Tag Archives: healthy eating

NED… Now What?

Complementary Therapies, Let Food be Your Medicine, , , , , ,
So you are told you are free of evidence of disease.
YIPPEEEE!!!
And…
What do you do now?
How many people are told they have no evidence of disease, only for the cancer to come roaring back months, or even years, later?
Knowing this, do you go back to living the way you did when you were diagnosed? Or do you change your life on a permanent basis to increase your chances for long-term survival?
When I struggled for 2 terrible years to get into remission, I understood that any change I made most likely needed to be permanent. I knew that the way I had been living had contributed to the development of the cancer; the logical choice was to change my life so the cancer would no longer feel at home in my body.
I know my life patterns led to the collapse of my health. They had to be changed for me to get permanently out of trouble. One aspect was my diet. Before the cancer, it was pretty good–lots of certified organic produce–but after the end-stage diagnosis I ramped it up considerably.
One permanent change was creating a daily green smoothie. Soon after the diagnosis, my brother Walter gave me a Vitamix, a high-speed blender I wanted so I could make those sludgies.
After 12 years of daily use, sometimes hard use, sometimes 3-times-a-day use, my Vitamix finally gave out.
I have lived longer than my Vitamix! That is truly miraculous.
I immediately bought another machine and plan to continue using it daily for the rest of my life. Unless I outlive this one, too. Which, of course, I fully intend to do.
It’s already getting hard workouts. After only a week the pitcher has a slight fogginess to it, because my smoothies are full of minerals and vitamins. The cloudiness bears witness to all the nutrients I’m getting. Weeds in my garden are fair game. Today’s sludgie was blanched dandelion greens, stems and flowers, concord grape seeds, red clover flowers, and eggshell membranes. Not at all delicious, but that is not my goal. I aim for maximum nutrition for maximum health.
That was my goal during the cancer treatment, and everything else I did was aimed at my goal of survival. I changed every other aspect of my life to improve my chances of living. Once I had made enough changes–to everyone’s amazement–I went into radical remission.
And have stayed healthy for ten full years, receiving no treatments at all and showing no evidence of any disease.
So I am keeping these changes because I like being healthy and alive! And I am delighted to have outlived my blender.
If you are looking for guidance on how to get out of cancerland, perhaps we can work together to free you so your body can do what it does naturally–heal itself. As a Champion in Cancer Care, I can offer insights and wisdom to ease your way.
Please Contact me today for a free consultation:
513
444-0190

Simple satisfying recipe: Roasted radishes with leeks

Let Food be Your Medicine, , , ,

Sometimes I just want chips, dang it. Ever feel that way?

I don’t buy them except on rare occasions, so I make my own, thanks to a great tip Kathy Nace gave me a few years ago.

You can use pretty much any root vegetable. Add a leek, olive oil, salt and pepper, and it gets delicious.

All root vegetables are buried treasures, virtual storehouses of potassium, vitamin C, and other minerals. I don’t think I’d get any of those goodies from a bag of chips.

Last week,  I picked up some beautiful purple radishes at a local farm and decided it was time to bake with leeks.

 

 

 

I sliced them evenly for even backing and preheated my oven to 350 °. 

 

 

 

 

I mixed them in a bowl with olive oil. I am very picky about my oils. The seals on this bottle’s label tell what I look for when at the grocery store. You might have to hunt to find a bottle showing the California Olive Oil Council Certified Extra Virgin seal on the left of this label.

I added salt and pepper. You can try adding a variety of things to change up the flavor–herbs like thyme, spices like cumin, and garlic is yummy … this time I just wanted something quick and simple.

I spread the roots on a baking sheet.

 

 

 

 

I roasted them for about 30 minutes, stirred, and roasted for another 20 or 30, until crisp-tender.

Mmmm!

Source: Thriver Soup, pg. 143-144.

“Thrive Global” interview on cultivating well-being

Complementary Therapies, Let Food be Your Medicine, Mapping the Emotions, Mending the Mind, Minding the Body, Soaring with Spirit, , , , , , ,
Heidi Bright of ‘Bright Concepts’:
“Exhale slowly through your right nostril”
Photo by Laura Dague Dailey

When I feel good, I find it much easier to eat nutritious foods. When I feel like crap, I am drawn to crappy food to self-soothe, but it always backfires and I end up feeling worse. One way to circumvent this tendency is to allow myself a small amount of the junk food — like a small handful […]

By Ben Ari
17-minute read, https://thriveglobal.com/stories/1967357/

Brain Hackers and I discuss “brain training” to manage emotions

Complementary Therapies, Let Food be Your Medicine, Mapping the Emotions, , , ,

Two-time Guinness Record holder for greatest memory, Dave Farrow, and I discuss

  • how to manage emotions from a brain perspective;
  • managing stress; and
  • reducing inflammation

in this 18-minute episode. Enjoy!

