Many of you already know that I have spent the past 6 months fighting Stage 2 Breast Cancer. We have done it all - the initial mammogram, the follow up mammograms, the biopsy, the consults, 2 surgeries, meeting the medical oncologist, 4 rounds of chemo and chemo cold caps and now we are on to radiation...it's been quite a summer!
And through it all, I have maintained a 90% Paleo diet. Not really the lifestyle - the fatigue really built up with each subsequent chemo treatment and by the last treatment, there was really no exercise to speak of. I did manage to get some meditation and stretching in, a little bit of sunshine every day that it wasn't raining and quality time with friends and family.
I was tempted by junk food at first - falling back into patterns of food as my comfort. Luckily (I think that's fair to say), chemo leaves an AWFUL metallic taste in your mouth, which for me, was magnified by any food that wasn't REAL.
I could eat fruit, most raw veggies and white fish and have it taste like it was supposed to taste. The couple of times I tried to eat a bit of pizza or a frozen meal or a fast food french fry - it was like I was biting down on that food wrapped in layers of aluminum foil...ugh!
The worst part about the metallic taste was, it left me unable to work. No way I could cook for people when everything but fresh fruit tasted like tin. I also didn't really cook for my family for the past 5 or 6 weeks - I shopped and let them fend for themselves...not the best plan, but when in chemo - do what works for you!
There were a few foods I prepped so we always had something to eat on hand - usually the day before I went in for an infusion.
I managed to prep a crockpot full of paleo southwest chicken soup prior to each chemo session and vats of cut up fruit. I can honestly say I ate at least 30 watermelons during the months of July and August! It was my happiest of happy foods!
Right now, I am addicted to stone fruits - nectarines, peaches, plums and those pluots...yum!
I also added rice to my diet - not sure why, but my body was craving it for about 6 weeks - so I ate it. I talked to my oncologist (who amazingly, is familiar with and supports the Paleo diet) and she said I know my body better than anyone and if I'm craving it and I can tolerate it - I should eat it.
I feel like I was blessed with an oncologist who supports my family's way of eating and although there are no specific statistics or studies - I consistently got high praise for my white cell counts and the fact that I did not need the narcotics or experience the intense nausea and had more energy and a quicker recovery from the chemo sessions. My nutrition and Paleo diet got a lot of the credit for all of those benefits. I also had 2 different doctors tell me that because of my diet and cutting out all those things that cause inflammation in my body that I had been fighting cancer for a year before I even knew I had cancer!
That's powerful!
Chemo is over (YAY!) and we are back on a strict clean eating plan right now - so strict Paleo plus NO sugars of any kind. And it's amazing how quickly I am feeling stronger and leaner and lighter and less chemo-yucky! Besides - my family needs a restart - cancer is overwhelming and finding time to prepare healthy meals (when your designated healthy meal prepper is out of commission) gets trumped by convenience (and that usually means junk).
I have always felt like I was led to Paleo by a higher power. I found the initial info and the drive to 'give it a try' and the commitment to make it through that all-important first 30 days in a way that I had never experienced before. I mean, c'mon...I was a classic yo-yo dieter for nearly 40 years! And now, I feel like I am getting a chance to control part of fighting the cancer every day by the choices I make.
I remember seeing an Instagram post sometime last year that said "Every time you put a piece of food in your mouth, you are choosing to either FIGHT disease or FUEL it." WOW!
Beyond diet, we have also made the choice to rid our home of plastic containers (do some research...it's kind of scary), added filtration to our kitchen sink and are making the deliberate switch to gluten-free, organic personal care items (spendy, but I think worth it!).
My deepest hope is that by doing all of this - I am eliminating or greatly reducing the chance that my kids will get cancer or Alzheimer's or heart disease or any of the other myriad of illnesses that are part of our family history. Oh yeah, and that I get to live to be 100, in good health, ready to love on my kids as they become grown ups and parents and the amazing people I know they will be.
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