12 Steps to Whole Foods

Now she has 12 Steps to Whole Foods and is in remission, loving being healthy and sharing with others as well!
I have done all 12 steps. I did not count calories. I did not feel deprived. I ate yummy food. Everything in the
program makes logical sense and is the way we should naturally eat. I love the recipes and feel the knowledge
I have gained is a blessing. I’m excited to learn and experiment with new things, more whole foods.
I feel like I’ve been asleep and now I am awake, full of life, looking forward to a long, happy, healthy life!
—K’Lynne Wagner, Oregon
Decades ago, “scientists” and “nutritionists” assumed control over the creation and dissemination of nutrition
information. With 12 Steps to Whole Foods, Robyn Openshaw gives the control back to the best sources of
wisdom: Mother Nature…and mothers.
I was fortunate to discover 12 Steps to Whole Foods when my children were very young (i.e., still in diapers).
My oldest was just beginning to eat solid foods and had no firmly established eating habits or preferences. For
my family, this book has been more than a “health kick” or fad—it is a lifestyle and parenting guide. The things
I have learned and experienced with this program empower me to raise my children with confidence that if I
nurture their bodies with good food, their bodies will take care of themselves. I’ve learned from Robyn that
providing my family with good nutrition at each and every meal is not impossible; it is doable, fun, fairly
inexpensive, and yummy!
12 Steps to Whole Foods is a compendium of all the best practices in good nutrition, a concise yet thorough
summary containing as much information as you might get in a dozen other books. This program fills two gaps
in the existing body of nutrition education: (1) it provides research-based information about the basic principles
of nutrition, giving readers the knowledge necessary to make informed choices about what we put in our
bodies, and (2) it contains hundreds of delicious recipes that empower and excite readers to act on their new
knowledge. And though the people of our world have ample cause to be alarmed by the state of our health,
Robyn writes in a voice that is nurturing, encouraging, and helpful—not angry, strident, and paranoid.
The step-by-step organization of this program helped my family make significant changes without getting
overwhelmed and quitting. And the results of our new habits manifested themselves immediately:
• Step 1 gave us healthy digestive systems that operate like clockwork (a huge benefit with potty training
young ones!).
• Steps 2 and 3 showed us that salads can be diverse and delicious—the centerpiece of every dinner—and
that even two-year-olds can eat and enjoy salads.
• Step 4 taught us natural and efficient ways to use healthy oils to obtain Omega 3s and improve the
softness of our skin.
• Step 5 motivated us to plant our first garden and to get our children involved in their own nutrition. As
a result, they tried several new vegetables and are proud to eat what they grow.
• Step 6 was a huge eye-opener for our family because it showed me how to bring vegetables out of their
side-dish hiding place and how to make plant-based dishes hearty enough to provide the main substance
of a meal.
• Step 7 taught me a skill I didn't even know existed: sprouting. The recipes help me provide healthy
snacks for my children so they don't feel deprived when I tell them we don’t eat goldfish and fruit
snacks.
© Copyright Robyn Openshaw 12 Steps to Whole Foods xiii