Joseph Mercola, D.O. (born 1954), is an osteopathic physician, health activist, and entrepreneur practicing in Hoffman Estates, IL (near Chicago). He is the author of two New York Times best-sellers, The No-Grain Diet (with Alison Rose Levy), and The Great Bird Flu Hoax, together with several other books. He is best known as founder and editor of the website www.Mercola.com. On his website, he advocates dietary and lifestyle approaches to health. He criticizes many of the practices of mainstream medicine and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), particularly vaccination and the frequent use of prescription drugs and surgery to treat diseases. Though it seems impossible, such is the case at one Wisconsin high school, and there is only one factor separating them from other high schools in the country -- diet. In 1997 the school instituted a healthy lunch program. No longer were the cafeterias filled with fast-food nachos and French fries; instead they were filled with fresh salads, meats, whole grain bread and fruit. At the same time, vending machines were removed and good drinking water added.
The program is based on work done some 30 years ago by Dr. Feingold. He recommended that eliminating synthetic colors, synthetic flavors, and the preservatives BHA, BHT, and TBHQ, would be beneficial to health, learning and behavior problems in children. However, his findings were not accepted by most medical professionals at that time.
Now that the healthier diet has been in effect for close to five years, the school shows amazing results. In annual state reports, the school’s incidence of dropouts, expulsion, drug use, weapons and suicide is zero. On top of this, reports say that grades have improved. This from a school that previously reported having discipline problems and students carrying weapons. Critics have argued that healthy meal programs are too expensive for most high schools. However, costs for vandalism, litter, and high security have gone down at the Wisconsin high school, which offsets costs of the nutritional meals. The healthy lunch program is catching on, and a Wisconsin middle school has already reported favorable results.
This scenario represents a real solution, one that could potentially wipe out, or at least decrease, many of the behavior, violence, and learning problems associated with the common high school.
Stratiawire October 14, 2002
Comment by Dr. Mercola
It is encouraging to see what can happen if a community decides that it can make a difference in a school. I hope that this information will encourage others to take the baton and run with it by setting up similar programs in their own school districts.Soda vending machines have recently been added to many schools and are detrimental to students’ health. Something as simple as removing these machines from schools has the potential to make a positive change. As I said earlier this year:I suspect many of you aren't surprised by the following statistics, but as a person who has not had any soda for many years, I just about fell off my chair in reaction to these numbers:
- These popular beverages account for more than a quarter of all drinks consumed in the United States.
- More than 15 billion gallons were sold in 2000.
- That works out to at least one 12-ounce can per day for every man, woman and child.
- Most sodas include over 100 percent of the RDA of sugar. The recommended daily allowance of sugar is 10 teaspoons, which is still too high of a level of consumption.