Don’t Be Fooled – It’s the Food

It is no secret.

We are what we eat.

We can no longer ignore the fact that what we put into our bodies controls how we feel and how we look.

It also has major effects on how we recover (or not) from disease, and on our life expectancy.

After my own cancer diagnosis, everywhere I turned I read accounts of cancer survivors who had turned their disease around with diet. I truly believe that God was pointing me in the direction of these real-world accounts, and before long I knew I could not ignore them.

For me, I would do anything to give myself the best possible chance of survival, and changing what I eat? No problem. It couldn’t be that hard.

Looking back, it was a bit of a challenge to learn everything, but almost immediately I began to see results, and I definitely felt better and looked better, so what’s not to love!?!

This blog is my gift to anyone who will listen. A resource to start you off on a life-changing path that will give you more rewards than you can imagine!

So lets get started.

First of all, this is not just something I dreamed up nor is it some wacky diet that someone dreamed up to sell books and supplements. There are lots of doctors and loads of scientific research out there that shows the importance of nutrition and specific foods that attack cancer cells.

Here is a sample of just a few of my favorite resources :

* How Not To Die by Dr. Michael Greger (Plus, the How Not To Die Cookbook),

*Forks Over Knives (documentary; books; beautiful quarterly magazines, etc. )

*Chris Beat Cancer website (and his fabulous book by the same title.)

I will be listing many more great resources as we go along.

So even though a cancer diagnosis took me totally by surprise, looking back it has changed my life in some very positive ways. Number one being the food. I now eat as much as I want, whenever I want and I am totally satiated. Granted, I have had to learn how to effectively have this food always be available, but now that I have the hang of it, it is really quite simple.

So I am committed to helping you find ways to make it very simple for you as well. And, I promise, delicious!

Let’s get started:

1. You have a serious diagnosis – embrace this whole heartedly!
2. It would take more than a lifetime to taste all the fabulous, delicious, beautiful healthy foods out there.
3. Forget what is behind for now.
4. Just look forward to the joy of eating before you!
5. Start right now!!!

People ask me ‘don’t you miss eating meat and dairy and all the foods you used to eat?’

Honestly, no, I don’t. I ate all those things for 65 years, and now I eat other things, and I feel great, I am never hungry, I don’t worry about my weight, I feel great in my jeans, and best of all, I never have to hold my stomach in!!!

What’s to miss?

Ok, I went all in from day one, but some people take a slower approach. Of course you can vary this, but here is a simple plan that you could try to get started:

Fix oatmeal every morning. I cook organic old fashioned oatmeal and sprinkle on

• walnuts,

• raisins (or currants),

• chai seeds,

• ground flax seeds,

• a teaspoon of maple syrup, and

• non-dairy milk (I like soymilk or creamer).

Fix a dish based on rice and beans or potatoes or whole grain pasta to have on hand. To give you an idea I am including my favorite go-to rice and bean recipe below – it is so delicious and satisfying!

Think whole foods, and have them readily available to snack on all day –

• delicious organic apples,
• red grapes,
• watermelon,
• oranges,
• carrots,
• celery,
• raw almonds,
• walnuts,
• avocados,
• blueberries and ,
• mangoes.

I’m sure you can think of many more of your own favorites!

Other great foods I have on hand include things like

• avocado on sprouted grain toast,
• hummus,
• olives, and
• salsa.

At lunchtime I love to quickly fix up a large bowl of

• fresh spinach, broccoli sprouts, raw cauliflower, sunflower seeds,
• then I might add a few black or pinto beans, or a baked potato from the night before,
• then I take a small pan and saute a fresh tomato with a bit of garlic and perhaps a few fresh mushrooms for just a couple of minutes, and
• then put it on top with a few kalamata olives.

Use your imagination, but this can be an instant delicious healthy lunch that will fill you up and bring a smile to your face!

My Favorite Rice and Beans

Saute in a small amount of vegetable broth until onions are translucent:

• one medium diced onion
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• one green bell pepper
• one red bell pepper

Then add following spice blend:

• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon sea salt ( I do use some sea salt – you decide for you)

Add:

• 1 cup+ frozen organic corn
• 1 14 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 cups chopped spinach or kale
• 1 15 oz can of organic black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

Heat through and enjoy! You can serve over whole grain tortilla chips with chunks of fresh avocado, tomato and olives if you so desire.

So this is just a simple introduction to a new way of eating and enjoying your life. You can know that you are doing such good things for your body.

We will be talking about the many health benefits in upcoming blogs, but I just want you to see that you can start today.

The goals are to eat plant-based, whole foods. Staying away from meat and dairy, oils and processed foods that are so inflammatory and filled with carcinogens and chemicals. Open your mind and heart to this new thinking, and I promise you, you will soon begin to see and feel the many benefits of this amazing lifestyle!

Join me at inspiredtosurvive.com as together we explore all the things we really can do to survive and thrive!

Warmly, Rebecca