“The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine, or the slowest form of poison.”
– Ann Wigmore
Most would say that Steve’s X Factor encompassed just about everything that could possibly help a person in a battle with cancer. He had friends and family for emotional support. He had strong faith and a religious community for spiritual support. And he had excellent medical care. Plus, he was physically fit and incredibly optimistic. But Julene wasn’t willing to passively hope that she and Steve were doing all they could to win this battle. Her story tells about her personal fight to save Steve’s life:
As I fought a rare and aggressive uterine cancer in 2012, and later that same year, Steve’s stage 4 stomach/esophageal cancer, I had two burning questions: How did we get this? What should we be doing differently? From every doctor we would get some version of the same answer: “It is just bad luck.” “You are doing everything right.”
Unsatisfied with these answers, I started down the path of researching and studying everything I could find on the connection between our environment, our lifestyle and our diet to our well being. It became quickly apparent that there is a direct correlation between what we breathe and put into and on our bodies and the epidemic of chronic disease in our country. Most chronic disease, not just cancer but heart disease, diabetes, asthma, arthritis, autoimmune disease, and more, has been linked to diet and lifestyle – most of which is preventable by living a healthy lifestyle.
In the process of studying all of this, I earned numerous certifications including Whole Food, Plant Based Nutrition and Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. I was passionate about all I was learning regarding how what we eat affects how we feel, look and age. I was sharing information with family and friends in hopes that they too would change their lifestyles in an effort to be healthy.
What I learned was that as Americans we consume way too much sugar, processed and chemical laden, fake food and too much animal protein. The Standard American Diet (SAD – yep) is very inflammatory and is very high in acidic foods and beverages, both of which contribute to the progression of disease. Numerous studies have shown that most, if not all, disease begins in the gut and being healthy on the outside doesn’t mean our bodies are healthy on the inside.
The largest study of nutrition ever conducted, The China Study, has linked too much animal protein to tumor growth. So, Steve and I quickly adopted a whole food, plant based diet – eliminating all dairy and meat. We felt amazing after our bodies detoxed from all of the junk we had been eating and drinking for years. Our new diet consisted of only highly nutritious, whole foods – a variety of fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, peas, gluten free whole grains, nuts and seeds. We noticed significant and immediate changes in how we looked and felt – no more allergies, clearer skin, more energy, better sleep, lost body fat, etc. While we are all unique beings, and no one diet works for everyone, we can all benefit from leaning more towards a whole food, plant based diet.
Just as important as diet, is exercise, sleep, stress management and positive mental attitude. When all of these areas are managed daily, the body can operate optimally, preventing and often times reversing disease. The following are tips for reducing your risk of cancer:
Reduce Your Risk
There are numerous ways we can reduce our risk of cancer, and other diseases as well, by following a few rules. I encourage you to read this list and try to implement a new one each day, or each week, until you are consistently living your life by ALL of these rules.
Hydrate The most important thing you can do for your health is to stay hydrated. Aim to drink ½ your weight in ounces every day. Try kick starting your day with a large glass of water with half of a fresh squeezed lemon in it – hydrating aids digestion, cleanses the liver, boosts the immune system, increases energy and is alkalizing which helps to fight off disease. Adding a dash of ground turmeric and ginger will provide additional anti cancer benefits.
Don’t smoke If you smoke, quit. And reduce your exposure to second hand smoke.
Eat LOTS of Fruit and Veggies Instead of adding a fruit or veggie as a side dish to your meal, try planning your meal around a variety of fruits and veggies! The more variation, the better. Try incorporating a green smoothie into your daily breakfast – it’s a great way to get several servings of fruits and vegetables in before noon! Fruits and vegetables, especially dark, leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables, are packed with antioxidants and phytochemicals that are protective against cancer.
Reduce Sugar and Unhealthy Fats in Your Diet But be careful, a lot of ‘reduced fat’ or ‘fat-free’ products are loaded with sugar. Neither fat nor sugar are good for us. Aim to replace the fat in your diet with healthy fats like avocado, nuts and seeds, and olive oil (all in moderation). Totally avoid trans fats. Replace sugar laden foods with natural sugars such as those from fresh fruit.
Reduce Animal Protein Americans consume on average about twice the recommended amount of protein, most of this coming from animal sources which are high in saturated fat. A well rounded whole food, plant based diet naturally provides the ideal amount of protein and also contains a wide range of important nutrients, including fiber which is only found in plant foods.
Buy Organic When possible, buy organic produce to reduce exposure to pesticides. When buying meat and dairy, choose organic, grass fed, pasture raised, and cage free to avoid hormones, antibiotics and genetically modified organisms (GMO’s).
Reduce Caffeine Try replacing your coffee habit with decaffeinated green tea which has many health benefits including protection from cancer.
Maintain a Healthy Weight Not only is it better for you, it will make you feel so much better.
Reduce the Amount of Processed Foods in Your Diet By adding in lots of whole foods, you will naturally crowd out the processed food.
Get Sleep Aim to get a minimum of eight hours of quality sleep each night. If you feel like you need a nap, take one!
Reduce Stress Stress takes a tremendous toll on the body and has been linked to cancer. Take a good look at your life, your relationships and your career, and see where you can reduce stress. Make changes if you need to – your life might depend on it!
