100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (83 page)

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

pure, unprocessed food, not the broken piece of nutrition in pill form.

(Analogy: Take Mona Lisa’s smile and put it on Marge Simpson. Somehow,

it’s just doesn’t have the same effect.)

The updated 2012 recommendations for nutrition and exercise by the

American Cancer Society are based on a review of the most current and well-

documented studies from around the world. The heading for the nutrition

part of the recommendations states “Consume a healthy diet with an empha-

sis on plant foods.” Here are their recommendations for a “healthy diet.”

●
Choose foods that help maintain a healthy weight.
First, that’s a bit

vague. Secondly, I detest the term
healthy weight
. Weight tells us nothing

about the health of a person. Charts are somewhat helpful in determin-

ing your “goal” weight, but many fit, healthy bodies weigh the same as

fast-food-eating, out-of-shape bodies. A more accurate measure of

health is body fat. Anything over 32 percent body fat is obese. There

are special “step-on” scales that measure body fat along with your actual

weight. You can also have your ‘fat folds” measured by a fitness expert,

or you can be immersed in a body-fat tank, which is the most interest-

ing and accurate way of measuring body fat but also may be the most

humiliating. Like a giant “dunk tank,” your whole body is immersed

in water. The weight of the water displaced is calculated with your

actual weight and from that, an accurate body fat measurement is

obtained. Body mass index (BMI) is another good (and less embarrass-

ing) way of determining if you need to lose weight. The BMI is calcu-

lated this way:

Perk #82: Cancer Helped Me to Grow as a Psychologist

349

Take your height in inches and multiply it by itself. Then take your

weight in pounds and divide it by the “height times height” number. Mul-

tiply that number by 703 and that is your BMI. (Or you can just do it the

easy way and search “BMI converter” on the computer.)

A BMI between 18.6 and 24.9 is healthy, between 25 and 30 is overweight,

and over 30 is obese. Simply put, the food choices that help you maintain a

“healthy weight” are plant-based, unprocessed, low sugar, high fiber, and

whole. Simple as that. Try this: Examine your next meal and the food that

crosses your lips. How much of that meal meets those requirements?

●
Limit consumption of processed meats and red meat.
Limit? Like having

one double cheeseburger rather than two? Recommendations are to limit

meat intake to two times a week or reduce portion sizes by one half. A

serving of red meat is as big as a deck of cards. Now think of the last

steak that you ordered from a restaurant. How many decks of cards did

you eat?

The reason limiting meat is listed is because time and time again,

studies show that diets high in red meats cause illness. Red meat (beef,

lamb, pork) and processed meats (luncheon meats, bacon, sausage, hot

dogs) are not only linked to heart disease but also to cancer. One recent

study involving over 38,000 men who were followed for over twenty years

confirmed this. Processed meats like hot dogs and luncheon meats

contain sodium nitrites. It’s the nitrosamines that are formed when the

nitrites and meat are combined that are the problem. Now that you know

this, it’s up to you to make the choice at the market and at restaurants.

Limit consumption, yes, but it is
you
who will set those limits based on

the information you have. Make your guidelines now.

●
Eat at least 2.5 cups of fruits and vegetables/day.
At least
. . . which

means more is better. It doesn’t say “eat
up to
2.5 servings . . . it says

AT LEAST! (Sorry to yell, but this is important.) Suffice it to say, fresh

fruits and veggies should be the main part of your meals. Change your

mind-set and replace the image of your food plate showing neat little

piles of veggies with your big slab of meat as the main star. Those veggies

and fruits need to take center stage. There are wonderful and delicious

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

choices for vegetables at your market or farmers market. Why are you

still choosing white potatoes and iceberg lettuce? Switch it up tonight

and reach for sweet potatoes and mixed baby greens of spinach, arugula,

and red tip. The highest nutrition comes from the most colorful foods.

Gorgeous green avocado, bright red raspberries, and bright orange

butternut squash are a few. Try to eat at least three different-colored

foods with every meal. (Sorry, ketchup and blue sports drinks don’t

count!)

●
Choose whole grain instead of refined grain products.
Grains are

important for fiber, protein, B vitamins, and iron. A “grain” is a seed. A

whole grain is made up of the three parts of the seed: the endosperm,

the bran, and the germ, which are not split or processed. The following

are examples of whole grains:

●
Barley
has been shown to reduce cholesterol and has more protein than

most other grains.

