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Make juice, not war, unless it is a war on cancer cells . . .

11 May

Nowadays I eat to keep cancer away. Some of the very basics of doing that (keeping cancer away and preventing cancer – listen up everyone – this is for you) are: avoiding sugar – in particular refined sugar and processed foods that quickly turn to sugar in your body (like white flour, pasta that is not whole grain, etc.), and eating a diet that is rich in fresh, RAW fruits and vegetables (especially the vegetable part).

Also, to help keep your blood sugar low (this is important to maintain a healthy, low inflammatory diet – helps prevent diabetes, heart disease, and, yes, cancer) include cinnamon and green tea in your diet. Cinnamon and green tea naturally lower your blood sugar (so too do foods that are rich in magnesium, yes, I have been reading a lot this past year plus, you would too if you felt like your life depended on it).

Here is what I fed my juicer this morning . . .

I apple, 1 orange, celery, carrots, broccoli (all organic)

And, here is what my juicer fed me 🙂 This is one of my favorite drinks, super food, super delicious!

Same glass, different view. I mix it up before I drink it.

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Chopped Kale Salad Passed Muster

22 Feb

I forgot to mention that I made a version of my organic, chopped kale salad this weekend and subjected my family to it (during my brother’s birthday dinner no less). Well, it was a success. I didn’t warn them about the kale being there, and everyone liked it – unless they were just being nice to the cancer patient . . . 🙂

Actually, I am pretty sure they liked it. I liked it, but it is hard for me to tell now what is food I would have liked “pre-cancer-diagnosis” and post. I have changed my diet so much. I can pretty much eat anything, no matter how unpleasant it might taste if I know it is good for me. But, kale, on it’s own, is not the tastiest veggie. However, I think my Kale Chopped Salad sufficiently hides the Kale taste and is actually good.

So I will post some recipes soon.

L.

Kale, Beautiful Kale

16 Feb

Above: Foods I have not eaten in over a year, and definitely no fast food, fried food, and I went mostly organic. Confession: went almost a year without any refined sugar, only occasional honey, once in a great while, (not a big deal as I am not into sweets much). Then, in the past couple of weeks I broke that rule and had lemon meringue pie twice in the same week and some chocolate here and there too, bad girl 🙂 In my defense: My oncologist up at UCLA told me to live a little . . . 🙂

One of my new "fast foods" - Chopped Kale Salad - (my own creation) ingredients: organic chopped kale, organic hearts of romaine lettuce (takes some of the bitterness of the Kale out), wild salmon, organic green beans all chopped up & mixed in with balsamic dressing, prep time, about 15 min.

Tamoxifen

3 Feb

On the Tamoxifen front, I seem to be adjusting to the increased dose (I started at 5 mg, am now at 10 mg, where I intend to stay for probably 1 1/2 to 2 weeks). I felt definite increased side effects the first three nights I took the increased dose. But, I think I am adjusting to it now. I do have a little bit of nausea, but not too bad. One of the big side effects that I hear women complaining of the most is hot flashes and weight gain.

I do have the occasional warm feeling, but the weight gain, I don’t see it. And, it isn’t on the list of side effects for the drug – instead, one of the possible side effects is loss of appetite. I would have to echo that one. I am still losing weight and I do not need or want to lose any more! In fact, I would be quite pleased to add a few pounds in the next week or so if I can. But, it is a struggle to eat enough in one day. I am working on it. The thing is I eat a low fat diet (and I am supposed to for my health, reduces the risk of recurrence of cancer, for example, as does exercise). So, keeping with the low fat diet and filling up so quickly, well, it doesn’t bode to well for me in terms of trying to put on a pound or two. I am not too skinny, I am in a healthy range (but at the lower end of it for my height etc.).

And, I just don’t want to lose anymore weight. And, it is not like I can just go have a chocolate milkshake everyday (that’d be an easy way to add a 1,000 calories or more in a day) 🙂

But, it’s just not part of what I can eat. So, there’s no short term, quick fix solution here. I just have to find a way to eat more each day. I do want to and need to gain some weight before my next surgery, so I will be doing my best to do that.

Well, wish me luck 🙂

L.