January 2006

Recovery and knocking this damn thing right out


Since coming out of hospital, I have been concentrating on sorting out my diet as I can see I was not one of the healthiest eaters on the planet. A typical day would begin like this; a cup of coffee with a slice of whole meal buttered toast and a dollop of marmalade. I love marmalade. Then, a little after I had arrived in the office and answered/deleted/laughed at some e-mails, I would have a white coffee sometimes with a currant bun or pain au chocolat. I might drink a couple of cups of water during the morning if I remembered. Lunch would be the 'healthy' section of the day and I would often eat a pasta salad with green leaves included, some fruit, and fruit juice. In the afternoon, about 3-4 pm I would need more food and be one of the first to help out with whatever Birthday celebration/leaving do there might be in the office and eat whatever cakes/biscuits were on offer. Cakes and biscuits would be washed down with tea or yet more coffee. In the evenings we'd eat late and it was not unusual to have a ready-made meal (so highly processed food) between 8.30 -9pm. And, as I also loved puddings, I would not think twice of heating a spotted dick/fruit crumble smother it with custard and wash it all down with..yes folks...you've guessed it, another cup of coffee. That's pretty much how it's been for the last 10 years.

All of this, combined with a largely sedentary occupation meant that my body's immune system was badly prepared for any major illness let alone cancer.
So, while I was in hospital I started to read Suzannah Olivier's excellent book " The breast cancer prevention and recovery diet "(which incidentally is on special offer on Amazon at the time of writing ). The author a cancer survivor and a qualified nutritionist has researched the subject meticulously. And, within a few pages the links between a healthy diet and low incidence of any cancer become quite obvious. Sadly it has taken a shock like this to make me see the error of my ways.

A recipe for health

I want to share some of the tips I have taken from the book which, because of the words 'Breast Cancer' on the front may not be read by the very people that need to read it most: people like me being busy in an office, too busy to look after themselves.

I have taken action to aid my recovery, reduce the risk of recurrence in my own case and of course prevent this from happening to any other member of my immediate family:

* I now start my day with a glass of warm water and continue to drink water for the rest of the day to try and achieve the 1.5 litres we should be drinking on a daily basis. I think I may be nudging close to that if you include herbal teas.

* I am eating a minimum of 5 fruit & veg. a day. Since 2nd January my diet has changed quite radically in fact. I usually have two kiwi fruit after my water then chop up a pear and eat it with my bran flakes and soya milk first thing. Mid morning I will have an orange followed by an apple. Lunch will typically be a salad based on spinach or other leaves with peppers, tomatoes and a boiled egg /whole meal roll. Mid afternoon I tend to eat a pear or other fruit then an evening meal around 7 pm based on vegetables sometimes with some oily fish followed by more fruit served perhaps with natural live organic yogurt.

* I add two tablespons of linseeds to my bran flakes/muesli each morning. I can't remember why I am doing this particular one but, as it's easy enough, in it goes.

* We have upweighted our purchase of organic food( less risk of pesticides and diseased animals landing on your plate). Not easy as it can be expensive but then so are some of the ready made meals we used to buy.

* Severely reduced intake of fats. Cakes and biscuits are no longer part of my daily routine. I had a cup of coffee on 1st january and not touched one since. I have switched to herbal teas and drink Green tea whenever I can, although it is a taste I am still trying to get used to.

* I am eating 3 portions of oily fish a week and making a conscious effort to eat beans or pulses on a daily basis.

* I have stepped up the fibre content of my food to aim for the 25 g Ms Olivier suggests and also reduced meat consumption to the point where I think I could live without it.

Naturally I have modified this for the children who are not being made to eat soya/linseeds but who are now eating a lot more organic fruit and vegetables.

The result ? Well, I thought I would be really miserable on all the 'rabbit food' etc but I have to report the opposite. I feel more alert, my concentration seems to have improved and ironically I feel healthier than I have felt for years. There are a lot of other things I have to fix however feel confident about the new approach.


Chocolate

This no longer features as one of the snacks I have on a daily basis. I am coping fairly well although I have not been able to cut it out completely. We have both switched to Green & Black's Organic plain chocolate (http://www.greenandblacks.com/) and allow ourselves a few squares a couple of times a week. The taste is completely different and lingers a lot longer. Mmmmmmm..... However my sister, talented and gifted girl that she is, recently found another really fabulous chocolate in a health food shop called Montezuma (http://www.montezumas.co.uk/). According to the Montezuma website Montezuma had 60 portions a day to keep his harem happy. A little excessive, even by my own standards, but he knew why he was doing it. No one try this it home. The montezuma's plain chocolate bar I tasted had a high cocoa content (73%). The chocolate is very strong and a little on the bitter side but,like Green & Black's, the taste lingers longer than the taste I used to get from chocolate with lower cocoa and higher sugar content,so one square was plenty.

Food shopping

Food shopping used to be a chore. Now it is something I look forward to. In fact I am on the verge of becoming a Dr Gillian McKeith (http://www.drgillianmckeith.com/) foodie fan: I linger with delight by the fruit and vegetable stalls buying as many as I can in all sorts of shapes and sizes. When I get to the check-out the trolley is a riot of colour.I feel so happy I want to start singing. And that's before I start eating any of it. Join me and start snacking on fruit, vegetables, seeds. Start drinking more water, at least 1.5 litres TODAY. Your body will thank you for it, you will start to fight off all those bugs people tend to get during the winter but most of all it will add sparkle to your eyes, and make you look and feel great. That's how it has been for me for the last two weeks at least. I hope it lasts forever.