Foreword

"As far back as I can remember pizza has been a comfort food for me. Thin crust, thick or deep dish, hot or cold, you name it, I would eat it with great delight.

I have always been interested in creative pizza. The more varied the toppings and crusts, the greater my desire in trying something new. My wife has made some of the most interesting creations in my pizza history until I met Mark. He has taken pizza making to a fantastic new level.

After a speaking engagement in Georgia I joined a rather large group going to an "order your own pizza creation" restaurant. I was fascinated with the idea of a thin whole wheat crust covered with tomato sauce, adding every vegetable available on top, and then covering it all with salsa before bakin.

There were about twenty folks in our group and filled a major portion of the establishment. As the guest of honor, I was given the gift of ordering first. I placed my dream order and the waiter told me he didn't think they had any salsa. I told him we all could go to some other restaurant and try our luck in getting what we wanted there.

Looking at the size our group, he said he would check with the manager and see if he was mistaken about "no salsa." He returned to report that they could get some across the street and that my order would be no problem.

When our pizzas arrived, there was so much interest from other members of our group that I didn't even get a slice of my own creation. The manager was so impressed with the results, he added it to their menu and it was labeled "Howard's Pizza."

I have spent over twenty years pursuing a vegan diet and when I saw what most folks were eating called pizza, I was sure it had been designed by the health care community as an income creator. The work of Dr. McDougall, Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. Campbell and others nailed the fact that what we were eating was the most important factor in our future health.

The overwhelming amount of what was called pizza in America was a direct path to the emergency room. The covering of cheese became larger and then it was added to the crust to the point where they had doubled the amount of cheese in each pizza. In my opinion, cheese is to heart disease what water is to drowning. Vegan pizza was as rare as seeing hair on a frog.

When Mark told me of his idea to write a book about "Heart Healthy Pizza," I became his greatest supporter. I think this book could save more lives than the discovery of penicillin.

"Heart Healthy Pizza" is more than a pizza without cheese. It is about creating one that is added-fat free and nutritious from the pan up, and best of all, tastes great. This book will enable you to obtain all of the health benefits, plus allow you to please the most discerning taste buds to the joy of pizza."

Howard Lyman, author of The Mad Cowboy and No More Bull!