Don’t Forget to Breathe Make an effort to take some slow, deep breaths through your nose several times a day. Breathe deep enough that you feel and see your belly expand and contract with every breath. The increased oxygen is not only good for your health, it’s extremely relaxing. Let the stress you’re holding in release with the air that you breathe out.
Think Positive and Express Gratitude It’s so refreshing and uplifting to talk positive to yourself. Do away with all of the negative self talk and reframe with positive thoughts. Don’t let what you WANT make you forget to appreciate what you HAVE. Cultivate optimism – when it rains look for rainbows, when it’s dark look for stars.
Smile More Happiness is contagious – spend more time with those people who make you smile and laugh.
Reduce Alcohol Intake If you choose to drink, do so in moderation – limit how often and how much you drink.
Get physical! Strive to get a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise a day. Make it fun and vary the type of exercise you do. Take advantage of little windows of opportunity to move – take the stairs instead of the elevator, park a bit further away and walk to where you are headed. You will find yourself quickly getting into better shape and will want to exercise more often and for longer!
Take Care of Your Mouth It’s important to your overall health to brush and floss regularly.
Need Sunshine, But Not Too Much Sunshine The absolute best source of Vitamin D comes from the sun. Aim to get up to 20 minutes exposure a day, between the hours of 10am and 2pm. Expose as much of your limbs and torso as possible while covering your face and other sensitive areas. Protect yourself appropriately from sun exposure longer than 20 minutes.
Limit Radiation Exposure Avoid sunlamps and tanning beds. Keep your cell phone away from your head when you’re sleeping.
Get Routine Preventive Exams Schedule your pap tests, mammograms, colonoscopies, and other routine exams in a timely manner. You do routine maintenance on your car and your house, it’s more important to take care of YOU!
In becoming a Holistic Health Coach, my desire was, and continues to be, to work with people to implement changes in their lifestyle so that they would reclaim their health and their lives, possibly getting off all medications. I had witnessed total transformation in the way people feel, look, think and live and I wanted to be instrumental in that change. The greatest reward is that by helping one person, it creates a ripple effect and friends and family all around them are also making positive lifestyle changes.
My hope is that by sharing our story, others will be inspired to appreciate this one life and one body that we have been given and to live in a way that will promote wellness, not disease. It takes an investment in time and energy to transform to a healthier lifestyle but the rewards are so very worth it!
Steve heartily embraced the new whole foods, plant based way of eating that Julene had discovered. To many, this was surprising. Steve was a meat-lover, and he’d been a meat lover for as long as anyone could remember. The Steve-O Burgers that he grilled for the Andrews’ summer barbecues and pool parties were legendary. And anyone who had seen Steve light up when talking about some of his favorite Bar-B-Q joints across the country knew that this was a man who loved his meat.
But Steve enthusiastically kicked his habit and made a 100% transition to his new lifestyle. No resistance. It’s possible that the wonderful meals that Julene prepared, using fresh, organic fruits and vegetables brought back memories of Steve’s early childhood days in Southern California. Once a week, before their move to Boise, Jo would take Steve and his brother, Jamie, to Manhattan Beach to pick up a basket of fresh organic food, and then a long walk on the pier and time on the water at Redondo Beach. Maybe meals of organic veggies were just as natural to Steve as physical activity, big smiles, and a positive outlook on life!
CaringBridge Post
Good Scan Results!
By Steve Andrews — Dec 10, 2013 9:34pm
I wanted to share some good news with all of you. I had a great scan report today. Compared to my previous scan several months ago the tumors are smaller, stable, or completely gone! Hallelujah!! The chemo continues to work its magic. More good news….my CEA count (which is a blood test for tracking cancer in the body) is at 3.6. This count started at over 200 when I was diagnosed, and has steadily dropped over this past year. Now is not the time to get cocky as I still have a lot of work to do. But today’s scan result was fantastic news and worth celebrating! Today I had my 21st round of chemo. We plan to continue the current chemo regimen as long as it’s effective. So far the side effects have been manageable, and I’m tolerating it just fine. Going bald is a good compromise for getting healthy! Thanksgiving Holiday was great at the Andrews’ house. Michael, his girlfriend Stephanie, and Karlie came home and it was great to see them. Both kids will be back for Christmas. It will be an awesome Christmas Holiday. I’m continuing on my meat free diet and trying to go with a 100% whole food and plant based diet. It’s encouraging that I’ve kept my weight stable and energy level high with this diet. I’m convinced that this is contributing to my good health reports. Next up on the athletic event schedule? Tennis on December 20th with my 6am Racquet Club group. I have not picked up a racquet in five months so it should be interesting! Then, the YMCA Christmas Run on December 21st – all four Andrews are signed up. And of course swim, bike, run workouts when I can fit them in. Work at Simplot is going well. I’m working on several exciting projects which are tapping into my MBA skills. I’m blessed to work for such a great company that cares so much for its employees. We are all excited about the new JUMP project and our new office building – to be completed in 2015. Thank you for all your prayers and support. You are my X Factor and it’s working!
God Bless, and wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!!!
Steve
