I have had it!

I have not blogged in a few years...bad, blogger, bad, bad, bad blogger. Anywho, I have no good explanation for this except to say...I lost inspiration. Were my posts doing any good? Was it worth the sacrifice of my time? Did anyone care what I had to say about nutrition?

Well I now have decided that it doesn't matter if I help just one person just a wee tiny bit, I have to say something.

It is ssssooooooo very frustrating to watch so many people get sick, and most doctors use drugs as one of the only answers, which to me translates as toxins. Yes, drugs are toxic substances that manipulate the body in an unnatural way. Let me stop here and say, there are definitely very good reasons to be taking medication, but have you noticed that every medical drug commercial has to use at least 30 seconds of their 1 minute commercial to tell you of all the devastating side effects of the said drug? Have you noticed how many law suits are out there against drug companies for the damaging effects of their drug on people?

I have a soon-to-be family member who is a general practitioner (btw he is an excellent doctor :-)), and even though the drug companies are in multi-million dollar law suits, they continue to bring his entire staff lunch almost every day. And that is just his office, not to mention the other offices all across the nation.

What is wrong with this picture? Doctors get major perks to put us on medications that are known to damage us!!!

Is. There. Not. A. Better. Way?????

I am here to say yes, there is definitely a better way, but it does not make the health care industry any money, so you are less likely to hear about it, and to most people it may seem much more daunting than taking a pill, but I promise you, if you are after quality of life, this is the way to go.

So what is it?

Wait for it, here it comes, dare I say...a plant-based diet. There, I said it, and you might be thinking, "Oh, no, not that."

Okay, I get it. You may have never eaten a green vegetable in your life. You may balk at the sight of colorful food, except ketchup, mustard, and pickles. You may have a very short list of vegetables that you allow past your lips.

So why keep reading? Because your body is dying from malnutrition. Period. Your body is so deprived of nutrients that is has no choice but to turn on itself. Period. And you know what that means...cancer, heart disease, cancer, sickness, cancer, fatique, cancer, loss of cognitive function, and did I say cancer? I know personally at least 30 people who have cancer or had cancer. One of my cousins who is my age (cough, 41) was very recently diagnosed with colon and liver cancer. His prognosis is very grave, and I am upset (and very, very sad)!

Why are so few talking about the cancer-preventative, disease-fighting qualities of fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes? I am a nutritionist, so I have heard every excuse in the world--I don't like vegetables. It is expensive to eat a healthy diet. My kids won't eat them. My husband won't eat anything except meat and potatoes. They give me gas.

Please just take a look at those excuses. Would you rather eat something that is ubber-nutritious for you and have to get use to the flavor before you like it (and YOU WILL!) and gives you gas that subsides when your body grows accustomed to it, than suffer from debilitating and life-threatening disease?

Well, as much as it pains me, some would actually say yes!!! Ugh!!! So what is a nutritionist/home-cook obsessed with delicious food to do?

Try, try as hard as I can, try to change your mind.

Let's start with...pizza! Pizza that is everything you want pizza to be...tasty, cheesy, and packed with good nutrition. Okay maybe you don't think about that when you eat pizza, but my hope is that you will begin thinking that way with everything you eat.

Vegetable Pizza (loosely based on a pizza recipe in Dr. Fuhrman's book Eat to Live)

4 whole wheat pita pockets
Olive oil
Jarred or home-made marinara
Diced onions
Diced mushrooms
Finely chopped broccoli
Baby spinach, chopped
Shredded mozzarella
Zucchini
Crushed red pepper
Garlic
Italian seasoning

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Lay the pita bread on two baking sheets and put in oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, add 1 teaspoon olive oil to skillet and heat on medium heat. Add onions and let brown stirring occasionally. When golden in color, add mushrooms and let cook until they have released their juices, stirring as needed. Prepare the zucchini (Rachel Ray calls these zucchinironis)by slicing about 1/2 a zucchini into thin round pieces. Put in a bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil, add a small amount of crushed red pepper and Italian seasoning and a minced garlic clove. Toss to coat. Remove the pita bread from the oven, and spread the marinara on top. Add the onions, mushrooms, broccoli, spinach and cheese. Place the zucchini on the cheese like you would pepperoni. Turn the oven up to 250 and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until hot, cheese is nicely melted, and zucchini are done.

Enjoy! And be healthy!