100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (38 page)

Perk #39

Cancer Gave Me a

Great Excuse to Shop

T
hree weeks after my sixth and final chemo, I finally felt well enough to

get back into shopping mode. I think I may have gone a little hog wild

though, spending my “hundreds” like there was no tomorrow. It all started

with a new Nikon camera, which I decided to gift to myself for Christmas

that year. My boyfriend Shawn gave me “the look” and said, “Darlin’, are

you really going to pay that much money for a camera?”

And my somber response was, “Now Shawn, I could be dead this time

next year, so I am not depriving myself of a good camera!” (Not that I really

thought I wasn’t going to be around the following year, but it kept him quiet

for a while.)

Next it was off to The Bath Shop. As I loaded the packages onto Shawn’s

arms he said, “What are you going to do with all of this stuff?”

And my response was, “Shawn, after everything I’ve been through the

past six months, I think I deserve a treat.” He could not argue that logic.

Did I really need another pair of black boots? Well, I figured I deserved

an “end of chemo” gift!

There’s nothing like a shopping buzz to lift a weary spirit.

If you feel well enough to shop, treat yourself to something new.

HEALTH TIP #39

Treat Yourself to a New Snack

D
o you have the guts? Pumpkin guts, I mean. More specifically, the seeds

that are contained in the guts?

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

With or without their shell, pumpkin seeds have amazing health bene-

fits. The pumpkin seed shell is just fiber and is sometimes hard to digest.

But the inside of the seeds are soft and flavorful. With or without the shell,

pumpkin seeds, or
pepitas,
as they are called, have been shown to:

●
reduce inflammation (remember, inflammation causes chronic illness

and is related to your risk of cancer)

●
be high in protein: 1 ounce (28 grams) contains 7 grams of protein

●
prevent kidney stones (they inhibit calcium oxalate—a common compo-

nent of stones)

●
supply your body with at least 30% of the RDA for magnesium, copper,

and manganese

●
prevent osteoporosis, as they are high in zinc; low zinc levels are linked

with high rates of osteoporosis

●
contain phytosterols, which lower LDL (the “bad”) cholesterol

●
improve bladder function and prostate health (for those of you that have

one) as seen in results of a study being done in Europe

●
contain L-tryptophan—which has a calming effect, but also can help

symptoms of depression

●
eliminate intestinal parasites (yes, bugs that live inside us like tapeworms

as well as pinworms, which you can have without symptoms) when eaten

with shell on

●
contain a high level of iron; one ounce (about two tablespoons) of pepi-

tas, or the shelled version, supplies you with more than 20 percent of

what you need for the day

After you have prepared your pumpkin in an interesting and nutritious

recipe (or carved a face in the darn thing), separate the seeds and wash

them well in a strainer, removing all the slimy pumpkin insides. Lay them

out on a paper towel or paper bag and let them dry overnight. Then, spread

them on a cookie sheet and bake at 250°F for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring

Perk #39: Cancer Gave Me a Great Excuse to Shop

155

once or twice. (Baking them longer at a lower temp preserves the nutritional

value.)

If you want salt (and who doesn’t?), you can toss the seeds with a
tiny

bit
of cold-pressed organic extra virgin olive oil (not much—you don’t want

to fry them) and then sprinkle some sea salt over them before roasting.

Once roasted, you can eat them—husk and all—or

you can shell them. I had read that there is a variety of

pumpkin that has a “huskless seed,” but the look on the

produce manager’s face at the supermarket told me . . .

maybe not. Once roasted, I think the seeds taste fine with

the husk on, but not everyone does.

You can buy pepitas, which are shelled seeds, in bags.

They are available in raw and roasted, salted or unsalted.

Use pepitas in salads, oatmeal, cookie recipes, trail mix,

or just eat plain as a snack. See what you’ve been missing

all these years?

Try this Pepitas Brittle for a quick, sweet, healthy, high-

protein snack: Combine one cup of raw pepitas and one

tablespoon of pure maple syrup in a bowl and mix well.

Spread in one flat clump on a parchment-lined cookie

sheet. The clump should be flat, but not spread so far that the pepitas aren’t

all touching. Bake for 13 minutes in a preheated 350°F oven. Remove and

let cool completely. Break into pieces like brittle.

A serving size is 1/4 cup.

Calories: 196; Fat: 15.5 grams; Protein: 8.5 grams; Iron: 28% of RDA;

Fiber: 1 gram.

(Courtesy of Healthful Habits Inc., www.facebook.com/healthfulhabitsinc.)

Include pepitas or whole pumpkin seeds in

your diet all year long for extra protein, iron,

and cancer-fighting anti-inflammatory effects.

Perk #40

Being Told How Great I Look

I
celebrated the end of my

chemo by attending a Christ -

mas dinner with my sister

Juana and my BFF Jackie.

Everyone was dressed in their

finery and the compliments

were whizzing by like bullets:

“You look awesome.” “Love

your dress.” “Looking great!”

At one point, a lady turned to

me and said, “You must be

getting sick of people always

telling you how great you

look since you got cancer.” I

thought about it for a moment

and said, “Naw!”

After being diagnosed, I

(left to right) Jackie, Juana, and Flo

began taking extra care with

my appearance, particularly when I was heading out for a medical treat-

ment or procedure. Before each chemo, for example, I would book myself

an appointment at the spa to have a facial and a pedicure. On the night

before each chemo, I did a special healing ritual, consisting of a candlelit

bath, aromatherapy (a few drops of lavender oil in the bath), soft music,

and meditation. On the day of my treatment, I would choose clothes that

made me feel powerful, and I always wore my wig. The way I see it, when

that nurse was headed at me with the “red devil,” I wanted to look and

feel like a formidable opponent, not some wimpy pushover in a baseball