NOTE FROM TED: Please do not look to this talk for medical advice. The speaker makes strong assertions about a specific diet that lack sufficient scientific evidence for general prescription. TEDx events are independently organized by volunteers. The guidelines we give TEDx organizers are described in more detail here: http://storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/tedx_content_guidelines.pdf According to the Global Burden of Disease study (the largest study of disease risk factors in history; funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) the #1 cause of both death and disability in the United States is our diet. Cigarettes now only kill about a half million Americans every year, whereas our diet appears to kill hundreds of thousands more. The good news is that means we have tremendous power over our health destiny and longevity. Healthy eating has the potential to not only prevent, but reverse some of our leading causes of death including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure. Why, then, is nutrition not the #1 thing taught in medical school? American physician, author, and speaker on public health issues, particularly the benefits of a whole foods, plant-based diet and the harms of eating animal products. He is a vegan and the creator of NutritionFacts.org. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx