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HOW SWEET IT can be!

Last week a packet came to my home from the American Institute for Cancer Research asking for a donation. First of all, do I think something needs to be done about the rise of cancer in the industrialized world? That would be a big YES! Do I feel mainstream medicine is going about it in the correct manner? That would be a big NO! I don't know about you, but I have a problem with the word research. Shouldn't it be the "American Institute for a Cancer Cure"?

These days almost all of us have been touched by cancer, either personally or by watching a family member, friend or loved one struggle with the disease. The rise in cancer statistics are frightening, in fact they have reached epidemic proportions. It's the twelve year anniversary of my father's death. He died on January 15th after a year of prayer, struggle and much tears and suffering, it was over. He slipped away without much fan fair at home, a place he loved so very much, surrounded by the people he loved and who loved him. He was my best friend and hero. He died of throat cancer.

It would be the beginning of my nutritional awakening. When my once robust father started to loose weight, my mother began to feed him, what she believed to be "healthy food", to put the weight back on. I can remember bringing him "real" milk shakes each time I visited him in the hospital. None of us knew the truth about what was truly healthy. We only knew what mainstream America is told everyday as if by God.

It wasn't until the end was near for my dad that a hospice nurse said, "Boy, I wonder what's in the well water around here? In the past year we have helped at least ten family's say good-bye to family members with throat cancer in this neighborhood alone." The chill swept over me like a tidal wave, was it possible that the purity of the water we drink could be directly linked to cancer prevention? But she wasn't through. She went on to say, "In my conversations with your mom, she mentioned to me the type of diet you guys were feeding your dad to beef him up. We've found that cancer likes those types of fatty foods." By this time I was in tears, I felt as if my mother and I had hastened his death.

It was a lifetime of trusting authorities who were wrong, and ignorance that had done my dad in. The whole of society had played its part. It was the following year when we discovered that my then two and a half year old's behavior problems were directly linked to the food choices we were making. I may not be the smartest person in the world, but I think you would agree these were a couple of pretty big ah-has!

The first book I read was Dr. Doris Rapp's, Allergies and the Hyperactive Child. The next two were The Macrobiotic Way, by Kushi and Diet For A New America, by Robbins. The next few years I spent searching for the one "correct" diet. Then I was introduced to metabolic profiling. That's when my thoughts turned to the notion that there is no one "correct" diet for everyone. Not long after that, the book The Zone, by Sears and Eat Right 4 Your Type, by D'Adamo were published.

My reading also had included Anatomy of the Spirit (connect the dots), by Myss, The Celestine Prophecy (synchronisity), by Redfield and Conversations With God (fear vs. love), by Walsch. I had become aware of synchronisity, the true nature of love and putting it all together. I knew events happen in your life for a reason. Quite often we have eyes but we do not see. We stumble through life with blinders on because it is easier to follow what others tell us rather than to follow the path less traveled. However, enlightenment means nothing unless wisdom follows. I have since become a believer in the holy trinity of Thought, Word and Deed (or Mind, Body and Spirit, whichever you prefer). All three must come into play before our dreams can take form.

Our health is not the responsibility of some almighty They. It is our responsibility. The war on drugs is a hopeless failure. Why? Because, we have created a world of pollution and of disillusionment. Suicide and murders committed by our youngsters have reached frightening proportions (I consider taking drugs and alcohol to excess a form of suicide). The prescription drug industry is nothing more than an industry, and like all industries, it is one of supply and demand. We have drug stores in every shopping mall and on every street corner. The drug companies advertise on TV and radio, doctors give out prescriptions and free samples like candy. Yet we cry when our young are so nutritionally starved, physically depleted and spiritually void (and I am not talking about going to church) that they turn to illegal drugs in an attempt to self-medicate.

Not too long ago, I heard an interview with musician, Eric Clapton. In the interview he was talking about his new work with recovering drug users at the clinic he owns and runs. He said, "I believe sugar is the gateway drug". "I started running around my home screaming, I told you, I told you!!!" Was it possible that the point of his whole life had not been the music, but rather Mr. Clapton's fame had been a vehicle to draw attention to the truth? This is the type of thought I ask all of you to start thinking. You know, outside the box!

