Last night a friend of ours, Jerry, died of liver cancer. His body was not that old, only in his early fifties. For much of his life he had been a heavy smoker and drinker, Jerry never was that concerned about what he ate—coffee and doughnuts for breakfast, no lunch, and a can of stew or whatever he could grab that was quick and easy for dinner. He never ate fruit and not much in the way of vegetables. We always got after him about how much coffee he drank and how little good food he ate, but he would always laugh it off saying that he never got sick.

The link between diet and disease: I observed first hand the intense suffering that, as the doctors said, “years of neglect” had caused. This was very sad to see because Jerry was a kind and thoughtful friend to our family. It was not a pretty sight. Jerry’s body became full of bile when his liver became so swollen that it could no longer function. His skin turned yellow. He could not eat without severe discomfort and he lost eighteen pounds in one week. A mere three weeks after the exploratory surgery and resulting diagnosis of liver cancer, which also had spread to the gallbladder, pancreas, and colon, Jerry was gone.

The worst thing about Jerry’s death was seeing him suffer so much, yet knowing that the cancer causing his suffering and early death was most likely preventable. Cancer experts say 35 percent, possibly up to 60 percent, of Americans’ 1.1 million new cases of cancer each year are diet related. The principal dietary factors responsible are meat and fat intake. Liver cancer, which Jerry died of, has been linked to high levels of animal protein and low levels of vegetables. People who eat a lot of vegetables have rates of many kinds of cancer (lung, skin, mouth, colon, breast, stomach and liver) that are 10 to 20 percent lower than the average. Dr. Neal Barnard, author of Food for Life, says,

“Two themes consistently emerge from studies of cancer in many sites: vegetables and fruits help reduce the risk, while animal products and other fatty foods are frequently found to increase the risk.”

Making the change to a vegetarian diet:  In the couple of months before his diagnosis, Jerry didn’t feel well. He attributed his stomach aches and nausea to years of bad eating and alcohol use. Knowing that my husband and I were vegetarians, he turned to us for advice and began the process of changing his diet. First he gave up red meat. That was the easy part. What he found difficult was what to replace it with. Although he wasn’t averse to adding more vegetables to his diet, he didn’t know what to do with them. When the doctors told him to give up all fats and oils and eat only fat-free foods, he became totally confused and didn’t know what he could eat!

Actually, eating a vegetarian diet is not difficult, and even a fat-free diet can be full of a delicious variety of foods. But it’s just like anything new; in the beginning you have to learn what’s unknown to you. There are many good books on the market now which detail the benefits of becoming a vegetarian and provide lots of good recipes as well. I think a particularly good book in this regard is Food for Life: How the New Four Food Groups Can Save Your Life by Neal Barnard, M.D. Dr Barnard proposes his own new food groups (endorsed by many prominent physicians and health professionals) which include grains, vegetables, fruits and legumes. He eliminates meat, fish, dairy products and eggs which are included in the standard four food groups promoted by the Department of Agriculture. As well as providing a wealth of medical and scientific information on the benefits of the new four food groups, he also addresses all concerns you may have about getting enough protein, calcium, etc., by eating these foods. Barnard’s book is a useful resource; however, I cannot endorse it 100% because he eliminates dairy products. From milk come many other important diary products such as yogurt, ghee and butter, and, used in moderation, these are a valuable source of fat, vitamins and minerals in a vegetarian diet. There are other good books that provide recipes only and these are most helpful whether you are a beginning vegetarian or not. Perhaps some of you reading this would also like to eat more healthfully or become vegetarian and are wondering how to do this on a daily level. In this article I’m going to pass on a few ideas about healthy breakfasts. As I have said before, the best kind of preventative medicine begins in the kitchen where you prepare meals for yourself and your family.

Off to a good start: For breakfast, think whole grains or fruit. Some people like to start the day with something light and refreshing like fresh fruit. This is extremely healthful. Fruits are very cleansing and are a good source of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Fresh fruit salads are delicious and can be made more substantial with the addition of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and yoghurt. If you’re on the run, as most of us are in the morning, and want fruit that’s really quick, try a smoothie. Blend your favorite fruits with some yoghurt or fruit juice. For a little more bulk and protein, try adding peanut, almond or sesame butter. Add a little sweetening if you like, blend it up, and you’re ready to go.

Some people find that if they have fresh fruit for breakfast, an hour or two later they’re hungry again. If this sounds like you, you probably prefer grains for breakfast. The best kinds of grains to eat are whole grains. If you eat toast, cereal, muffins, pancakes, or unleavened breads like chapattis or tortillas, buy whole wheat instead of white flour products. Whole wheat has three times the dietary fiber that refined white flour does, and practically all the vitamin and mineral content of the whole grain is available. Fiber is most important in preventing colon cancer and ensuring regular bowel movements. Of course, it is not always possible to eat whole grain products, but aiming to include more of these foods whenever possible is a good approach.

Low fat, no cholesterol meat substitutes: If you focus your breakfast around foods from the plant kingdom, like fruits or whole grain cereals, then you will automatically be reducing your intake of animal foods like eggs, bacon, sausages, etc., which provide you with absolutely no fiber and too much saturated fat and cholesterol to be considered healthful. But even if you’re a hard and fast meat-and-eggs in the morning fan, there are several products on the market now that will give you the taste you like without the fat or cholesterol. Gardein food company puts out a breakfast burger and hamburger patties that are completely vegetarian and make excellent substitutes for meat. They have no cholesterol, no saturated fat and no trans fats. You’ll find these and other varieties of imitation meat in the frozen breakfast section of your supermarket. The frozen foods section of your health food store will have an even greater selection, including meat-free sausages and bacon.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure: Since curing cancer appears to be extremely difficult if not nearly impossible at this time, prevention in the form of simple dietary changes can reduce our cancer risk greatly. Although we may not suffer from these diseases in our earlier years, it is in the earlier years that they are taking hold in our bodies. By the time we get to Jerry’s age and find out we may have cancer, it’s usually too late to do anything about it. Simply by increasing the amount of vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and fruits we eat from the plant kingdom, our intake of animal foods will automatically decrease. This is one of the best preventive approaches we can take to reduce both our own and our children’s risk of suffering from cancer as well as a host of other “diseases of affluence.”

The content in this post is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment

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