Ever heard that the white stuff we eat is not so healthy? I've heard it, time and time again. I was reminded of this fact while at Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Arizona this past April. My Ranch nutritionist confirmed it. And the foods I ate while at this health and healing institute derived from the whole wheat, whole grain, whole goodness family. There wasn't a slice of white bread in sight. No white pasta either. Or white rice. I did have a white baked potato one night for dinner -- but it was the smallest white baked potato I'd ever seen.

It's not so hard to transition from white to non-white. Just search your grocery store aisles for the healthier alternatives -- and buy them. Or make your own varieties of nutritious stuff. Like whole-wheat pizza crust. Remember when I wrote about eating pizza once a week? Instead of ordering it, why not make your own? Here's how you might start:

Whole-Wheat Pizza Crust
Makes six pizza crusts, each containing 175 calories, 36 gm. carbohydrate, 1 gm. fat, 0 mg. cholesterol, 6 gm. protein, 150 mg. sodium, and 4 gm. fiber

I knew when I landed at Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Arizona that I'd hear all sorts of health-conscious messages. I did. I got quite an earful. It was all great stuff. Go low fat. Cut sugar. Nix the soda. Up the protein. Increase the fiber. Minimize portion sizes. Decrease stress. Rest. Relax. Breath. And exercise -- a lot. I took it all in. I processed it. I stored it in my foggy chemo brain. And I try daily to put my new-found wisdom to work. It's going well -- in part because I have permission to take a break.

My Canyon Ranch nutritionist -- the one who taught me how to shop, cook, stock my pantry, and make healthy snacks and treats -- also gave me this happy nugget of news: eat pizza once per week. What? Can that be healthy?

Pizza is not the healthiest of food choices. Pizza Hut's personal pan cheese pizza -- you know, the little one containing just four small slices -- has a shocking 620 calories, 26 grams of fat, 69 carbohydrates, and seven grams of sugar. It does have 28 grams of protein. Still, not a very wise choice for those of us wishing to fill our bodies with power foods.

Pizza just might have the power to fight cancer -- not the pizza loaded with cheese and pepperoni and tons of tempting toppings, the kind that may have your mouth watering at this very moment. But a version of pizza as we know it may fend off heart disease, obesity, and cancer.

The secret is in the crust -- the cooking of the crust, that is.

Think about this:

It seems baking pizza faster and at higher temperatures can release disease-fighting antioxidants. And it's this one small change to pizza preparation that has scientists at the University of Maryland claiming there is such a thing as a healthy pizza.

Scientists baked pizza at 500 degrees for six minutes and were able to increase antioxidant levels 100 percent. They used whole wheat dough, already high in antioxidants, and let it rise overnight before using their hotter, quicker cooking approach.

One researcher says this study is more a lab curiosity than anything else and might not really lead to a healthier pizza -- because it's unlikely pizza joints will change cooking methods to turn out healthier products.

If you are tempted to try this technique, be aware that the toxin acrylamide can be released if the pizza is baked too long. And don't forget to cut way back on those tasty toppers.

Based solely on personal observation, I believe one of the reasons most of us do not eat the recommended daily required servings of fruits and vegetables is because what we do choose to eat -- the way we prepare it and the way we serve it -- is boring. Traditionally, the standards fit into a narrow category. With an interest in expanding the menu selection, I went on a search for recipes. Something new to try.

The Raw Foods -- or Living Foods -- diet is considered by some to be a celebrity food fad, with Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson and Robin Williams as celebrities reported to have adopted the diet. Other followers are strict adherents to eating only raw and unprocessed organic foods that would be acceptable to vegans. But you do not have to be a vegan, or a raw-foodist who chooses to stick to a diet consisting only of raw foods, to benefit from raw food recipes.

If you are looking for new recipes -- a new way of choosing and preparing fruits and vegetables -- finding the people and places whose focus is primarily on raw foods seems a likely direction to follow. One of the online resources I found, Living and Raw Foods -- the largest community on the internet dedicated to educating the world about the power of living and raw foods -- offers a healthy selection of recipes for Appetizers and Finger Foods; Entrees and Side Dishes; Crackers Breads and Cereals; Cookies and Treats and Desserts.

The group states on the homepage they are not out to convert anyone, simply to educate. They offer creative ways to prepare dishes, side dishes and treats that pack more nutrition into your diet, like mashed potatoes that use cauliflower or Sea Veggie Pizza.

In the continuing battle of the bulge, and realizing that more families eat out more often than ever before, the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, commissioned a report to discover ways to stop the growing weight gain epidemic. Based on the Keystone Report, the FDA is recommending that restaurants cut back on portions, serve more fruits and vegetables and provide nutritional and caloric information with the meals they serve.

You can imagine how well this is going over with the 900,000 restaurants and other food establishments in this country. For a restaurant to implement what the government is suggesting they do, the report itself notes that the laboratory work needed to calculate the calorie content of a menu item can cost $100, or anywhere from $11,500 to $46,000 to analyze an entire menu. That is not taking into account any menu changes. But who exactly is making us fat?

In 2003, a study was published in the International Journal of Cancer which reported that eating pizza, one of the typical foods on the Mediterranean diet menu, was linked to lower rates of stomach and colon cancers. Conversely, pizza crust is made with refined carbohydrates, and refined carbs have been linked to higher rates of colorectal cancer. But the researchers suggested that the other ingredients that go into the making of pizza, like olive oil and tomatoes, offset the adverse influence refined carbohydrates present to cancer prevention. And researchers pointed out, when talking about pizza, they are referring to the authentically Italian pizza, with a thin crust and touch of olive oil. The toppings include generous amounts of pizza sauce made with cooked tomatoes, olive oil, herbs and spices. When it comes to the cheese, use sparingly, not generously, or consider substituting an animal-free soya alternative to cheese. Interested in creating a cancer prevention pizza? Following is a list of some toppings known for their power to prevent cancer: