Melissa Etheridge: "My Family Makes Me Incredibly Happy"

Melissa Etheridge fought breast cancer with the support of her wife Tammy Lynn Michaels, the love of her four children and a healthier lifestyle. The Grammy-winning musician spoke to OK! about her family, changing her diet and “making sure that every day I do what I love."

Soon after marrying Tammy Lynn in 2003, Melissa was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent chemotherapy. The couple later welcomed twins - son Miller Steven, and daughter Johnnie Rose - who turn 3 this month. They are also parents to Melissa's daughter Bailey, 12, and son Beckett, 10, from her previous relationship with Julie Cypher.

Oh, my family makes me incredibly happy,” Melissa says. “When I am surrounded by my whole family, I’m completely at peace.”

Melissa went on to report the twins are in preschool and her eldest child is in middle school. “I’ve got the whole range of school experiences now,” she says. “I just love watching my kids grow.”

Melissa said they plan to have a small birthday party for the twins later this month.

“Oh, we have small parties. I believe that small children need small parties. They don’t need large, huge things, so we just have friends and family over, and each of them get their own birthday cakes. We always home-make everything.”

The Come to my Window singer went on to describe how she changed her diet in order to maintain overall good health:

“I looked at food differently,” Melissa, 48, says. “I stepped back, and found that our bodies were like batteries. Our bodies run on alkaline. We need alkaline enough to survive. Of course, the Western diet is mostly acidic, and that is what causes our bodies to be acidic. Acid is where cancer grows. I realized we have to eat more alkaline, which, of course, is fruits and vegetables and whole grains. I shifted my diet.”

She continues, “I’m not one to tell myself ‘I can never have another cup of coffee, or I can never eat a hot fudge sundae.’ No. That has to be the treat – the once a week or the once every two weeks – and the rest of the time is spent eating good, healthy salads, fresh fruits and vegetables – and trying not to eat things that come out of buildings. I try to eat things that come from the ground. I try to eat something that’s grown, and comes right to me, because that’s where the life force is. That’s where the energy is. I looked at my food differently.”

And what is her favorite snack? “Almonds. They’re very good for you, they fill you up, they’re alkaline and they’re easy to eat.”