As a Cancer survivor, a part of the healing process is to understand the factors that could have aided to the growth of the mass. For a period of time, I walked around with the lump in my breast. After surgery, I reflected on where I was at that period in my life. I was in a turbulent relationship. I ate lots of meat and fried food. I partied… a lot. On top of it all, I was stressed.

It’s not to say that you can control life’s occurrences, but if you can at least control what you put in you, you are more likely to have a healthier life. The trick is to alkalize your diet as much as possible.

I’m not saying completely avoid fatty foods you crave (that’s just crazy), just don’t indulge. We are human after all, but 95 percent of the time, watch what you eat.

Beets

Beets are an acquired taste if you prefer salty, spicy, umami flavors. They’re a bit sweet and have a distinct flavor. I like to boil mine for about 35 minutes, cut them into small squares, add onion, salt, apple cider vinegar, pepper/ cayenne pepper, olive oil and put it on my salads. You can prepare them according to your taste; just make sure you incorporate them into your meals.

Beets are an excellent source of folate and a very good source of manganese, potassium, and copper, dietary fiber, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin C, iron and vitamin B6.

They help improve blood flow, detoxify the liver, reduce blood pressure, treat constipation and improve the appearance of the skin.

Leafy greens

I would only stick to spinach, kale, collard greens, spinach and arugula which are rich in antioxidants known to combat cancer, including vitamin C and beta-carotene (a type of vitamin A).

I like to make a kale Cesar’s salad cut julienne style, caramelized onions, bacon, dressing, and croutons.

In Spain, they make baguette sandwiches with arugula, goat cheese, tomato, olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette. In the south, they boil collard greens with vinegar, turkey neck, salt and I like to use olive oil. Let that boil until the leaves have soaked up the flavor and serve with an organic chicken breast and potatoes.

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring

You prepare the healthy ingredient as you would like. It goes so far as to replace regular water with alkaline water (pH9.5+) or meat-based recipes with beans or dense vegetables to replace meat/poultry, for example, chili. I make chili with garbanzo or black beans to take a break from meat consumption, which stays in your body for a longer period.

To avoid having to cook too frequently, you could meal prep, which is preparing a large meal, put just amounts of the complete food in a plastic container, and refrigerate or freeze it until you’re ready to eat it during the week. This will save you time and money in the long run. If you really think about it, it’s one less stress in your life and would take about two hours to do depending on the meal.

You should stop

The foods you’ll want to avoid or eat very scarcely are fried foods and desserts. Yes, I said it, because of fat and sugar feed cancer. Our guilty little pleasures are doing us harm. There is a way you can have what you want and not feel as bad about it… substitute the sugar. You could start baking your cakes with honey, stevia, dates, coconut sugar or maple syrup. These are the five healthiest natural sweeteners, and some of them don’t taste too bad.

If you want fries, get a frozen bag of sweet potato fries, mix them in a bowl with olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano and parmesan cheese. Put them on a pan spread out and in the oven. Bake until they are golden brown and serve. They taste great! For someone who is completely guided to the enjoyment of taste, these recipes are also simple, inexpensive and will work wonders on your diet.