Jasmine Deener
11/25/12
P. Denney
In-depth News Story
Foods Fighting
For Your Health
By
Jasmine Deener
1,638,910.
That is about how many people were diagnosed with some form of cancer this year
in the United States.
577,190.
That is the number of Americans that are expected to die from cancer this year,
2012.
One of the things a doctor may suggest to a
patient in this situation is a change in diet. Doris Ashworth, 80, Nakita
Ashford, 39, and Janet Crawford, 57, were all given this advice when they were
told they had cancer.
“He
[her doctor] told me I had lung cancer and I had about six months to a year to
live,” said Ashworth. “He also said I’d have to have surgery as well. It was
like a death sentence but he also mentioned my diet needing to change.” She was
also informed that her iron was low and needed to raise that as well.
Lean
meats, broccoli, and fruits such as apricots are high in iron. A patient with
an iron or any other vitamin deficiency can also take iron in a pill form if
they are not fond of the foods they were recommended to eat.
“Along
with the low iron my diet as a whole needed to be changed. One of the things I changed
was my snacking habits,” said Ashworth. “I started making fruit salads instead
of eating junk food. I would mix pineapples, strawberries, blueberries,
mandarin oranges, grapes and peaches. The food wasn’t organic or always fresh
[caned] but it was a step in the right direction and it helped.”
Nakita
Ashford was diagnosed with ovarian cancer 4 years ago. She was getting a
routine gynecological exam when she found out.
“My
doctor went on and on about treatment options but I could here is her telling
me I had cancer,” said Ashford. “Then
she [the doctor] started talking about my diet which I did not think was that
bad. I was in denial. I lived a fast pace life and eat a lot of fast food meal
which are high in fat and calories and not vitamins and minerals.”
Ashford was a graduate student with a full
time job at the time. She would frequent the University Center to get food
which is filled with mini fast food stations. Fast food places like Taco Bell
and Dunkin Donuts have some foods that can total around 1,000 calories. That is
almost half of the recommended calories for a day being consumed in one meal.
“My
lifestyle could not be an excuse so I began to pack my lunch and snacks for
work,” said Ashford. “I dedicated a cabinet in my desk to healthy snacks like
fruit snacks, and an assortment of granola bars. I also added a Folic Acid
supplement to my diet.”
“Breast cancer runs in my family, so I guess I
was more prepared than my friend Lauri when we found out I had breast cancer,”
said Crawford. “My doctor told me that
before I could have surgery to remove the lumps in my breast I would have to
lose weight.”
Benign
tumors can be removed but only if the patient is in good health.
“While
my friend [Crawford] was not real excited about going on a diet I got right on
it,” said Lauri. “I showed her to make fresh oatmeal for breakfast. We bought
oats and fresh fruit. Instead we would use Splenda which is a no calorie
sweetener. We also eliminated pork and non-lean meats from her diet. One of her
favorite meals was herb crusted salmon.”
While
no doctor is going to tell you that a change in your diet will prevent or cure
cancer, it does help with treatment. Healthy people are also diagnosed with these
diseases. However eating healthy foods gives your body the tools it need to
better help fight these infections.
Top Super Foods
1.
Yogurt
2.
Nuts
3.
Kiwi
4.
Eggs
5.
Beans
6.
Salmon
7.
Broccoli
8.
Sweet Potatoes
9.
Berries
10. Avocadoes
Statistical information
obtained from the American Cancer Society web page
