By Cathy Wilson
Guest Columnist

Joel Fuhrman, M.D. asks “What if all Americans:”

Ate a large bowl of green salad daily.

Had a large serving of steamed greens daily.

Ate a cup of beans daily.

Had an ounce of raw seeds and nuts daily.

Ate at least three fresh fruits daily.

Had some tomatoes, peppers, onions, mushrooms, herbs and garlic daily.

In his book, “Eat to Live,” he points out that “longevity and disease protection should be the ultimate goals for dietary advice…We have an unprecedented opportunity in human history to live longer and better than ever before.” The most consistent findings show that as fruit and vegetable consumption increases, chronic diseases decrease.

Food truly can be the curse or the cure for so much that is aging us and adding chronic disease instead of health to the aging society. We know ordering the salad is the right thing, but oh boy, does the cheeseburger and fries order roll off the tongue nicely.

Twenty-five percent — that’s the percentage of females that die of their first heart attack because they didn’t know they had heart disease and it is also the percentage of patients that undergo angioplasty whose arteries clog right back up again within six months. Why? Because they didn’t change their way of eating.

What would happen if all Americans ate the list above? Their bellies would be too full for the cheeseburger and fries for one thing. Healthcare costs would go down, along with obesity, cancer and diabetes.

Every day, every meal, is a choice, sometimes a hard choice, but always the right choice when you choose to eat for health.

The salad below was delicious, and I suppose you could change out the dressing if you didn’t have all the ingredients, but I had everything and truly enjoyed the freshness of the dressing.

Sesame Cabbage Crunch Salad

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Serves 4

4 cups Napa cabbage, finely chopped

2 cups broccoli, finely chopped

2-4 green onions, chopped

1 large carrot, shredded

14 ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and dried

½ cup sliced almonds, toasted

Sesame Dressing

¼ cup toasted white sesame seeds

¼ cup maple syrup

¼ cup rice vinegar

¼ cup tamari or coconut aminos

2 tablespoon tahini

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch of salt

Add all the salad ingredients to a bowl. Whisk together the dressing in a jar and drizzle over salad. Toss to combine. Enjoy within 48 hours.

Cat Wilson lives in South Bend and transitioned from a vegetarian diet to eating a plant-based diet over two years ago. She may be contacted at [email protected].