Diet Ideas

Breakfast, some make it in I'm sure.

We are still trying to hold on to our diet changes. I’m finding it frustrating that I can’t seem to find the organizational skills (or energy) right now to come up with any sort of meal plan. Rob and I are both feeling a little unfocused with everything at home. It’s hard to plan when you are not sure how long you can plan for. We both seem to be very distracted. It’s frustrating that we don’t know how to “fix” that. In the past I think we used to measure a day by what we accomplished in it. Now most days seem to come up empty of accomplishments. I don’t feel that’s entirely a bad thing for us at this time in our lives; I’m just not sure how to put it in perspective. Wow, case in point, let’s get back to the diet thing! Many family members and friends are wondering just what the heck we are trying to do. Well, to be honest we are pretty much making it up as we go.

Sisters, glad to be home together.

 We have read a book by Dr. David Servan-Schreiber called Anticancer: A New Way of Life that we are using as a base. It seems to have a good overview of all the things that we have been putting together from all these other resources. The main portion of his book is based on diet, specifically what we should be adding to help reduce the risks of cancer. His colleagues have put together a cook book that uses these anticancer foods.

Foods that we should include in our diet to help reduce the risks of cancer:

Cruciform Veggies- Cabbage, broccoli, kale
Garlic, onions, leeks, shallots, chives
Flaxseed
Soy
Big Mushrooms- especially maitake and shiitake
Berries and pomegranate
Tomatoes
Seaweed- I’m still not sure about trying this one with the girls!
Omega 3s –fish and flax are good
Carotenoids- carrots, yams, squash, pumpkins, beets
Vitamin D
Probiotics
Citrus fruit
Herbs and spices- Turmeric, curry, ginger, chilli pepper, clove, parsley, coriander, cumin
Dark chocolate- this is my favourite on this list
Foods that we need to limit or eliminate:

Red meat and all cold cuts
Sugar: White, brown, corn syrup
Hydrogenated oils
Dairy products
Foods with a high glycemic index
White flour
Non organic produce*
Peanuts/Peanut butter
White rice
Cookies/Cakes
Cola’s/Coffee/Alcohol
Fruit Juices that don’t have fibre
Non-Organic dried fruit
All Artificial sweeteners



Eskimo Kisses.

*I have found lists online of various fruits and veggies that tend to be higher (or lower) in the amounts of pesticides found on them, we are going to try shopping selectively to minimize contaminants. I think we would go crazy if we tried go switch over 100% to organic foods so we hope to focus our energy on the main things.

Foods that don’t need to be Organic

Onions
Avocados
Bananas
Corn
Pineapple
Mango
Asparagus
Peas
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Papaya
Watermelon
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Sweet Potatoes

Foods that should be Organic

Any Meat and Milk Products
Celery
Peaches/Nectarines
Strawberries
Apples/Pears
Blueberries
Red/Green Peppers
Lettuce/Spinach/Kale
Cherries
Potatoes
Carrots
Grapes