The Whole Truth

What we eat is a leading factor in our health and quality of life. Research has proven that a plant-based diet can prevent and sometimes reverse chronic diseases like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer. Yet this message has been ignored, distorted, or suppressed by people and organizations with a vested interest in the status quo. In a compelling new analysis, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, coauthor of The China Study and author of the New York Times bestselling follow-up, Whole, brings to light a series of first-hand experiences that starkly demonstrate how corporate influence in academia, government and the media determines—and sometimes actively suppresses—public access to nutrition research. Providing an eye-opening look behind the scenes of nutrition policy, Dr. Campbell recounts the story of his life and research, and then tells eight riveting stories in The Whole Truth about instances in which vital information was misrepresented or concealed, including: A national nutrition “supreme court” quietly organized by industry-affiliated scientists to control public messaging—and the attempt to expel Dr. Campbell from his own professional society when he challenged it. Manipulation of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines to permit consumption of animal protein at levels posing a higher risk of deadly chronic diseases. A research paper on the impact of nutrition on immunity—vital information for the COVID-19 pandemic—that was rejected from academic journals without professional review. An infant-feeding scandal in which a heavily marketed commercial product displaced breastfeeding—leading to widespread infant malnutrition and deaths around the world. Coauthor Nelson Campbell, a filmmaker, health advocate, and Dr. Campbell‘s son, broadens the lens in the book’s third part, examining why the plant-based movement has stalled and how it can be renewed through more effective messaging and a grassroots strategy to empower people everywhere to participate in building a healthier world. His suggested approach is provocative, inspiring and hopeful. Together, he and his father have authored a book that will infuse new energy into the plant-based movement.