By Jackie Shore
What is cancer? Cancer is a result of cells that are damaged or duplicating incorrectly, which then mutate and take up residence in the body. These cells can sneak past a weakened immune system, a condition common in today’s environment. So, if you want to conquer cancer, you first have to strengthen your immune system. First, we eliminate food that might be a burden on the body. We can do this by eliminating processed, man-made food, and replacing it with foods that are real and “nutrient dense” — foods from the earth that support your body’s ability to repair, regenerate, and detoxify. I tell clients to primarily shop the perimeter of the store, and to avoid foods that come in a box or bag. Many Americans have poor diets, but with a little work and persistence, this can change.
Start by reducing the number-one ingredient promoting cancer — sugar! Many cancer patients are not coached in sugar reduction.
Why am I picking on sugar? Well, when you take a PET scan to detect cancer, you are given radioactive glucose because cancer cells gobble up the sugar, making them detectable on the scan! Studies show that sugar depresses the immune system for six hours after eating. If you are going to work so hard to conquer the cancer, why would you continue to feed it?
Does that mean you can never have sugar? That might be hard to do, since it seems sugar is in almost everything. You want to avoid all white-powder sugar (as found in baked goods), and avoid adding it to recipes for bread, pasta, etc. When you have cancer, you can limit sugar by eating low-glycemic fruits — berries, cherries, citrus, and green apples. By limiting sugar, you will also help keep your blood sugar balanced. Consider eating every few hours to avoid the sugar high and lows.
Ok, so can I eat anything as long as it is low sugar? Unfortunately, no. The temptation is to replace that sugar with something else sweet, like artificial sweeteners (Splenda, Sweet-n-Low, Aspartame, Sucralose, Xylitol, etc.). These are even worse for you than pure-cane sugar because they change your brain chemistry and make you crave more sugar. Avoid these completely!
With sugar under control, you want to pay close attention to the quality of your food. Start by selecting organic foods. Organic foods are subject to much lower amounts of pesticide. Ninety percent of cancers are related to environmental factors and exposure to them. By eating non-organic, you are taxing your body. The liver and kidneys work extra hard to detoxify, which increases the body’s burden. For someone battling cancer, you want to lighten the load and take the pressure of your weakened immune system.
People often complain about the cost of eating organic. It’s easy to see the additional cost because it’s right there on the receipt. However, we do not stop to think about the cost of even one extra day of cancer treatment. If we can conquer cancer and boost our immune systems quicker, it will dwarf the cost of organic food. Even though the price of organic products has been coming down (and will likely continue with Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods), the economics cannot be ignored. I teach my clients that anything you ingest in its entirety (peach or Brussels sprouts) must be organic. If it has a peel (orange or avocado), you can choose a non-organic option. If you can afford to eat completely organic, that would be best. I recommend that my clients eat the colors of the rainbow every day. Fruits and vegetables are perfect for this concept.
Organic or non-organic, all fruits and vegetables should be washed thoroughly. Items with the peel should be cleaned with a vegetable brush before peeling or cutting. Make sure your utensils are clean — a dirty knife might drag pesticide residue through the flesh of the fruit, exposing you to toxins.
For more information on fruits and vegetables, go to
EWG.ORG and look up “Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen.”
Next, you should consider giving up gluten, even if you don’t have Celiac Disease. When wheat is harvested in our country, it is heavily contaminated with glyphosate — Roundup — a toxin. Remember, the goal is to lower your toxic burden. Be careful of “gluten-free goodies.” Some of these are very high in sugar, and can cause the blood sugar spikes we are trying to avoid!
By returning to the days of eating food in its original form, we fill our bodies with the nutrients it needs to rebuild the immune system and conquer cancer. Here’s to your health!
Jackie Shore is an oncology-certified registered nurse, cancer coach, and advocate. If you or a loved one is battling cancer, or perhaps fear cancer, she is here ready to empower you, educate you, and motivate you to be in control. She has a special cancer-coaching program — Take 6 Conquer Cancer. For more information, feel free to contact her at [email protected] or call 602-465-2733.
The 2017 Dirty Dozen List & Clean 15 List
EWG’s Dirty Dozen
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Peaches
- Pears
- Cherries
- Grapes
- Celery
- Tomatoes
- Sweet bell peppers
- Potatoes
EWG’s Clean 15
The Clean 15 list includes produce that is least likely to be contaminated by pesticides. Here’s the 2015 Clean 15 List:
- Sweet corn
- Avocados
- Pineapple
- Cabbage
- Onions
- Frozen sweet peas
- Papayas
- Asparagus
- Mangos
- Eggplant
- Honeydew
- Kiwi
- Cantaloupe
- Cauliflower
- Grapfruit
Some sweet corn and papayas sold in the United States are GMOs, so choose organic to avoid GMO versions of these crops.
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