By Cat Wilson
Guest Columnist

Refrigerating whole lemons in a glass jar with water will keep them fresher and crisper much longer than in the fruit bin. Photo provided.

I read on a lot of different subjects so it may be true to say I know a little about a lot, but I was floored to read the United States spends more money per capita on chronic lifestyle diseases than any other country in the world.

One of the biggest culprits is type 2 diabetes. According to the CDC, 37.3 million people in the U.S. have diabetes (11.3% of the population). With rare exceptions, this is a food-related disease caused by eating the Standard American Diet. Americans eat way too much fat, sugar and processed foods and this can result in diabetes.

If you have diabetes and you haven’t researched and know just about everything about diabetes, I would suggest you read “Reversing Diabetes” by Dr. Neal Barnard, who also wrote “The Cheese Trap,” and then talk to your doctor and ask why they didn’t tell you all this. There is a mountain of good information to be gained by deep diving into what causes this food-related disease and what you can do to take control.

For now, start writing down what you are eating each day and record the time you eat it. You may be eating better (or worse) than you thought. Are you seeing a lot of cheese, bread, meat, sugar and processed foods instead of whole foods? This may help you see what you are leaning on instead of a big salad, fruit, beans or any whole food. It is not about moderation of unhealthy food, but you already knew that.

You will find many groups and pages on different online platforms for support and meal suggestions, not anything you have to pay for, just a group of people who are trying their hardest to achieve better health. Search “plant based” on YouTube and you will have found your new best friend. You can’t hang at the Burger Barn and expect to find a lot of whole foods.

Wake up and say, “Today, I am going to eat for health.” At night ask yourself, “Did I eat for health today, and if I didn’t, what caused me to falter?” One day, after one day, after one step, after one step.

To your health.

Air-Fryer Portobello Burgers

Forksoverknives.com

1/3 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

1/3 cup non-dairy milk

4 portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed

Preheat air fryer to 390 degrees. In a shallow bowl stir together first five ingredients. Place non-dairy milk in a second shallow bowl.

Dip portobello mushrooms in plant milk and then panko mixture, lightly coating all sides. Place mushrooms gill-side down in a single layer in air fryer for 7 to 9 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and breading is crisp.

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].