If you do just one thing to protect your health, do this.
Last week I talked about watching my mom and dad battle cancer while still in their 50s. What I did not share is that they are both alive at 86 and 88.
So what is survival really about?
For one thing, it is about loving life and holding life and health as precious. I know for my dad it is about laughter. To this day you can throw out any topic and he has a joke he can tell on that subject. Of course, laughter and joke telling are about sharing and connecting to others.
All of these factors are keys to longevity, along with a healthy diet and lifestyle.
Thriving, Not Just Surviving
Because of advances in treatment and early detection, more people are now surviving cancer. In fact, there are 14 million cancer survivors in the U.S. today and that number is expected to rise to 22 million by the year 2020.
I was interviewed recently and asked one question:
If you could only recommend ONE THING to change the course of cancer risk, cancer healing, cancer recovery and cancer survival, what would it be?
That was a tough question since cancer risk factors vary for all of us, but ultimately I would strongly recommend this one action for your health:
THINK COLOR. EAT THE RAINBOW!
Adding lots of colorful fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices everyday dramatically increases the number of potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cancer fighting plant chemicals in your body.
- RED: tomatoes, red peppers, watermelon, pink grapefruit, red grapes, raspberries, pomegranate, radicchio
- BLUE/PURPLE: blueberries, blackberries, purple grapes, purple cabbage, purple carrots, purple cauliflower
- GREEN/YELLOW: spinach, collard greens, dandelion greens, parsley, cilantro, kale, broccoli, broccoli sprouts, brussels sprouts, cabbage, bok choy, chard, celery, oregano, thyme, rosemary, dill, sage, tarragon, basil
- ORANGE/YELLOW: papaya, mango, pineapple, cantaloupe, peaches, apricot, yams, sweet potatoes, carrots, winter squash, butternut squash, acorn squash, kombucha squash, pumpkin, tumeric, saffron
- WHITE: garlic, onions, leeks, scallions, ginger root, coconut
These bright rich colors in plant pigments actually enter the nucleus of your cell and turn genes on and off. That is why it matters what you eat. Your food is talking to your genes.
How many colors do you eat every day? Every week?
What to do if you struggle to eat this way consistently?
Every day I take a big heaping teaspoon of Paleo Greens (a concentrated powder of a broad spectrum of deeply colored organic fruits and vegetables) and a big heaping teaspoon of Paleo Reds (concentrated powder of organic orange/red/purple fruits and vegetables).
I know I may not get 10-12 servings of fruits and vegetables I need EVERY day, especially in my busy life, traveling and eating away from home.
This is my insurance policy! It’s easy. I simply drink my GREENS and REDS powders to take my morning vitamins and herbs. It’s a great way to start the day.
Greens and Reds concentrates are also a rich source of electrolytes. Therefore these fruit and vegetable powders can be mixed into water and taken after your workout, after surgery, the days of your radiation therapy, and also during and after chemotherapy to replenish and balance lost minerals.
Give your body what it’s craving for a month and see how much better you feel!
