I recently read Dying to Be Me by Anita Moorjani. A few paragraphs into the introduction I could feel seemingly unexplainable tears welling up and I felt overwhelmed with gratitude for this women, her experience and my little sister's recommendation to read the book. It was one of those moments of perfect synchronicity.
Many of you know my breathing story. As someone who has been "sick" I can tell you that there are so many layers to unfold when it comes to healing. I never had cancer or a near death experience like Anita Moorjani but I can definitely identify with feeling fear. I allowed fear to root itself so deep inside my cells, it left me feeling breathless, hopeless + like I was living some sort of half-life. Reading Anita's words has given me so much perspective on my own health, on my own life. Reading her story has brought clarity to mine.
I had the physical scar tissue removed from my trachea in March of 2008. Ever since that time I've been doing the work of true healing--- of turning within, trusting and deeply loving myself. Reading this book I can see the phases and stages of my life so clearly. I can see how the path has unfolded and how each step has lead me to this place, this moment.
I took a soul journey at the beginning of 2012 to Hawaii. Walking the beaches of Kaaawa I could see more than anything else in the entire universe that my 'job' --- that thing I was seeking so passionately was just to be me. To be lovingly, authentically, unapologetically me. The easiest and most complicated task all at the same time. I feel in crazy, good love with myself during those 75 days. I memorized the feelings of love, of health, of possibility. And honestly... I forget them all the time. I forget, I remember and I begin again. And that's where I'm at.
Kayla and I use smoothie metaphors constantly. One day, just like making my morning smoothie, I won't forget. It will just be my life. It will just be because it already is. Each day I listen to my intuition. I make choices that feel really good at the time (usually because I've called my sister needing a pep talk and she reminds me). I do work that feeds my soul and makes feel tremendously proud. All that adds up to the feeling that all is well. It always is.
It was then that I understood that my body is only a reflection of my internal state. If my inner self were aware of its greatness and connection with All-that-is, my body would soon reflect that and heal rapidly. -Anita Moorjani
I often work with women + men who are negotiating some kind of imbalance or disease in their bodies. You betcha we talk about veggies! We do food experiments and go into the realm of food as medicine. We work on the level of what you're eating, drinking and thinking. We also talk about self-love. How to find it, embrace it + swim around in it til your fingers are so wonderfully pruny. Loving myself is and continues to be the most worthy work I've ever done.
Cancer Fighting Foods
Plant based diet
“Plant food / less cancer correlation is primarily due to three health-promoting factors: Plants have less fat, more fiber, and more phytonutrients. Besides providing the anti-cancer properties of fiber, legumes (such as seeds, rice, soy beans, beans, and chick peas) contain anticancer properties called protease inhibitors, which have been shown to reduce the growth of breast, colon, and skin cancers in experimental animals.” -Dr Sears, source
Oils
flaxseed
pumpkin seed
walnut
safflower
sunflower
sesame
virgin olive
**Heating these oils at high temps can actually change the properties of the fatty acids and can turn them into carcinogens
These oils do well at high heat:
peanut
coconut
ghee
Avoid hydrogenated oils + fats, typically found in processed packaged food and fast food because it increases the shelf life
Omega-3
fish oil or flaxseed oil
Fiber
High fiber diet decreases chance of colon cancer - fiber helps move potential carcinogens through intestines faster and also binds to carcinogens to keep them away from intestinal walls
Fiber promotes growth of healthy bacteria in intestines + actually reduces chance of breast cancer due to binding estrogen in bowels
Good sources:
wheat bran
beans: kidney, garbanzo, navy
legumes
whole wheat
whole grains
Vitamin C + Vitamin E + Vitamin D + Selenium
Raw Fruits + Veggies
Reduce all kinds of cancers
Plants have phytochemicals which are substances that help fight cancer
The five major classes of compounds that occur in fruits and vegetables as natural blocking agents against carcinogens are: phenols, indols, flavones, cumines, and isothiocyanates. These neutralizing agents prevent carcinogens from reaching critical target sites within the cell.
Cruciferous Veggies
broccoli
cauliflower
cabbage
brussels sprouts
mustard greens
kale
Also dark leafy greens
Antioxidants
Antioxidants, such as vitamin C and E and beta carotene, seem to have a synergistic effect when taken together. So, eating lots of fruits and vegetables in a salad together produces a greater anti-cancer effect than eating each one individually. There is reliable scientific evidence that beta carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E definitely lower the risk of colorectal cancer. Fruits and vegetables are the main sources of these naturally occurring antioxidants. Antioxidants protect against cancer in several ways:
-They protect the membrane of intestinal cells.
-They prevent free-radical reactions that can cause bowel contents to be carcinogenic
-They prevent faulty metabolism in the cell, which can predispose a cell to becoming carcinogenic.
Beta carotene
Beta carotene boosts the immune system + can block the growth of potentially cancerous cells.
Best sources of beta carotene are sweet potatoes, pink grapefruit, carrots, cantaloupe, pumpkins, butternut and other types of winter squash, spinach, broccoli, mango, and papaya.
Green Tea
Phytochemicals, antioxidants
Garlic
reduces bad bacteria
Apples
pectin (the fiber in apple skin) ferments in intestines and produces a short-chain fatty acid that prevents growth of harmful bacteria + nourish cells of intestinal lining making them more cancer resistant
Tomatoes
Tomatoes contain lycopene, and most absorbable when cooked
Berries
Rich in flavonoids and antioxidants
Trying to be anything or anyone else didn't make me better- it just deprived me of my true self! It kept others from experiencing me for who I am, and it deprived me of interacting authentically with them. Being inauthentic also deprives the universe of who I came here to be and what I can here to express. -Anita Moorjani
If you have cancer, know someone with cancer or have ever feared getting cancer- READ THIS BOOK. It will touch you and change you in the best of ways. If you've ever been given a diagnosis that left you feeling depleted or broken...my heart is with you. My heart has been right where you are. Beautiful soul, you're not alone. If you're ready to explore whole health (which is, by-the-way your birth right!) through the power of food + self-love and you feel lead to contact me, please do! My heart + phone line is open.
To the love that is you!
Lacy
