The Most Important Thing about Eating

So... Home from the hospital...what do I do now?  Our naturopath recommended a program of aggressively building the immune system and making a hostile enviornment for the cancer.  My surgeon, Dr. Byram (my excellent primary care doctor), Dr. Chow (my amazing GI doctor), another naturopath we consulted with in Eugene--ALL of these respected and trusted people urged me to do chemotherapy.  The oncologist in Seattle proposed an aggressive 6 month program.

This is what I wrote in my journal:  I've just realized the severity of this cancer.  It is in the most aggressive category with 'poorly differentiated margins', it's in a bad spot--near lungs, liver and pancreas--right in the GI track.  Ray has outlined a specific program.  He's intelligent, has studied naturopathy and healing for 40 years, he's in tune with God, he has our best interests at heart.  I trust him.  I trust my body.  I don't trust chemo--I don't like what it does to my immune system.  Chemo doesn't have a track record against Ampullary carcinoma and doesn't have a good track record against aggressive cancers.  I just don't think it's our best chance.  If we go with Ray's plan and it doesn't work, I won't look back and think, 'we should have tried chemo'.  But I can't say the reverse.  I think our best hope is to strengthen my body and let it heal itself.


So, with a real good feeling, we started on Ray's treatment which included herbs, shots, digestive enzymes, curcumin, Ambrotose and mushroom supplements.  Until about Thanksgiving I had no problems.  I walked about 4 times a week, 3-4 miles in the hills.  No pains, no complaints, just felt great.

My biggest question was 'What Should I Eat?'  Could someone please tell me the perfect cancer diet?  I read books on cancer nutrition, I studied online, I studied the Word of Wisdom, I talked to my sister and other smart eaters.  I asked the doctors, 2 naturopaths and my chiropractor (who actually gave me the best advice I think).  I spent alot of money on "Nutritional Response Testing" trying to figure out the right way to eat.

In the end, I made my own plan and I've stuck pretty close to it.  Happily, the month before and after the surgery I didn't feel much like eating so I got out of my terrible sugar habit.  Of all my friends, I was the worst eater.  They were all making good changes, not me.  I love my cookies and all things sweet.  Well, that's all changed and I couldn't be happier about it. 

Trevor with his green drink moo-stache

Lincoln loved to help me make my green drink. 
He's not much of a veggie eater, but he would
drink them!

 The backbone of my plan is what we should all be doing.  I should have been doing it before and I have a great soapbox about it.  Stay with me here!  Get rid of sugar!  It is not good for us.  I use Stevia when I need something, sometimes local honey or agave, but those aren't great.  Stevia is good.  I don't eat processed foods--cereal, cake mix, crackers (well, I'm not perfect here), store-bought bread, white flour, white rice, mac n cheese, canned soup, convenience foods, fast food, most restaurant food (however, I love going out to eat, I do try to be very careful tho) it's a long list.  I haven't had chocolate for 10 months!  I also cut out all dairy (except butter) and at first I was vegetarian. 

So, you ask, what do I eat?  I eat eggs--we have our own free-range chickens, I think the eggs are good for you.  I eat all the vegetables I can.  I love them all.  Tonight we had roasted veggies--squash, carrots, onions and brussel sprouts.  Oh Yum!!  I eat potatoes--this one gave me grief for a long time, many disagree, but at the time I had a garden full of the most delicious new red spuds and I ate them.  I have either a green drink (fresh made vegetable juice) or green smoothie every day.  I love them.  I love squash, sweet potatoes, spinach salads, cabbage, onions...  I eat them fresh, frozen, baked and steamed.  I fry them in butter.  I use 'Real Salt', as much as I want.  I love what I eat!

I eat fruit too, never my canned-with-sugar fruit (except applesauce).  Frozen berries, fresh anything else.  Not as much fruit as vegetables.  My opinion is that God made these, He loves variety, He wants us to be happy and there are so many wonderful healthful fruits and vegetables, He loves to see us using them with wisdom and gratitude.

I eat lots of nuts, brown rice, quinoa, beans, lentils, barley, oat groats and steel cut oats.  I make my own 100% whole wheat bread, I spread it with almond butter or organic butter.  My treat is a pumpkin, banana or blueberry muffin.  I make them with coconut oil and/or applesauce, with whole wheat and stevia or honey.  I like to always have muffins on hand.  So far I haven't read Wheat Belly, I'm not sure I will.

I eat meat more often now, salmon when I can, pasture raised beef, chicken or turkey.  No lunch meat, hot dogs, pork, bacon, never a whole piece, mostly a couple tablespoons, or half a cup in a soup or something, as a condiment, not the main event.

Here's the amazing thing.  As I began eating this way, I call it a Whole Foods Plan, I ate what I wanted, I didn't count calories or limit portion sizes.  I wasn't outrageous, I've never had wonderful control over my eating, but as I ate this way my body naturally shed pounds until it was where it wanted to be and I've stayed exactly there ever since.  First time in my life you might say I am slim.  Wow--it feels wonderful!

I wouldn't say I do this perfectly all the time or that my headaches all went away or that I can stay awake longer or my skin isn't dry anymore.  I will say I can run the hills with greater ease and I never go to bed feeling guilty for my terrible eating during the day.  I haven't been sick (except for the cancer of course), no colds, etc.  All told I'm about 40 pounds lighter than I used to be.

So...the most important thing I've learned is that IT IS POSSIBLE to change the way we eat.  And it is so important to do it.  We are blessed with wonderful, delicious choices.  We have to decide then stick to it.  I've never been able to.  Of course, I have terrific motivation--I think my diet is a critical factor in my healing, but everyone is susceptable to so many different diseases.  We'd all be so much better off to really consider what we put into our body-temples.

Thank you for listening!