I refuse to believe we are here to suffer. I refuse to believe every second is some great lesson. That has become my new favorite way of beingness. Experiencing the full moment for just that, the moment. Enriched by the past, hope for the future, yet fully present in the moment. Eyes wide open, mind turned on and heart in full tilt boogey overdrive. For me there is no separation between the earth and all of its inhabitants. It is one for all and all for one on a universal scale. Kind of like the Universal Musketeers! I also like to think of planet earth as a spaceship carrying and sustaining us. If we treated our cars the way we have been treating the earth, we wouldn't be able to drive them very far.

My plan is to use this newsletter as a forum for many topics. This issue is going to be focused on the gate-way drug sugar. Future topics will range from eliminating wheat and pork from your diet to new thoughts on morphic resonance. Some articles will be original from local experts and others will be reprints from articles and other newsletters you may have missed. You don't have to agree with me in order to become open to your own truth. All I ask is that when you read this newsletter you open up to the possibility, of a possibility of a new thought or way of doing something.

Let's go back to the packet I received from the American Institute for Cancer Research. In it was a three by five card with "healthy living ideas to cut your cancer risk." I found some of their ideas sound and others limited in their scope. For example, I agree that we need to introduce into our diet, more plant based whole foods. I, however, do not agree that grains (especially gluten grains) are a good idea for most people. And no mention is made of the importance of organic foods. Prevention is the cure here. The fewer toxins our body has to deal with now, the more time we can spend on healing, rather than repairing, easy-to-prevent damage.

The next suggestion was to slice ripe fruit into whole grain cereal in the morning. While this is better than a jelly donut and a cola, it still doesn't take into account the grain issue and poor food combining. Once again the body is having a nightmare of a time digesting the now fermenting fresh fruit and most likely, gluten grain cereal. Your body will be healing and repairing rather than building until lunch.

Next, add a variety of veggies to your salad at lunch. I couldn't agree more. It is when they go on to list the veggie choices (no mention of organic and its importance) that I disagree. Each time we eat, a chemical experiment is taking place. Are the lectins in the veggies compatible with your own body's lectins? Will the nightshade veggies inflame your connective tissues? Perhaps the cruciferous veggies need to be lightly steamed before you eat them. Will apples or almonds flair up your hyperactivity? Will an avocado give you an unwanted headache? Does your body have a sensitivity or allergy to lettuce? We all need more non-genetically engineered organic veggies in our lives. Get to know your body personally before you make haphazard food choices.

This was followed by: use whole wheat flour in many recipes. My grandfather was a wallpaper hanger at one point in his life. He used to use wheat flour to make the paste to stick the paper to the wall. The key work here is "stick"! I could write another three pages on this topic alone, but I think you get where I am coming from.

The next four I agree with in full. As we get older, it may get harder to maintain a healthy weight. Keep fit with a variety of activities you enjoy to make exercise a lifelong habit and maintain your weight. Try walking, cycling, dancing or gardening. Take a brisk walk for ten minutes several times each day. Instead of alcohol, enjoy a refreshing mix of organic fruit juice and seltzer. Add a few chunks of fresh fruits. Decrease portion sizes of meat and poultry. Remove half the filling from an over-stuffed deli sandwich (May I suggest you remove the bread and eat the stuffing, unless it's pork, in that case throw the whole thing away). Update a favorite casserole by changing the meat-to-vegetable ratio.

