Since I became vegan after learning of my breast cancer diagnosis, I have been living a healthier lifestyle by researching and trying recipes that I find fit into my family’s lifestyle. As a former cheese junkie, it was probably the most difficult for me to give up cheese. But, when I was forced to give it up for health reasons, I found that many of the migraines I was regularly plagued with disappeared. I also found that I no longer needed to use the Afrin nasal spray, to which I had become addicted, any longer.
Dairy was wrecking havoc on my health. After diagnosis, I found out that I was allergic to dairy. No wonder I had been having all of those side effects from it all of those years. It seemed so obvious all of a sudden, while all of the years I had suffered with side effects without even realizing why.
I also cut out processed foods from my diet. I no longer eat anything that has ingredients that I cannot identify. I eat organic as much as possible. And, I cook my meals from scratch. Processed foods with all of the additives and refined sugars they contain had to go in order for me to restore my health. I was on a mission to feed myself and my family better. By merging the raw food lifestyle with the vegan lifestyle, I found a balance that works for us.
From the raw food lifestyle, I have incorporated the practice of eating only “pure foods”. That means food that is unadulterated. No preservatives, no processing to remove valuable nutrients, no additives. But, I found it difficult to eat only non-cooked foods 100% of the time. Living in the northeast, I found that in the winter time, I just needed to consume hot foods.
From the vegan lifestyle, I have incorporated the practices of eliminating animal products (except for fish a couple of times per week for omega 3 fatty acids). The focus is on a plant-based diet with whole grains, nuts and beans.
I have cut out alcoholic beverages (they increase your risk of recurrence of breast cancer substantially). And my saturated fat consumption has been greatly decreased (reducing my risk again by a substantial amount). I have also added a regular exercise regime to my lifestyle (another substantial cut in risk). By incorporating all of these healthy changes to my lifestyle and introducing more cruciferous vegetables and leafy greens, I am further reducing my risk. I have to believe, as do my holistic doctors, that with all of these risk reductions, continuing on this regime has reduced my otherwise high risk of recurrence to a now very low risk.
Merging elements from raw foodism and veganism allows me to consume the best of both worlds. I am getting optimal nutrition on a daily basis. In addition to the greatly reduced occurrence of migraines and elimination of Afrin, my skin has cleared up, I lost 50 pounds, and I feel better than ever.
I wanted to share my success with you! Not only is my lifestyle successful for reducing my risk of recurrence from breast cancer, it is an optimal way for all of us to live. The recipes, articles and tips on this site could be incorporated into any healthy lifestyle! Check back often for new content! Here’s to our health!