You are watching Words of Wisdom Rebroadcast of Live Videoconference with Supreme Master Ching Hai 『Children's Health & Sustainable Planet』 Jeju International Conference Jeju Island，S. Korea - September ２１，２００９

Callie (f): This evening， we are very honored to have Korea's very own esteemed doctor， Dr. Hwang Seong-Soo， a neurosurgery specialist at Daegu Medical Center. He is famous in Korea for curing many serious diseases with food rather than medicine. And through his own shining example，he has inspired countless people to switch to a plant-based diet. Please give him a warm welcome.

Dr. Hwang Seong-Soo (m): I am going to explain to you why meat， fish，eggs，and milk are harmful not only to adults but also to children. In addition，I would like to explain briefly how children can grow up much healthierand disease-free by eating just unprocessed grains， like brown rice and fruit and vegetables. There are many diseases that children can suffer from. Not only adults but also many children suffer from atopy， asthma，as well as rhinitis.

In the past， we had a term for these called『adult disease.』 The term『adult disease』 was used because we thought those diseases developed only as we grew older， whereas we did not get those diseases when we were younger. Therefore，we used to think that age was the critical factor. That's why we called it 『adult disease.』 However，we discovered that lifestyle or diet is more important than age.

Therefore，we decided to change the term from『adult disease』 to『lifestyle disease.』 When we hear 『lifestyle disease』 instead of 『adult disease，』 we intuitively know what we have to do if we want to avoid these diseases. We will take a look at some of the diseases that are caused by bad lifestyles. The food that causes bad dietary habits is animal-based food. Meat，fish，eggs，milk， processed plant-based foods，and also excessively cooked plant-based foods result in habitual diseases due to diet.

The main ingredients of the animal-based food are protein and fat. The protein is the main cause of atopy， asthma，allergic rhinitis and osteoporosis. In addition，the fat in the animal-based food causes obesity， hyperpiesia，diabetes，high blood pressure， angina pectoris， cardiovascular disease (like myocardial infarction) and dementia， various cancers，and especially breast cancer， colon cancer， and prostate cancer. Animal-based food is the main cause of these diseases. As you already know， animal-based foods consist of mainly protein and fat.

There is one good food that we can compare against animal-based foods - and that is unprocessed rice. I usually say unprocessed rice is a perfect nutrient food. As you already know， unprocessed rice has a relatively low amount of protein， only about ８％ of total calories. In contrast， the protein in animal-based foods makes up more than about ５０％ of total calories. Nowadays，parents are obsessed by the idea that their children should eat meat，fish，eggs， and milk; they feed these to them as much as possible. The conception that a lot of protein is needed for growing children is wrong. Due to this wrong conception，we are causing our children to be afflicted with diseases which are avoidable.

Protein has its own properties which we need to understand well. Protein does not get wasted. Therefore， we only need to take a very small amount. Another property of protein is that it cannot be stored within the body. Therefore，we have to take a little bit at a time. However，it does not mean that we should eat small amounts of meat， fish，eggs or milk at a time. What I'm saying is the protein inside grains， vegetables and fruits is more than enough for us. You may want to know how little protein we need at a time.

We need just very small amounts of protein which we can obtain without eating any meat， fish，eggs，or milk at all. Grains，vegetables，and fruits are known to have adequate amounts of protein; we will have sufficient protein by eating just grains， vegetables，and fruits. It is believed that protein deficiency is more harmful to children in the growing stage than it is to adults. However，even children in the growing stage require only a very small amount of protein. Instead，they stay healthier without meat， fish，eggs，and milk. It is because they need only a small amount of protein. We can realize why we need just a very small amount of protein if we look at the growth curve of the human being.

Secondly，there are many people who do not take any meat，fish， eggs，or milk. These people do not suffer from diseases，and they are even healthier. Therefore，we can realize intuitively that we need only a small amount of protein. According to the human growth curve， the rate of weight gain fluctuates. Therefore，weight gain increases rapidly during one stage，and then it will stop in another stage， and then it will start to increase again afterwards. We can see rapid weight gain in a baby from birth till １２ months of age.