Their next suggestion can become complicated. It's the whole fat issue. All fat is not created equal. Our bodies need fat or we will die. You need to learn the difference between good fat and bad fat (excuse me if I seem judgmental). Cut down on fat, remove skin from poultry (make sure it is naturally raised), use little fat in cooking (o-kay), and try low fat or nonfat dairy products (better yet, use no dairy products). If you are concerned about calcium intake, find a good calcium supplement, (not an antacid). Remember that low-fat and nonfat products are not necessarily low in calories, so limit portions (amen!). In my opinion the most harmful thing we can ingest as a food substance is anything hydrogenated. Hydrogenated oil becomes trans-fatty acids that are harmful and counterproductive, especially if you are trying to recover from or prevent cancer. A good rule of thumb the more hands that have touched your food, the less likely that it are going to be good for you. Perhaps this will be the topic of a future newsletter; once again I could go on and on.

Instead of salt, experiment with herbs and spices such as rosemary, oregano, basil, turmeric or chives for added flavor. I sort of agree with this one as well. Always use sea salt instead of table salt, less is needed and the integrity of the salt is better. Usually if a person is eating a lot of sweets, they will also feel they need more salt. I have never seen any legitimate proof that salt raises blood pressure or causes stroke or heart disease. Use only fresh or non-irradiated herbs and spices. An herb garden doesn't take much space or care and it feeds your soul as well as your body. Try a windowsill herb garden if you don't have the time or space outside.

Refrigerate foods quickly to prevent spoilage. I agree with this one as well. I might even add, learn to make only as much as you can eat in one sitting or freeze leftovers. Molds begin to form almost immediately and only add to the possibility of an already existing Candida overgrowth. Candida is a yeast driven organism we all have in our guts; it only creates problems when an overgrowth occurs due to a sugary over processed diet and stressed lifestyle. Cancer and Candida seem to go hand in hand. This does not mean if you have a Candida overgrowth you will develop cancer, rather people with cancer almost always do have a Candida overgrowth. It's a chicken or the egg thing. Candida is a whole topic of its own, another future newsletter topic.

Their last suggestion is to grill out only occasionally, and don't eat charred foods. The charring causes a molecular change in the food that can be hazardous. Over cooking or over processing of any food is not a good thing. They are right; eating charred foods is not a good thing if a healthy body is your goal.

Don't get me wrong, all of their suggestions are sound when compared to a non-life supporting diet of fast food, sugar, unhealthy fat and constant stress. I guess what I am proposing is that you take it to the next level. It's time we quit researching cancer and started preventing it. Some wonderful by-products of a healthy lifestyle are clear complexion, lean fit body, clarity of thought, word and deed. There is no down side. It's good for you, it's good for the planet, it makes God smile. The planet Earth does not need humans. However, we need the Earth!

Now to the part of the three-by-five card that got me going. On the other side of the suggestion portion of the card was a recipe. The first ingredient was whole wheat flour, the next three ingredients were types of sugar, next came vegetable oil, one egg, baking soda and spices, followed by 1/2 cup low sugar orange marmalade.

Granted this recipe is better than a Twinkie, but hardly the boost your body needs to fight cancer. When cancer is present it is a good idea to arm it just as a country arms itself going to war. Given the correct tools our bodies can make miracles happen. Our bodies themselves are miracles. We spend too much time focusing on what's wrong rather than what's right.

First let me qualify my opinion. I am not a medical doctor, nutritionist, or dietitian and am not licensed in any way to diagnose, treat or prescribe for any condition. I am, however, very well read and practical in my approach to food and health. I am a concerned human being, mommy, wife, daughter, friend and giver of testimonials. I am the author of The Feel Good Food Guide and I work as a Food Coach. I help people implement food choice suggestions made by their health care practitioner. My life is rich with compassion and love for the human spirit. I absorb information about health like a sponge. It is my gift. Sometimes I am not sure if my dad's death has taught me more than my life with him before the sad days of cancer. I have found my intuition one of my best learning tools. I have learned that truth has its own vibration. A vibration I have learned to honor.

My son Zachary inspired me to share what I learned to help him with the despair of food allergies. Along the way it became about more than food. For me, it is about the full expression of the human spirit. For years I looked out into the cosmos for the answers, only to find the answers lie within. Just as we are the cells of God, we are also God to our cells. I constantly ask myself, what kind of a God am I being today? This goes beyond food choices. However, food choice was my awakening and that is the gift I share with you today.

