Hi Ellen,

I was told to check out your show by a friend who has read many of Dr. Neal's books, I must say, I really enjoy your show! I'm not one to watch daytime TV but I began to TiVo yours. And I saw you on Jay Leno last night, and because I adore you, plus I'm not full of hate, I'm voting NO on Prop 8! You deserve all the happiness in the world Ellen, and thanks so much for speaking up for the farm animals with the Vote YES on Prop 2!

Memo to Bridgette:

The Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) (formerly called the "Guest Choice Network") is a front group for the restaurant, alcohol and tobacco industries. It runs media campaigns which oppose the efforts of scientists, doctors, health advocates, environmentalists and groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, calling them "the Nanny Culture -- the growing fraternity of food cops, health care enforcers, anti-meat activists, and meddling bureaucrats who 'know what's best for you.'"

Over 40 percent of the group's 2005 expenditure was paid to Rick Berman's PR company, Berman & Co. for "management services. As part of its operations CCF runs a series of attack websites, including "consumerfreedom.com, activistcash.com, cspiscam.com, animal-scam.com, fishscam.com, obesitymyths.com, physicianscam.com and petalkillsanimals.com.

CCF is one of the more active of several front groups created by Berman & Co., a public affairs firm owned by lobbyist Rick Berman. Based in Washington, DC, Berman & Co. represents the tobacco industry as well as hotels, beer distributors, taverns, and restaurant chains. Hotels, motels, restaurants, bars and taverns together comprise the "hospitality industry," which has long been cultivated by the tobacco industry as a third party to help slow or stop the progression of smokefree laws.

CCF actively opposes smoking bans and lowering the legal blood-alcohol level, while targeting studies on the dangers of red meat consumption, overfishing and pesticides. Each year they give out the "nanny awards" to groups who, according to them, try to tell consumers how to live their lives.

Anyone who criticizes tobacco, alcohol, fatty foods or soda pop is likely to come under attack from CCF. Its enemies list has included such diverse groups and individuals as the Alliance of American Insurers; the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons; the American Medical Association; the Arthritis Foundation; the Consumer Federation of America; New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani; the Harvard School of Public Health; the Marin Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems; the National Association of High School Principals; the National Safety Council; the National Transportation Safety Board; the Office of Highway Safety for the state of Georgia; Ralph Nader's group, Public Citizen; the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Implicit in CCF's food cop rhetoric is the idea that people who advocate for eating a healthy diet are motivated by personal agendas. They maintain a long list of people operating under supposed "hidden agendas." CCF also accuses pro-vegetarian organizations like the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine of hiding behind an animal rights agenda, though these groups are visibly and vocally trying to protect animals, and readily acknowledge such.

In addition to the Center for Consumer Freedom, Berman & Co. sponsors several other organizations and web sites, including the Employment Policies Institute (which fights to keep the minimum wage low and opposes mandatory health insurance for workers), and the American Beverage Institute, which opposes restrictions on drinking and driving.

This was found on a site called SourceWatch, and I'm fairly certain you don't need me to tell you how to find it, Bridgette.

Isn't it interesting what you do find when you use a Google search, as you so helpfully advised.
Thank you, I'm much more informed now.

ps..is the spelling okay?

Thank you very much Ellen for the show from a healthy vegan family!
I wanted to share my recipe for vegan Parmesan: mix about equal amounts of crushed pine nuts and nutritional yeast, add some lemon juice and salt. Looks and tastes like Parmesan minus cruelty to animals and damage to your health.

I love your shows Ellen, especially the one with Dr. Bernard. It is so true what he said. I was wondering what was the name of book you gave to your audience on 9/30/08.

