In MS fight, Montel Williams changes ways in 21 days

Talk-show host Montel Williams, diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999, was tired of feeling down and depressed. A self-admitted avoider of vegetables, he gave himself 21 days to change his eating habits in the hopes he would start feeling better. It worked, and now, two years later he's sharing his tips in his new book, Living Well: 21 Days to Transform Your Life, Supercharge Your Health, and Feel Spectacular. Williams recently talked with writer Kim Morgan about the benefits of breaking out the blender. For information, visit Williams' Web site at livingwellwithmontel.com.

What prompted you to write this book?

This has been a mission I set out on three years ago, to try and ease some of my symptoms by taking better care of myself — so one of the things is to watch what I'm putting into my body. It has made a difference in my depression — I've been off antidepressant medications for two years, since I started the program. Why? Because exercise and diet help calm you and make you feel better. And I have 13 of the top doctors in the world validating this — the power of diet and what it can do to your body.

Do you ever give yourself a day off?

Absolutely! This is not a diet. There are 1.5 million diets on the Internet, and if any one of them worked there would only be one. The truth is they don't work. You need to eat your emotional food. If I want a steak every week, I'm going to get a steak. If I want a Snickers bar, I won't feel bad for eating one. Because 15 minutes later, I will drink a green drink.

Ah, the green drink. Don't they taste bad?

They taste much better than people think. I make my own. Go to your grocery store. Everything that you see that is green, even lettuce or bagged spinach, get it. Skip broccoli, it's kind of bitter. Add any fruits you want. Add ice and water and grind it up in your blender.

But will children want to drink them?

Here's a little tip. On your way home from work today, stop by the grocery store. Get a mango, banana, apples, oranges, a bag of baby spinach or Romaine (lettuce). Then stop at a fast food restaurant and buy a soft drink. Throw the drink out, but keep the cup. At home, break out your blender, ice and water, grind up the stuff you bought at the grocery store and put it in the fast food restaurant cup. Walk into your child's room and say "Look! This place has great smoothies now! Try it!" Do this a few times, and then say 'hey, it's getting expensive to buy this, let's make our own'."

Why are most Americans failing to 'Live Well?'

We are caught up in habit. We want things to be so simple. That's why we have a million fast food restaurants. But what we've given up in speed, we've also given up in health. Eating all this junk — high in sodium, sugar and fats — it's killing us. Within 21 days of starting this, I started feeling better.

Is 21 days about 20 days too long in today's instant world?

It takes 17 days to form a habit. I'm giving it an extra four days. You have to believe and trust that on the 22nd day you are going to feel so much better. That's what has kept me going for two years. Your body will be cleansing itself naturally and removing toxins. This is about science. And the science is true.

kimberlywrites@sbcglobal.net