In my last Body and Soul blog, I provided a link to a seminar on healing breast cancer that included holistic measures, such as diet. We know many fruits and vegetables have substances that interfere with cancer cell growth, and even kill some of them.

But eliminating carcinogens (such as processed meats, BPA lined cans, and dairy products full of hormones that promote breast cancer) just ain’t easy.

I’ve decided that American diet culture is out to kill me. It’s almost impossible to find something on a restaurant menu that doesn’t include cheese. Only a vegan (not vegetarian) option eliminates dairy.

That makes dining out, especially when traveling, problematic. And if you rent a home or apartment for a longer stay, you have no control over the water you drink, or how available organic produce may be in your area.

Even cleaning products, simple containers for leftovers, things we use every day, include substances that pander to profit and convenience, and not health.

There’s no easy way around it, but Gina Bonanno-Lemos’ 13 Steps To a Cancer Free Kitchen (www.360healthconnection ) has excellent advice I’m highlighting below.

Highlights

• Choose beverages sold in glass bottles, not cans or plastic containers, to avoid consuming the chemical BPA. Store your food in glass or corning -wear containers. (I’ve noticed many cans and containers now include a “BPA free” label. Great, but I wonder if what they used in place of BPA is any better.)
• Avoid processed meat — meat that’s “been smoked, salted, cured, fermented, flavored, or preserved in any way.” (quote from 13 Steps To A Cancer Free Kitchen)
• Animals from factory farms are fed GMO grains (corn and soy), growth hormones (just what a cancer cell needs!) and antibiotics.(Choose meat from grass-fed organic cows  that aren’t fed grain just before killed for the flavor and texture we like.The most reliable option would be to buy your meat directly from the organic farmer…and yes, they sell to individuals.)
• Organic fruits and vegetables are pesticide free and not genetically modified (GMO) I always refer to The Environmental Working Groups’ “Clean Fifteen” and “Dirty Dozen.” If I can’t find everything I want grown organically, I’ll at least know what to avoid absolutely.
• Try to use and drink filtered water. Just because it comes out of your tap, it still contains toxic substances, including from various drugs. A reverse osmosis system can be easily purchased to purify your drinking water. (Recall Flint, Michigan?)
• Those tasty packaged meals? Those great time savers in the kitchen? Forgiddaboudit! It’s bullet-biting time…homemade is best.
• Stainless steel or cast iron cooking utensils are safest. Those non-stick ones (the ones that save us elbow grease) contain PFOAs when heated. And aluminum is a neurotoxin, so don’t bake with it. Use parchment paper instead.
• This is a tough one. Cancer cells love sugar, and unfortunately, so do I. The good news is sugar in fruits and vegetables doesn’t contribute to cancer growth. But, simple carbs, like white bread, pasta (you can buy pasta made from lentils or chic peas), potatoes…not to mention fast foods, soft drinks, packaged foods… do.. Companies hide sugar in their ingredient lists under natural sounding names! ( https://www.hungryforchange.tv/article/how-to-spot-sugar-on-food-labels ) Fortunately, while sugar substitutes are bad, there are natural, whole food substitutes such as stevia, honey, maple syrup. (I’m not sure if they feed tumors or not, but they are healthier.)
•  It you are going to eat a potato, steam or boil it, rather than baked, broiled, or fried.

Overwhelming?

This list of what to avoid can be depressing, overwhelming, and frankly, maddening. The good news is that we can enjoy eating vegetables, especially the green leafy ones, and fruits to our heart’s content.

I know people DO adopt these suggestions, despite every effort by our society to sabotage us. We pay more for those organic meats and produce, (if we can find them), and cooking from scratch to avoid chemicals in packaged food items takes time. Plus, it’s expensive to replace our cookware with the more expensive stainless steel, etc.

But think of the alternative. Chemotherapy/ radiation treatments and their side-effects, not to mention surgery, make it worth the effort.