Come On Down To The Vegan Side

I recently undertook the biggest lifestyle change of my life. I am now a vegetarian. I stress that I am doing this for health reasons and not in support of "animal rights". Hence, I very easily cut myself some major slack. For one, I still eat sockeye salmon at least once a week, mostly as a ceviche. There simply is no better plant source of omega-3's. I also will eat a couple of organic eggs a week (because I like them). And, until I discover (or invent) a truly delicious vegetable base for soup, I will stick to free range chicken broth. Most veggie "all natural" soup bases available are very high in sodium and contain suspicious ingredients. But don't hesitate to invite me to dinner. I will eat anything at other people's houses, no special orders from me. But in my own home, where I have complete control over what I put in my mouth, I strive for 100 % compliance. This gives me the freedom to eat what's in front of me without guilt when vegetarian options are not available.

I made the change on the 24th of June, 2009 the day before my 3rd chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. Before beginning chemo, I asked my treatment team for nutritional guidelines, but all I got was:

Enabling Nurse: "Eat what tastes good! Now is not the time to deprive yourself."

Reticent Oncologist: "Don't eat grapefruit."

So, a couple of days after my first treatment, I threw my grapefruits into the compost bin and drove to In-N-Out for a 1,830 calorie, 95 gram fat meal: Double Double, fries, strawberry shake. "Now is not the time to deprive yourself." Yeah, right. That "treat" led to one week of severe diarrhea. You see, what chemo nurse should have told me was that since chemo drugs target cells that divide quickly (cancer cells, but also the cells of the gastrointestinal track, nails, and hair) digestive problems (and hair and nail loss) are common side effects of treatment. Hence, what you eat DOES matter. How could it not? Thus began my personal research project on nutritional interventions for cancer care. I began knowing nothing; a month later, I am astounded at how many resources are available for those who want to treat their cancer holistically ESPECIALLY in the Bay Area. I am regret that despite this wide availability, my treatment team offered my very little guidance in this area. So, I guess I will just have to educate myself.