I Already Ate Healthy!

“julie, IF YOU HAVE CANCER, WE’RE ALL IN TROUBLE!”

When I came out of the diagnostic mammogram two days after I found a lump in my breast, I just sat in my car feeling numb. I could barely dial Joel to tell him about the appointment. Then, I called my sister. When I told her I probably had breast cancer she said, “Julie, if YOU have cancer, we’re all in trouble!” The reason she said this is because I had been so proactive about my health.

For over 20 years prior to my diagnosis, I had been a student of nutrition. I heard many doctors speak, watched countless videos, attended seminars, read books, etc. In 1999, I really came to understand the power of plant foods. I knew fruits and vegetables were important, but I didn't understand oxidative stress, antioxidants, and phytochemicals. Joel and I had just been married. My jaw was on the ground as I learned about harmful ingredients in a lot of the foods I had in my pantry at home. I couldn't believe it! I thought I was a healthy eater, but I was not! I got out a big garbage bag and started throwing away almost all of the packaged food in our kitchen. Joel asked me what we were going to eat, and I said, "I don't know, but I'll figure it out." For many years I did my best to follow a plant-based diet, and I even raised our kids eating this way. There is no doubt that whole plant foods have compounds that prohibit, block, and suppress cancer. I often think about what would have happened if I had never changed our diet over 20 years before our cancer.

As Joel’s job got busier, he drifted from eating well, and as a result his weight went up and down. But that changed after his diagnosis — he immediately switched to a healthy diet, and I am so proud of him! Joel lost eighty pounds, partially due to changing his diet and partially due to nausea during chemotherapy. Getting down to his ideal weight could have been one of the things that saved his life. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27529652/

Leading up to my diagnosis, I was eating even healthier alongside Joel. Heck, I was even doing coffee enemas! Yet, when I was diagnosed, I started to question everything I was eating. But I wasn’t like Joel, needing to switch to a healthy diet — I already ate healthier than most people on the planet! I opened my heart and mind to all kinds of other dietary advice. I was so confused! Joel and I did numerous consults with nutritionists and holistic doctors, and we read over 20 books about cancer and diet. I took several courses on nutrition and cancer. For a while, I got sidetracked studying all kinds of different diets, because that is where most people with cancer start.

I finally realized that my diet was NOT the cause of the cancer, but rather one of the reasons I was alive.

I believe that a cancer gene, coupled with other lifestyle habits like too much stress and lack of sleep, may have been the culprits behind my diagnosis. Yet I will never know definitively what caused the terrain of my body to get so out of balance that cancer got a foothold.

How often do we look at someone’s outward appearance and make a false assumption about their inward health? The person who eats really well, the person who drinks only water, the person who is an avid exerciser, the person who seems calm all the time, or the person who sleeps eight hours every night...they have to be healthy, right? But if that person is out of balance in other areas of a healthy routine, disease can still ensue.

I had to examine and step up my game in every area of my life in order to heal.

• DIET — Yes, I already ate healthy, but I realized I needed to eat more vegetables, eat enough, and slow down and enjoy my food. Getting to this point took meal planning and being intentional. I thought I ate healthy, but now I am sure. Visit the Diet page to learn more.

• HYDRATION — Yes, I already drank water, but I realized I needed to drink no less than 64 ounces consistently every day, and more if I exercised. I started filling a 64-ounce pitcher of water each day to ensure drinking enough. I thought I drank enough, but now I am sure. Visit the Hydrate page to learn more.

• EXERCISE — Yes, I already exercised and looked very fit, but I realized I wasn’t getting enough consistent cardio, plus strength training, plus stretch time. Now, I take casual walks or go for a run just for fun. I hired a personal trainer to help me with strength training. I thought I exercised enough, but now I am sure. Visit the Exercise page to learn more.

• DE-STRESS — Yes, I thought I was managing my stress well, but I realized this was a huge blind spot in my health. I had to intentionally change my mindset and routine to teach myself to manage stress. I thought I de-stressed enough, but now I am sure. Visit the De-stress page to learn more.

• SLEEP — Yes, I thought I was getting enough quality sleep, but I realized this was also a huge blind spot in my health, and my healthy diet would not compensate for less sleep. I thought I was getting enough, but now I am sure. Visit the Sleep page to learn more.

If you think being stellar in one area of your health routine is sufficient and will make up for deficits in the other areas — take it from me, it won’t!

Leading up to my diagnosis, I was thinking my healthy diet would compensate for the high demand I was placing on my body. On top of my already busy life, I was supporting Joel through cancer treatment, and I had teenage kids trying to cope with a sick dad and the pressures of life. I felt solely responsible for taking care of all of them. I ate so healthy that I thought I didn’t have to track my water intake, worry about whether I exercised, de-stressed, or slept enough.

Looking back, I realize that my body was crying out for help, but I just kept pushing. I thought the fact that I started my day with a huge bowl of greens could allow me to operate at Mach 5 speed with my hair on fire. That worked for a while, until the fuel of a healthy diet just wasn’t enough to keep my engine running well.

I think I not only miscalculated, but I was almost dead wrong.

I eat the healthiest I have in my life now, and I have more energy than I know what to do with. But rather than pushing myself to get more done in a day like I used to, I go for a casual walk, go to bed early, and smile and thank the Lord that I get a second chance to live in balance.

So, to all of my fellow “healthy eater” race car drivers, congratulations, but please make sure you put more than just healthy food in your tank!