What are they? Clean foods are foods that are organically grown and cultivated, and eaten with no processing. Many years ago, someone told me that I should be eating ‘live’ foods, and not ‘dead’ foods. Now at that time, I did not know anything about natural health. I had been fortunate to have grown up relatively disease free/symptom free/pain free, so as you can imagine, I took my health for granted. When I think of ‘live’ food, I think of food (like beef) that walks around on all fours before he heads to the slaughterhouse.
When ‘live’ foods were explained to me, I wasn’t interested. I like hot food. Food that is cooked. I enjoy an occasional salad, but surely one cannot live without toll-house cookies and spaghetti marinara! I am older and wiser. I have lost a husband to the ravages of cancer treatment. I am much more concerned about clean foods.
If you or someone in your family is struggling with cancer, you need to know that malnutrition is a key component in cancer deaths. A full 40% of cancer related deaths are due to malnutrition. Proper nutrition builds the body’s tissues, and therefore makes them more resilient against the ravages of chemo and radiation.
Cancer feeds on sugar. This is something that almost all holistic professionals know, and we advise our loved ones to steer clear of sugar if they want to avoid setting up a cancer conducive environment. If you already HAVE cancer, then if you eat sugar- laden foods, they will support the cancer instead of helping strengthen the immune system.
The human body is self-regulating and self-repairing. The cancer patient has lost that ability for some reason. (The Quest for the Cure) Nutrition is part of that mechanism. Hydration is also part of the nutrition equation. Many people are not hydrating properly. It is recommended that everyone consume one-half his body weight (in ounces) of good clean water daily. Many people do not like water, or they consume things such as energy drinks, sodas, coffee, tea–anything but water! If you don’t like water, try some of these suggestions: add lemon or lime to your water; infuse a pitcher of water with fruit or herbs; try sparkling water; try flavored water. The list goes on…..
The Standard American Diet (SAD) is just that, sad! If you look around at the food products, you might be surprised to learn that if you will grocery shop just the perimeter of the store, you will avoid much processed (dead) foods, and will be choosing mostly fresh (live) foods. We are a society that wants everything instant. Instant coffee, instant meals, instant gratification. We need to understand that it takes time and preparation to nourish ourselves correctly.
Take a look at the food pyramid. There are several to choose from. I just completed a google search, and the offerings are endless. Some are funny and some are outrageous. The main point is that we will compare a SAD food plan and a healthy food plan. Notice the difference in the number of portions suggested. The standard pyramid we all remember from school health class:
And now the healthy pyramid:
As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words!
In closing, try to remember these things:
- We are what we assimilate out of our diet. If we eat good clean foods, then we will have a good clean body.
- Good clean water.
- Shop the periphery of the grocery store. Choose food that you recognize as growing from a plant.
- Vastly reduce the amount of sugar in the diet.
Until next time,
Dr. Polly
