The "C" Word

The "C" word.

It's a nasty, terrible word. 

A word no one wants to hear uttered, especially in reference to themselves or someone they love.

It's amazing how one filthy word can (if you let it) strip you of your decency and self-respect.  It will also change your outlook on so many things - about life, about yourself, about your family.

I want the "C" word banished forever and I never want to hear it again.

One month ago this week, my parents were finishing up a 21-day safari trip of a lifetime in Africa, the Boy Toy and I were relaxing for a well-deserved week in Mexico and all was right with the world.  Less than 3 weeks later, the terrible "C" word would blindside us. 

Cancer.

That's the word I'm talking about.

Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma to be exact. 

No one knows exactly when the stage 3 cancer manifested itself into my mother's body and no one will ever know exactly what caused it, but I've long believed that the chronic health issues we face today - Alzheimer's, ADHD, autism, obesity and numerous cancers, just to name a few - are ultimately caused/aggravated by the processed foods we eat.  The government regulated, FDA approved, heavily marketed and targeted foods that populate our grocery store shelves. 

Do you really look at the ingredient label on the "food" you are consuming? Does it even register with you that you are not, in fact, actually eating food?

Chemicals. 

Preservatives.

Additives. 

Growth hormones. 

Genetically modified organisms. 

Things you cannot even pronounce.

POISON is what you are actually consuming.  Plain and simple. 

I'm not going to sit here and say that the reason my mother has cancer is because she ate convenience foods from a box or a can. But who's to say that isn't part of the underlying reason? I will say that from the point of October 1, 2013 on I won't give processed foods the chance to repeat history with me personally. 

Since the beginning of the year I have been working to change my diet to more organic items, less refined sugar and no processed items. It's been a work in progress and even after 9 months, I'm still not completely there. So when I ran across the Unprocessed October 2013 challenge, it seemed like the final step in getting myself over the hump of ridding my pantry and recipes of poison and I vowed to take the challenge.  I promised to dedicate 23 of the 31 days to not eating processed foods. The reason for the 8 days of non-participation is because most times on the weekend I am not in charge of my own cooking and I wouldn't dare turn up my nose or impose my standards on someone who took the time to prepare food for me.  And who are we kidding to say that we are NEVER going to indulge in something that doesn't meet the kitchen test or be in a position where we are served food that we have no control over.  But even in these types of situations, I will do my best to make better choices.

It's not too late for you to take the challenge either wholeheartedly or just in an effort to change one small thing about your eating habits.  You have to start somewhere and Eating Rules is a great resource to get you started in the right direction. 

Let's ultimately rid our society of that "C" word one box and one can of processed crap at a time!