EATING CLEAN BUT NOT TOO EXTREME
First off, ENJOY A SLICE OF PIZZA EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE! Do not torture yourself- life is too short to not enjoy the God-given gift of food. No, I can’t sit here and tell you I don’t eat fast food once in a while or I don’t eat candy when I go to the movies. I almost lost my life; I want to enjoy it, but I also want to elongate it. Finding that balance of eating well and still enjoying food, without putting yourself down, is not easy, BUT it is possible. A healthy balance in key. Cutting out everything is unrealistic and not good for your body long term.
I’ve never been a ‘health nut’ or a ‘fit fam’ type of person and no I am not putting you down if you are- more power to ya! It’s just how I was raised and how I choice to live my life- to each their own! Now if you know me, you know how much I’ve always loved food- everything about it. It was extremely hard to go through chemotherapy and radiation and lose your sense of taste and overall appetite. For me, besides losing my hair, it was the worst part of treatment; the constant nausea, the lack of wanting to eat, etc. (I won't get into details for your sake, seriously!) was absolutely brutal. Everything tasted like metal. Even the smell of food made me sick. I remember my Dad cooking his famous Spaghetti and meatballs downstairs while I was resting in my room and I just couldn't take the smells; it made me completely ill.
Ever since I was a little girl, I was in awe watching my Father cook everything from Steaks and Porkchops to Frai Diabolo and Broccli Aglio e Olio with pasta. I would love to experiment with foods at a young age. In grade school me and friend would always wake up early after a sleepover and try to cook all types of outrageous concoctions like cinnamon eggs with ketchup and garlic- Sound disgusting? Well, it was.
I have watched practically every TV food show/competition out there; inspiring me to want to cook and bake for years. Within the last 10 years I really had a passion to learn from loved ones on how they would cook. I would sit with my Dad and watch him cook my favorite meals – a little of this a little of that!--Never actual measurements (c’mon ayeeeee that’s Italians for ya!). I would do the same with my Mother, my Grandmother, and other friends and family. I am glad I did it in while I am young, so I'll have their recipes and cooking techniques for a long time. Now I have over 150+ recipes; my recipe book is filled to the brim! (I recommend you take some time out of your week and do this with someone. Not only is it valuable for the future but its therapeutic).
Over the years, trying to replicate these fantastic meals I would fail over and over again but I was ok with that because I learned that whenever I failed the first time, the next time I would make sure I would learn from that mistake. Food correlates to life. In that sense, failing over and over again only taught me lessons. I have (and probably a lot of you) struggled with many hard times in my life thus far; but if you take a second and step back, you can see all of those times made you just a bit stronger. I know from my own experiences that each time I get hit down by something traumatic I want to give up – and trust me over the years I wanted to, but just like cooking, I learned some sort of lesson each time. I got bad news in 2018 that they found a mini stroke on my brain MRI; a week later I was told I need to be on cholesterol medicine because my cholesterol levels were through the roof. I was like really? All of this at once? Plus, all the other things I need to do for prevention? - but after the initial shock and sadness I said to myself I am going to learn from this somehow. I knew God was teaching me yet another lesson. I started to slightly change my diet and cut down on salt. Not only does salt raise cholesterol but it contributes to strokes, which I never knew. Eating foods with too much salt can increase the amount of blood in the arteries, raising blood pressure and increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. In a way I was blessed to be given this news; I know it sounds weird but again, like cooking, I was able to change “the recipe” (which is my diet) up a bit and look for no to low salt options. In general, I am just more aware of my salt intake. Without this all happening who knows what could of happened to me; I truly believe it was a sign from God. Flipping your situation in the sense of what my late Father used to say “The glass if half full not half empty” you can then look at it in a positive way. This can change you as a person because as you go through life you will continue to struggle with many things that life throws at you but adjusting how you look at the situation is what will help you move forward; and like me you'll start to see everything in a different light. It takes time but it’s a great strategy to try.
I and most of us post cancer have some food restrictions. My specific reason is due to the radiation treatment targeting most of my body: particularly my head and spinal cord. I have to scale back on my salt, sugar, and saturated fat intake due to my cholesterol, thyroid and brain problems; making it very difficult to eat sometimes. I also try to eat more whole grains and natural snacks, but it can get really expensive so that can be hard if you on a budget.
So now I am more aware of what's going into my body versus my prior diet before treatments. This can definitely make it difficult to cook and eat out. If this sounds familiar to you or your loved one's cancer journey you might get a lot out of this article. I’ve made some small changes that you can try too; like instead of ordering a soda when I’m out to eat I order a seltzer water- This way I am still getting that bubbly sensation but not all that sugar. According to Cancer.gov most cancers, including glioblastoma, thrive off of sugars. Tumors gobble up glucose to sustain their growth and metastasis to new sites, but for glioblastoma in particular, the effects extend far beyond that (Brain cancer patients and/or those in remission: go to the link at the bottom of this blog for more info!)
Another option is instead of ordering a salty soup you can order the salad with a light dressing. Also, as another tip… if I know I am going out to dinner that night or I am meeting my friends for lunch I plan accordingly. For example, if you know you can’t have too much salt in your diet, but you want to enjoy that nice piece of steak from Outback that you will be ordering for dinner, eat lots of fruits and unsalted snacks throughout the day. This way you enjoy your meal at night knowing you limited your salt intake throughout the day.
If you’re looking for more food prevention ideas check back here for my next blog!
Comentários