishna Das’s recent, Chants of a Lifetime. She is a former president of the board of the Neem Karoli Baba Ashram and Temple and a former development consultant for the Global Peace Initiative of Women Religious and Spiritual Leaders, held at the U.N. in Geneva, Switzerland.