Then，weight gain slows down after the baby reaches ２ years of age and it remains slow till puberty. We can see the second rapid gain during puberty. Then growth stops in adulthood. And then， in old age，we can see weight tends to decrease. So，you may already notice that we need more protein when we are in those rapid growth stages. During the stage where weight increases the most， the weight of a newborn baby triples in １２ months. The height increases by ５０％. Therefore，within this １２ month period， the baby grows almost explosively.

Thus，although only the mother's milk is fed to the baby for the first １２ months， the baby's weight triples and grows taller by about ５０％. If the weight of adults tripled，it would be a huge problem. The amount of protein in the mother's milk is only about ７％ of the total calories. Therefore，we can see that weight can be tripled in １２ months with only ７％ protein. So，we can draw the conclusion that during subsequent stages， people of all ages need less than ７％ protein.

It is said that animal-based food is a high protein food， but I would say that it is an excessive protein food. Therefore，we have to change the term into something that has the meaning of `harmful'， because animal foods have excessive protein. As I've explained earlier， the amount of protein in mother's milk is only about ７％. This amount alone is enough to triple the child's weight. Brown rice has ８％ protein，which is more than mother's milk.

It means that eating brown rice alone provides enough protein to grow three times heavier within a year. Regarding the quality of protein，people say that the quality of animal-based protein is better than that of plant-based protein. However， that is inaccurate. The human body is different from that of animals. Therefore，there is no reason for humans to consume the protein in animals' bodies.

Protein always co-exists with fat; we should remember that we end up eating a lot of fat when we eat a lot of protein from meat. Some of you may think having lean meat which has lower fat will avoid excessive intake of fat. The amount of protein in lean meat… red meat from beef has almost ２７ ％ fat. That is really huge. Many people think that chicken breasts have the lowest fat， but the amount of fat in chicken breasts is tremendous; it's almost ３０％！ This is something you should really take note of.

Animal fat causes arteriosclerosis. Arteriosclerosis means the arteries become narrower，thicker， and stiffer. Let's take a look at the picture. The one at the top is a normal artery. The inside of the artery is very wide and very smooth. It enables blood，which is thicker than water，to go through smoothly. However，when blood has a high percentage of cholesterol and triglycerides，oil will clog the blood vessels. The blood vessels will become narrower and narrower and then be completely blocked in the end.

We often hear that fish oil is good for our health. Even those who know that meat，fish，eggs，milk are harmful to our health may not understand why fish oil is not good for our health. Therefore，for those who wonder why fish oil is not good for our health， I will explain briefly. The omega-３ fatty acid in fish oil is one kind of unsaturated fatty acid. It makes up only a fraction of a fish's body composition. The large remaining part of the fish is protein.

In addition， there's a high concentration of cholesterol and triglycerides that cause arteriosclerosis and narrow the blood vessels. Let's look at the picture. For fish oil， the largest component is protein， with fat making up ８％ of the total. Only some of the fat is unsaturated， the rest of the fat triggers arteriosclerosis. If we eat fish，it's more harmful than beneficial to us.

Animal foods do not have fiber. Fiber plays a very important role in our body. Fiber helps prevent many diseases from which people suffer such as constipation， obesity，colon cancer， diabetes，and high blood pressure， diseases that torment people. Meat，fish，eggs， and milk do not have any fiber in them. There's nothing to be fearful about not eating any meat， fish，eggs，and milk. Instead，you will recover from diseases.

We can prevent diseases as well. Quality of life will be improved and life expectancy will rise. Not having any animal-based foods means eating only plant-based foods. Although we have only plant-based food， we won't lack in protein. We won't have anemia. We won't lack stamina. We won't get sick and become skinny. We won't have osteoporosis because we did not drink milk.

On the contrary，a plant-based diet cures diseases. It lowers blood pressure. It cures diabetes. It helps us lose unnecessary weight. It purifies the blood. It cures constipation. It makes bones strong. Plant-based foods are very safe foods. They contain only the substances that our body needs and in the right amounts， neither too much nor too little. In plant-based foods，we have the right nutrients in the right amounts. If we eat only plant-based food，it will help prevent diseases， prevent aging，and enhance the quality and longevity of life. Thank you.

