Tag Archives: nutrition

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/

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 Secret to Great Tea

Let Food be Your Medicine, ,

As much as you can eat healthy, it’s also important to remember to drink healthy too. Tea is very healing.
-Kristin Chenoweth, American actress and singer

The healing benefits of green tea are well documented for cancer patients. Do you try to have a cup each day? It would be easier to swallow without the bitter aftertaste. Yet there is a little secret about how to brew it, and other teas, to greatly enhance their flavor.

You’ll spend far less money on your tea, and get better-tasting brew at the same time with this method.

The secret is in the tea-making process, which I learned from my sister, Roselie, who learned it from some Turkish friends.

To get great-tasting tea, start with a double boiler, which is a two-layered pot. Don’t have a double boiler? You can create one with a regular 3-quart pot and a sturdy glass bowl. Place the glass bowl into the pot so it nestles inside but still sits a good inch above the bottom of the pot.

Pour half an inch of water into the bottom pot. In the top pot or bowl, add a few cups of water and enough tea for a typical single cup. Cover with a lid.

I let mine sit overnight on the stove top to begin the process. In the morning, I turn the heat on a low setting and let the water come to a slow boil. This will gradually allow the full flavor of the tea to infuse the water in the top portion.

Your reward—a few cups of delicious tea from one tea bag.

Loose-leaf teas tend to have larger leaves and produce more flavor. If you use tea bags instead, I would suggest removing the tea from its bag. Many bags contain unnatural ingredients that can be released into the tea at high temperatures. The loosened tea can be put in a tea ball or placed straight in the water. Then you can strain your tea through a sieve when pouring it.

With some herbal teas this slow-steeping method doesn’t bring out the flavor as well, so you might have to experiment. For green and black teas, I find I enjoy the flavor more, which means I’ll drink more to get the benefits.

Be tea-totaller. Sip your health-promoting brew with pleasure.

Thriver Soup Ingredient:

Loose-leaf organic green tea has been shown to inhibit metastasis, boost the immune system, reduce inflammation, detoxify the body, enhance the effectiveness of radiotherapy, and increase bone density.

Be Like Royalty: Add Cress

Let Food be Your Medicine, ,

Roast fowl to him that’s sated will seem less
Upon the board than leaves of garden cress.

— Saadi Shirazi, Persian poet

 

Garden cress might not be filling, but it adds a peppery spiciness and lots of nutrients to your meal. It’s been cultivated for thousands of years and enjoyed by royalty.

I got my first-ever taste a few weeks ago through my community-supported agriculture program, Earth-Shares CSA. I had heard of watercress sandwiches, so I rooted around and found a simple solution: toast with butter and cress.

I tried it. What a fun new taste—and even my college-aged son loved it. We have a new summer fave. Especially because garden cress has as much anti-cancer potential as cabbage, kohlrabi, and Chinese broccoli. And apparently it even has more vitamin C than oranges.

If you know someone with cataracts or age-related macular degeneration, maybe gift them some potted cress.

Other goodies in these greens include Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper, and Manganese.

Another benefit is this annual is supposedly easy to grow in the house, so you can get a fresh dose anytime, and enjoy it like royalty.

Thriver Soup Ingredient:

Here are some cress recipes to try: https://cressinfo.com/recipes/

Sources:

http://www.fao.org/docrep/t0646e/T0646E0t.htm

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2437/2

https://www.healwithfood.org/health-benefits/garden-cress-nutritional-benefits.php