Bernadette Bohan’s The Choice: The Programme: The simple health plan that saved Bernadette’s life – and could help save yours too. Bernadette Bohan

why we can’t make juice, drink more water, or prepare some real food, but please don’t immediately dismiss these suggestions. Better to make one change than not try at all. Moderation is the key to success when making lifestyle changes. The truth is you can do it if you want to. The choice is yours.

      Over the past six years I have seen many people implement these changes into their lives without much difficulty, and believe it or not 80 per cent of these people were already healthy! It is not just cancer patients who are seeking changes to their lifestyles. The changes I made have certainly improved my life beyond measure.

      Although frivolous in comparison with cancer, losing my middle-aged spread was a nice bonus for me and I was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Recently my daughter Sarah was watching a family video and commented how she could not believe the change in my body shape since I changed my lifestyle. I have also experienced major improvements to my skin and hair, which again is very encouraging.

      Throughout my gruelling and arduous cancer treatment, people told me how amazingly strong and courageous I was – though I must confess I felt I had none of these qualities. I had all the normal feelings of anger, resentment and incredible fear. No matter how discouraging or difficult it was to face this punishing and trying time, I simply had no choice other than to get up and get on with it. Determination was the key for me, and by educating and informing myself I found that the knowledge I gained gave me the power to help, first myself, and then many others. I learned to take the good from a situation, and received great satisfaction and fulfilment in watching the people I helped thrive and return to good health. One of these people recently wrote to me the following few lines:

       The information I learned from you at the outset of my illness was like a roadmap to good health. It was such a relief to feel empowered and to be an active participant in my own recovery by simply changing some habits. The juicing and water drinking are now automatic routines that apply to the whole family. We have truly shifted our comfort zones and really feel the benefit of our new habits. I am fortunate to have made a full recovery from cancer and I now feel armed with a new confidence about my health and my future. My illness was a wake-up call, and by simply embracing the changes you recommend has given me the energy to focus on the future and has liberated me from the worries of my past history.

       Joy

      Remember – I am no expert and I understand if you might be sceptical, yet through my classes and lectures I have taught cancer patients (young and old), doctors, nurses, biochemists and many other professionals about my common sense approach of simply passing on the four steps that helped me return to good health.

      You can read my full story in my first book, The Choice. It is the story of a very ordinary mother’s life. From the responses I have received it would seem to provoke many different interpretations for its many readers. The book reflects why and how so many people have come to listen to my simple message and approach – and why I believe nutrition is the bottom line in maintaining health.

      The priorities in the recipes in this book are health, taste and simplicity. They have been put together in a pronounced userfriendly way. Together with the chefs from Cornucopia Dublin, we have worked on each recipe’s taste and simplicity, and in my opinion we have succeeded in providing recipes to suit all manner of tastes. We will be using familiar foods that reflect today’s modern lifestyle and are widely available in supermarkets, though you may also need to make an occasional trip to your healthfoods store!

      Here you will learn how to prepare healing therapeutic juices, scrumptious inviting salads, snacks, dips, mouth-watering main meals, and yummy nutritious guilt-free treats to add a little sweetness to your lives. I hope you enjoy the easy preparation and delicious tastes of these wonderful foods that will contribute to a more vibrant and healthier you!

       Step One: Juice Up Your Life!

       I often think we are obsessed with cleaning the outside of the body, yet we forget about cleaning the inside…

       The Low-down on Juicing

       Juices are highly concentrated forms of nutrition and are of particular value to people fighting any kind of disease…They will revolutionize your body’s ability to heal itself and boost your natural defences.

      Juicing – A Way of Life

      If there was ever a sure-fire way of improving your health and well-being, then it is juicing. Juices are packed with nutrients and bursting with flavours. I immediately felt the benefits of these easy-to-prepare juices, with their delicious taste being an extra advantage. I can promise you there is no better way to recharge your batteries than with freshly extracted fruit and vegetable juices. Juices have outstanding nutritional qualities and they begin their cleaning and healing of the body within 15 to 30 minutes of being consumed. Compared with solid foods, juices are easily assimilated by the body. This means the workload on our digestive system is reduced, which facilitates more efficient cleansing and elimination. Our systems are very often overloaded and clogged up with accumulations of wastes and toxins that constantly stream into the body, and green juices such as cucumber and celery are amazing ‘spring-cleaners’ and an easy way to detox the body. Juices are a perfect means to stimulate better elimination of wastes and toxins, and also assist with the detoxification process.

      I often think we are obsessed with cleaning the outside of the body, but we tend to forget the important task of cleaning out the intestines. Believe me, these cleansing drinks will flush out your system very thoroughly, and when taken first thing in the morning they will move mountains! They are also less expensive and far less invasive than other detox methods now available, such as colonic irrigation. I personally have seen many students with long histories of chronic constipation and congested intestines alleviate these conditions with great success by taking green juices.

      Juices are highly concentrated forms of nutrition and are of particular value to people fighting any kind of disease. Because of their therapeutic properties and amazing healing powers they are used in many natural healing centres throughout the world. They will revolutionize your body’s ability to heal itself and boost your natural self-defences, and you will see and feel the difference.

      A dear friend of mine, Ronald, is the best testament for juicing I have ever seen. He juices every day, has the energy of a 20-year-old, attends the gym, travels frequently, takes care of his invalid wife, and also tends his large vegetable garden. He is now 83 years old and is alert, active and productive with the most amazing (hydrated) skin you have ever seen. Why am I so amazed at Ronald’s health and vitality? Because most of us have come to believe that ageing is synonymous with disease and infirmity, and that by the time we reach our eighties we ought to have ‘one foot in the grave’. Rather than accepting that the inevitable consequence of ageing means physical degeneration and disease, Ronald has taken responsibility for his own well-being. He has taken the matter of ageing healthily into his own hands and is now reaping the rewards of his fruitful diet. Sláinte!

      Of course it is inevitable that ageing will bring about marked physiological change, but by nurturing your body with the correct fuel you can make a significant contribution to ageing healthily – you can help your body become and continue to be a picture of health, regardless of how old you are.

      What better way to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables and, equally important, to increase your children’s intake, than with delicious juices? Including these in your diet will be one of the healthiest steps you can take for your body. I have noticed I am at my absolute best when I am drinking these juices. They give you the stamina to