Marilyn Joyce is a Registered
Dietician, with a degree in Biochemistry and Human Nutrition. She
also has a Masters degree in Psychology. Marilyn approaches nutrition
from both scientific and holistic perspectives. As the Director of
Nutrition for the Cancer Treatment Centers of America in the mid-nineties,
she helped cancer patients make major positive shifts in their health
through changes in their eating habits.
Marilyn is an author, educator
and internationally renowned speaker with more than thirty years of
experience at the forefront of nutrition, health and education. Her
thriving private practice spans the globe.
In her book, 5
Minutes to Health, she addresses both what we eat and how
we eat. The book is a step-by-step guide, setting out how to buy,
store and prepare food, and is full of easy-to-follow healthy and
delicious recipes.
Marilyn doesn't just come
by her enthusiasm for nutrition and health through training or inclination;
she is a cancer survivor. Here is her story.
"In 1985, when I was
at the peak of my career and feeling like I had achieved much success
in my life, I was diagnosed with melanoma. I had no idea what a serious
illness that was, but as if that wasn't enough, a week after I got
out of the hospital for melanoma I was rushed right back, this time
with uterine cancer, stage four.
I was only thirty-five
years old, so it was a real shock, because in all of my experience
I had been told that this was an older woman's illness. Of course
I plunged into all the reactions everybody else has. I went into denial
and anger and felt like a complete victim. Then I tried everything
I could find in search of a 'magic bullet' cure.
Finally, in 1989, it looked
like the end of the road. I was in a wheelchair, weighing eighty-eight
pounds, with just weeks to live. At that point the miracles began.
I had come to the point
where I could only suck on ice chips… no solid food for months.
A young man with a Vita Mix machine introduced me to Cantaloupe ice
(seeds and all!). I was able to start eating again, first fruits,
then vegetables, soy and whole grains. I continued a diet of whole
foods in whole food forms, back-to-basics nutrition. A year later
I had recovered, and a year after that I ran a mile in thirty minutes…
not the fastest mile, but I knew I had achieved health again.
What I've found is that
most people live on expensive foods - they go out and buy all kinds
of processed food. That is what they live on, and they wonder why
they are tired, why they get sick. They need to rediscover back-to-basics
eating - whole food nutrition - eating food that looks the way it
does as it grows out of the ground or on the tree. If it is fish or
meat it needs to be free range, with no antibiotics or hormones.
When I started putting
my book together for patients and clients, I realized that the difference
between what most people do and what I and my clients do is that most
people eat packaged, processed foods. Even though those packaged foods
are often organically-based, they are still packaged, processed foods!
I also notice that people
talk about how expensive it is to eat really healthy food. I can show
you that the opposite is true.
One day I met a nutritionist-friend
of mine as we were both waiting in line to check out at the grocery
store. She had two bags of groceries compared to my eight bags. My
groceries cost less, and were all organically grown fruits, vegetables
and legumes. She had packaged, processed foods such as chips and cookies.
We talked, and over time she realized what I had discovered - whole
food nutrition costs less and will keep you well. Processed foods
will keep you sick and tired.
You can't think straight
if you are not getting the right kind of food into your body. You
won't be able to exercise if you're not getting the right foods (fuel)
to burn. It is critical to eat vibrant foods that are nutrient-dense,
loaded with antioxidants, phytonutrients and bioflavanoids. They fuel
every metabolic function in your body, and are essential in the prevention
and healing of many degenerative illnesses, including cancer, fibromyalgia,
MS, lupus, arthritis, heart disease and many more.
It is important to note
here that, when it comes to illness, there are no 'magic bullets'.
There is no one thing that will be the answer for everyone. But a
simple, high quality diet and lifestyle regime will at least give
you a fighting chance. Add to that a more individualized program designed
especially for you, and you will have the power in your hands again
to create renewal in your health, renewal in your life."
Marilyn Joyce is the author
of two books, 5 Minutes to Health, and, I
Can't Believe it's Tofu! She is a regular contributor to
Healthy and Natural Magazine, Health Editor and feature writer for
New Perspectives, and is the official Registered Dietitian for the
Original Hollywood Celebrity Diet.
Marilyn
conducts seminars and trainings for organizations. Some of her clients
include:
