My Holiday Diet According to Cancer

Holidays are a time of togetherness, family, and for anyone from south Louisiana, it means lots of delicious FOOD!

My favorite memory growing up was going to my grandparents’ house on Christmas Eve: where two huge pots of gumbo and potato salad were waiting, along with endless amounts of holiday treats.

You know...

chocolate-chip cookies

chocolate covered pretzels

and the must have

gingerbread bread house.

We would eat until our stomachs couldn’t stretch anymore, then make the drive home to wait for Santa.

These memories conditioned me to relate the holidays with food and lots of it. After my cancer diagnosis, I’ve learned a lot about cancer’s relationship with food. Some foods can be fuel for its growth, and others can create an environment for cancer cell death. Now don’t get me wrong; I highly believe medication and other total body therapies.

Key factors I used to beat cancer

1. Diet

2. Great healthcare team

3. Exercise

4. Mindset

5. Financial education

So you ask, what does my holiday diet look like these days?

The word diet sounds restrictive, like some punishment. I instead look at it as a lifestyle, which makes holiday meals not so frightening. This simple mindset shift allows me to have full control over what I choose to eat. I now have full control over how I feel the next day. I can control my pain through my diet, and that control is the best feeling.

I’ve switched to mostly Mediterranean diet and vegan recipes and swear by juicing. My holiday choices now consist of plant-based options. I opt out of eating meat to help control my inflammation caused by my meds and being menopausal. This lifestyle shift has also helped control my hot flashes and allows me to sleep better at night.

Sample holiday menu

Main dish:

Vegan Wellington

https://www.karissasvegankitchen.com/vegan-wellington/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_tribes&utm_content=tribes&utm_term=872851732_37529982_52132

Sides:

Creamy Vegan Scalloped Potatoes https://www.lazycatkitchen.com/vegan-scalloped-potatoes

Easy Festive Vegan Stuffing

https://pickledplum.com/easy-vegan-stuffing

Easy Winter Kale Salad

https://frommybowl.com/everyday-kale-salad/

Dessert:

Skillet Cookie Cake

https://nutriciously.com/skillet-cookie-cake/

Now let me say, this is not an easy switch and it won’t happen overnight.

The goal of this lifestyle is to:

1. Reduce the amount of medication I am on for the side effects of other medications.

2. Reduce the risk of reoccurrence of my breast cancer.

3. Reduce hot flashes cause by my medications and menopause.

4. Get better sleep at night.

For example, one of the medications I have to be on for the next 10 years is Letrozole, which is a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor.

Since my cancer was estrogen positive (meaning the cancer cells in my body need estrogen to grow), this medication in addition to my hysterectomy decreases the amount of estrogen my body produces. One of the main side effects of this medication is joint and bone pain. causes my joints to be sore and swollen. Arthritis is starting to set in at the ripe old age of 32. I can either choose to add more medication to my growing list to help with the pain, or I can choose to eat foods that reduce inflammation. I choose the latter.

How does this lifestyle affect my family?

Having the BRCA gene means my body doesn’t have the mechanisms necessary to fight off cancer cells before they form, which is why I had an 80% chance of getting breast cancer when the average person my age only has a .4% chance. It also means that I have a 50% chance of passing this gene on to my children.

I am raising my children as if they have the BRCA gene, even though they won't get tested until they are 18 years old. I want to educate them at an early age the risk of cancer they may have. They have seen me go through my treatments and it will always be a part of their life. With that being said, my goal is to teach them from a young age the power of healthy eating and what having an active lifestyle can do long term. In fact one of my 4 year old daughter's favorite things to do is to go out to our garden and snack on our bell peppers or spinach. I am hoping through this lifestyle, we are able to in a way “turn” off this gene for them.

Do you feel like you are missing out?

It’s better to think of what you are gaining, instead of what you are giving up. I choose to focus on the quality time I now get with my family. I feel better when I eat better, and I am not in constant joint pain or perpetual sweating from hot flashes (thank you menopause). Now my focus during the holiday season has shifted from food to the true reason we celebrate Christmas. I am so grateful for the time I have been given with my two little kids and my husband. I never take for granted a single day, much less center my holiday’s around food anymore.

So what is my holiday diet according to cancer?

Laughs

love

and most importantly, family!