Episode 123 – Heidi Bright – Author Thriver Soup

How to Make a Delicious, Cancer-Fighting Valentine’s Treat

Let Food be Your Medicine, , , ,

Valentine’s Day gives rise the urge to eat sugary treats. Unfortunately, processed sugar causes inflammation, which is not good for those dealing with cancer.

Here’s a satisfying way around the sugar shackles that I enjoy. It’s naturally sweet, creamy, quick, easy, nutritious, and even color-coordinated.

And best of all, it can help fight cancer.

All it takes is a high-speed blender with a pusher, some frozen red berries, and a banana.

I consider my high-speed blender a vital part of my anti-cancer lifestyle. I use mine daily for green smoothies, and sometimes I’ll use it three times in one day. I am fortunate that my brother Walter gave me a Vitamix after my diagnosis. I believe using it provides my body with access to fresh, vital nutrients I might not get any other way.

Red berries are nutritional powerhouses. They boost the immune system and provide cell-protecting antioxidants. Raspberries and strawberries contain especially high amounts of ellagic acid, a phytochemical that interferes with cancer development. [1]

Bananas contain vitamin B6 (good for dealing with neuropathy), fiber, potassium (especially important during chemo, I found), magnesium, vitamin C, and manganese.[2]

Cut your peeled banana in half and stick both halves in the bottom of your blender.

 

 

 

 

Measure out 2 cups of frozen berries and pour them on top.

 

 

 

 

Turn on your blender and use your pusher to get the fruit to mix.

 

 

 

 

Viola! A delicious, sweet, creamy, frozen dessert for Valentine’s Day.

 

 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Sources:

[1] Thriver Soup, pg.  117

[2] www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/bananas/

10 Ways to Reduce Inflammation

Complementary Therapies, Let Food be Your Medicine, , ,

Perhaps a good defense against Covid-19, and cancer, is a good offense: reduce inflammation in the body. https://thriversoup.com/2020/05/09/protecting-from-covid-19/ Here are my first ten ways, all found in my book, Thriver Soup.

(Always discuss with your doctor before starting anything new)

 #1 Tart Cherries
“Tart cherries are high in antioxidants, which help reduce inflammation.”
Thriver Soup, Pg. 124

#2 Quercetin
“The flavonoid #quercetin ‘has demonstrated anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects. Quercetin turns the twelve milligrams of vitamin C in the apple into the equivalent of 1,500 milligrams of vitamin C.’”
Thriver Soup, Pg. 114

#3 Moving Our Bodies
“Moving our bodies can help balance our hormones, reduce blood sugar levels, reduce inflammation, decrease fatigue, protect our immune systems, and reduce the risks of recurrence.”
Thriver Soup, Pg. 172

#4 Blueberries
“Blueberries are high in flavonoids, which have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.”
Thriver Soup, Pg. 117

#5 Curcumin
“Curcumin works against cancer development in at least ten different ways, affecting each stage of the disease. It offers powerful antitumor, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. It stimulates the immune system. It blocks the formation of blood vessels to tumors while promoting the flow of blood to wounds. Turmeric intensifies the anti-cancer activity of other plant-based nutrients, especially green tea and black pepper. It enhances the effectiveness of chemotherapy.”
Thriver Soup, Pg. 119

#6 Bay Leaves
“Bay leaf contains parthenolide, shown to slow the appearance and growth of breast tumors in mice in a Russian study. This anti-inflammatory is a potent anti-oxidant.”
Thriver Soup, Pg. 127

#7 Citrus Fruit
“Citrus fruits have anti-inflammatory flavonoids and stimulate the detoxification of carcinogens by the liver.”
Thriver Soup, Pg. 124

#8 Pomegranates
“Pomegranates are full of polyphenols, are anti-inflammatory, contain antioxidants, and have other anti-cancer components.”
Thriver Soup, Pg. 124

#9 Coriander Seeds
“Coriander seeds appear to relieve constipation as well as help prevent colon cancer. Their anti-inflammatory properties protect against nerve damage. They also might lower blood sugar and increase the release of insulin from the pancreas.”
Thriver Soup, Pg. 125-6

#10 Flax Seeds
“Flax seeds are a rich plant source of omega-3 fatty acids which reduce inflammation, and of lignans, which can retard the growth of cancerous cells. Researchers found that women who consumed the most lignans had the lowest risk of breast cancer. Lignans also appear to enhance the benefits of the chemotherapy drug tamoxifen. Flax seeds need to be ground and immediately consumed for humans to gain access to their nutrients. Eating cereals and chips containing flax seeds probably won’t provide the benefits for which you might be looking. They might, however, provide more fiber, which is useful.”
Thriver Soup, Pg. 126

 

How to make a quick green smoothie

Complementary Therapies, Let Food be Your Medicine, , , ,

Do you feel like you lack the time and/or energy to make green smoothies? Are you having trouble meeting your quota of three to five servings of dark leafies every day?