●
Buckwheat
is not in the grain family, but the texture and nutrients are

very much the same as other grains.

●
Corn.
Look for non-GMO (genetically modified organism) corn and

avoid the word
degerminated
, which means “processed.”

●
Millet
is not really a commonly eaten grain, but it is gaining popularity.

●
Oats,
which are rolled, are still whole grains, just flattened. Steel-cut oats

are whole oats that have been cut (probably with steel) so they form more

of a creamier texture when cooked. Both are whole grains.

●
Quinoa
is technically a seed, but it acts like a grain and is high in “com-

plete” protein, which makes it a great choice for those eating a plant-

based diet.

●
Brown and wild rice
are whole grains. White rice has had the outer coat-

ing removed and is just not as healthy as brown or wild, sorry folks.

●
Rye.
When buying rye breads or products look for “whole rye” in the

ingredient list. The term
rye bread
doesn’t mean it’s whole-grain rye.

Perk #82: Cancer Helped Me to Grow as a Psychologist

351

●
Milo or sorghum
is gluten-free and very versatile.

●
Teff
has very small grains and has twice the iron and three times the cal-

cium as other grains. It is slowly gaining popularity.

●
Triticale
is a combo grain of wheat and rye, and it has only been grown

for the past thirty-five years. Usually found as a whole grain, even if the

ingredients just say “triticale.”

●
Wheat
is the most popular grain because of its versatility and high-gluten

content, making it perfect for yeast breads and pasta. There are different

forms of wheat: berries, cracked, bulgur . . . they are all whole-grain

wheats.

If you’re one of the many who are sensitive to gluten (a protein in wheat

and other grains) you should stay away from wheat, barley, rye, triticale, and

oats. (Oats are often grown with wheat, so unless the oats

specifically say “gluten-free” you should be suspicious.) For

Look at your diet and

more on whole grains visit the Whole Grains Council at

try to eat plant-based

www.wholegrainscouncil.org.

when and where you

Now that you have the “main rules” for following a

can every day.

healthy diet, don’t be caught up in joining a diet “group” if

that’s not what makes you happy. Many people say, “I’m going

to be a vegetarian” and then feel horribly guilty for wanting grilled chicken

in their salad. Do the best that you can do for your health, but be happy

with your choices.

I like the term
plant-based.
Plant-based encompasses all the healthy eat-

ing groups: vegan, vegetarian, raw foodie, heart-healthy, low calorie, low-

fat, diabetic, immune boosting, cancer-fighting, and the list goes on and on.

Plant foods should make up most (80% or more) of what you eat every day

with very little use of animal products (meat, dairy, fish, chicken, eggs). If

you choose to eat “only plants,” that’s great, but it should be your choice

and you should be happy with it and not feel miserable and trapped. The

great thing about plant-based eating is that you will notice such a difference

in the way you look and feel, that you will be encouraged by your own body

to not only continue for yourself, but to get others to hop on board!

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

For every animal product, know that there is a healthier plant-based

choice. Substitute almond or rice milk for unhealthy cow’s milk and plant-

based butter spreads for butter. These butterlike spreads are NOT margarine

and should contain NO hydrogenated oils and nothing artificial. The brand

I use and adore is Earth Balance, but there are several others. (Visit

www.EarthBalanceNatural.com.)

Here are some great cookbooks to keep you going, and you can always

go online or look in the vegan cookbook section of your local bookstore.

●
Everyday Happy Herbivore
by Lindsay S. Nixon

●
The Engine 2 Diet: The Texas Firefighter’s 28 Day Save-Your-Life Plan That

Lowers Cholesterol and Burns Away the Pounds
by Rip Esselstyn

Perk #83

A Great Save on

the Heating Bill

I
n the winter of 2012, I was pleasantly

surprised by a sudden decrease in my

heating bill. As I pondered the reason for

this stroke of good fortune, my daughter

said, “It’s no wonder, Mom, this house is

like an ice box since you started taking that

new pill.” Ah, Tamoxifen. While chemo-

pause causes “tropical moments,” Tamox-

ifen can bring on what I can only describe