100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (92 page)

soy. Get informed

want to avoid GMO products, labels that say “made with

and make sure none

non-GMO soy” can be deceptive, as the product might be

of it sticks to you.

made with GMO
and
non-GMO soy and the labeling would

still be accurate. To avoid GMO products, look for “organic”

on the label and make sure all ingredients are organic. By law, organic foods

cannot be GMOs. This is one time where buying organic might be worth

it. But keep in mind that
soy protein isolates
are never organic. GMO crops,

and the health concerns they potentially pose, continue to be studied and

debated worldwide. There are many things in the past that were deemed

“safe” by the powers that be that were reversed later because of overwhelm-

ing evidence. Case in point: the pesticide DDT.

Side note:
In Europe, GMO foods are required to be labeled as such.

Unfortunately, a recent battle in California was lost that would have

required companies in the United States to specify on the label if a product

contained GMO ingredients. Due to the efforts of major food giants like

Kellogg, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Kraft Foods, Heinz, and others, millions

of dollars were pumped into ad campaigns that swayed the public to vote

the law down. With major corporations owning and running the majority

of “organic” businesses these days, you may want to look twice at what

they’re passing off as “healthy organic food products.” For a list of big com-

panies that pose as small organic farms, go to www.OrganicConsumers.org.

You can also find out more about GMO food at www.who.int; click on

“Health Topics” to navigate to GMO foods.

If you’re looking to soy for protein, it’s one of the best places to look, as

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

soy is the perfect protein for humans. But you don’t need soy to get proper

protein intake. Remember, there is protein in everything you eat, and eating

“consciously” and including whole plant-based foods will provide you with

the perfect amount of protein intake, as eating a plant-based diet will provide

8 to 10 percent protein, which conveniently, is the percentage of protein that

should be included in a healthy diet. Here’s a list for comparison. I’ve

included tofu, veggie burgers, and soy milk for comparison purposes only.

FOOD

SERVING

PROTEIN
(grams)

Tempeh

1 cup

41

Soybeans, cooked

1 cup

29

Lentils, cooked

1 cup

18

Veggie burger

1 patty

13

Chickpeas, cooked

1 cup

12

Tofu, firm

4 oz.

11

Quinoa, cooked

1 cup

8

Peas, cooked

1 cup

9

Peanut butter

2 tbsps.

8

Veggie dog

1 link

8

Spaghetti, cooked

1 cup

8

Almonds

1/4 cup

8

Soy milk, commercial, plain

1 cup

7

Almond butter

2 tbsps.

5

Spinach, cooked

1 cup

5

Broccoli, cooked

1 cup

4

Perk #91: Free T-Shirts

389

I know, lots of info here. Skimmed through this health tip and just want

the nutshell version? Here it is:

●
Soy is a great source of protein, providing the kind of protein your body

needs for total health, but it also contains hormonal components called

isoflavones that can have variable effects depending on the amount and

type of soy foods eaten.

●
For those who never had cancer or who have a cancer that is not “hor-

monal,” a little bit of soy (1 to 2 servings of healthy soy) in your diet can

help prevent further cancer and heart disease. But if you don’t normally

eat soy, this may not be a reason to start. There are plenty of other things

besides eating soy that you can do to reduce your risk.

●
A 2012 study shows that women with a history of breast cancer (both

ER-positive and ER-negative) who ate soy in their diets reduced their risk

of their cancer coming back by 25 percent, but the study needs to be

repeated and verified and a lot more questions answered before it is

adopted as a rule.

●
Organic whole soybeans are the best form of soy with the most beneficial

health effects when used in moderation and as part of an overall plant-

based diet.

●
Fermented forms of soy like soybean miso and tempeh have health ben-

efits that go beyond other forms of soy. They are minimally processed

and aged, which makes them easier to digest, and typically very small

amounts are used in cooking. These types of soy have been part of Asian

cultures for thousands of years. Asian countries have among the lowest

cancer incidence rates in the world.

●
Soymilk, tofu, and soy cheese are processed forms of soy and are not as

healthy as the whole or fermented forms and should not be your first

choice when choosing a soy product. If you don’t normally eat these types

of foods, don’t start now.

●
Everyone should avoid soy supplements as they contain unnaturally high

levels of isoflavones, the “hormone” part of soy.

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

●
Soy protein isolates and hydrolyzed soy protein are highly chemically

processed and unhealthy and don’t resemble a soybean at all either visu-

ally or nutritionally. They may actually be doing some harm. Unfortu-

nately, you are eating these forms of soy every day if you eat processed

packaged foods. Check your labels.

●
Using soybean oil, since there is no protein in it, does not have any effect

on hormonal cancers or heart disease. Soy sauce, as long as it’s made the

traditional fermented way as opposed to using hydrolyzed soy, and does

not contain preservatives or artificial coloring, has no effect, either pos-

itive or negative, on cancer either.

●
It is important for you to follow the advice of your healthcare profes-

sional, but it is also important that your healthcare professional is well

informed and up-to-date on the subject of soy.

Perk #92

Skipping the Line

at the ER

S
ubtitle: “How I wound up spending Friday Evening Happy Hour at the

Emergency Room.”

Well, it all started with a little bird. While visiting my boyfriend Shawn

one weekend, I discovered a nest right in one of the flowerpots, surrounded

by dahlias and petunias.

I was so honored to have this feathery visitor to our garden that I decided

to roll up my sleeves and do a major garden makeover. As I weeded, pruned,

and mulched, I felt myself getting more and more tired. Not the normal

tiredness that comes with a good honest

day’s work, but the low energy, chills, and

sense of unwellness that could only mean

one thing: an infection.

My plans for Friday evening involved

sitting on my friend Kathy’s patio, hav-

ing “just-the-one” glass of wine, and

enjoying the sunny weather—not sitting

in a hospital waiting room! By that

point in time, I figured that I had grad-

uated to the status of “cancer survivor” and my trips to the ER were a thing

of the past. On a brighter note, however, as soon as I mentioned my history

of cancer, I was fast-tracked to the head of the long line! It came as a pleas-

ant surprise to me that I was still getting perks, even though I was no longer

technically considered a cancer patient. In no time, I found myself on a

stretcher, hooked up to IV antibiotics, and dodging dirty looks from the

many patients who had been biding their time waiting to be seen by a

doctor. (I spoke to one guy who had been waiting for more than seven

hours!)

I 391 J

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

Surrounded by the familiar hospital smells, the sound of the IV pump,

and the feel of the needle in my arm, I found myself experiencing “chemo

flashback.” I was gripped with fear and a profound sadness, as I felt the

hot tears bubble to the surface.
It is just not fair,
I thought.
I am done with

cancer, why can’t I just move on with my life?
Followed by,
Cancer will always