FOOD WILL NOT BE MY IDOL: FINDING PEACE WITH FOOD THROUGH CANCER

I've had many people ask about my thoughts on food and nutrition as I face cancer, so I figured it best to talk about it when I finally have my thoughts and feelings on it all in a place of peace. Rather than in the midst of the continual stress I've felt throughout my life. And now I believe I've found the way I will eat for the rest of my life.

Do I believe that food can cure my cancer? No. Especially not in stage 4. I feel that only God can heal me here on Earth, and only if it is His will. But, I do believe we have choices that can help with how we feel along the way, plus help keep my body in the best condition to allow the medicine to work its best. So, here we go. This is not my typical blog post, but hopefully, it will inspire you to look at your diet and decide what is best for you and how you will choose to nourish your body in sickness or health.

My Food Story

I've struggled with food pretty much since I was 10. I was that girl in the nurses's office at horse camp that was constipated... for days. And days led into years, and pretty much my entire life, it's been a balancing act of trying to get my digestive system to work properly with no luck, even with the help of doctors, dieticians, and hundreds, seriously hundreds of books. I tried diets from The Zone, to Sommercizing, Paleo, Auto Immune Protocol, Vegan, and everything in between. Food allergies, inflammation, bloating, constipation. No matter what I tried, nothing got my digestive system working correctly.

And then I was diagnosed with colon cancer.

Can I say 100% for sure that my "lazy" colon, along with significant food sensitivities and allergies, was the cause of my cancer? No. Cancer can be caused by so many things that are behind-the-scenes workings in our body over which we have no control. But, I do know that colons need fiber, and not just fruits, veggies, and sweet potatoes, like in the more restrictive diets. Colons need fiber from whole grains and beans. Think of the Mediterranean Diet that always seems to be rated number one in the most healthful diets category.

Besides, if you look at the majority of studies out there on how to prevent colon cancer, or any cancer for that matter, a plant-forward diet is the way to go. Sorry, paleo, keto, and my goodness, please-don't-even-go-there carnivore diet; you are just asking for trouble. Butter sticks and red meat? The very essence of my intuition tells me that this is a danger zone. And I'm pretty sure that would fall under the definition of gluttony in The Bible. Take it from someone who's been there and is going through it now. As the lady in the early 90s said, stop the insanity, but in this case, eat real food in its closest form to natural as possible, without leaving out any food groups.

In a sense, eat like Jesus ate. How he ate daily and how he feasted.

Throughout my life, I mainly ate a low-carb diet, not because I felt it was the healthiest, but because most fruits, veggies, and whole grains (even rice) made me bloated, constipated, and downright miserable. I struggled to heal my gut and did the best I could, eating the veggies that didn't bother me, like lettuces in salads, asparagus, leeks, fennel, and zucchini. I even became a raw food chef in one of my many attempts to get better, but still, nothing helped.

And I believe that a low-carb diet is detrimental to gut health, so eat your grains, friends!

While my case is unusual, I did what I could to get in as many nutrients as possible, but it was never enough. And it was quite obvious that my system wasn't working correctly when I gained unexplained weight, especially in the last few years before I was diagnosed. Then, once the tumor in my colon was removed, my weight just flew off, and it still has over this last year, even when I needed to eat a less-than-desirable diet for the first 6-8 months due to my ostomy and then ostomy reversal surgery. Low-fiber foods like white rice and white bread were needed to heal, but I still lost weight because my system was at least now starting to work better since I no longer had the tumor. My small intestines was also damaged and attached to my large intestines, which must have caused all kinds of issues, which ultimately led to weight gain and food sensitivities.

The Breakthrough

And now, while on chemo, with a depressed immune system, I'm able to eat just about anything, which is really surprising. My immune system has essentially given up on trying to fight back with the foods that used to make me sensitive, so now I'm able to eat all kinds of things I couldn't before while trying to rebuild my gut health.

So what do I eat now? And what does a colon cancer patient recommend as the best diet? They say that everyone is different with their body's needs, but I don't know that I agree with that. My diet of choice now is essentially a clean eating diet focused on whole grains and vegetables with smaller servings of fish, chicken breasts, and ground turkey, while staying away with pre-packaged foods that are high in sodium, preservatives and articifical who-knows-what added. I've eliminated red meat (which I've never really eaten), pork (which is also red meat), added sugar, and diet sodas, and I reduced my consumption of oils and nuts. I prefer to use low-fat dairy instead of nut-based faux cheeses, and I think soy products are ok- not processed soy, but blocks of organic tofu- yes, even when one has cancer, even breast cancer.

Oh, and this brings me to wine. I have nothing against wine, in small quantities and not as a regular thing. However, during any cancer treatment, immunotherapy or otherwise, I feel that wine is simply something that can add fuel to the fire, and it has now even been shown to be a direct link to cancer by the U.S. Surgeon General. Just say no.

