Dear Ellen, I just came in for lunch,turned on t.v. and your show was on.I heard the doctor talk about how bad cheese is for us to eat,my heart sunk as I continued to listen to him compare cheese to opium.You see Ellen I just came in for lunch after working all morning on my family dairy farm.After reading some the posts on your web site it looks like I missed a part of your show that portayed agriculture in a not so positive light.I only wish people like you could know how hard people like my neighbors and myself work to take care of our livestock.Also how hard we work to produce a quality product for the american consumer.I feel like your goal is to shut down my families fifth generation family farm-my three kids thank you!It's nothing out of the ordinary for us to stay up all night and sit with a cow calving or spend a fortune on her calf at the vet's office to keep her alive if she gets sick.Please think of how many people you affect when you pick a subject and show a very narrow side of it's story.My 97 year old grandmother passed away July 19th.I'm glad she isn't around to see todays show as it would of upset her greatly!You see Ellen my grandmother loved to drink milk and eat cheese.I guess if we were to take what the doctor on your show says as the only true way to live and eat maybe grandma would still be here?God bless the american farmer and all that we put up with and do to keep people like you fed however you decide to eat.I hope the producers of your show,the staff,as well as your own family never have to suffer the ill effects of having to go without food for a very long while.Oh ya I'm gonna eat an extra piece of cheese on my sandwich in you honor.Sincerely Steve Eickmeyer,an insulted dairy farmer.

To Mary Beth,

I'm not a nutritionist, but I think if you experiment you can find a healthier diet without torturing chickens. Tofu is bland, so are beans, nuts, and seeds. Your problem could be due to how you combine foods. I have also had IBS but found that smaller meals helped me. Also I eat beans and tofu only with vegetables, not grains. When I have grains at the same time it takes longer to digest and causes problems sometimes. You don't have to combine grains and beans at the same meal to get all of your amino acids. That is an old myth.

I still have healthy servings of whole grains each day. Oatmeal, bran flakes, brown rice, bread. If soy milk bothers you try rice milk. Two tablespoons of ground flax seeds on your cereal is one whole serving of protein BTW and the fibre really helps IBS sufferers. And you get your omega 3 from them. Then you only need half a cup of beans, or some tofu for your protein for the entire day. Try having beans or chick peas with some olive oil and fresh lemon juice dressing, fresh garlic is good on it too if you can handle it and mix it with small amounts of salad. Experiment by not mixing proteins and carbs. Have veggies or fats like olive oil with your carbs. You can get in all of your food groups easily. Just try different combinations and different foods. I'm sure you can find a healthy diet that works for you without animal products.

Susan

Bill(54)asked about meat substitutes without soy. Isolated soy protein is the problem, being highly refined. Soy in itself, from the wonderful soy bean, is an excellent food (i.e. tofu in a simple form). Really enjoy veggie ribs(can be made vegan style) which you make from vital wheat gluten flour(not recc. for folks who cannot tolerate gluten). Obtain an easy recipe from a search engine using the words vegan Veggie Ribs. Imagine other nut butters can be used in the recipe if someone is allergic to peanut butter. You can also cut down the amount of oil used in recipe.

Ellen,

I just had a gatric by-pass 9 weeks ago and I have all ready dropped 60lbs. I take several vitamins that I will have to take the rest of my life. I haven't had meat in 9 weeks and I really don't miss it to much. But what about all the pastas and rice. Isn't that hard on carbs? I still have 100 lbs. to lose and there isn't a lot I can eat yet. So I am going to research the doctors book and see If it would benefit me.

Love you and your show!!

Ellen,
I admire you so much for exposing the cruelty of factory farming. You are such a brave person in so many ways, and I love you for it. Thank you a million times! Please don't stop telling the world the truth.

There is a solution. When I first understood the atrocities involved in factory farming I was devastated and I made the decision to go vegan. But after three days I thought it was too hard and went back to being vegetarian. I went into denial mode like most people are in now. It is so easy to put the suffering of others in the back of your mind when you feel you have no control.

But giving up meat, dairy, and eggs, really is similar to quitting smoking or some other addiction, at least that was my experience. Thankfully my daughter and husband remained on a vegan diet and seeing their strength I was motivated to give it another try. Now it's been over five years, and I LOVE the way I eat. I no longer miss cheese, in fact all animal products make me sick.

Factory farming is not only cruel, it is horrific for the environment! Look at the steps we have made on something as difficult as our dependence on fossil fuels. We can almost see a light at the end of the tunnel, solutions with renewable energy- I wish more people would consider going vegan. It is a proven healthy diet. It would make this sad world a happier place.

And there ARE ways to make it work economically. There are always solutions. We can find a win win situation for all. We just have to think positively, work hard at it, and one day we will be thankful for our efforts.

Now is the time for great change in the world. But we must all be participants. It may not be easy but we must evolve. Please please please just give it a try people! Nobody loves food more than me. If I can do it, anyone can. Stop eating animals. We don't need meat to be healthy, that's a myth.

Don't fool yourselves. Whenever you buy meat you become the cause of what is happening in those factory farms, responsible for torture and slavery. Please ask yourselves if animals deserve this. When you saw this video were you comfortable knowing you are a participant? Then don't push those images away. Don't ever forget them. Do the right thing.

Thanks to all of you who really care enough to do something about it.

Susan

I'm 63 paid close attention to what Dr. Bernard was saying about eating right. I've tried every diet and nothing works for long. His advice to start slow and prove to yourself that you can break the sugar, meat, cheese and other food addictive habits sounded like the right advice or suggestion. I'd like to get his book and read more about these possibilities. Thank you for having so many good advice guests on your show. I never miss it.

For those who want Dr. Barnard's book but can't afford it - try your local public library. If they don't have it, request it. Once they get a few requests for the same book, most libraries will put it on their aquisitions list (purchase list)!

So many of the meat substitutes contain soy. I'm a 54 yr. male and have been told soy can be harmful to older men because it raises the estrogen level too much and could cause cancer. Are there any meat substitutes without soy?

hello ellen, i watched your show on monday, i was really interested in learning more about avoiding cheese and chocolate... i agree they are both very addictive... i am afraid that i will die from heart disease if i don't do something to change the way i eat.

thanks for the info.

I watch the Ellen show EVERYDAY and LOVE it! I watched the segment with Dr. Barnard and wanted to know how I could win his book. My brother had a heartattack at 32 and was not overweight nor did his blood work reflect high cholesterol or any issues. My family has a history of heart disease....my mom had triple by-pass last year and one stent this year. She's scheduled for another stent this week and she's only 62. I'm 33 so I'm trying to prevent as many issues as I can and stop the chain with my children.