PREVENTION'S GUIDE 5/1/2000

The Natural TV star Catherine Bell shares how a holistic approach to wellness has helped her achieve a happy healthy life Catherine Bell learned firsthand that in every crisis, there is an opportunity. Diagnosed with thyroid cancer at age 21, Bell, the comely, doe-eyed brunette who plays Marine Corps attorney "Mac" on the hit CBS Tuesday night drama series JAG, remembers the frightening medical news as a positive wake-up call. "I'd never thought much about my health before then. But when your health is seriously threatened, you don't take it for granted anymore," says Bell, who's now 31. The longlimbed actress stretches out in her chair on the dining room patio of L.A.'s Hotel Bel-Air and breathes a thankful sigh. "I was very lucky. If you're going to have cancer, thyroid cancer is one of the easiest forms of cancer to cure. They just take out the thyroid, and it rarely spreads." Since the removal of her thyroid, Bell takes a thyroid hormone tablet every day and will for the rest of her life. And for the remainder of her life, Bell says, her health is priority number one. These days, herbs, eating well, a generous spirit, and go-for-the-gusto forms of exercise keep her fit and flying high. A Healthy Redirection "After the surgery, I started taking really good care of myself. I changed my whole approach to living healthfully," she explains. The actress put less-healthy habits from her college days behind her and began to put in place the philosophy about health that she holds today. Bell recalls seeing her grandmother struggle with the effects of drugs. "She suffered from heart problems and took many prescription drugs and had all sorts of complications from them. She did need Western medicine, but perhaps there were natural and preventive choices that would've helped her. She never questioned her doctors or sought any alternatives." Bell herself preferred to explore natural ways to wellness. Applying her signature "I'll-try-anything-once" attitude to her newfound mission of top health, she decided to give life-enhancing herbal remedies a whirl. "The first herb I tried was ginseng to increase my energy level. With my crazy schedule, it did help me have the energy to do all I needed to do. I still use it," says Bell, who was named one of Who Weekly magazine's "25 Most Beautiful People" in 1999. Her inner beauty, namely her concern for others' health and welfare, may be Bell's most striking quality. She makes a point of sharing the best of what she's learned on her wellness quest. When a friend or relative is feeling rundown, Bell has a habit of carting them off to her L.A. nutritionist and footing the bell. It's another testament to the strength of her belief in natural healing methods. "I suggest trying holistic forms of healing first before seeking traditional medical care. I think they're healthier for your system in the long run," she says. Bell recently persuaded her husband, Adam, to give herbal remedies a try. "He wanted his memory to be stronger, and so he's been taking ginkgo biloba. I have to be especially careful about what I say now because he's not going to forget it," she says with a laugh. Today, ginseng is only one of several herbal supplements that Bell takes. (See "Catherine's Herbal Stash" for more of her herbal choices.) Healthy Mind, Healthy Body One tenet that Bell doesn't forget is that a healthy body promotes a healthy mind. "It's amazing how your body can affect your mind. If your body is polluted with toxins, it can definitely affect the clarity of your thinking and your attitude. Therefore, I try to avoid putting the toxins of medical drugs, a poor diet, alcohol, those sorts of things, into my body." Believing you are what you eat, Bell says, "I find that I feel best and have the most energy when I eat the least protein and more vegetables and whole grain foods." But please don't cast her as the perfectly healthy eater. There's wiggle room in Bell's diet for the occasional doughnut splurge or fast-food burger. "I always say that if two out of three meals are healthy each day, then that's certainly good enough," she reasons. You won't find this former model riding on any diet-of-the-moment bandwagon either. "I don't believe in the currently popular no-carbohydrate, high-protein diet program. I've done it; I've tried it. You do lose weight, but the minute you have carbohydrates again, you just gain all the weight back. It's not a diet you can follow for a lifetime-it's boring to eat the same kinds of food all the time, and you just can't maintain it. Moderation is the key to a diet that works for a lifetime." Bell finds that to maintain a diet you can live with, it's helpful to discover good-tasting substitutes for standard menu items. "I love Vita-Soy vanilla-flavored soy milk. I drink that a lot. You can get calcium-enriched soy milk now, and it's much healthier for women than regular milk. You get the calcium plus all the benefits of soy, such as decreasing your risk of certain cancers and improving cardiovascular health," says the TV actress. Other smart substitutes you'll find in Bell's kitchen include soy pepperoni, organic almond butter (instead of peanut butter), natural corn chips, organic sugar-free cereals such as Barbara's Raisin Bran, and yeast-free whole grain breads made from spelt and/or quinoa flours (all found at your local health food store). "As much as possible, I try to eat organic foods," emphasizes Bell. "When foods are treated with pesticides or are genetically engineered, they might look better and be bigger, but they're not as good for your body. You can't process those chemicals. What happens to the chemicals once they're in your body? Over time, I believe those kinds of foreign substances in you turn into disease." A Healthy Defense For Bell, making healthy day-to-day choices means keeping the big-picture in mind. "Taking really good care of yourself definitely requires planning. But if you stop and think about your future and how long you want your body to last, then the extra daily effort becomes worth it," says Bell. That daily effort needs to include another essential component of optimal health: exercise. It's something Bell enjoys and makes time for. And it's an area of her life in which Bell's go-for-it attitude shines. The JAG star took up kickboxing classes 8 years ago-long before the popular martial arts-influenced exercise class became the workout craze it is today. (Call her a "black belt" kickboxer.) And that's not all she does. Snowboarding, waterskiing, golf, and mountain biking are all on the actress's fitness resume. On the set of JAG, Bell's physical prowess is applied when necessary. "I get to use it a lot on the show-tackling big Marines and choke holding them and stuff. I can do anything the boys can!" Now that's a healthy attitude! HH L.A.-based freelance writer Jill Daniel specializes in celebrity profiles. Catherine's Herbal Stash Here are the herbs that make Catherine look and feel her best. HER CUP OF TEA: "I drink chamomile tea for relaxation. I also drink ginger tea, which is great for settling your stomach. I love to drink peppermint tea while I'm at work-it's so refreshing." FAVORITE HERBAL CRAVING: "I love fresh garlic. I just made a soy pepperoni pizza last night and sprinkled it with tons of fresh chopped garlic." HERBAL COCKTAIL: "Right now, I'm taking thyme, oregano, and grapefruit seed oil drops mixed together in a glass of juice. According to my nutritionist, the combination of those herbs eliminates extremely resistant strains of bacteria in your system that antibiotics can't destroy." WOMEN'S MONTHLY: "I take evening primrose oil for eliminating PMS symptoms. I normally have a few days a month when I'm a little too cranky and want to eat lots and lots of sugar. The evening primrose oil has helped take away those cravings." NATURAL IMMUNIZATION: "I take echinacea in tincture form for combating colds and flu. I also take oscillococcinum, a homeopathic flu remedy. It works like you wouldn't believe-but you must take it as soon as you have symptoms of the flu or it's not as effective."