This is personal

A lot can happen in a week. In April my cousin was diagnosed with cancer, had surgery and began treatment. On Wednesday he was given 6 months to live, he died Tuesday.

6 months was in fact 6 days.

Cancer and heart disease run through my family like dark hair and brown eyes. But, in spite of that, I don’t think we are genetically predetermined to be diagnosed with either disease.

Why do I think that?

Because our choices can make a difference.

I don’t believe that we can eliminate every disease with healthier eating and exercise, but I do believe it helps. You can’t avoid every toxic chemical, or substance, or deny your genetics. You will never know everything you have been exposed to.

But, and this is a big one.

We do have a choice every day with what we choose to eat and how we choose to live.

When people ask me why I don’t eat meat I rarely mention that we have hundreds of studies showing the harmful effects of consumption. I simply say it is healthier. But, what does healthier mean? The facts are that meat, dairy and eggs increase cancer growth. Your choices about food should be informed ones and we all should be aware that our choices do have an effect on our health. There is a lot of research on this controversial topic and most doctors (and dietitians for that matter) have absolutely no training in food as preventative medicine.

Food matters.

Every day there is more evidence that a plant-based, whole foods diet prevents and treats many of our most common diseases. Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, can all be managed, prevented and treated with a plant-based diet.

My cousin grew up in an era of whole foods, old-fashioned cooking, not processed meals and snacks. However, the reality of continuing to eat this way requires a willingness to take the extra time, to make your health a priority, to say no to convenience.

This is sometimes the hardest part.

Being willing to say no to the constant bombardment of forces that encourage overeating, cheap, fast, food, and of course convenience.

Change is incremental.

Every day I talk with people who have been given a chance to make a change, they lived through their diagnosis or they want to avoid one. Every day I think. Don’t wait. Start now. Do something. Start somewhere.

Every time someone makes a small change, eats more vegetables, chooses fruit as a snack, drinks water instead of anything else. I celebrate just a little. It may seem like an insignificant step to them, but I know it is not. It is a step in the right direction.

Change doesn’t come in a one time, monumental shift, it comes in little steps, practiced consistently. The same way bad habits add up, so do the good ones. The difference is we don’t notice the good ones as much, or we think they aren’t important enough.

More plant-based benefits.

A new 23-year research project on more than 53,000 Danish people offers more evidence. They found that the participants with diets highest in flavonoids had the lowest risk of heart disease and cancer. Even if they had other risky habits, like drinking and smoking.

The lead researcher, Dr. Nicola Bondonno said,

“Flavonoids have been shown to be anti-inflammatory and improve blood vessel function, which may explain why they are associated with a lower risk of death from heart disease and cancer..”

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190813080204.htm

What are flavonoids? They are a group of phytonutrients found in almost all fruits and vegetables. They are responsible for the vivid colours of these foods and there are more than 6,000 different types.

Dr. Bondonno also says that participants that ate about 500 mg per day had the lowest risk of cancer and heart disease. This is the equivalent of 1 cup of tea, 1 apple, 1 orange, 100 grams (1 cup) of blueberries, and 100 grams of broccoli.

There are a lot of other benefits of eating like this. You will be eating more fiber and most people are fiber deficient. You will get more nutrients from whole foods, and we use these nutrients better than any supplement. It will benefit your gut bacteria and the more flavonoid containing foods you eat the less likely you will be filling up on other foods.

I don’t know how long I will live, or what will happen in the future, but I do know that every time I eat well, or exercise, I am improving my odds. Maybe even more importantly, I feel good right now. I have seen the (possible) future and I am doing what I can to have a different ending.

Change your mind, change your life,

Shayla