Crispy Cancer
I had the privilege of meeting THE Chris from Chris Beat Cancer, a blog about healing cancer with nutrition and natural therapies by chemo-free survivor Chris Wark. My mentor and friend, Kate Graham, won a Q & A session with Chris and kindly invited me as a guest. She raved about this blog to me for at least the past year and every time she told me about it I thought she said "Crispy Cancer". That's right. CRISPY CANCER like you fried cancer on a skillet like some bacon. So when she told me about the Q & A I put it right in my planner.. Crispy Cancer. Ya'll. Chris didn't fry cancer he actually BEAT it with nutrition and natural therapies. That's AMAZING and his story and website ChrisBeatCancer.com is worth your time.
Before going to the Q & A I looked over Chris' website again just to refresh. I was, again, extremely impressed with his site and inspired by his story. I thought I was going to walk away from the Q&A filled with new exciting nutrition information, which I did, but also feeling like I needed an ABC's extreme makeover on my diet. I thought I would walk away feeling guilty for how I eat and start writing my breakup letter with sugar, but that wasn't the case at all!
I walked away empowered to make healthy changes. Focusing on the things wrong with our diet gets us no where. We will never achieve a perfectly balanced diet, especially not by comparing our diets to others. We make changes where we can. We tell ourselves to "meet people where they are". How bout we take our own advice? Meet yourself where you are. If that means only adding a cup of tea to your diet after reading this post..then do it. Good for you!
I'm not sure how I learned so much information in such a short amount of time, but I've decided I want to share my most favorite posts from Chris' site and give a short summary. His site is a WEALTH of information. I am simply touching the tip of the iceberg by sharing this information from his site with you. I strongly encourage you to subscribe to his site.. and mine while you're at it.
The fight we get from herbal teas comes from antioxidants and other immune boosting properties.
- Jason's Winter Tea. The story behind this tea is amazing!
Ingredients: Red Clover Flowers, Gotu Kola Herb, Indian Sage Leaf & Special Spices (Herbaline Blend). - Red Tea (African Rooibos or “RedBush”)
Ingredients: 100% Organic South African Rooibos - Tulsi Tea (Indian Holy Basil)
Organic Rama Tulsi (Ocimum Sanctum) Organic Krishna Tulsi (Ocimum Sanctum) Organic Vana Tulsi (Ocimum Gratissimum). - Matcha Green Tea
Culinary Grade Organic Green Tea ~ Japan
I tried the Red Tea. As much as I'd love to be an herbal tea drinker, I'm not. But I brewed this red tea and then refrigerated it and I really liked it! I'm sure you experience more of the flavor through the aroma when it's hot, but I enjoyed it more cold. You can find the brand I purchased here.
Nuts are a great natural source of vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber and fat. Find out which ones specifically by going to his blog post here. Add any of these nuts to my Salted Coconut Granola recipe!
Seeds are easy to sneak in your diet. Add to your granola, oatmeal, smoothies, baked goods, or salad!
Chris breaks it down into categories:
- Allium vegetables: Garlic, Leeks, Yellow and Green Onions
- Cruciferous vegetables: Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Kale, Red Cabbage and Curly Cabbage
- Spinach and Beet Root also scored in the top ten against many of the cancers tested.
Simple as that! Read more about these spices here.
On this post Chris mentions this fun fact: "Anytime you put turmeric on a dish make sure to add a little black pepper, it increases your body’s absorption of turmeric by about 2000%."
"Like it or not, the oldest historical human dietary record is actually The Bible, from which we know that whole grains have been a pillar of human nutrition for 6,000 years and are the reason most of our ancestors survived at all."
Chris expounds on how history tells us whole grains are not our enemy today, but an essential part of our diet.
I hope you check out Chris' website and feel as inspired as I am to make small changes. I can't take any credit for this research. It was all Chris. I simply took his information and put it on a pretty pictures! You are welcome.
You might be asking yourself if you truly care to prevent cancer. Let me answer that questions for you. You care! It's harder to care about cancer-prevention if cancer hasn't effected you personally. Unfortunately, most of us have had a cancer scare in our lives. Maybe not personally but with someone you love.
The word "cancer" took on a whole new meaning for our family when my dad had a life-changing diagnosis in the fall of 2010. It was a dark and scary time, but it changed our whole family for the better.
After finding out about my dad's diagnosis my selfish thoughts went to my wedding day. Would he be there? There was no promise he would be. My dad's presence at my wedding meant so much to me for so many reasons, but after that scare, it meant more. Not everyone wins the fight with cancer, I realize that. My heart breaks for families who face this scary battle. I don't understand why my dad survived it and some others don't. But I'm choosing to be thankful.
Working towards cancer prevention does not mean you're living in fear of a diagnosis, it means you're making smart decisions. Meet yourself where you are. Don't beat yourself up for your imperfect diet. Focus on the changes you can make and make them!
A healthy lifestyle has been a deeply personal journey for me and it is the same for all of you. The reflections on this blog are observations I have made through my own experiences. They are not intended as medical or dietary advice. You should consult with your physician before making any radical dietary changes. Please contact me if you are interested in dietary advice that is customized to your needs.