When I was diagnosed with kidney cancer I was unexpectedly inundated by well meaning friends as well as people I did not even know telling me how and what I should eat in order to “cure my cancer” or “lessen the side effects of my cancer treatments.” I was told that I should purchase (fill in the blank with the multi level marketing product of your choice – essential oil, probiotic drink, vitamin capsule, etc).
I really do think most had the best of intentions, but I felt like vultures were hovering around me and cancer patients are vulnerable. I was determined not to be a vulnerable cancer patient and lovingly told everyone that if they were marketing to me BECAUSE I had cancer, I would need to “unfriend” them. I was also just doing the best I could to survive and listening to someone tell me that I was not eating right was more than I could deal with. I did not want to hear that if I did not radically change the way I eat, I would die, and it would be my fault.
Vegan diet
I was aware that I needed to feed my body healthy food. In order to fight my cancer with maximum power and efficiency, I wanted to eat the best I could. I only have one kidney now and my lab work was starting to showing less than optimal kidney function. My blood sugar was also in the pre-diabetic range. I read that red meat and animal protein is harder on kidneys than plant protein. I just did not know where to start with diet. So, I began to pray about what and how I should eat.
Dr. Gregor’s “How Not to Die”
Meantime, my husband started listening to the audio book “How Not to Die” by Dr. Michael Gregor. He would come home from work and tell me about what he had learned from the book during his drive. I smiled and nodded but was not really listening very closely. Then I saw him make his dinner. My mouth hit the floor as I saw him cook some spinach, some dark potato, some beans, and eat a radish. His plate had little mounds of this food not touching each other. And there was NO MEAT!! I also saw him go to a church cookout and cook hamburgers for everyone there and HE DID NOT EAT ONE BURGER!!! This is astounding because my husband is such a picky eater and always wrinkles his nose at my green smoothies and “healthy” food. He is a meat and potatoes man with texture issues. If he was doing this food plan, then we could do it together.
I read Dr. Gregor’s book. His plan is whole food plant based with no meat, oil, or sugar. I was impressed that his plan is not a weight loss plan and that he donates all profits from his books to charity. He is just passionate about the healing power of plant based eating and wants to get the word out. He has an app called the “daily dozen” that helps you keep track of the food you eat in each category in order to get the nutrients you need each day. There are lists of the food in each category with serving sizes. I use the app daily. He also has a website http://nutritionfacts.org that has videos about every imaginable topic and food that he updates daily. There is also information about his book and cookbook.
Improved Blood work Labs!
I told my oncologist about the eating plan and he was supportive. I made an appointment with my internist who did blood work specifically looking at my vitamin levels, my A1C, CBC, etc. After just 3 weeks on this eating plan and my A1C was in the normal range! No pre diabetes! also, my kidney function levels were normal. So I will continue this plan. Incidentally, my husband lost 13 pounds in a month and his cholesterol levels went down from too high to normal. His annual physical no longer says, “at risk of heart disease!” I am enjoying trying new recipes.
Mediterranean Diet
UPDATE/EDIT: I have had to change my eating plan because all of the beans Dr. Gregor said I needed in order to get enough protein were irritating my intestines. The damage showed up on a CT scan! So now I am eating fish and chicken and as many fruits and veggies as I can. Whenever possible I purchase organic. I avoid red meat and now follow a Mediterranean diet. I like to make plant based food whenever I can, but now I include some small portions of fish and chicken.
Sugar?
To eat sugar or not to eat sugar. That question is controversial! The day I heard I had cancer I quit drinking soda (I had a diet Coke addiction for years). Everyone has heard the phrase, “sugar feeds cancer.” Despite this phrase that everyone is sure is correct, there has been no scientific study that proves consuming sugar causes cancer to grow. Sugar has been shown to increase inflammation in the body. Too much sugar makes me feel sick. I feel better when I limit how much sugar I eat, but I have not eliminated it completely. Occasionally, I eat dessert (gasp!) However, most cookies and cakes are just too sweet to enjoy now that my tastes have changed. For me, an occasional light dessert keeps me from feeling deprived and helps keep my positive energy up.
Current health
My lab values on all of my blood work remains good and my cancer is now stable! I attribute this to my amazing medical team and custom medical treatment, supplemented with healthy eating. From this experience I have learned that every body is different. No one eating plan is right for everyone. I still think Heavenly Father answered my prayer about how to eat. In fact, I learned valuable things from my vegan experience. I still love to eat some of the recipes and I got rid of so much junk and unhealthy food. Another thing I learned is that it helps to have support from your spouse. It is much easier to follow an eating plan together, than alone.