Born October 12, 1932 in St. Louis, Missouri Dick Gregory made a name for himself as a comedian, civil rights activist, athlete, author and nutritionist. He is rated number 81 on Comedy Central's 100 greatest comedians of all time. As an activist Dick Gregory played a major role in the civil rights movement with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., fighting for equality and justice for minorities. It was because of his commitment and dedication to nonviolence in the late 60's that he became a vegetarian. Before he became a vegetarian he had ballooned up to 350 pounds. He smoked four packs of cigarettes and drank a fifth of Scotch everyday. After he adapted the vegetarian lifestyle and gave up his unhealthy habits, he noticed that his lifelong battle with ulcers and his sinus congestion had improved with the change in his diet. As a result of his discovery he began to further research the vegetarian lifestyle. He was so impressed with the health benefits that he decided to become a spokesperson for vegetarianism. He spoke extensively on the health benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle at churches, schools and universities.
Dick Gregory was also an excellent runner in high school. He was awarded a track scholarship to Southern Illinois University. The desire and love for running never left his heart. In the early 1970's he got involved in running marathons. He even challenged himself and ran a marathon from Chicago to Washington D.C., urging the United States government to take action against world famine. In 1984 he founded Health Enterprise Inc., a company that distributed weight loss products. The company was established out of a deep concern that he had for the lack of health food stores in the African American community. Two years later, he introduced the Slim-Safe Bahamian Diet, a powder diet mix to the health food market. The Slim-Safe Bahamian Diet became a favorite with the general public.
During the 1990's Dick Gregory continued his fight as a civil rights activist but his biggest fight came in 2001 when he made an announcement to the world that he was diagnosed with lymphoma the worst form of cancer. This was truly a shock. Dick Gregory spent his life fighting for civil rights and lecturing on health and nutrition, now he was faced with a form of cancer that his doctor said was incurable. Because he was always a fighter, the champion in him would not accept the diagnosis as his fate. Being a man of continuous prayer he knew he had to step up his game and pray to God for more wisdom, knowledge and understanding. In addition to praying he knew as a nutritionist that he had to do more research on health and nutrition.
After doing extensive research Dick Gregory decided to take the holistic approach to fight his cancer. In his biography it states. "He refused traditional medical treatment - chemotherapy - and with the assistance of some of the finest minds in alternative medicine, put together a regimen of a variety of diet, vitamins, exercise, and modern devices not even know to the public." His decision paid off. In 2005 Dick Gregory triumphed over cancer. He has become a warrior for the fight against cancer using his experience to lecture on the importance of diet in fighting cancer. He has helped millions of his fans around the world to understand that cancer is curable. At the young age of seventy-five he is still vibrant and full of life. It was such an honor to interview a man who is a true humanitarian and a giant in the health industry. In closing my interview with Dick Gregory, I asked him what was his prayer for the world, and he said. "Peace."
For more information on Dick Gregory visit: www.dickgregory.com
