Dr. Mercola's Total Health Program: The Proven Plan to Prevent Disease and Premature Aging, Optimize Weight and Live Longer [ペーパーバック]

STILL, I prefer prevention. Dr. Mercola is a sort of Dr. Weil for the millenium, similar advice, more detail and his own slant on diet and health. Essentially, he advises vegetables, low to no grains--reduces insulin fluctuations, and healthy meats. He insists most people find that they are not served well by a vegan (no milk, meat, egg) diet and actually it could harm them. Yes, some folks are more than well on a vegan diet; it depends on your metabolic type, according to Mercola. For many, meat or fish are important. This is the "Atkins" type diet with an emphasis on healthy choices.

We liked a lot of the recipes in this book. Some were even delicious; "zucchini spaghetti" is a boon for the low-carb eater, thin strips of squash serve as a low-carb base for a tasty sauce. And a home-made sausage patty I liked, plus a spicy Jamaican rub for chicken or fish.

The recipes in "Total Health" are for the most part, pretty easy. The ingredients are what's more difficult to come by--for example, free range poultry, bison (buffalo), raw milk and Alaskan salmon, tested free of detectible mercury. But even in our rural area, we can order bison and salmon to be shipped in, and the raw milk is available over the border in Amish country. So while not every area in the US can obtain organic veggies and meats by walking to the store, even remote areas can find ways to get these items. If you were to adhere to the Mercola diet, a chest freezer could be helpful to freeze sporadic purchases of organic perishables.

How to get in those vegetables for brekkie really stumped us, until we tried the fearsome green shake, consisting of vegetable juice, whey powder, egg and greens powder, with coconut for flavor and its own benefits. This powerful smoothie is a quick pick-me-up for the morning rush and easily assimilated. We liked it, surprised how much so.

This diet and lifestyle is not easy, and the guy at home frankly said "No WAY am I eating veggies for a snack, thank YOU very much!" but adding the additional greens and of course healthy choices is doing us good, we are sure. A provocative book, with a great number of resources.