Over 63% of Americans are overweight. That's approximately 184 million people. Obesity has doubled in children and adults since 1980. In 2002, health care costs for obesity were 93 billion dollars. Although I'm a nurse, you don't have to be one to know what works and what doesn't work. Don't accept feeling bad as normal. Notice the many commercials on TV for stomach and bowel medicines, antacids, antidiarrheal medicines, meds for gas and bloating, laxatives and fiber supplements. These are all a band-aid fix for the wrong foods people are eating. I realize that in order to give up manufactured foods and eat natural foods, the natural recipes must taste as good as junk food. My recipes definitely accomplish this, while using ingredients familiar to everyone.

Many labels on food products state "natural" when they are not. If it comes from the Earth, many manufacturers think they can claim "natural". But if man has made it, then it's no longer natural. I believe that the root causes of health and weight problems are manufactured foods, additives, bad fats, refined sugars, and white flour.

No matter what health problems you may or may not have, eating the healthiest way possible can only be a good thing. By eating natural, your body will become stable within its own normal limits. All the money in the world can't fix a body that is ruined beyond repair. Many deaths, in some way, are diet related. This is not rocket science. Your health is a scoreboard of how you've eaten. Don't be one of those who on their deathbed say, "I wish I'd taken better care of myself."

If you know what you need to do to get better, but it requires more physical, emotional or mental effort than you're able to give, what do you do? Here's what I did. I asked some family members to fix only natural foods for me, such as plain baked meats, poultry, and fish, plus vegetables and fruits. I did nothing but eat, and soon I felt well enough to take care of myself. You have to feel better before you can get better. Do you watch cooking shows on TV and accept what the cooks say as gospel? Just because someone knows how to cook doesn't mean they know the first thing about nutrition. I don't consider myself a cook or a chef, but I certainly know the important things about nutrition. Have you ever noticed that on some cooking shows on TV, the audience will moan when the chef adds a large amount of oil or sugar to a recipe? He or she will then frequently say something like, "I know it's a lot, but the recipe needs it". Needs it? They always say the recipe needs it. I seriously question this. Why would we need more oil or sugar? One chef was honest enough to say why. "To make the recipe taste better", was the answer. I disagree adamantly with this premise. My recipes have zero oil and zero sugar and they taste absolutely delicious.

You only have one life, and at 40 it's only about half over. Bodies need the right fuel to perform well for a lifetime.

What kind of fuel are you putting in your body?