Today’s focus on healthy eating isn’t new to Lucille Lagasse of Goffstown.

Lagasse, who turns 88 on Aug. 5, is up at 5:30 a.m. every day and, aside from treatment for injuries sustained in an auto accident a few years back, has not been to a doctor in 44 years.

She says eating well is the secret to her longevity, and that the nutrition tips she has learned and passed on to others have helped people not only live better, but overcome disease as well.

Lagasse eats what she describes as “whole foods,” which include whole grains and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, but also whole milk, butter and unfertilized eggs. She does not eat sugar, but uses honey and pure maple syrup as sweeteners when necessary.

She began researching the effect of sugar on the body when she was 42 and nearly crippled with arthritis. “My daughter was the one who asked if I should try to cut down my sugar,” she said.

From there, Lagasse began a dietetic journey that would take her well into her 80s. She read books about health and nutrition by such authors as Adelle Davis, who was a harsh critic of the U.S. food industry in the ‘50s and ‘60s, and decided that she could better control her health simply by managing what she put into her body.

Having grown up during the Depression, Lagasse said she has “seen the best and worst in food,” from the pleasure and necessity of having a garden to feed a family, to the advent of prepared and convenience foods, to today’s crusade for getting back to the basics.

Beginning to eat well, Lagasse said, is simple. “Don’t give up anything – take up.” Her advice is to “take up things that are good for your body, then you won’t crave the bad stuff.”

A fierce opponent of packaged, processed convenience foods, she dismisses people’s excuses for eating on the fly. “People say, ‘Oh, I don’t have time,’” Lagasse said, “but time is not the excuse. It doesn’t take much longer to juice an orange than to go to the refrigerator and pour it out of a carton.”

She decided to write a book about her experience, and “Doin’ What Comes Natur’lly” was published in January.

Goffstown resident Sue Jenkins read Lagasse’s book and was fascinated.

“I called her up and said, ‘I read your book, and I’d love to meet you,’” Jenkins recalled. “She said, ‘What are you doing right now? Come on over.’”

Jenkins is founder of Go Green Go, a T-shirt company that promotes physical activity such as walking, hiking and biking, that has little impact on the environment. Jenkins immediately felt a connection to Lagasse and thought about combining Lagasse’s passion for personal health with her passion for environmental health.

“I’m always looking for healthy things,” Jenkins said. “My passion is to help people, and when I heard about Lucille, I was just going to buy a book. After meeting her, I fell in love with her spirit and decided I wanted to work with her.”

Lagasse, who has no marketing experience and doesn’t own a computer, has sold 550 books solely through word of mouth advertising.

Jenkins thought if she could offer Lagasse some Internet exposure as another avenue of selling her book, it would be a win-win situation for both of them. She presented her idea to Lagasse and “she was all for it and gave me the go ahead,” Jenkins said.

“I think we’re going to have an interesting partnership,” Jenkins added. “I’ll take care of the outside, and she’ll take care of the inside.”

Jenkins plans to add information about Lagasse on her website in the coming weeks.

For details, visit www.justgo greengo.com.