If a desire for healthy eating is anywhere present in your mind, I have a suggestion for you. Next time you head into your local grocery store in search of goods to fill your cupboards, your shelves, your refrigerator, I want you to try this: steer clear of the inside aisles of the store.

Think about this:

The healthiest foods, the freshest foods, the whole foods are housed on the outside walls of grocery stores. Fruits, vegetables, breads, meats, dairy, and often times the organic department border the aisles filled with cookies, candies, colas, crackers, cereals, dressings, and a whole host of other preserved items. So see if you can shop without entering the less-healthy regions of your store. And if you must make a detour, shoot for the most natural foods you can find. If your search is for cooking oil, opt for canola oil instead of vegetable oil. If peanut butter is your thing, pick up natural nut butters. If you must have mayonnaise, reach for reduced fat or soy versions.

Staying on the perimeter of your store still requires some thinking -- meats should be lean, breads should start with the word whole, cheeses and dairy should be low in fat, and juices should be free of sugar. But still, this is the healthiest place for your next grocery store stroll.

Right now -- at this very moment -- my two boys have turned our living room into a mess of blankets and pillows and stuffed animals. They put on their jammies and closed all the blinds and are pretending it's bedtime. But it's actually lunch time, so they have spread out paper plates and plastic silverware and bags of chips and boxes of crackers all over the floor -- on top of all their bedding. I delivered them their lunch platters and lemonade and there they sit, in the room next to me -- chattering away, stuffing their little mouths, full of life. And I am in awe -- of the simple joy that comes from a living room camp-out and picnic, of the beauty these children bring into my life. I am mostly in awe of the fact that no matter what cancer takes from me -- my hair, moments of health, my innocence -- it cannot ever take this very moment from me. And that makes today a happy day.

Every year many Americans are faced with cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. What do a lot of these diseases have in common? The way we as a society chose to eat and treat our bodies. Now I don't want to start a major debate on factors like heredity, environmental issues and the like but we need to face facts that we have become a fast food, fast-paced society dealing with a lot of stress and bad eating habits and are paying less attention to a well balanced diet and the necessary exercise to stay fit. I am as guilty as the next person.

Eating raw vegetables as snacks instead of chips, nuts, pretzels, cheese and crackers and more, will not only help you lose weight but it will help you with digestion and will help your body maintain a more alkalized ph balance where disease can not live. As your body becomes more acidic the acid wastes build up in tissues and stored fat. If your body is in an alkaline state it is like heaven for normal cells and like hell for cancer cells. Cancer cells thrive and multiply when your body reaches a low enough PH level. Even eating slightly steamed or grilled veggies is better than fully cooked.