Recommendations

So, back to what I do recommend. A few of my favorite resources are Dr. William Li's YouTube channel for all kinds of wonderful nutritional advice. He is a cancer researcher, and his goal is to help us reduce inflammation, which is what I feel is the biggest cancer-causer. I believe my constant inflammation may have ultimately led to disease, whether I could help it or not.

As far as recipes, I rely on The Forest Feast cookbooks by Erin Gleeson (shown above). I have all four of her main cookbooks (there is also a kid's one that I don't have), and her recipes are simple and rely on fresh fruits and vegetables with whole grains and some dairy. Plus, they are gorgeous to look at. Of the hundreds of cookbooks I have had over the years (I love cookbooks!), these just make the most sense to me. They are easy to adapt to leave out dairy or add dairy, plus they work perfectly to have with a side of whole grains like quinoa, brown or wild rice, or addition of meat such as a piece of steamed fish, a roasted chicken thigh (high in Vitamin K) or some low-fat turkey meatballs. And don't forget the organic tofu, which is a great source of protein, even though I will admit I'm not the biggest tofu fan (as my husband breathes a sigh of relief).

These are the foods that help me feel the best, and these are the foods that I ate before my second round of chemo in which the side effects were significantly less than the first round, where I ate more of a Standard American Diet.

I'll never forget on day 6 after my second treatment, I decided to have a brownie- yes, my husband can be quite convincing. Now, this was after weeks of no sugar, and oh boy, did I pay. It was incredible to see how quickly the chemo side effects came back: painful joints, headache, and stomach issues. I can't believe what a difference sugar made in how I felt on the chemo. And just as quickly as the side effects came on, they went away after that brownie was digested, and they never came back. Talk about a telling experience.

So, what do I eat in a day?

I try to mix it up to give my body the most possible nutrients, but here is an example of a day of eating. I always have the same breakfast as it's easier to have one meal that I don't have to think about. I encourage adding kiwis to your daily diet as they are a great addition for optimal gut health and keeping you regular.

Here's today's menu as an example. I roasted all the veggies in the morning to save time, so the assembly for each meal was under 10 minutes. Talk about simple!

Breakfast-

Non-fat plain Greek yogurt (I added honey for the first few days, then weaned off of it, as it's now sweet enough for me with the fruit alone)
Handful of fresh organic blueberries
1-2 kiwi, chopped
1-2 Tablespoons raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds

Lunch-

Roasted Butternut Squash Caprese Salad with Avocado, Broccoli Sprouts and a Balsamic Vinaigrette (modified from The Forest Feast cookbook)

Dinner-

Roasted Cauliflower, Chicken Red Onion, Corn and Cheddar Tacos (modified from The Forest Feast cookbook)

Snacks- (I typically pick two snacks per day)

A small glass of POM Juice (maybe 1/2 cup at most).

A bowl of cup up fruit like grapes, melon, kiwi, berries, and pineapple.

Apple mid-day.

Cottage cheese with mandarin oranges.

Organic locally made crackers from our food co-op and hummus in the evening (just a few, as I try not to eat after 6:30 pm, which allows my digestive system to work better).

Other ideas: For breakfast, mix up the fruit and add some walnuts instead of pumpkin seeds. For lunch, put it all in a pita or a wrap if desired. Add beans to lunch or dinner to increase protein. A side salad would also be nice. For dinner I could have added some brown Mexican rice on the side.

Final Thoughts:

If you're going to add meat, use it as a side and buy the best quality you can find. Always try to get the best quality dairy, organic or locally made if possible. Use free-range eggs, local if possible. Rely on fruit for your sweets. Use fresh herbs (which also have great health benefits) to really make the food shine. And stop stressing about food. Make a weekly menu and buy tons of produce and whole grains. Your body will thank you, and you'll save a ton of money not buying the processed stuff or getting takeout. I make up several dishes at a time for leftovers, and I always have the same breakfast to help keep things simpler.

And don't get all caught up in superfoods. All fruits and veggies are super foods. Eat a variety, and you'll be fine. You won't waste a ton of money on things like goji berries, maca powder, probiotics (which still haven't been proven to really do much unless you were on antibiotics), and all those other trends of the moment that have been touted as must-haves for health but can quickly break the bank.

Don't be scared of grains and bread (I love Dave's Killer bread thin sliced, with the bright green package) or locally made sourdough. Just choose whole grains and try some new ones like quinoa, kamut, bulger, wild rice, buckwheat, Israeli couscous, and one of my favorites, millet. You're not confined to oatmeal and brown rice. Your body, and especially your colon, will thank you.

And splurge a little here and there! I have no problem eating just about anything (I see you, cheesecake) for special occasions (the feasts). I desire to have the best quality of life while I'm here, and that includes some of my favorites in small serving sizes, especially on holidays.

*These are only my opinions. I am not a trained professional.