Christina Pirello

After years of studying whole foods and natural wellness, I was finally able to put everything together and make actual meals thanks to whole foods advocate and chef, Christina Pirello. I am a regular PBS watcher, so I would have found her wonderful show, Christina Cooks , eventually. The day I stumbled upon it, I felt my new way of living become more cohesive because of her ability to teach the viewer how to properly cook with whole foods. The dishes look and taste fantastic, are very healthy and sustainable.

Christina has also written many books, including Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Whole Foods but Were Afraid to Ask , This Crazy Vegan Life , and Glow . She teaches cooking all over the country, even hosting unique mediteranian cruises, complete with cooking workshops as well as serving amazing whole food dishes.

One of the things I found very unique about the first few seasons of her show was musician, Jon Michaels, who sat in the corner of her kitchen and would sing one of his wonderful songs half way through the show as Christina prepped and created a dish.

In the first few seasons, each episode would focus on creating dishes that focused on different health aspects. One episode would be about creating dishes for heart health and the following episode would be about dishes high in vitamin C. Christina also never shies away from promoting a healthy sex life. I have always been convinced that her enthusiasm for the cooking process, as well as the good music, would be enough to peek the interest of even the most skeptical viewer.

Hailing from a traditional Italian family, Christina Pirello became a vegetarian as a teenager in and effort to irritate her father. Later, she would discover that most of her diet really consisted of sugar and caffeine, which lead to a devastating illness in her twenties.

At the age of twenty six, Christina was diagnosed with leukemia. Told she had six months to live, she moved to Europe to live out the rest of her days in Tuscany. At this time, she met the man who would eventually become her husband Robert Pirello. Introducing her to the healing power of a macrobiotic diet, Robert Pirello helped Christina discover that she had not been issued a death sentence. She marveled her doctors when her cancer disappeared within three months of changing her diet.

Now science supports the idea of diet and health, but at the time, Christina was astounded to discover that the doctors refused to believe a change in diet could heal a disease. Chalking it up to a miracle, they took little notice of the information she tried to share with them.

Ironic, isn't it?

The dishes Christina Pirello prepares are made with whole foods, and are therefore more sustainable because buying whole vegetables, fruits and grains usually means you are purchasing minimal packaging as well. The recipes are also vegan, so the cost and resource drain of meat is also eliminated.

I love her recipes because they are easily doubled, which means half of just about every recipe she's created can be frozen. The other thing I love is that she teaches cooking basics, building all of the dishes from the ground up, with whole, natural ingredients. Experimentation is encouraged to accomodate the varying tastes of the viewer and those eating at their table. Christina leaves all of her recipes open to variation. Nothing is real precise and she uses the entire vegetable, skins and any sprouts which may have developed.

Last season, Christina Cooks focused on remaking traditional dishes into vegan dishes. From vegan macaroni and cheese to vegan peanut butter cups sweetened without refined, white sugar, the show allowed for the return of comfort foods, in a healthier fashion. Jon Michaels was gone, and instead, Christina would visit her personal trainer for a few minutes every episode.

This season Michaels is back and the food is better than ever. Check out Christina Cooks on PBS, or read one of her fantastic books. Either way, you will find many whole and sustainable dishes to create, which will keep you and your loved ones healthy and well.