Last night I had the privilege of watching an incredible documentary about a woman named Marlene Marcello McKenna. At age forty she had been diagnosed with a very aggressive, widespread cancer and given a maximum of 6 months to live. Guess what? Twenty years later, she's doing better than ever. In the documentary, one of her doctors says what happened to Marlene is akin to a fire spreading throughout a house, but goes out on its own, with no fire fighting (I guess chemotherapy would be "fire fighting").
I bet you can guess what happened. She radically changed her diet to a "macrobiotic" diet. This is a diet based on whole grains, legumes and vegetables. Even though I believe in the power of diet on health as much as anyone, I still find it unbelievable to hear stories like Marlene's - and there are many more.
One of the most common foods in a macrobiotic diet is brown rice. Even though I don't adhere to this diet, I finally did something I should have done long ago: I bought a rice cooker. Yes, it took this nutritionist this long to realize how much easier life would be with a rice cooker (and urging by friends)... and it is! Like a crockpot, you can put the rice and water in the cooker, switch it on, and come home to warm brown rice. It never burns, since the cooker switches off once all the water has boiled off. Brown rice is so easy to add to things: soups, bean burritos, and of course, vegetable stir-fries.
Maybe all of you readers already know this, and you're laughing that I'm so excited. But for you who don't have one, this is an inexpensive time-saving device that will help you eat healthier. Don't wait, there just isn't time to waste!
And let me know how you like it.
Labels: cancer
7 Comments:
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I bought a rice cooker a couple of years ago (after thirteen solid years of being told how great it is) and - it's the best piece of cooking equipment I own.
You can make quinoa in it, too (1 part quinoa, two parts water), and polenta (same proportions, but you do have to pick the top up and stir, which would cause any traditional Asian to have conniption fits if they see you). What it's absolutely best for is rice, though.
As for why I don't eat macrobiotic: I believe all plant-based diets play an enormous role preventing and even reversing cancer. A raw foods diet, macrobiotic, or just plain old vegan diet all work wonders.