Ok – so perhaps I’m seeing things in a slightly gloomy light at the moment…but it does feel like the human race is killing itself.
Take a look at the statistics:
In the developing world, the number of overweight and obese adults has almost quadrupled to around one billion. 1 in 3 people worldwide is now overweight. In the UK, 64% of adults are classed as being overweight or obese. Obesity brings with other diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
So, let’s talk about cancer.
“Cancer is on the increase, and it is estimated that 50 per cent of people alive today will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime.” Nourish (The Cancer Care Cookbook)
Wow! How frightening is that? 1 in 2 people will be diagnosed with cancer. Look at your partner, husband, sister, mother, child – it could be them. Cancer is prevalent in our world today.
It baffles me that with so much medical research and advancement we are still finding that more and more people are being diagnosed with this disease. I understand that the rates of cure and diagnosis and quick, successful treatment have all improved – but why is there an increase of the disease in the first place?
Smoking, stress, exposure to the sun – surely these must be the highest contributors to the growth of this disease!
Is that what you think? Well if you do, you like me, would be wrong! 
The single most important factor responsible for the massive increase in cancer in our lives is…. DIET!
What we are eating and drinking is killing us. The soft, fluffy white bread is killing us. The bars of sugary, rich chocolates are killing us. The salty, crunchy crisps are killing us. So these are the obvious things. Sugar, salt, fat, additives – we know these are not good for us.
But what about the fresh fruits and vegetables that we buy in supermarkets – flown from all over the world – are they killing us? What about the delicious, juicy piece of steak – cooked just right – is that killing us? They may just be!
Eating fruits and vegetables that have been sprayed with pesticides and layers of chemicals to keep them fresher for longer – that’s just adding up in your body. Eating organic – that’s ok. The cow that has been fed with corn, soy, wheat – well that’s just a recipe for cancer. The cows that are grass-fed – they are ok….
And then of course – overeating – being overweight and obese has been linked to 20 cancers in the UK. These include breast, bowel, womb, pancreatic, kidney and gallbladder cancers.
With J having being diagnosed with renal cancer recently – our lives have been turned upside down. I am questioning everything. Lifestyle, food, work, relationships. Cancer is life-changing. It makes you sit up and take notice. At the moment our focus is on our diet – and each day we are learning more, eating better, and taking back the control.
If you (or someone close to you) has recently been diagnosed with cancer I highly recommend reading these 2 books:
• Nourish – The Cancer Care Cookbook by Penny Brohn Cancer Care with Christine Bailey
• AntiCancer – A New Way of Life by Dr David Servan-Schreiber
And if you haven’t been diagnosed – then read these books anyway – you never know they may be the difference between being cancer-free or not.