Marginal Gains
Physical Healing – Diet
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Hippocrates
There is no doubt that what we eat has a direct impact on our health. Our diets have changed dramatically over the years and while advice on what is good and bad may be subtly different from time to time, the fact remains that there are some solid basics that can always be adhered to.
This is one of the hardest disciplines for me. I love my food and drink; my social life relies on it! However, I think this is the most important thing I can do to help myself.
I have gone from super strict to running more of an 80:20 regime as ive come to appreciate that living like a Saint is not very sustainable, and a little miserable. I think that the balance between strict diet, and the release of the “feel good” chemicals that are released in our bodies when feeling “happy” is a good compromise
Within the diet topic I also include supplements, that I have no doubt can make a difference.
Having read extensively on the subject there is no doubt that CANCERactive, www.canceractive.com has had a huge influence on what I put in my body. This is why they are one of my chosen charities, and I urge you to investigate what they do; not only if you have cancer, but also as a preventative means. Two books that I would recommend are Everything You Need to Know to Beat Cancer, and The Rainbow Diet, both written by the founder of the charity, Chris Woollams. I love it that everything he does is based on science, which appeals to my sense of logic.
General Diet
The main principles for me are; no sugar, no red meat, whole wheat, no dairy, nothing processed, minimal alcohol, filtered or glass bottles water, no caffeine.
How bad does that sound! What’s left for pete’s sake!
However, as I said earlier, I follow an 80:20 rule, so in some cases, on some days I replace “no” with “low”!
The Rainbow Diet is by far and away the best to follow for me.
https://www.canceractive.com/cancer-active-page-link.aspx?n=2027
A typical day for me would be;
Breakfast / morning
Glass of water with lemon
A juice (to take my supplements with) containing apple, carrot, ginger, kale, broccoli, cucumber.
Some berries – usually raspberries
Occasional oats / granola with almond milk
Occasional eggs – poached boiled or scrambled
Decaff soya flat white
Lunch / afternoon
Salad with oily fish or
Chicken livers on spinach or
Avocado plain or with prawns or
Occasional sandwich on whole-wheat bread
Mixed dried fruit & nuts
Banana
Occasional packet of crisps
Dinner / evening
Chicken or fish with some form of whole wheat pasta / noodles / rice
Salad or
Home-made curries and stews – mainly plant based
Home-made fruit smoothie
Occasional home-made spaghetti bolognaise or chilli con carne
Occasional Nando’s – it’s just chicken right!
Occasional curry out or take away – only plain chicken and a dahl
General
I drink maybe twice a week, and then it’s mainly red wine, which actually has some anti-cancer benefits due to the resveratrol content
I have a few squares of 85% chocolate most nights as a treat – this also has some anti-cancer properties known as flavanols
I have a roast chicken lunch once a week if I can as a treat – most of its pretty healthy – whole potatoes, lots of veg etc
If I eat out now, I typically have something fishy and healthy
If you want to get a more detailed view, and to understand why these foods work, you should read The Rainbow Diet.
I have also discovered some fantastic recipe books and have started cooking from scratch, its actually been really enjoyable, and the results have been “ok” Sadly my 18-year-old son is not particularly impressed – particularly with the many vegan dishes I’ve made!
Special mention and thanks to;
Deliciously Ella. www.deliciouslyella.com
Amelia Freer. www.ameliafreer.com
Madelaine Shaw. www.madeleineshaw.com
Supplements
Vitamin C, Fish oil, aspirin, anti-inflammatory, probiotic, Berberine, Vitamin D, Curcumin, Oregano Oil, Lycopene, B Complex
There is a great deal of evidence that suggests cancer feeds off sugar – particularly in colon cancer. Hence my vigilance on low refined sugar in my diet.
All of these supplements have been carefully selected and have specific benefits in tackling colon cancer. Again, thanks to CANCERactive, www.canceractive.com and Chris Woollams for his guidance