The American Cancer Society published "The Great American Eat-Right Cookbook," on Aug. 16.

The cookbook touts 140 "Great-Tasting, Good-For-You" recipes, and no, folks, that is NOT an oxymoron. While a pound of melted lard may make a damn good pork chop (or back in the day, an equally good sandwich), it does little good for your heart, cholesterol and, oh yes, it may in fact increase your chances of getting cancer.

That's right, in addition to the increased risk of heart disease and diabetes, blown out knees and other health issues that packing on the pounds can cause, we now know that over 150,000 deaths a year can be attributed to factors including poor diet, and that more than 50 percent of the adult population in the United States is overweight.

In tandem with the release of the cookbook, The American Cancer Society launches the August Great American Eat Right Challenge (www.cancer.org/eatright).

Said Beth Lunow, Wisconsin vice president of the American Cancer Society, "The Great American Eat Right Challenge is designed to make the connection for people that being overweight can dramatically increase their risk of developing cancer … we know that lifestyle changes, specifically in diet, can make a big difference."

"The Great American Eat-Right Cookbook" is available on Amazon.com and may be just the jump start you need to get yourself eating right to be proactively healthier, happier, and hopefully, cancer-free.