Health care reform needs to start with what we eat and how we live

As tragic as it is for people to be unable to obtain medical care or to go bankrupt trying to pay for unbelievably expensive medical treatments, it is even more tragic that with or without medical care, Americans are suffering from chronic, debilitating, painful, and often disfiguring diseases at an alarming rate.

Most tragic of all, however, is the fact that we continue to unwittingly plant the seeds of these diseases in our children in our homes, in our schools, and yes, even in our hospitals. We do this by feeding them high fat, salty, sugary, processed foods and animal products high in calories and low in nutrients. This diet leads to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's Disease, among others. Until we address the root causes of these conditions, all the drugs and surgery in the world will not return us to health.

I hear the word "prevention" bandied around quite often in our current health care debate. But rarely does it refer to lifestyle choices that truly prevent disease. Instead, we hear about mammograms, Pap smears, colonoscopies, and PSA screening. These are all medical tests that detect illness. If you can detect it, it's already too late to prevent it.

Catching a disease in its early stages is not prevention. True prevention is based upon making lifestyle choices to promote health, including a healthy plant-based diet of whole foods which are naturally low in fat and high in fiber, regular physical activity, avoidance of tobacco and other drugs, and a positive mental outlook.

Imagine a community where house fires were extremely common and everyone knew someone who had burned to death in their home. Imagine, also, that it was common practice for people there to smoke in bed. Would we recommend that everyone buy more smoke detectors? Would we debate how to pay for the increasing costs of the ever-growing fire department? Would it be too radical to educate the people about the dangers of smoking in bed?

We all know someone who has died of cancer or heart disease, or who suffers the daily struggle with diabetes. And yet, I sometimes hear medical professionals say there is no point asking people to change their diet because they believe they simply won't do it. It is considered "too radical." I'm sure that's true for some people. But I think we do everyone a great disservice by not providing the best information we have about creating health through optimal nutrition.

As an instructor of the Food for Life Nutrition and Cooking Classes, I've seen hundreds of people radically change their diets from the disease-promoting Standard American Diet (SAD) to a health-promoting diet based upon vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes.

I've seen people get off their blood pressure medications, their cholesterol lowering drugs, and even their diabetes pills and injections. I've seen people lower their PSA levels drastically and reverse the spread of cancer. I've also seen people's quality of life improve as they lose weight, have more energy, get rid of allergies and arthritis, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome.

And I've seen all these benefits happen while they are thoroughly enjoying the taste and variety of a healthy, whole-foods, plant-based diet. So I don't buy the argument that people won't change. We just need to address the elephant in the room, squarely, and provide the information and support needed for the people in this country to turn our national health care crisis around, one bite at a time.

Delisa Renideo is an instructor for The Cancer Project's Food for Life Nutrition and Cooking Classes. She lives in Wasilla.