Juliet

Dr. Barnard should win the Nobel Prize for helping so many people throughout the years with no other motive than to get out correct medical information to the masses. His books saved my life. I almost died of a colon blockage 20 years ago, until I changed to a healthy vegan diet. I am the only healthy person in my family and win 5K races in my age group:
Breast Cancer: Mom, Aunt, Sister (we have the gene)
Heart Disease: Both sisters, parents and all grandparents,
Diabetes: sister, both parents, all grandparents, Osteoporosis: Most women except me, Alzheimer's: Mom, her siblings, grandparents.
Varicose Veins (yeah, from too little fiber) Everyone except me.

All of Dr. Barnard's books are amazing, easy to read, and absolutely 100% true! His work inspired me to teach cooking classes, and for the past 3 years, people in my classes routinely lose weight without counting a calorie, without being hungry and loving the food. They also often come off all kinds of medications. This information needs to be made available by our government! The China Study, as others have said, is a must read.

Thank you SO much, Ellen for having Dr. Barnard as a guest. He has been quietly doing humble research all these years, and it is about time the national press recognized him for the incredible, eloquent expert that he is. He should be on every show out there.

As a former TV investigative reporter, it has been the investigative reporting job of my life to figure out how to avoid the diseases of affluence that have destroyed my family.

LoneWolf,

"Memo to Bridgette: When you post a name or site to justify your opionion, such as "PhysiciansScam", always check to see if there actually IS a site to begin with.

It tends to add more credibility to your argument."

Reply memo to LoneWolf:

For someone who posts on this site, you have not yet realized this site does not allow you to post links to web pages? Sorry your brain could not comprehend how to figure out how to find the site by using Google with "Physicians Scam" and get the site. Just add a dot com to the end of PhysicansScam for the site.

Please double check you are getting all the nutrients you need for brain thought processes. Your intelligence is showing a lack of nutrients. Something may be missing from your diet. Or you can blame your computer for not finding the site.

ps..It is opinion not opionion.

Dr. Neal Barnard is a ground-breaker in telling the world about the unspeakable suffering endured by millions of animals imprisoned, sold and bred in research laboratories, as well as the horrendous miserable existence offered animals consigned in industrial animal production/transport/slaughter. Wake up America, and help the animals we have betrayed. Government grants and sponsorship condones and promotes legalized animal cruelty. It must stop.
We have to be the voice for the animals. No one else is. Thanks, Ellen, for having Dr. Neal.

Thank you for having Dr. Barnard on your show. I hope you invite him back so that he can go into more detail about the virtues of a plant-based diet which have been proven by a vast amount of research (check out The China Study). There is an undisputed 1:1 correlation between diet and health. By subsituting other foods for meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy, you will see that you do not have to sacrifice taste, texture, or nutritional value. Why not share with your audience your and Portia's experience with being vegan?

I was introduced to Dr. Bernard many years ago. I read a few of his books, my eyes were opened, and ever since my health has improved dramatically, lower blood pressure, cholesterol levels in the low 100's, plus I feel better, look better, andf live better.

If you have an expensive car, you're going to put the best gas and other fluids into it, why not put the best food into your body for it to run great. After all, Your Health is Your Wealth!

Thanks for having Dr. Neal Barnard on your show. It was so interesting and I couldn't agree more with his nutrition suggestions. I have been a vegetarian since I was 14 years old. However, I always loved candy esp. gummi bears & chocolate (I'm from Germany so that's all we eat :-)) and lots of cheese. A couple of years ago when I moved to the US I didn't like the candy here and my husband convinced me to stop eating candy (he's an ultra marathon runner). It was so hard in the beginning...and I agree with Dr. Neal Barnard - it's addictive. After every meal I would need something sweet. But I tried to go without it and eat some nuts or fruits instead. It was so difficult, I would get headaches and be in a bad mood. But after 2 weeks or so I could feel the difference in my body...I was less tired, had more energy and everything tasted different. I learned in your show about the addiction of cheese...which I still have...and I can't imagine living without good swiss, dutch & german cheese (yummy). Anyways...I will try. There are a lot of soy products out there so I'm gonna try something new. I definetly will read his books to learn more. Thanks!

You're a great role model!

Rommy