100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (69 page)

●
When buying any nut, read your labels to avoid hydrogenated oils and

added salt, which can sabotage your healthy eating plan.

●
“Roasted” nuts are heated in oil, while “dry roasted” nuts are heated with-

out the use of oil.

●
In nature, nuts have a natural enzyme inhibiter coating to prevent the

nut from sprouting too soon. This enzyme inhibiter also can affect our

Perk #69: I Could Finally Admit I Believe in Angels and Fairies

287

digestive enzymes and cause stomach upset. Some nuts, like cashews and

pistachios, are heat processed and this enzyme is removed. Almonds, by

law, are heat pasteurized even if the label says “raw.” Some still advocate

soaking all nuts for eight to twelve hours in water and then dehydrating

them or slow roasting them in the oven at 170 degrees Fahrenheit for

twleve to twenty-four hours to aid digestion. (Higher than 170 degrees

seems to destroy some of the beneficial nutrients.)

●
It’s a good idea to store nuts in the refrigerator. Nuts freeze very well for

long-term storage.

The bottom line is: roasted or raw, walnut or pine, nuts are

Think “nuts” when

an easy option for adding nutritional value to your diet.

looking for a snack

But for-the-love-of-all-that-is-clean, don’t eat the nuts in

or when your meal

that wooden bowl at the bar! Do you know the number of peo-

needs a little

ple who reached into that bowl that didn’t wash their hands

nutrition boost.

after using the restroom?! It’s disgusting!

Perk #70

Cancer Made Me the

Preferred Sister-Wife

Bob with his sister-wives, Flo, Juana, and Sherry

I
am very fortunate to have two of my sisters, Sherry and Juana, living so close

by. They were a tremendous help to me during my cancer treatments. Juana

and I are both single, and, for a long time, Sherry’s better half, Bob, was the

only man on the scene. So Bob shared his time between our three houses in

terms of doing general repairs and maintenance, putting up Christmas lights,

digging snow, and other manly chores. We fondly came to refer to ourselves

as Bob’s sister-wives. (However, unlike REAL sister-

wives, we don’t do sleepovers.) After my diagnosis of

It is perfectly okay

cancer, I got more than my fair share of sister-wife

to use your cancer

time with Bob. As soon as anything needed fixing, a

to get stuff fixed

message was dispatched: Code red—Florence’s fridge

around your house.

is leaking. Send Bob STAT . . . and the repair was done.

I 288 J

Perk #70: Cancer Made Me the Preferred Sister-Wife

289

HEALTH TIP #70

Prepare Your House for the Apocalypse . . .

or Just Have a Tasty, Healthy Snack

Freeze-dried food. It sounds unhealthy and unnatural, doesn’t it?

The reality is, freeze-dried food makes perfect sense for anyone wanting

to eat healthier and for those stocking their fallout shelters for the end of

the world.

Ask any astronaut and they’ll tell you that freeze-dried food has the same

nutritional content and appearance as fresh food, but without the water.

Which means the food can be stored for up to twenty-five years! These light-

weight, brightly colored morsels can be rehydrated, used in cooking, or

eaten right out of the bag or industrial-sized drum.

Freeze-dried are not the same as “dehydrated” or “dried” foods. Here’s

the difference in case you were wondering.

Dehydration
is a process where the water is removed from the food by

slow heat. This can be in an oven, by the sun, or by the wind. It can be

done at home with a dehydrator, but it is time-consuming. Dehydrated

foods are lightweight but contain a bit more water than freeze-dried, so their

texture is a bit chewy (we’ve all had raisins, right?). Some commercially

dehydrated foods have added sulfur or preservatives in them—and do you

really need those? Dried food is a bit more compact than freeze-dried, but

the rehydration time is longer. Dehydrated foods look very different from

their origins.

Freeze-drying
is a process where the food is flash frozen and then

placed in a vacuum chamber where the water is removed by evaporating

the ice at temps as low as -50 degrees Fahrenheit. This retains the foods’

appearance and shape. Freeze-dried foods rehydrate in minutes—much

faster than dehydrated, and the food regains its original texture and flavor.

Foods like cheese and ice cream can undergo this process too, as can pre-

pared foods like pasta and casseroles. But because of the manufacturing

process, freeze-dried foods are more expensive. But the flavor is far superior

to dried, and your choice of foods is endless. (Imagine taking “freeze-dried”

lasagna on your next camping trip!)

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

Here are some brief facts about freeze-dried foods:

●
Freeze-dried foods have a shelf life of up to twenty-five years in a sealed

can, and up to six months after opening if the lid is kept tightly sealed

when not in use.

●
Freeze-dried foods usually contain no additives, preservatives, or extra

ingredients (but check your manufacturer).

●
Unlike canned foods, there is no added salt and no leaching of BPA from

the can lining.

●
Freeze-dried foods are practically weightless so they’re great on a hike or

when traveling.

●
They are compact so they store nicely.

●
To rehydrate, just place in hot water for a few minutes or cold water for

20 to 45 minutes.

●
They are identical to fresh foods in antioxidant and nutritional value.

●
Organic choices are available.

●
You can cook simply with freeze-dried foods. For example, if you make

soup, you can throw in any vegetable at the very end as they are already

cooked.

Strawberries, for example, may look expensive at

first glance because a 1.2-ounce bag of these sweet

nothings is $4.00 U.S. But that’s about the same

price as what a pint (16 ounces) of fresh would

cost at the local market, and rehydrated would

yield about the same amount (13.2 ounces)

given the 11 to 1 rehydration ratio, which is

also about the same price as frozen. And

frozen won’t last when that asteroid takes out

all the electricity in the world and your freezer becomes just a big heavy

bookshelf with doors.

Perk #70: Cancer Made Me the Preferred Sister-Wife

291

I don’t think freeze-dried foods are meant to replace fresh, but for a

snack idea, for your emergency stash, or for hiking or traveling, it’s pure

genius.

Consider it just another option you have when looking

at nutritious, low-calorie foods. It’s convenient (and a little

Freeze-dried foods are

magical) to think that you have six pounds of strawberries

a great way to keep

sitting in your pantry, for you to use in recipes or slip in

healthy food choices

your pocket.

close at hand.

And admit it . . . you secretly want to be an astronaut.

Here are some suppliers:

●
Mountain House: www.MountainHouse.com

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Nitro-pak: www.nitro-pak.com/products/freeze-dried-foods

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The Ready Store: www.theReadyStore.com