When I study the "healthy recipe" on the three-by-five card, I see so much wrong. There are so many reasons to avoid wheat flour. Gluten, the protein portion of wheat, causes celiac spru to surface in many individuals. Celiac disease is an inflammatory condition of the small intestine. The disease is genetic, however, symptoms are only brought on by the ingestion of gluten. If you do have a genetic predisposition to this disease, continuing to ingest gluten could lead to serious health problems and prevent your gut from absorbing other much needed nutrients from other foods and supplements.

Other food factors beyond celiac disease may make wheat unsuitable for some individuals as well, such as the incompatibility of blood lectins and food lectins. According to some researchers, over 80% of the population may be sensitive to the lectins in wheat. Gluten has also been associated with symptoms related to the spectrum of disorders ranging from ADD/ADHD to Autism. Wheat is one of the most allergic foods we eat. It is the oldest hybrid crop in the world, which means millions of hands have touched it before it finally makes it to your mouth (and we know how I feel about that). When my son eats wheat he becomes violent and impossible to control.

Wheat is also responsible for a condition I call brain fog and over weight. I personally, lost 20 pounds in one month just by eliminating all wheat and my dyslexia of a lifetime vanished! You don't need to take my word for it. Just as you found this newsletter on the internet, look for more information to support what I have said. May I suggest looking to non-traditional sources?

FYI: Last December, I received a phone call from a gentlemen concerned with my use of the sweetener agave nectar as an option in some recipes. Agave nectar is used to make tequila. The agave cactus grows in abundance in the southwest United States and Mexico. The Native American Indians have been using this plant for hundreds of years. Even though agave nectar is a low glycemic sweetener, it contains fructose. His concern was that in high quantities it could become harmful.

He also felt that consumers would become confused and think any quantity of agave sweetener was safe. He requested that I alert people as to the safety of agave and discontinue using it in recipes. I would like to comment on that. No substance is safe in large quantities. If you have read The Feel Good Food Guide you know that my motto is "Variety, Consistency, Moderation." I think everyone should rotate their foods, use practical food combining and eliminate all refined sugar. There are drawbacks to all sweeteners.

Honey becomes chemically unsafe when heated. I have also been reading that some commercial honey producers have been feeding their bee's high fructose corn sweetener, producing unsafe honey for corn sensitive individuals. One of the most carcinogenic substances in cigarettes is the sugar the tobacco has been soaked in. When sugar burns it becomes quite toxic. Corn sweeteners produce allergic reactions in so many individuals, it is on my no-no hit list. Maple syrup can create problems in people sensitive to tree pollen. I could cite a problem to every sweetener known to man. Barley malt contains gluten and rice syrup can aggravate a Candida overgrowth. Even the herb stevia can cause allergic reactions in some people. It is possible to be allergic to anything!

I like agave nectar because it is low glycemic and has a clean taste that will not overpower a recipe. I recommend rotating it into your diet every four days to check for a possible allergic reaction and to allow your body to repair from an unnoticed reaction. I suggest using small quantities (two tablespoons or so) of sucanat, agave nectar, honey, maple syrup, etc. in recipes then "boost" the sweetness with liquid stevia. Then wean yourself of the sweetener and go to all stevia (if you are sure you have no sensitivity towards it). I would much rather see people cut back and go natural than give up all together and do nothing.

Please check out the safety of agave nectar for yourself. I do not wish to harm anyone. After I was alerted to a possible danger I requested more information. The gentleman faxed me quite a bit of information. I saw nothing conclusive directly related to agave nectar. All the information sent me warned of the dangers of high fructose sweeteners, information I was already aware of. In small quantities I see no proof of a danger. If I am ever shown conclusive evidence agave nectar is unsafe I will stop using it and recommend the same for everyone. One of the websites I found Wilhelmsen Consulting, www.klarify.com/ seems to be concerned that people will be confused and think that agave is acceptable in large quantities. I agree, it is not. No sugar is safe in large quantities.

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