During the time of consistent praying and racking my brain over my condition, my wife and I began to put our focus on another very important subject involving prostate cancer - nutrition! I have to be honest and say that I'm not the healthiest guy at all. I'm 5' 9", somewhat thin with the dreaded "love handles," weighing between 195 - 200 pounds! Based on my height I'm quite overweight. I also have to admit that I have a history of bad eating! There was a time when I would eat nothing but burgers, burgers, more burgers, fries, fried catfish, fried chicken, pizza, pizza, lots of sweets, and more and more burgers! On top of that, I'm not very athletic so there are little to no calories and fat being burned. So, when I think about it more and more, I wasn't really surprised about the cancer and, upon having the "right perspective," I'm thankful that my condition wasn't worse - because it easily could have been!
My wife, already doing tons of internet research on prostate cancer and it's stages and cures, started doing another search on the right foods to eat. (I have to brag on her and say that she is one darn good cook!!!) Actually, I had already slowed way down on the fried foods for about a couple of years so the transition to actually [almost] cutting it out was quite easy. We also increased our intake of green veggies and fruit! Speaking of fruits and veggies, we all know about the benefits of tomatoes, especially for men and the health of their prostates. Tomatoes are a great source of antioxidants. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals which may damage the body's cells. Lycopenes, a type of antioxidant, give off the red color to not only tomatoes, but also watermelon, pink grapefruit, guava, etc. which, when digested, are deposited in the liver, lungs, prostate gland, colon and skin. Another great source of antioxidants is the pomegranate. They are high in Vitamin C and the juice is high in three different types of polyphenols, a potent form of antioxidant. They are even credited with helping in the prevention of cancer and heart disease. And they're delicious!!! When I was a child I learned to chew the meat off of the seed, swallow the juice and spit out the seeds. After all this time I found out just last year (06) that the seeds are edible and a good source of fiber! Pomegranates are usually in season from October through to January.
Now, I'm not a vegan, and I tip my hat to those who go that route! I'm still a carnivore, just a little more cautious with what types of meat I eat and how it's prepared. I've cut out red meat about 90%. I mostly consume baked chicken and fish (tilapia or salmon), sliced turkey and tuna. We are very careful about lunchmeat. The best lunchmeat is the kind without nitrates, a form of preservative that may preserve the food but not your body! They can be very harmful to the lining of your lungs!!! On that note, we spend a lot of our time hunting down and purchasing organic foods: no preservatives, no pesticides - just plain natural! We try to do this with everything - fruits, veggies, meats, jellies, juices, milk and so on. The milk is mainly for the kids. I'm lactose intolerant. So that means soymilk for me - organic as much as possible!
As I type all of this I have to admit that I'm still learning everything. But, I've benefitted a great deal because since my surgery (which I'll get to later) I've lost about 18 - 20 pounds!!! Now I'm in the 175-180 range!!! By the way, not only have I changed what I eat, but also how much, as well. Sometimes I have to push myself from the table or just fix my plate and put all of what's left over in the fridge before I eat! That means no more seconds - or thirds! (sometimes I still get seconds, just not as often as I used to) So you see that nutrition and excercise (so convicting as I type) is highly necessary for our health, brothers! For a healthy prostate and everything else!!!
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