We tried to eat well in the past and thought we were doing okay. But there were major challenges with what Rudy could digest. After his cancer diagnosis earlier this year, we committed to being more intentional about eating in a healthier way, AND we found a way around Rudy’s challenges!
Our daughter Courtney led the charge by creating new recipes, many of which included more plant-based ingredients. On the road to eating more plant based, there are three things that we learned to get started:
1. Meet people where they are
2. Each person’s plan will be different
3. Experiment with different foods and new ways of prepared them
There is a debate about whether sugar leads to cancer or its growth. We’re not medical professionals and can’t answer that question. But what we HAVE learned, and makes sense to us, is that too much sugar CAN lead to other conditions that in turn, may lead to cancer.
Reduce Sugar
One of the first things that we did was to start counting the grams of sugar in each serving of our food, and limited it to 36g a day for Rudy, and 24g a day for Robin. We found that adding seasonings and spices really helped to replace some of the flavors that we associate with the sweetness of sugar.
Reduce Processed Foods
We also further reduced processed foods, including processed meats! Yes, we kept some things like canned beans, but in general we made a conscious effort to reduce food that can stay on the shelf for months. As our doctor says, if you can’t pronounce all of the ingredients, it’s probably not good for us to eat it.
Eat More Fresh
Okay, THIS had been the hitch for more than 40 years. As a child, Rudy ate some bad watermelon and since then, he was unable to digest any fresh fruits and vegetables. Even many that were cooked to some degree, caused problems for him. These foods – many of them known to have cancer-fighting nutrients – were a non-starter and he really wanted to eat them! This was so unusual that it was a mystery to his doctors.
Rudy says that as people we need to be in community, and learn about each other’s experiences. Once his sister really understood his issues, she suggested that he might have an enzyme deficiency that was preventing my digestion of these foods. He found a plant-based enzyme that has been life-changing. And today he can eat ANY fruit or vegetable that he wants.
Other Changes We’re Making
We rarely have fried, grilled and roasted foods anyway, but learned that those should be minimized. And we’re looking at the Mediterranean diet and learning more about Blue Zones – areas of the world where people typically live longer and healthier lives, much of which is due to the way that they eat.
The Results so Far
We’ve both lost weight and are in healthy BMI ranges. People often think that when you work out, you should have a lot of bulk. However, a body mass calculator may tell you differently. Your BMI is calculated based on your age, gender, height, and weight. Here's a link to a BMI calculator but there are also others - https://www.calculator.net/bmi-calculator.html. It's helpful for setting a baseline and following your progress!
Thank you so much for spending time with us today! We hope you enjoyed our conversation, related to something we said, and laughed along the way.
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xo,
Robin & Rudy
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