When my niece was diagnosed with cancer I become emotionally stressed and depressed.I was thinking: ‘she is too young, she can’t die just like that, I have to save her… but how?’ ‘O K’, I thought, ‘I will take care of the food and supplements. That is all I can do with my knowledge and expertise.’

I wanted to teach her how to eat healthy, and to appreciate food that nature provides. I wanted for her to become fully developed in mind body and spirit.

Walking through the garden was always a joyful experience. I introduced her to a variety of flavourful fruits and vegetables. She smelled them, touched them and picked them fresh.

It has been nine years since we started this journey of conscious eating. She is a powerful fourteen years old girl, who swims, rollerblades, bikes, hugs the trees and meditates. But the most important is that she is cancer free. 

Here are a few DO’S and DONT’S that she has learned throughout her precious years.

DO’S

Decorate your plate with cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, bok choy, onion, garlic. They are fabulous cancer fighters, potent phytochemical compounds that plants use for their own protection.

Eat bitter greens such as endive, arugula, dandelion, swish chard. They are packed with vitamin C, vitamin A and beta carotene.

Have Turmeric every day. According to Ayurveda, turmeric is the top anti-cancer herb. It is good for digestion, is antibacterial, and has an anti-inflammatory properties.

Turmeric is more effective when used in cooking. Just sauté ½ teaspoon of turmeric in olive oil. You can use it on salads or in grain dishes.

Eat sea vegetables such as spirulina, dulse, wakame, arame, kombu, chlorella on a daily basis. They are packed with trace minerals, and they remove toxic chemicals and metals from the body. Toss them on salads or use in soups.

Munch on nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts. They nourish  the brain, and contain protein, vitamin E and calcium. Soak them over night before eating them for better digestion.

Eat fibre such as basmati brown rice, amaranth hemp seeds, kamut breads and quinoa. They are important for digestive health and efficient bowel movements.

Juicing: fresh fruits and vegetables. They are easy to absorb and the enzymes aid in digestion, assimilation, and detoxification. Buy a good quality juicer that can juice all vegetables and plant food, including stems, peels, seeds and grass.

Use coconut oil. It is rich in medium chain triglycerides.  MCTs help the body metabolize fat efficiently. Coconut oil contains lauric acid which has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. It is safe for cooking and even frying (which I don’t recommend) and it is non toxic at high temperatures.

Buy organic food as much as possible. Studies show that organic food produces higher levels of vitamins and minerals and that using chemicals, pesticides and herbicides deprives our foods of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and macronutrients.

DON’TS

Eat processed (fat and sugary) food like cheesecake, commercial muffins, ice cream, potato chips, donuts, and cinnamon roll. It will imbalance blood sugar level and nerve chemicals, affect emotional wellbeing, and make you crave food even more.

Use partially hydrogenated oils such as palm oil, margarine, vegetable shortening, and bottled salad dressings. They are full of dangerous chemicals that are associated with heart disease and arthritis.

Use leftovers. Older foods are mouldy, lose vitality and are harder to digest.

Buy frozen pizza and other processed food from the freezer. They are full of chemicals, additives and preservatives. Processed food is dead food.

Eat a lot of meat especially commercially raised. Animals accumulate environmental toxins in their organs and fatty tissues. They cause cancer, heart disease and arteriosclerosis.

Eat fruits with other food. Fruit digests better by itself and leaves the stomach within half an hour. Otherwise it will ferment in the stomach, especially if your last meal was meat.

Eat past 8 pm. If you eat after 8 pm your insulin level will rise and you will not be able to have a deep sleep, and feel rejuvenated, fresh, rested and full of energy in the morning.