Perception is Everything.

This week I (Michelle's Place on Twitter) received a tweet that read "what about pancreatic? We've nailed breast?"
This stopped me in my tracks. Do people really believe we have nailed breast cancer? Does the statistic of approximately 90% chance of 5-year survival when diagnosed in the early stages imply that we have it under control and there is no reason to worry?
I don't think so.

According to the American Cancer Society, your relative survival rate decreases if you are diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 40. Yes, it drops to 84%.
If you do not catch breast cancer early which can happen easily in today's down economy when not everyone is insured and can easily get the diagnostics they need, 5-year relative survival is 23% for distant stage disease and tumor size plays a part in this too. (Source: ACS Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2011-2012)
And remember, just a few weeks ago...Robin Roberts, announced she has a blood disorder called MDS,  myelodysplastic syndrome (preleukemia), resulting from chemotherapy from her breast cancer over 5 years ago. Here she was on a journey that had her believing she was cancer free and now she is facing more excruciating treatments. I lost my mother to Leukemia that started as MDS resulting from chemotherapy in March of this year and her doctors told her she was going to beat it too.  I want Robin Roberts to beat MDS because no one should have lose this battle. Ideally, no one should have to face this battle. I still have a lot of questions about the long-term consequences of the breast cancer treatments we are using and where that leaves women 5-10 years down the road. Especially if younger women are dealing with more aggressive breast cancers and chemotherapy gets stronger and more aggressive.
So have we really nailed breast cancer? My answer is no.

The statistics show we are heading in the right direction. Death rates have been decreasing since 1990 especially in younger women which means we are getting the education out there for early detection. We need to make sure women understand that just because breast cancer does not run in your family does not mean you are off the hook. 85% of breast cancers occur in women with no family history. My sister-in-law, Michelle, who we lost at age 26 had no family history. Educating the community is a large part of what we do at Michelle's Place. However, as long as we are seeing women walking through our doors misdiagnosed, the battle will be far from over. Get educated, ask questions, and be your own health advocate!
Are we fighting the battle like true warriors? Yes.
How are you waging war against breast cancer?

Nutrition: The Nuts & Bolts of Eating Fresh Part 2

Hopefully since my last post, you have had a chance to integrate some new "Eating Fresh" habits into your life that are lasting. I find it so easy to do at this time of year as the weather gets warmer.

Now I want to dig deeper (ha, pun intended) into what can affect the nutritional value of your food. Since our stomachs have limited space, we want to put the most nutrient-dense food in our mouths, right? The first thing to consider is the growing conditions. Now, I know what you are thinking..."Seriously? I am standing there buying my veggies. How can I possibly know about the dirt it is was grown in."  And I am saying yes, you can can get to know your farmer. The soil can greatly impact the nutritional value of your food - it needs to be prepared and maintained to provide the highest nutrients to the soil-grown food.  Think about us...we need vitamins and minerals to keep our bodies in good working order to be able to fight off disease. Plants need nutrients to be able to fight off predators and disease and they get the nutrients from the soil. Then they pass the nutrients to us when we eat them.

The next thing to consider is plant variety. This one blew me away when Tina from Crows Pass Farm came to Michelle's Place and explained it using strawberries. Who hasn't ooooh'd and aaaaahhh'd over a ginormous strawberry? Well, I won't be doing that anymore after learning from a real farmer. The plants that produce fewer, smaller, brightly colored fruits and veggies have higher nutritional value (and they taste WAY better!). Period. End of Story.

Now for storage...this is complex because storage not only has a huge impact on nutritional value but there are many different types of storage to consider (dried, stored, frozen, canned). If you want the highest nutritional value possible, go for local-grown fresh fruits and vegetables. Once the food is picked, the nutritional values start declining rapidly so eat and pick is best.

There is a lot of debate centered around raw food vs. cooked food. The link provided has good  information about this topic.

The way you choose to cook your food will also play a big part in how your food retains its nutritional value. Lightly cooking your organic fruits and vegetables can not only retain but increase antioxidant and nutritional values.


I did not make all of this up...my source is healthy-food-site.com

Bon appetit!