Raw Food and Fighting Disease
The other night, a special ran on every channel on TV during prime time. It was called, “Stand Up to Cancer”. It wasn’t a presidential address, it was a program about cancer. All four channels, prime time.
Cancer has become our number one killer. It is estimated that one out of every two men, and one out of every three women will get cancer in their lifetime. It is an epidemic that is out of control.
As I sat watching this program, I couldn’t help but notice that while there was a lot of focus on medical treatment for cancer, there was no discussion of nutrition or nutrition as a part of prevention. I found that frustrating and sad.
Do a quick Google search for food and cancer and over 180 million responses will come back. Tons of references for anti-cancer diets, cancer fighting foods, cancer fighting spices, and how to fight cancer with food. Medically backed, lab tested, and proved, we know that there is a huge connection between what we eat and our health.
We have one of the biggest cancer fighters available to us every day. It is simply the food we eat. There are foods we eat that feed cancer and food we eat that starve cancer. Drs Oz and Roizen point out that everyone has cancer cells in their bodies. “You probably don’t know that you have cancer. That’s right. Every single person has cancer cells in them. But in most cases, your body finds the cells, realizes that they’re foreign, and kills them right away-without you even knowing that it happened.” How we eat is one of the greatest influences on whether those cancer cells grow out of control or stay in a state that won’t harm us.
Eating fruits and vegetables in their raw, organic form is a great way to get your nutrients. There are a few exceptions, such as tomatoes (lycopene) and kale (vitamin K) where certain nutrients actually increase with cooking. But for the most part, raw food is a way to go. Keep in mind that even with kale, when you cook it, you might increase the vitamin K but you will decrease many of the other nutrients. It is a balancing act.
My question is, how do we start to consciously make the connection. I have always said, if the result was immediate, we would change. But it isn’t. It is gradual. It is invisible. It sneaks up on us. We gain weight, we become short of breath, but we ignore the signs. We can’t see what is happening on the inside of our body so we default to the old, “out of sight, out of mind” theory.
It is time to become mindful. It is time to really make the connection between how we eat and our health. Simply by incorporating more raw foods into your diet gives you an edge. A step up. It isn’t a fad, it is health.
You may also like:
Raw Diets Calcium and Osteoporosis
Ten Great Reasons to Eat Raw Food
Jan wrote on September 16, 2010
I thought the same thing…not one mention of prevention. I work as a nurse in rehab and am shocked by how many people have the attitude of it “being done” to them and NOT taking any responsibility. We make choices, all of us, and need to make the RIGHT choices. Am I the only one who feels manipulated and misguided?
Chantal wrote on September 16, 2010
thanks for posting this Susan! you are so right. it’s time people start to realise that they don’t need to rely on drug companies to make them better. same thing goes for diabetes. there are lots of stories around of people that have reversed their type II diabetes or gone from type I down to type II because they started a raw food diet. thanks for posting this
Barbcam wrote on September 16, 2010
Reading “The China Study” pushed me over the edge!! I made a switch to raw fairly cold-turkey about 10 months ago, because my Dad was diagnosed with lymphoma, and I started researching anti-cancer diets. It has taken time, but my folks are now trying to change their eating habits. I just hope it’s in time to make an impact.
Jennifer and Jaclyn @ sketch-free vegan wrote on September 15, 2010
Totally agree with this. You have a chance every time you put something in your mouth, to hurt or help your body. The choice is yours to make!
Ricki wrote on September 15, 2010
Such a great post–and so many good points. Sadly, most of us don’t make that connection until we are sick and seeking help. . . I know I fell into that trap (sorry to say, more than once). Hopefully, once people experience the results of eating well (even if slower than with drugs), they will begin to believe and stick with it.
Matt I. wrote on September 15, 2010
You’re right. It does come down to us. There are lots of corrupt corporations to blame. But I still have a choice (at least for now) to eat healthy organic raw fruit and vegetables. And when others see how healthy and well I am, and see what I am eating, they ask questions. I share my knowledge and it spreads from person to person. There will always be a “Matrix”, in essence, “a world pulled over peoples eyes to blind them from the truth.” But we don’t have to remain “plugged in” to it! I made the “we are what we eat” food connection over 2 years ago. And there is no turning back now.
I thought Mike Adams wrote a good article. His advice was, “…you probably shouldn’t get your health advice from actors.” http://www.naturalnews.com/029726_cancer_telethon.html
Susan wrote on September 15, 2010
Rick…so true! But in reality, it comes down to us. We can blame what we will but I know that no one is holding me down and forcing me to eat the garbage. Although sometimes it feels that way!! (that invisible person….!!!)
Rick wrote on September 15, 2010
the American Cancer Society is part of the problem :-/ what a sordid state of affairs we live in. aspiring doctors hardly take any classes in nutrition. corruption at the highest ranks of the FDA and EPA. a revolving-door policy between Big Agriculture, Big Pharma, and gov’t bureaucracies. we are running into closed doors everywhere we go.
Eco Mama wrote on September 15, 2010
Right there with ya on this. I’m always so disheartened and even a little amazed that the focus of these public “fights” against cancer is raising money and not awareness about how to avoid it in the first place.
xo
Eco Mama