Watch this video

I was introduced to Mark Bittman, food writer of the New York Times, by my Tivo (of all things). Since then, I've become a fan of his direct, non-fussy, food-loving videos.

Mr. Bittman's talk at the December 2007 TED Conference was just published, and I highly encourage you to watch it. It's the Reader's Digest version of Fast Food Nation, Super Size Me, and The Omnivore's Dilemna, and many other recent books about how the way we eat is killing us, our neighbors, and our planet.

Most people know that I'm very passionate about food issues -- how we eat, how we get food, government policy surrounding food. After you balloon to the size I did a few years ago, it's a no-brainer. If you didn't know about this passion of mine, well, now you know. :-)

Like many TEDTalks, this 20-minute video is astounding for many reasons:

• The message is hugely important -- personally, locally and globally.
  
• It's passionate and powerful -- and brief.
  
• It's a world-class seminar on how to present persuasively: watch how he uses PowerPoint and count the number of bulleted text slides (hint: there are none).