The last month and half has been a hard season for a dear friend. He started to not feel well in early June, was in and out of the ER, before finally being hospitalized. Ten days later, he was diagnosed with stage 3 Colon Cancer. I remember the call as if it were yesterday, “I have Colon Cancer.” He is in his early 40’s, well before the recommended colon screening phase. By all accounts he is a fit, healthy eating person, but now his whole life is turned upside down with surgery, pain meds, learning to eat again and so many decisions. Last month he was living a “normal” life and the next month he is hospitalized. He has had an amazing attitude for all the suffering he has endured.
When I think about my friend, I can’t help but wonder, “Am I eating a cancer fighting diet right now? Am I eating enough fruits and vegetables and legumes to feed my body well?” Remembering also that health is a broad holistic concept that includes avoiding toxins, breathing and prayer, exercise and activity! The list of healthy habits is long. Our bodies are so resilient, that we often take them for granted. I have certainly been more mindful of my overall health choices and especially my food choices in the last month.
I heard Dr. Amen share the first question we should ask ourselves before we eat, “Is this good for my brain?” It is good to be intentional and help our body fight even the unknown battles.
Our relationship with food is complicated. We should eat to live and not live to eat. Most of the nutrients come from whole foods, minimally processed foods. Less ingredients are better and less packaged foods will eliminate a lot of empty calories. We have chosen as a company and farm to only offer wild or grass-fed meats or certified organic fruits, vegetables, and groceries. We believe that health starts with the food we eat and for the last 2 decades we have only delivered healthy foods to families like yours and ours.
The freedom to choose what we eat is alive and well in America, the choice is ours. Cancer is cruel and it takes an army to fight it. If you find yourself in a cancer battle, please let us know. We will pray for you and then we will also put a “health” discount on your account. For others, you may know people with cancer; you can “sponsor” them and their family by creating a Box of Good account for them and funding it. We will put the “health” discount on that account, too.
-Tristan and Joelle