100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (15 page)

corn tortillas, and anything else made with corn. Read your labels,

because you’ll be surprised where corn is lurking.

●
Limit dairy. There are great alternatives for cow’s milk such as almond

milk, coconut milk, and rice milk. Plant-based milks can also have more

calcium than cow’s milk and less fat. Choose the unsweetened versions

when you can. There are wonderful plant-based mayonnaises, butters,

and yogurts out there as well, and they taste exactly the same or better

than their dairy-containing counterparts.

●
Limit or eliminate eggs and egg products.

●
Limit or eliminate beef and chicken, particularly industrial-produced (fac-

tory farm) corn-fed versus organic grass-fed meat products.

●
Limit or eliminate soybean oil, safflower oil, and other polyunsaturated

vegetable oils and switch to
olive oil,
a monounsaturated oil that is neutral

Perk #10: Cancer Gave Me Something to Hope For

51

(monos do not affect inflammation). You get even more benefits if the

olive oil is extra-virgin organic. Technically, EVOO stands for extra virgin

olive oil, but I like to use EVOOO, which is extra-virgin,
organic
olive oil.

Extra virgin
means it’s minimally processed.

To increase omega-3s:

●
If you eat fish, increase fish intake—mackerel, sardines, or salmon (wild

fish if possible)—to two to three times a week.

●
Increase deep-green, leafy vegetables—spinach, kale, and other dark greens.

●
Include algae supplements, which are loaded with omega-3s, and can be

grown organically. (Please check with your health provider to see if these

are right for you.) There are many different kinds to choose from. If you’re

not sure, consult your naturopath or healthcare provider for the proper

kind.

●
Include walnuts and freshly ground flaxseeds as they are rich in alpha-

linolenic acid (ALA), which converts to omega-3 fatty acid in your body.

●
Include chia seeds in your diet as one tablespoon of chia seeds can have

as much omega-3s as five fish oil capsules. Simply toss them in salads,

shakes, or cereals.

●
As a last resort, include fish oil capsules in your daily regimen. While flax

seed oil capsules are also an option, fish oils provide a better form of

omega-3 that is more easily metabolized by the body, Flax seed oil also

lacks the beneficial cancer-fighting part of the flax: lignans.

So how do you know that your new “omega diet” is working? There are

blood tests available that will measure the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty

acids in your body so you can see how close your levels are to desirable.

You can obtain the tests kits from a mail-order company, supply a small

blood sample at home, and mail it in for results. It’s not enough just to

measure the omega-3s, as some tests do. You must measure the ratio of

omega-6 to omega-3, as it is the ratio that determines your risk of inflam-

matory illness.

52

100 Perks of Having Cancer

Counting every single milligram of fatty acid that you consume so you

can look at the ratios for the rest of your life would be a bit ridiculous, but

if you’re moving toward a cancer-fighting diet, it would be a good idea to

count your omega-3s and omega-6s for a few days so you can see where

your levels are to identify where to make changes. Once you know where

omega’s lurk, it’s easier to make good dietary choices. A great place to find

the omega-3 to omega-6 content of your favorite foods is at www.nutrition

data.com.

A Bit About Omega-3 Fish Oil Capsules

Eating the whole food is the best way to get omega-3s, but you may choose

to use supplements in your daily dietary routine. Omega-3 fish oil capsules

are one way to get the omega-3 fatty acids that your body needs to be

healthy. New research indicates that two grams of omega-3 supplements

daily (usually four capsules) can actually change the length of your telom-

eres, which are the structures that tell your healthy cells to live longer. Fish

oil is sold in 1,000 milligram capsules, but not all 1,000 of those milligrams

are omega-3 fatty acids. Fish oil also contains docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)

and eicosapentaenoic (EPA), which are great for your heart. That means that

only about 500 milligrams of that capsule are actually omega-3s.

Please note that not all fish oils are created equal.

●
Some companies make their fish oil from all kinds of fish—sardines,

mackerel, salmon, tuna, and anything else they can catch in the wild, or

in a fish farm. Farmed fish have a lot more contaminants, pesticides, and

PCBs (pollution byproducts) than wild-caught fish.

●
To remove the contaminants, some companies put their fish oil through

a process called molecular distillation. This process uses high heat and

chemicals to break apart the omega-3 chain and essentially gives you the

important parts of the fatty acid in pieces. (I generally avoid “processed”

anything.) Not the most efficient way for your body to use it, but better

than nothing.

●
Some companies add vitamin E to the capsule to keep the oil from going

rancid. Most unstable fish oil capsules will say on the bottle, “Refrigerate

Perk #10: Cancer Gave Me Something to Hope For

53

after opening.” With quality capsules, this is not necessary. (My personal

recommendation is Wholemega by New Chapter, but there are many

others.)

If you take anything away from reading this health tip, it should be the

following:

1. Increase your dietary sources of omega-3 fatty acids by eating more

veggies and high omega-3 plant-based foods like chia seeds, or if you

must by eating fish or taking omega-3 capsules. If you decide to take a

fish oil capsule, research it so you know what you are taking, how pure

the fish oil is, how the oil is processed, and the philosophy of the

company that is supplying your supplements.

2. Try to reduce your intake of omega-6 (corn products and vegetable oils)

to avoid encouraging the inflammatory process that may put you at risk

for dozens of chronic illnesses by throwing off your

omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. This does not mean you

Increasing omega-3 fatty

need to completely cut out foods that are high in

acid intake and decreasing

omega-6, like healthy protein-rich hemp seeds for

omega-6 intake can have

example, but be mindful of your intake so you can still

dramatic health benefits

hit that 4:1 (or even better 2:1) omega-6 to omega-3

that can reduce your risk

ratio. Switching out food during your day like olive oil

of a long list of illnesses,

for sunflower oil or flax crackers for corn chips are sim-

including cancer.

ple small ways to tip the scales in your favor and have

a significant healthy effect.

3. Please talk to your health provider if you decide to start taking any sup-

plement, as fish oils can interfere with some medications, particularly

blood-thinning agents.

Perk #11

Cancer Made Me Realize

My Own Strength

T
here is nothing like a battle with cancer to prove

to yourself just how strong you really are. Ten years

ago, if I could have looked into the future and saw

forty-four-year-old Florence: divorced, single parent-

ing three children, dealing with the many challenges

of having a child with autism, and then facing cancer

on top of that, well, I probably would have said,

“Hand me a rope, would ya?” But I would have been

underestimating the strength of forty-four-year-old

Florence. Not only did I handle it, but I experienced

some of the most joyful moments of my life in the

process! It is true: God never gives us more than we

can handle. But God, if you are listening, “I GET IT! I’M STRONG! Now go

pick on someone your own size.”

Celebrate your own strength!

HEALTH TIP #11

Celebrate Healthy Fats

C
ooking was a lot different when you were a kid. Back then your mom’s

choices were:

●
pot roast or steak?
●
baked or fried?

●
crisco or lard?

I 54 J