Newsletter

The Interview: David Katz

What’s the best way to make positive social change?

Be passionate about your cause, whatever it is. We say ‘when there’s a will, there’s a way.’ I’m not sure that’s always true, but it’s certain that if there is no will, then no way will there be progress! And if there is will- passionate will- then a way can be found, or devised. Mountains can be moved. Passion is Archimedes’ lever.

What was the first thing you ever did to change the world?

The first little corner of the world I changed significantly was my own family, at age 13. I became interested in fitness and started exercising. I recognized that a high-performance body required high-performance fuel, and started eating well. In the process, I converted my whole family, and we have all benefited ever since. And that interest in personal fitness and nutrition evolved to become the cornerstone of my career.

If you could change one thing about the way people are, what would it be?

I would grant everyone the power to see through one another’s eyes. All of our conflicts arise because we see one side, one way, not another. If we could exchange our views of the world briefly, we would learn we’re all the same. Common ground would suddenly become much less exclusive real estate than it is at present.

Who’s someone you look up to, and why?

Richard Dawkins, the evolutionary biologist at Oxford. He is a great thinker, and able to make the complex simple. He is passionate about his beliefs, and the beauty of science. He is a fearless champion for his convictions. A great mind, used well.

What does it mean to be socially-responsible?

To embrace John Donne’s contention: no [one] is an island. To recognize that everyone else is just as much at the center of their universe as I am at the center of mine. To know that the only legacy that matters is to leave behind some benefit for others.

If you could travel through time, where (when) would you go?

Many temptations, but my first choices would be conversations with Julius Caesar and Sir Isaac Newton. I would like to know what the true capacity to change the world feels like. Do you know it while it’s happening? What is the formula?

What’s the best thing to happen to the world in the past century?

The formation of the United Nations. We are not a united world, but at least we have institutionalized the ideal. It beckons us toward our common humanity. The tunnel is long, but there is a light at the end.

What’s something you know, that everyone else needs to know?

How to eat well without even really trying! How to love food that loves me back. In this age of epidemic obesity and chronic disease, the skill power to eat well in spite of it all could translate into enormous health benefits. And this, of course, is what I do: attempt to share that skill power by every means at my disposal.

What is the world’s greatest achievement in the realm of music, art, literature, or film?

I couldn’t possibly say. How does one judge Mozart against Shakespeare, Da Vinci against Joyce?

What makes you so special?

I would recommend checking in with my mother.

David L. Katz M.D., is a nationally renowned authority on nutrition, weight control, and the prevention of chronic disease. He is an associate professor of Public Health and directs the Yale Prevention Research Center, which he co-founded in 1998. Since 2005, Dr. Katz has been a medical contributor for ABC News, with occasional appearances on Good Morning America, 20/20, and World News Tonight. Dr. Katz is a syndicated health/nutrition columnist for the New York Times. His most recent book, The Flavor Point Diet, introduces a groundbreaking strategy for weight control based on the thoughtful distribution of flavors.