Neal Barnard, M.D.
Neal D. Barnard, MD, is a leader in nutrition and research. As an adjunct associate professor of medicine at the George Washington University and a researcher funded by the National Institutes of Health, he has led key research studies to improve the health of people with diabetes, obesity, lipid disorders, and other serious health problems.
He is the editor-in-chief of the Nutrition Guide for Clinicians and the author of more than 15 books on nutrition and health for lay readers. His research has been cited by the American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association in official policy statements on healthful diets.
He completed medical school and residency at the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. In 1985, he founded the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nationwide group of physicians and lay supporters that promotes preventive medicine and addresses controversies in modern medicine.
Lectures for the 2012 Cruise
Cruising into Health – Your Voyage to Well-Being
You are embarking on the most enjoyable vacation imaginable. Yes, it is a vacation in the sense of sun, leisure and exotic locales, but it’s also much more. It is a vacation from old habits and old foods and the beginning of a whole new way of thinking about yourself and your health.
This week promises a wonderful opportunity to understand the hows and whys of healthy eating—while someone else does all the cooking—in the company of others who came to share the journey. Many people live their entire lives without eating the foods that truly promote good health. Deluged with conflicting messages about diet and health, they never receive straight answers to their questions. Here’s your chance to get it all cleared up. The faculty—diverse, knowledgeable and experienced—will also cover the other keys to health: physical activity, stress-reduction, meditation, and more.
Let me encourage you to take the adventure for all it is worth. Some concepts and some tastes may be new to you. Experiment and enjoy them. Many come from centuries-old traditions, reinforced by the latest science. If you’ve always wanted to get on a healthier path, it couldn’t be easier—you’re cruising right into it.
Keynote Lecture: Kickstart Your Health
The latest innovation in nutrition is using foods to trim away weight—not by starving the weight off, but by letting foods control your appetite and boost your metabolism. Using Dr. Barnard’s program in research studies, participants were able to increase their calorie-burning speed for three hours after each meal, helping the pounds melt away. Two years later, the weight had never returned. The “side effects” are lower cholesterol, healthier blood pressure, improved energy, and better overall health. Rather than require a lifetime change, the Kickstart program gets you onto a healthier path in 21 days
Cooking Class: Diabetes - The New Epidemic of Our Age, with Christina Pirello
Don't you wish you could have your cake and eat it? Me, too. Diabetes is becoming an epidemic (and a big pharma industry), so we need to take another look at all that cake…look at what happened to Marie Antoinette! Join Christina Pirello and me to discover the foods that can help prevent, treat and reverse this almost completely preventable modern crisis.
Lecture 1: An Intensive Plant-Based Diet for Diabetes Management
Diabetes is more prevalent than ever. For many individuals the diagnosis means endless doctor visits and frequent trips to the pharmacist. Recent research has shown, however, that diabetes can be controlled and even reversed with an easy-to-follow plant-based diet. By sticking to a few basic principles and making simple lifestyle adjustments, individuals can enjoy a surprising degree of control over diabetes.
Lecture 2: Ethical Issues in Food Choices
An increasing number of people are motivated by the effects their eating habits may have on the world around them, whether it’s animals, the environment or other people. New concerns about global climate change and the spread of emerging diseases such as avian flu highlight the fact that our personal dietary choices send ripples far and wide. This lecture looks at big-picture concepts and how they can be motivators for change. Most importantly, it takes an optimistic view of how we can improve the world we live in.