written by Karol Avalon |  

Article written by Phyllis Steinberg and submitted by Karol Avalon .

Cruises are a fun and inexpensive way to vacation. The biggest problem is meals are included in the cruise price and many travelers tend to overeat and come home with an extra 5 or 10 pounds and it’s not just in our luggage loaded down with souvenirs of our trip. And being a baby-boomer, I didn’t need the extra weight.

Well, this is one time I didn’t gain weight on a cruise. Not only that, I ate delicious food and I also learned a great deal about eating and preparing healthy, nourishing food.

My cruise was a special one offered only once a year by Costa Cruises in cooperation with A Taste of Health, a non-profit educational foundation dedicated to organic, sustainable living and holistic health. The beautiful ship with many amenities was the Costa Fortuna.

Sandy Pukel, a holistic health advocate and owner of Oak Feed natural foods store in Coconut Grove, FL, founded A Taste of Health in 1988. Since then, A Taste of Health has sponsored seminars and conferences around the country on alternatives in eating and other health related topics aimed at changing our nation’s attitudes towards food and health.

The “A Taste of Health Foundation” developed a national audience and Pukel teemed up with Costa Cruise Lines to present a seven-night “Holistic Holiday at Sea” for people interested in learning more about healthy lifestyles and for those who desired vegan cuisine, instead of the typical fare served on cruise lines. Passengers could eat the regular cruise line food if they desired but the largely organic, vegan cuisine was available at every meal and it was delicious!

The first Holistic Holiday at Sea took place in 2004. The special holistic cruise was attended by more than a thousand passengers. Pukel brought his own holistic chef, Mark Hanna and a staff of assistants, who whipped up many innovative dishes for participants. I was very impressed. As a veteran foodie and cruiser, I know it is far easier to prepare food that is loaded with sugar, salt and preservatives or to take a big, juicy steak and grill it, rather than to prepare outstanding healthy soups, vegetable dishes that taste meat or create fantastic desserts without sugar.

The menu featured recipes that were vegan/natural, non-dairy and organic whenever possible. Desserts were prepared by natural foods pastry chefs and were sugar and dairy-free. Macrobiotic ...

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