You know how you grew up in a neighborhhod where there were maybe 3 or 4 families that you were really close to? In our neighborhood, it was the neighbors directly above us, below us, across the street from us, and around the corner. In yesterday's Blog, I talked about the Mobil Oil refinery that poisoned our air (and more than likely our water, too) and how pollutants of all kinds cause - yes CAUSE - cancer. Well, nothing lends voracity to a claim more than hard, cold facts. Marge, who lived above us, was the first to go and she died of leukemia. Dom, who lived below us, passed a few years later from a cancer somewhere in his digestive tract. Kathy, whose sister I was very good friends with, and who lived around the corner from us, died from complications due to the chemotherapy she was receiving. And Billy - my sweet brother Billy - died of pancreatic cancer in March of 2006. None of them were old, none of them was obese, smoked, or drank very much.
Besides these casualties, 2 of the women who lived across the street from us have battled breast cancer, as did my sister, my mother, and me. And these were only the families we knew! Coincidence? Absolutely not!!
Out here in beautiful, green Virginia, we may be safe from the ravages of oil refineries, but not their offspring. Can we really get away from exhaust fumes? It's a slower, more subtle attack, but an attack nonetheless. And only God knows what chemicals lurk in our drinking water. We know that a lot of the food we eat contains additives, preservatives, and artificial coloring and flavorings, but do we really know what they are doing to our bodies? We have created things to eat that were never meant for human consumption. I don't want to scare you. Not really. But I do want you to act - and to care enough to make sure that you and your loved ones are getting the biggest benefit from the fuel you provide for your bodies. And antioxidants? They're at the heart of your arsenal - some more powerful than others, but all doing their part to help stave off the free radicals that keep attacking your DNA.
A while back, I mentioned that turmeric has such powerful antioxidant qualities that it has been used with some promising results in cancer treatment trials. But too many of you won't try it because you "hate" Indian food. Well, not all Indian dishes taste the same (some are mild, some spicy, some contain curries, others just taste like a hearty stew), and there are other cuisines that incorporate turmeric into their dishes. Red wine contains antioxidants, but too much of it can have terrible repercussions for your health. The same goes for chocolate. Later, when I post the list of the most potent antioxidants, I hope and pray that you won't turn up your noses at them - at least without trying them first.
Incorporate plenty of antioxidants into your diet, but more importantly, incorporate them into the diet of your children. It may be too late for people like me. While my cells were dividing, and my body was growing, forming, and developing, it was being continually bombarded with pollutants - both from the world around me and from what I put into my body. Most cancers take years to grow...
I have some good friends who are Vegan and who feed their children - even their 2-year old - lots of lightened-up Indian food, and every vegetable you can imagine. They buy their produce from local Farmer's Markets and avoid processed and junk foods. I applaud them and wish with all my heart that I had been raised like they are raising their children. I am still working on breaking a lot of bad habits - my diet is not perfect. All I ask of you at this point is that you start with small changes. I am sick to death of hearing that someone I have known and even loved is losing or has lost their life to cancer. I keep a list of people I pray for who are struggling with the disease and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Will eating healthier gurantee you won't get the disease? No. There are no guarantees in this life. But, I do know that eating healthier increases your odds of not getting it. According to a study published by The World Cancer Research Fund last Thursday (the 3rd), about 340,000 cancer cases in the U.S. could be prevented each year if more Americans ate a healthy diet, exercised regularly (even a 30-minute walk 5 days a week!), and limited their alcohol intake.
Sorry about the length of this Blog - so much for trying to keep them shorter! Until later, happy and healthy eating!
This was very beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you! It was a difficult one to write. I really appreciate it.
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