Callie (f): Thank you，thank you， Dr. Hwang. We are all proud of you for the work you are doing.

Grace (f): And now， ladies and gentlemen， now comes the moment that many of us have been waiting for. We are very excited to introduce our outstanding，wise， caring，engaging and charming guest of honor， the Supreme Master Ching Hai. Supreme Master Ching Hai is a world-renowned spiritual teacher， humanitarian，artist，and author of international bestselling books. Even before climate change became a critical issue， and long before meat production was identified as the primary cause of climate change and new diseases， she began active worldwide campaigns to encourage people to switch to a plant-based diet to save the planet and all the lives on the planet. Through these worldwide efforts， people around the world are realizing that we don't have much time left and a vegan diet is the key solution.

Callie (f): Supreme Master Ching Hai has also joined numerous conferences on climate change， working with scientists， politicians，journalists， and the public to discuss the most efficient solutions.

Grace (f): Supreme Master Ching Hai not only cautions people about climate change disasters， but she also actively assists the victims. Wherever there is a disaster，be it in Honduras，Greece，or India，her help arrives. Callie，did you know that when Typhoon Nari hit this very Island of Jeju two years ago， she immediately sent a relief team to bring supplies and assistance to relieve the suffering of the Jeju residents？

Callie (f): Yes，I also heard about it， and we are very grateful to Supreme Master Ching Hai for helping Jeju， along with numerous regions around the world.

Grace (f): We are extremely grateful to have Supreme Master Ching Hai join us for the conference. Ladies and gentleman， let's welcome Supreme Master Ching Hai with warm applause！

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Thank you. Hallo. Hallo. Callie (f): Hallo.

Grace (f): I see you're wearing a gorgeous purple cover there this evening. What do you say， does she look beautiful tonight？

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Thank you，thank you！It's not real fur. Callie (f): It's fake fur.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: It's my design for people to look beautiful without having to harm the animals. Callie (f): We love it. (Yes.)

Grace (f): And the emblem on your dress tonight is: Go Green... Be Veg…

Supreme Master Ching Hai: I have something better inside. Grace (f): Yes.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Yes. Be Veg， Go Green， Save the Planet. Thank you. We don't have to wear fur. We don't have to hurt the animals to look beautiful. We are beautiful already because we are from the Divine in any way. Nice to meet you.

Grace (f): Supreme Master Ching Hai， today we are discussing about children's health and a sustainable planet. We have representatives of many NGOs who are organizing this conference， as well as politicians， teachers，students， and religious leaders who are here with us. Before we begin the question and answer session，would you please share with us your message about climate change and children？

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Gladly，gladly. First of all，I wish to say: Hallo，Jeju！Beautiful island， beautiful people of Jeju， best wishes to you. God bless you. I have been very impressed and inspired by all these great speeches from all the great people the world over that you have taken the effort to invite them to your meaningful， great conference in Jeju. I was so impressed by their speech， by their sincerity， and by their and your dedication to this urgent and noble cause on our planetary crucial time. I thank you all and warm greetings to the honorable governor， the distinguished leaders， media members， guest speakers， concerned teachers， students and the children and other audience members. Thank you for your precious time and concern in coming to this important event today.

It's like a whole village or small world has gathered here together to talk about two of the most cherished gifts ever - that is our precious children and treasured planet Earth. I had heard that Jeju Island is like a paradise. I've been invited many times; regretfully， I have not been there. And as I was sitting here listening to all the speeches，I had such a strong desire to go to visit Jeju as a tourist. And I was asking my assistant here， 『How long it takes to go to Jeju？ How warm is it right now over there？』 etc.，etc.

