100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (94 page)

Even a hospital stay can be fun

if you keep a sense of humor about you.

HEALTH TIP #93

Need Fresh Niblets? Look in Your Neighborhood Markets

F
ood is one of those three necessities for life (the other two being water

and air), and “unhealthy food” is just as bad for you as sucking in a

lungful of exhaust fumes. Buying local is one way to ensure that the food

398

100 Perks of Having Cancer

you’re eating is as healthy as possible. You may think that because you live

in an urban area, there aren’t any farms. That may be true, but it doesn’t

mean you can’t get fresh local produce all season long.

Farmers Markets

Farmers markets are outdoor “instant” marketplaces that can be held sea-

sonally or all year depending on the rules of the city. Farmers pay a price

to set up a stand to sell to the public. These are all the rage, and there’s

probably a market very close to you no matter where you live. Some things

to remember before you buy:

●
Check out the website for the market you plan to visit and look at the

rules for vendors. This will tell you what you’re likely to find there. Some

markets only sell food while others sell food and crafty items. Some mar-

kets require licensure to sell eggs, dairy products, or canned goods, while

others do not. Some markets require all nonproduce foods to be prepared

in a “community kitchen,” which is an industrial kitchen you rent (rather

than using your own kitchen), which ensures cleanliness. It’s always nice

to know that the strawberry preserves you put on your toast this morning

weren’t mixed up in Aunt Fannie’s bathtub.

●
Look for signs that say RESALE and then avoid that vendor. Most farmers

markets require a sign be posted if the produce did not come from that

specific vendor’s farm. There are vendors who will take a trip down to a

bigger farmers market or other farm, buy up bulk produce, and then try

to sell it at a smaller market at higher prices to make a profit. A reputable

market will have a market manager onsite on sales days and will be

enforcing these rules.

●
Know your produce. If you want figs and you know there’s a vendor who

has them, first research what the “perfect fig” looks like. If you are just

browsing and you see some corn that you might want to buy, ask what

variety it is and then make sure it looks like that variety. Check out the

color, feel, and appearance. Strip down some of the husk and look for

worms or deformed kernels (a sign of fungus). Ask the farmer about the

variety of corn and what they use for pest control. Smart phones are great

Perk #93: Eavesdropping on the Ward

399

in these cases. If the farmer says it’s Silver Queen variety, for example, you

can look on a search engine to see if that variety is “in season” in your

part of the country and what to look for when buying the perfect ear.

●
The produce you buy at a local market is ripened on the vine or in the

ground. You don’t have to worry about forced ripened veggies. In super-

markets, mass-produced fruits and veggies are “gassed” by using ethylene

gas to “force ripen” the produce so it looks better and more colorful.

Advocates say it does not effect the taste, but anyone that has ever eaten

a vine-ripened tomato versus a supermarket tomato can tell you that not

only is the flavor better from a vine-ripened tomato but the consistency

is better as well.

●
You also don’t have to worry about the wax coating applied to supermar-

ket produce so they look pretty for you when you stroll down the aisle.

We all know that the sweetest and most nutritious apple is not the pret-

tiest one, but the one with the best personality.

●
If you’re not picky, go to the market about fifteen minutes before the mar-

ket closes. Farmers DON’T want to lug all that unsold produce back

home, so this would be a good time to stock up on those corn niblets

and other great food.

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

If you want to support your local farmer and get top-quality produce, try a

CSA. When you subscribe to a CSA, you get a weekly supply of produce

from the farm you choose for a set price. The farm will give you a certain

amount of produce in your weekly box, depending on what is harvested

that week. CSAs not only give you fresh and local produce, but they also

give you seasonal. Some CSAs require you to come to the farm to pick up

your weekly stash, and others will deliver to pickup locations around the

area on a certain day for your convenience.

CSAs are a win-win situation for the farmer and the consumer. You pay

ahead of time, which helps the farmers prepare for the growing season, and

they get to know who they are feeding. It allows the consumer exposure to

many fruits and veggies that aren’t available at the supermarket. Lots of

400

100 Perks of Having Cancer

farms will even include recipes that go along with the produce included

with the weekly box.

The best part is, it’s all run locally. The food goes from farmer to you

with no middleman and no big-government involvement. (Let’s see how

long THAT lasts.) And the food is not limited to produce.

Many CSAs offer milk, eggs, cheese, bread, or other goods

You can increase the

that are made on the farm. The city or town usually moni-

quality of your food and

tors food safety regulations.

help your local economy

Now if you are a picky eater, CSAs may not be for you

by shopping at CSAs and

because you get what you get and that’s what you have to

farmers markets. (They

eat. (Man, I sound like my mother.) But it’s nice to know

also have the freshest

that you are supporting the farmer and the farmer is feeding

niblets in town.)

you. There’s no comparison as far as freshness and quality

goes, and you’ll be a part of a healthy community.

If you’re thinking of joining a CSA, you may want to ask some questions

of the farmers:

●
How long have you been farming?

●
How many people do you serve?

●
Is everything in the box from your farm, and if no, where is it from?

●
Did you have any problems last year? How were the crops?

●
What do you use for pest control?

●
Do I get a set box? Or can I choose my own produce to go in the box?

●
Could I get some references from your current CSA customers?

To find a farmers market or a CSA in the United States in your area

you can go to www.localharvest.org, or search: “find [your town] farmers

market.”

Perk #94

Living a Kick-Ass Life

S
hortly after being diagnosed, I went to visit my

cousin and lifelong friend, Lil. As she cracked

open a bottle of Merlot, I proceeded to bawl my

eyes out about my dismal future with cancer. Lil,

being the no-nonsense person that she is, would

have none of it. “Stop your whining,” she said.

“You will still be hot, even with one boob. You

are going to beat this thing, and then you’ll go

on to live a kick-ass life. Mark my words!”

As I slowly transitioned from my cancer-

fighting mode into survivor mode, I found myself

fulfilling Lil’s prophecy. I am living what I con-

sider to be a kick-ass life! If you are having visions of me zip-lining, bungee

jumping, or running with the bulls, let me stop you right there. I prefer to

take my adrenaline rush in smaller doses, thank you very much. Take, for

example, the time I put my SUV in the garage for repairs and was delighted

to discover that my loaner for the day was a white sports car, complete with

a full tank of gas, the new car smell, and a rockin’ stereo! The old Flo would

have been cautious about using this flashy vehicle, but kick-ass Flo said,

“I’m taking this baby for a ride!”

I ignored my chores and spent my afternoon cruising along the coast,

visiting garden centers and nurseries along the way (yes, folks, I am really

living life on the edge now). I blatantly ignored the speed limits and even

burned some rubber taking off from a stop sign. Bear in mind that an entire

funeral procession once passed me on the highway, and I have been pulled

over by the police for driving too slow. With my favorite tunes blasting on

the stereo, I sang at the top of my lungs while playing imaginary drums on

the steering wheel.
“Life is a highway, I wanna ride it all night long.
. . .” Drink-

ing in the beauty of the scenic coastline on that perfect sunny day, I was

simply buzzed on life!

I 401 J

402

100 Perks of Having Cancer

Go and live a kick-ass life,

whatever that may mean to you.

HEALTH TIP #94

You’ve Kicked Ass, but Have You Kicked the Habit?

I
am not going to bore you with the harmful effects of smoking. We all

know them by heart.

Instead, let me try using some positive reinforcement to get you to con-

sider quitting—not just for your health, but also for those around you. If