Eating your way to the light

I lost seven pounds within days of my diagnosis. I was so terrified that I had no appetite. But another reason was that I didn't know what to eat. I knew from other people battling major illnesses that nutrition was a critical factor for recovery, and so for the first time in my life I was afraid of food. I did not want to put anything in my mouth that was somehow going to "feed" the cancer.

Interestingly I had always seen myself--and was perceived by others--as being very healthy. I was thin. I could bike and walk for hours without becoming tired. I was rarely sick. I had avoided red meats for many years because I can't digest them well. I ate chicken and other white meats sparingly and for years not at all. I did not eat a whole lot of vegetables, but fruits were my thing. On the other hand, my diet was full of sugar and fats because I ate desserts and sweets constantly throughout the day. I also loved milk, cheese, and yogurt, and refined flour pastas and breads--all things I don't eat anymore.

Most medical doctors will tell you that nutrition does not have a bearing on disease. My own oncologists told me to eat whatever I want "within moderation." My naturopath, on the other hand, put me on a strict diet. He had me follow the blood-type diet and told me to further restrict that diet to eliminate dairy, eggs and meat. I can eat fish once or twice a week but even then only certain types of fish known to be less toxic and more nutritious. My naturopath also wants me to get off wheat (he says it "gums up" your system) so I eat ezekiel and whole-grain spelt tortillas and breads. Both Whole Foods and Trader Joe's carry these. I also buy brown rice pastas and use organic brown basmati rice from the bulk bins at Whole Foods.

I'm off sugar entirely. I use Stevia for teas and lemonade but don't like it for baked goods. I use agave for baked goods but use a lot less than the recipe calls for. My naturopath is not crazy about agave but tolerates it. He enthusiastically endorses Stevia. There are several lines of cookies that are vegan, wheat-free and refined sugar-free. None of these is ideal in terms of ingredients, but for a once a week indulgence I love Nana's wheat-free chocolate chip. I also love Larry & Luna's coconut-based ice creams which are incredible and have three or four ingredients only. Their vanilla ice cream contains coconut, agave and vanilla--that's it. You really can't beat anything that simple. This is clearly not a low-fat food, but it is divine and low glycemic because it only contains agave and no sugar. I can't do a whole lot of soy because (1) my tumor was estrogen positive and soy can mimic estrogen in your body and (2) my naturopath is not crazy about soy.

I have dabbled in raw foods. They have excellent raw restaurants here in Northern California. My favorite is Cafe Gratitude. I try to eat raw twice a day but I'm one of those people who needs a cooked meal at least once a day. Cafe Gratitude in San Francisco has an excellent raw cookbook. Being a dessert girl at heart, I have to tell you that their desserts are insane.

I juice once a day--a combination of carrots, beets, celery, kale, spinach, a lemon and a green apple. I drink about 38 ounces in one sitting. My naturopath prefers me to drink veggie juice at least twice a day but I can never seem to get that second drink in! I now use a Champion 2000+ commercial juicer. It's a "masticating" juicer, which is better than the "centrifugal" Jack LaLanne juicer I bought from Costco. The Champion was the juicer that most of the health foodies suggested and I find that it is a breeze to clean. Mine was about $250, pricey but an investment for me.

I take about a dozen different supplements prescribed by my naturopath three times a day. The program was specifically designed for me after my naturopath did a blood analysis, and he modifies it occasionally based on our conversations and various tests. The supplements are not cheap, but I can definitely tell the difference when I miss taking them. Also my energy level and healing rates from the surgery, chemo and radiation were phenomenal and definitely out of the norm, and I attribute that primarily to my diet and supplements.

I have been doing coffee enemas once a day for a while now, followed by an 8 ounce wheatgrass implant. I always wait until after I have had a bowel movement naturally because I want my body to be able to eliminate on its own as well. I'm using powdered wheatgrass but I hope to be growing it soon.

I vibe once a week (discussed in a previous post) and do acupuncture about once a month. I walk three times a week for about two hours in a hilly area, and once it gets warmer I will also ride my bike about twice a week for a couple of hours.

Here are some good links:

For those with a science orientation who need "proof" of what a vegan diet can do for serious disease, I recommend T. Colin Campbell's The China Study. The book describes the findings of a rigorous series of studies that are hard to refute. The New York Times called it the "Grand Prix of epidemiology." I read this book at a time when everything I read seemed to contradict the last thing I was reading. There is a whole lot of information and misinformation out there. There are a lot of folks out there with agendas, and it's hard to differentiate between the good ones and bad ones. This book helped put some of my confusion to rest. http://www.amazon.com/China-Study-Comprehensive-Nutrition-Implications/dp/1932100660/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208802159&sr=8-1.

For incredible nutrition and detoxing advice and strategies, I love Kris Carr's blog: http://www.crazysexycancer.blogspot.com/. She seems lovely, she's bright and she "gets it." She is the creator of Crazy Sexy Cancer, a film about her experience with Stage IV cancer. I haven't seen it but it looks good. I can recommend her book of the same name, which is a light read, and it really resonated with me while I was going through my treatments. Here's one of her columns about sugar and why it's detrimental to your healing: http://crazysexycancer.blogspot.com/2008/04/sugar-not-so-sweet-part-1.html. Be sure to read part 2 of this discussion as well. If you're into juicing and doing detox enemas and colonics, you should delve into her blog and take notes! She has access to some of the best clinics and educators in the country, and her advice and experience is great. I find her inspirational.

Here's the link to the chart I use for the blood-type diet. You can click on the right for your particular blood type. Remember that I refine this diet further by avoiding dairy and meat. http://www.sagastevin.com/HealthyLivin/BloodTypeB.html

Here is a great link for best and worst seafood choices: http://www.oceansalive.org/eat.cfm?subnav=bestandworst.