We have just been exchanging notes and I'm sure if I go there today or another day I would absolutely enjoy the company of your people， and the fresh air and the unique landscape， and the tall mountain and sparkling sea that your island possesses， and the warm people of Korea that I had many times the honor to experience. I love Korea. I love Korean people. I truly do. Such a place as Jeju Island and，indeed， the entire globe we must do our best to save for our own sake and the future of the children. We already have the wisdom and Heaven's grace to overcome these challenges; we may just need to remind ourselves of the best steps to take. I wish everyone participating today a lot，a lot of inspiration and a lot，a lot of courage to change through meaningful experience in this direction. Thank you.

Grace (f): Thank you for your insightful speech， Supreme Master Ching Hai. That was beautiful. Grace (f): We will now start our question-and-answer session. We are honored to have Supreme Master Ching Hai participate in this session. This will be a very interesting and informative time for all of us and all the viewers around the world watching through １４ satellite platforms and IPTV and the internet.

Callie (f): Representatives from Jeju Province have prepared some questions about climate change and children， which will be answered either by Supreme Master Ching Hai， our guest panelists， or other world renowned experts.

Grace (f): Let's begin with the first question. This question is for Supreme Master Ching Hai.

Callie (f): Our first question is from Jung Hyun-Gyu. Jung Hyun-Gyu is a very courageous and intelligent student of Jeju. He is a １st year student of Seogwipo High School and also a Korean Youth Climate Change Ambassador.

Mr. Jung Hyun-Gyu (m): In the summer two years ago，I had the opportunity to visit the North Pole research stations located in Ny-Alesund under Norway's territory as a Youth Climate Ambassador of South Korea and was able to directly witness the rapid climate change occuring at the North Pole. The moment I stepped on the land at the North Pole， I felt it was warmer than expected. I was afraid the ecosystem at the North Pole was changing. At that moment I thought of Jeju where I live.

Although the situation was different， I took it seriously that life in Jeju would change when the temperature rises and vegetation changes. We took a boat to the sea and saw countless floating pieces of ice coming off the ice ridge. We were also able to see some parts of the sea where it was red instead of blue because the soil and melted ice flowed together into the sea through narrow gaps formed when the glacier was melting. An ice ridge which had existed in the summer a year ago melted and retreated over １００ meters back.

While exploring the North Pole，I heard the shocking news that two or three days after my Bangladesh colleague returned home，the worst unprecedented rainfall befell his country， causing floods and casualties. I thought it must have been the consequence of global warming. Please everyone，help preserve the North Pole which has many natural advantages， and the beautiful nature of Jeju Island，and natural environments all around the world. It would be a great pity if we cannot live on the planet anymore. Before it is too late， please help so that we can grow up and realize our dreams here.

On behalf of all children， I appeal to every adult and everyone who watches this program to help make this world a place where we can live. We，youths， do not have much time to work for this because we are busy catching up with our school curriculum. However，the situation is so urgent that we feel strongly that we should do something，too. Therefore，I would like to ask Supreme Master Ching Hai's advice on what we，the youths， should do in order to save the Earth.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Hallo，Hyun-Gyu. How are you？ First of all，I am very impressed by your concern as a youth climate ambassador of your country and of your concerning heart for our shared planet. You are such a good-looking，smart， and full of energy boy who helps the world even though you are so busy with your school work. I only wish there are more people like you who realize that the planet's situation is more urgent than anything else right now.

Any good idea from me for youths？ Yes，you have heard many good ideas from our great panelists， our great speakers， before me. And please，just put them into action. You can copy these ideas from those experts - from the scientists， from the elderly - and then distribute them to your peers， your friends at school or around you. We have other things for you.

As you saw for yourself how quickly the North Pole is melting - it's at least twice as fast as the rest of the globe. As I'm sure you already knew， they call the Arctic ice the refrigerator of the planet，and without it， there will be more droughts and floods in other，even，faraway parts of the world. The news reported that just this month in September， UN Secretary-General， Mr. Ban Ki-moon， your countryman，he had visited the Arctic region himself in Norway because he is concerned. Surely he also saw the thin and crumbling icebergs， felt the milder air， and maybe even noticed there are fewer wild animals than there should be.

