Introduction<br >rom the time of Hippocrates， it has been known that<br >certain foods have disease-preventing and disease-<br >healing benefits. Yet， for some reason this knowledge<br >has remained one of history s best-kept secrets--until<br >s resurgence in very recent years.<br > Despite the growing body of documented medical evidence<br >~at diet both causes and cures disease， nutritional awareness re-<br >~ains far from a twentieth century world ideal. According to Stuart<br >1. Berger，. M.D，， in W-bat Your Doctor Didn t Learn in Medical<br >:boot， currently a mere 24 of this country s 130 medical schools<br >:quire future doctors to take courses in nutrition. By omitting the<br >;bject of nutrition， 80 percent of America s medical schools are<br >ot only perpetuating a nutritional "knowledge vacuum，" they are<br >ending out a negative message about the importance of nutrition<br > health， as well.<br > With our doctors ill-educated on nutrition， it s no wonder the<br >ublic continues to lag in its own nutritional awareness. For in-<br >:ance， a recent survey of 12，000 Americans by the National Can-<br >er Institute (NCIt revealed a majority continues to practice poor<br >ating habits， despite strong evidence that diet can reverse the<br >~urse of some forms of cancer， heart disease， diabetes， and learn-<br >lg disorders-to name a few. Asked by NCI what they had eaten<br > the last 24 hours， more than 40 percent of the respondents said<br >~ey had not had even one piece of fruit， and about 20 percent said<br >~ey had not eaten even one vegetable. Just as discouraging， some<br >5 percent of the NCI survey group said they had eaten red meat，<br >xi<br >