When I became pregnant 3 years later in 1971, I began to read everything I could find on food and nutrition and organic gardening. I became deeply distrustful of what had become the American diet, in particular the commercialization of the food supply.
Three issues stood out to me at the time as being deeply implicated in my grandmother's illness and death: lack of fiber in her diet, rampant pesticide use and chemical additives in commercial foods. I planted a large organic garden and learned by trial and error how to tend it. I made almost everything that we ate in our home myself including whole grain breads.
Fifteen years ago a friend of mine was diagnosed with diabetes. We are both interested in wellness, and our conversations often turned to natural health and diet. She explained to me that some things we had always considered part of a healthy diet were no longer part of her new regimen as a diabetic.
I was interested in learning more about what she was doing and started reading about the glycemic index and what we now call "non-inflammatory" ways of eating. Over the last fifteen years I have become convinced that abuse of sugar in the way we eat was the missing piece in the puzzle I have been trying to work out ever since my grandmother died in 1968.
Of course I understand that cancer is a complex disease and eating 100% whole foods and avoiding sugar will not put an end to it. I believe, though, that eating whole foods, high in fiber, can be an important part of fighting cancer and may well be a key to preventing much of it.
Not only cancer but diabetes, heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer's (which is now called Type III Diabetes) are all on the rise. A new category of sickness called "metabolic syndrome" is a diet-induced set of issues that is often associated with these specific diseases. Something changed somewhere along the way that caused these diseases to become epidemic. I believe that something is food and the environment.
I have personally experienced the power of changing my diet. There are certain issues I remember having as a teenager that I no longer had once I changed my eating style to rely on whole foods, freshly made. I didn't initially attribute those issues to diet but now do. Those issues included severe stomach cramping, depression and skin irregularities. More recently I have had dramatic results from eliminating all forms of added sugar from my diet.
Some studies have suggested direct links between our high levels of sugar consumption and specific types of cancer. While these initial studies are not yet definitive, they catch my attention.
In addition, I note that a growing field of immunology is cancer immunology, an attempt to discover immunotherapies to treat and slow progression of the disease. We know that sugar suppresses the immune system. In my opinion, it follows that reducing or eliminating sugar consumption, particularly through processed foods, can only have a beneficial effect in the fight against cancer. A stronger immune system is better able to fight cancer cell growth.
Finally, it seems to me that eating in such a way as to maintain blood sugar at a healthy, stable level reduces the energy our bodies put into warding off chronic disease and increases the energy available for fighting abnormal cell growth or better, maintaining wellness.
I am very cautious about eliminating foods from my diet. As a vegetarian, I have eliminated meat. Recognizing the importance of fiber, I avoid reduced food products -- things that were originally food but have had the fiber and important nutrients removed. Now I have eliminated added sugar.
My focus is on whole foods with all their fiber. That includes sweets - ok with me when they arrive in their own fiber package, like a whole date or dried apricot. I favor the Mediterranean diet, which expresses a joy in life through its whole foods and beautiful colors. Sadly Middle Easterners have gotten away from it these days as they have moved to white Pita and commercial products and as a result suffer one of the highest diabetes rates in the world.
I am passionate about my eating style. Yes, it hurts me to see people I love eating in a way that I know causes damage and heartache, but it is not just a personal issue. Making whole foods (and wholesome foods) accessible and meaningful has become my mode of social action and protest.
In addition to my work through my Cafe, I have become involved with the Food Shed Coop, an effort to create a McHenry County food coop. The name suggests that this cooperative will be part of a food system, one that includes local farmers, local farmers markets and local consumers. I am very excited about this project and hope you will become part of it with me. Please learn more and find out how you can support this effort at foodshed.coop.
Here is a simple little treat you can prepare for those you love when you'd like to sweeten their lives. My partner, Laura, made these for a recent event:
Filled Dates
Ingredients
Whole dates
Dried apricots
Walnuts
Labne (a Middle Eastern yogurt) - for a second version
Preparation
- If the dates are not pitted, use a small knife to make a slit on one side. Remove the pit.
- Place equal parts apricots and walnuts in the processor and pulse until you have a coarse mixture. You may have add a few drops of fruit juice if mixture seems too dry.
- Fill the pitted dates with some of the walnut-apricot mixture, mounding it attractively.
- The walnut-apricot filling can be varied with a labne filling. Fill the dates with Labne, which is cream cheese consistency. Top with a half walnut piece.
- Arrange finished dates on serving platter with orange slices for decoration.
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