Mr. Ban also visited the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. It's like a Noah's Ark where they are storing all the seeds from all the food crops from around the world - because the climate change is so serious that the governments and scientists know there might not be enough basic food even. So they store them there in case for emergency use. And，according to the news as well，after his visit the UN Secretary-General， Mr. Ban Ki-moon， then urged world leaders to『take action immediately』 to save the planet. Hyun-Gyu，we don't have to be a world leader to take immediate and very helpful， very powerful action.

All you have to do is become a vegan and encourage others to be vegan as well. The world's leading climate scientists told us in television interviews that being vegetarian - meaning no animal products - is the single most effective thing an individual can do to stop global warming. Because to raise cows and pigs and other animals takes up a lot，a lot，a lot of fossil fuel energy - to feed them， to transport them， to grow food for them. And we also have to cut down a lot of the rainforest，which is very detrimental to our stabilization of the planet. And the animals and their waste also produce very potent greenhouse gases， like methane and nitrous oxide， even other toxic gases. Methane is up to １００ times more potent than carbon dioxide. And nitrous oxide is ３００ times more potent than carbon dioxide.

And I will share with you a very important，very new scientific finding that just a few people in the world know so far， but it is about to be made public，I think in October. That is， respected scientists recalculated and found that the meat industry is actually producing more than ５０％ of global greenhouse gas emissions. Meat is the number one cause of global warming. So，the number one solution is to stop producing it. Logical，yes？ So，we all have to be vegan. That is what the science is clearly telling us right now. Even though the government leaders or the media have not fully caught up with it yet， we can already begin to do it，to take action to stop the number one cause of global warming - by simply being vegan.

Finally，I would like to share with you one more thing about the vegan solution to climate change. That is， from my own insight， I know that if the world's people become vegan， more beneficial results will happen， besides just halting the global warming. One of the results is that the ice in the Arctic will be restored，and quickly， along with the repairing of nature in every corner of the planet， including your home， the green Jeju Island. Isn't that wonderful？ This is the truth that I could promise you， but we all must act fast， Like yesterday.

My suggestion is very easy to do in your busy and productive life， that is vegetarianism or veganism - veganism meaning， no animal products in our lifestyle whatsoever. It's a complete， benevolent， compassionate， humane lifestyle. And it is the single most effective thing an individual can do. That is what NASA climate scientist Dr. James Hansen said， and others as well. Thank you，Hyun-Gyu， for asking this important question. I hope all the youth in Korea and in the world will take this vital action. All the best wishes to you and your generation's bright future！

Grace (f): Thank you， thank you Supreme Master Ching Hai for your answer， reminding us that children can help save our planet through their noble actions.

Kim So-Yeon Elementary school teacher We prefer soy-based food over meat，of course. I have children， so for their sake I will choose the healthier food option.

Moon Woo-Ho High school student Originally，I wasn't that much interested in environmental problems and I preferred meat over the vegetarian diet. But through today's conference， I think that I should switch to a plant-based dietary lifestyle. We should not only think about humans but also consider the animals.

Conference participant I have a more solid understanding about the meat diet's harmful impact on planetary health.

Yang Seong-Eon Superintendent，Jeju Special Self-Governing Office of Education Yang Seong Eon(m): What impressed me the most was the fact that when we reduce meat consumption， we'll enhance the state of the environment. So in the future， we'll put an emphasis on this in our curriculum. And we're planning on organizing a seminar or a forum where dietitians，children and parents come together and discuss the best dietary choice that is beneficial to our health and can save the world.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Some scientists are now saying that without more ambitious， courageous，and unprecedented emission stopping goals， then what many nations currently have in place， our globe will soon exceed a two-degree temperature increase， which means disaster for life on Earth.

VOICE: Join us on Supreme Master Television on Tuesday， November １０，for part ８ of the rebroadcast of the videoconference 『Children's Health & Sustainable Planet - Jeju International Conference』 on Words of Wisdom.

Tune in to Supreme Master Television today for the rebroadcast of the live videoconference 『Children's Health & Sustainable Planet - Jeju International Conference』 with Guest of Honor， Supreme Master Ching Hai， on Words of Wisdom.