100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (48 page)

of arthritis, heart disease, cancer, and a number of autoimmune diseases.

Kale is an incredibly effective anti-inflammatory food, potentially pre-

venting and even reversing these illnesses.

●
Iron content:
It is a common myth that vegetarians are anemic. In fact,

the number of nonvegetarians with iron deficiencies is on the rise. Kale

is a great source of iron and, per calorie, even has more iron than beef!

●
Calcium content:
Kale contains more calcium per calorie than milk (90

mg per serving), and the calcium is also more easily absorbed by the body

than dairy products.

194

100 Perks of Having Cancer

●
Fiber content:
Like protein, fiber is a macronutrient, which means we

need it every day. Many people don’t eat nearly enough and the deficiency

is linked to heart disease, digestive disorders, and colon cancer, along

with everyday annoyances like bloating and constipation. A one-cup serv-

ing of kale not only contains 10 percent of the recommended daily intake

of fiber but as an added bonus, also provides over two grams of protein.

●
Omega fatty acids:
Essential omega fats (the “good” kind of fats) play

an important role in our health. A serving of kale contains an impressive

121 mg of omega-3 fatty acids and 92 mg of omega-6 fatty acids, which

is great when you’re trying to boost your omega-3s.

●
Immunity properties:
Immunity is the key to cancer resistance. Kale is

an incredibly rich source of immune-boosting carotenoid and flavonoid

antioxidants that provide vitamins A and C. One serving of kale has 134

percent of the U.S. recommended daily allowance for vitamin C and an

impressive 206 percent of the U.S. recommended daily allowance for vita-

min A—that’s 10,302 IUs!

●
Environmental sustainability:
Kale grows to maturity in fifty-five to sixty

days. Kale can grow in most climates and is relatively easy to grow at

home or on a farm. Just for comparison, raising one pound of beef

requires sixteen pounds of grain, eleven times as much fossil fuel, and

2,400 more gallons of water than growing one pound of kale.

●
Low cal:
One cup of fresh kale has 30 calories and less than one mil-

ligram of fat per cup. Nuff said.

●
Cancer-fighting kick:
Kale belongs to the botanical family known as

cruciferous, which has broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts as its

siblings. These vegetables are extremely high in phytochemicals, sulfora -

phane, and indole-3-carbinol. These are not just fancy words, they are

also substances that have been shown to protect against cancer.

And I am pretty sure if kale were still boasting, it would have to add, “I

offer many varieties to choose from like Redbor, Red Russian, Kamome Red,

and Premier.”

Perk #49: Cancer Motivated Me to Eat Healthier

195

Unlike broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts, kale can actually dis-

guise itself as a junk food. Yes, folks, you heard it here first: kale chips! Just

think of how cool it would be to sit in front of the TV, eat chips, and fight

cancer at the same time. (Just to be clear here, it’s the kale chips,
not
the sit-

ting in front of the TV that fights cancer.) Kale shrinks to one

half its amount with baking, which is great because you can eat

Kale, any way you

twice as much without even knowing it. For this recipe, if you

make it, is a great

start with 12 cups, you’ll have 6 when you finish, but you can

addition to your

really start off with any amount of kale, just know that you’ll end

healthy diet.

up with half that amount when they’re done.

KALE CHIPS

YIELD: 6 CUPS

1 bunch kale (12 cups after stems removed), fresh from a farmers market

if you can, as kale’s flavor declines rapidly after it’s picked;

curly, flat, and Siberian varieties work well.

1 to 2 tablespoons organic extra virgin olive oil

(or more depending on the amount of kale)

Desired seasoning: sea salt, Old Bay, cumin, garlic,

or other seasonings, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.

2. Make sure your kale is well washed. I add about 1/8 to 1/4 cup of salt to

the water in a full sink for extra cleaning as this helps remove any critters or

dirt still clinging. Remove the stems and rip the leaves into large chip-size

pieces. Not too small. Remember, they will shrink quite a bit.

3. Dry the kale extremely well. I can’t emphasize this enough. They should be

dry; not damp, not almost dry, but completely dry. Really, really dry. Bone

dry. Am I making myself clear? I left mine to sit out on dry paper towels for

a few hours.

196

100 Perks of Having Cancer

4. Place leaves in a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil. You want to coat

each piece without drenching it. Work the oil into each leaf with your finger-

tips. (Then work the oil into your cuticles—it’s great.)

5. Place pieces in a single layer on a cookie sheet and season as you like, or

you can season the oil for a more uniform flavor.

6. Bake for 20 minutes.

7. Let cool for 10 minutes and pig out . . . er, veg out.

Store in airtight, firm bowls, not bags, as the chips are very delicate.

Hail to the kale!

When boiling or sautéing kale or putting it in a shake,

use the stalks, as they hold additional nutrition.

However, when making chips, the stalks become sticklike,

so remove them (unless you are partial to eating sticks).

NUTRITION:

1 medium bunch raw (about 12 cups after stems removed) yields 6 cups of

chips. Serving size: 1 cup; calories: 60; fat: 0; fiber: 2 grams; protein: 4 grams;

vitamin A: 412% of the RDA; vitamin C: 268% of the RDA; vitamin K: 1368%

of the RDA; iron: 12% of the RDA; calcium: 18% RDA; carbs: 14 grams.

Perk #50

Receiving Special Gifts

F
or me, one of the nicest perks of

having cancer was being showered

with get-well cards and gifts. Every gift,

big and small, was special to me. Some

gifts, however, in addition to being a

thoughtful gesture, also had an inter-

esting story behind them. The figurine

of an angel holding a butterfly (pic-

tured right), given to me by my friend

Ronnie, is one such gift.

For many years, the angels have

played an important role in my life.

(You can get away with saying stuff like

that once you have had cancer.) I call

upon them on a daily basis for mun-

dane things, such as helping me to

locate lost items and keeping me safe

on the highway. They have also helped me to weather the stormy times

in my life. The angels have seen me through a painful divorce and my

son’s diagnosis of autism. I know they are about when I feel their peace -

ful presence and I get a sense of knowing that everything will be okay. The

angels also let me know when they are at work with the symbol of a blue

butterfly.

Never before have I needed reassurance from my angels as much as I

did in the spring of 2011 when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Even

though I endured many uncomfortable and painful procedures, nothing can

compare to the mental anguish of waiting for test results. Finding out about

my diagnosis was not the worst part of this journey. The worst part of the