Salad greens in a high-speed blender

Here’s a simple smoothie you can make if you have a high-speed blender. It provides dark leafy greens and green tea. One of my brothers even tried it and said it wasn’t bad… that it tasted like foam.

Dark leafies contain beta-carotene, vitamin C, folic acid, and important trace minerals.

green tea
green tea

The main advantage of green tea lies in its polyphenol, EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate). EGCG influences what DNA codes are expressed inside cells. Green tea has been shown to stimulate the immune system, inhibit metastasis, reduce inflammation, provide anti-oxidants, promote the effectiveness of radiotherapy, and detoxify the body. It can even help increase bone density (Thriver Soup, pg. 149).

Of course, talk with your health care provider first (especially if you are on blood thinners).

simple green smoothie
simple green smoothie

Simply load up your blender with salad greens, then add some freshly made green tea cooled with ice. Blend and serve. Viola! Power-packed vitality for your body.

Watch Thriver Soup on Local12 WKRC and enter to win a free copy!

Let Food be Your Medicine, , , , ,

“What’s Happening in Health” with anchor Liz Bonis featured Thriver Soup on Sunday. It starts around minute 16.

https://local12.com/health/whats-happening-in-health/whats-happening-in-health-november-11-2018?fbclid=IwAR26OaY-pqg55iemxeuvmD7dNjMsgRPmNRdZKc5BgwQ9s05Vbx_oMZL0H-U

Be a lucky winner! Like and share Caitlin Wells’s Facebook post about her drawing to win a free signed copy of Thriver Soup! Saturday join Caitlin Wells and me at the Healing Inspirations Center booth at Victory of Light, Sharonville Convention Center. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1123398107784978&set=p.1123398107784978&type=3&theater

Photo by James Harrison

 

A Little Chocolate a Day

Let Food be Your Medicine, ,

A little chocolate a day keeps the doctor at bay.

~ Marcia Carrington

 

If only…

While the health benefits of chocolate have been touted in recent years, the added sugar and other ingredients can turn a good thing bad.

My answer? Make my own. Then I know what I’m putting in my mouth.

I bought some food-grade cocoa butter and raw organic cacao powder, then hunted down a recipe online for making chocolate.

Before making my own, I was inspired when my friend Laura and I toured Chocolate: The Exhibition at the Cincinnati Museum Center. The displays tell the history of chocolate from the Mayans to now. It included a tasting area (on special days) with a few samples of different types of chocolate.

In the little shop at the exit area, we couldn’t resist trying out a delicious 70% dark bar of just cacao and organic cane sugar. Mmmm. I don’t know if that bar would keep a doctor at bay, but it might help me hold off a visit to a psychologist…

Thriver Soup Ingredient:

Here’s a chocolate recipe that fits the bill for me:

https://eatbeautiful.net/2015/07/04/homemade-chocolate-with-cocoa-butter/

The recipe calls for raw honey. The many benefits of raw honey are on pg. 47 in Thriver Soup. If you believe it’s still too much in the way of carbs or simple sugars, perhaps you can experiment with other sweeteners, like xylitol or stevia, and add other flavorings.

I’m in the process of experimenting with different non-cane-sugar sweeteners and a little flavoring. So far the raw honey is smooth, pairs well with hazelnut extract, and melts quickly. I find the coconut nectar sugar makes the chocolate extra hard. The chocolate sweetened with xylitol is a little crunchy (unless you can find xylitol in a superfine variety) and pairs well with mint, almond, and vanilla flavoring. This way it tastes like a Peppermint Patty candy to me. Mmmm.

What have you tried, and how has it worked?

How 2 Got into Radical Remission

Complementary Therapies, Events, Mapping the Emotions, Soaring with Spirit, , , ,

Marcia McMahon, in radical remission from stage 4 breast cancer, and I talked on her Peaceful Planet podcast recently.

Among our topics were Mary Magdalene, Thriver Soup’s cover art by Margaret and Keith Klein, music by Sunflower, when I had an idea my cancer was over (a dream I had), energy healing, healthy eating, and of course, how to manage emotions. We also did a brief version of the guided visualization, A Conversation with Dis-ease.

The interview starts at 7:55. Enjoy!

https://bbsradio.com/podcast/peaceful-planet-august-11-2018