As a child, my mom and dad where apart of a 1980's version of a co-op. We had natural peanut butter before it was more mainstreamed, my mom kept the salt shaker off the table to help my dad control his high blood pressure but still canned vegetables were found most nights on the dinner table. At least they were trying. But I can honestly say I was never given Chef Boy R Dee as a child, I don't even remember the school serving such type of food. We always had a group of lunch ladies making sure we got a mostly fresh made meal. (Just as a side bar - in the early 80's my parents also heated our in-ground pool with a solar panel system my dad built and placed on the roof of our suburban home.... much to the chagrin of the neighbors...I admire they were pretty progressive at that moment in my childhood)
At seventeen, 10 years later, I was introduced to the connection between monitoring my fat intake, exercising in order to watch my waste-line and to keep my muscles from becoming entangled in a web of lard (a.k.a fat) by my gym teacher (in case she thought no one was listening, I was). In my early twenties I watched my grandmother die slowly and painfully from diabetes and cardiovascular disease. My uncle had a debilitating stroke in his 40's and my own father has battled high blood pressure since his 30's. About 7 years ago I was becoming friends with Carole, who started to teach me about nutrition and the connection to health. While Carole and I were building our friendship, her husband was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. It was then I was introduced to Dr. Gonzales program that connected food, supplements and nontraditional cancer treatment. Unfortunately, Carole's husband quickly lost his battle with the brain tumor. But the experience was not lost on me. I started slowly moving my family to a more organic diet as best I could (despite the resistance I faced).
When we moved into our new home I really wanted a garden, so we built one. I wanted to have some control over the produce we get, so that my kids would have an opportunity to eat really fresh food and learn where food comes from. I do not have a green thumb, but with a little help from a some friends whom I have shared my garden with I have learned to grow peas, broccoli, cucumbers, etc.
A couple of years ago my family faced our own cancer crisis when my oldest son was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of 7. While spending time in the hospitals (we spent close to a year in the hospital) it was difficult not to notice that the nutrition rooms were filled with Chef Boy R Dee types of processed foods. Rarely did a fruit not come from a can, and the milk was never organic. It seemed to me, few doctors openly agreed that nutrition was as important part of my son's healing as with the multitude of therapies he had to go through.
As with most moms who are put in a position where their child's life hangs in the balance I read everything I could find about cancer and surviving. I found stories of other cancer survivors, mostly adults, and many mentioned nutrition as part of the healing and wellness process. I pushed the organic diet even harder with the rest of the family that was not quite on board with me earlier. It doesn't take a doctor to figure out that if a little pill can make my son so painfully sick and strip his immune system, the food he put in his body had to be doing something more than just providing energy. As I learned more about cancer cells, tumor growth and the machine we call our bodies it seemed only logical that sustaining a healthy life requires good calories. But my yearning for knowledge on chronic disease and cellular function did not end with my son's treatment.
When I returned to work after my son's treatment I found that my heart was no longer in my work as the Operation Officer for the small company where I worked. The work felt empty, and it showed in my lack for productivity. It has caused me to return to school to get my degree as a Dietitian.
This past March my almost 60 year old dad suffered a debilitating stroke. It wasn't really a surprise. He was battling diabetes and high blood pressure and the meds were starting not to work. Still, after arriving in the emergency room, seeing my dad unable to speak clearly or move half of his body, the fear that this could happen again to someone I love, or even me, has motivated me even more. Honestly, I am sick of diseases that seem to be hitting those I love younger and younger.
I have since made the decision to make sure I get at least 80-95% of my diet from plants. I have completely cut out meat and try to keep all dairy to 5% of my diet. To some it might sound crazy, some even believe it is unhealthy, but my research shows that is wrong. I've decided to document my path to this change - to talk about what has brought me to this radical idea that maybe I can avoid the CVD that plagues my family history; maybe even take a few people with me to less dependence on medicine, more days of health.
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