Sunday, April 5, 2015
Vegan low-fiber diet update; CCCF Early Age Onset summit and walk at Citi Field
I'm resurrecting this blog following a years-long absence. It's really great to see that there were some comments on my post regarding being vegan on a low-fiber diet. Many have not heard of a low-fiber diet because this counter-intuitive food plan is usually associated with serious gastrointestinal issues. I am again on a low-fiber diet, in preparation for a colonoscopy. Just your standard colonoscopy which I now experience every two years, having recovered from colorectal cancer. A new addition to the "avoid" list this time (on the sheet I received regarding the diet) is tofu. Tofu! I plan to be in touch with the survivorship nurse at Sloan Kettering to discuss what could work for vegans who are prescribed this diet (to update what I've written already). I did see one gastroenterologist's website that did say that tofu was OK but I am going to dig a little deeper to see what is truly safe for vegans to eat on a low fiber diet. Will keep you posted.
This year I participated in the Colon Cancer Challenge Foundation's Early Age Onset summit at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and the CCCF walk at Citi Field the following day.
The CCCF's EAO summit addressed a lot of important issues and brought together some incredible people all working to address the increasing number of people who are diagnosed with colorectal cancer at an early age. Here is the program for the summit. I was so excited to see that not only had a summit been organized about early onset colorectal cancer, but there were so many energized, young survivors so eager to help others from going through what they had experienced. A number of knowledgable folks from the medical community presented--bringing up issues ranging from the long-term repercussions of cancer treatment to the relationship between what you consume and the possibility of getting cancer.
The walk was wonderful. Crowds of people showed up early in the morning at Citi Field in Queens, NY to walk and run to raise funds and awareness for colorectal cancer prevention, research, and treatment. Hosted by CCCF, inspiring people who had been affected by the disease spoke before we took off to walk around the perimeter of the field (and some ran a 5K). It was a cold and windy day but sunny and the energy of the event and the company of my boyfriend kept me going. It was a great community to be a part of, but of course there were moments of sadness and grief, thinking of those who had succumbed to the disease--and their loved ones.
A lot of progress. And a lot to be done.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Requiem for a Muse.
While I was going through all of my treatments for colon and rectal cancers, I spent a lot of time at the social networking website started by Kris Carr, my.crazysexylife.com. The site, and Kris, encourages a positive, vegan, spiritual, and passionate approach to life and living in the face of health challenges, especially cancer.My.CrazySexyLife.com (along with it's sister blog site, crazysexylife.com) was the only cancer-related website I would go to while going through my cancer treatments (chemo and surgeries)... I didn't want to get bogged down in the fear and negativity of other online cancer forums. CSL was all I needed.
I immediately met a few other women facing cancer challenges, similar to my own. As positive as we all were, and as inspiring as they all were, not all of us made it. After finishing my treatments I fell away from the site a little. Still going back, but not on a near daily basis as I had been. I lost touch with some of my canser sisters. One of them was Stef. Stef also had colorectal cancer, but hers was stage 4, meaning it had traveled to other parts of her body. Mine had been stage 3, meaning it had reached my lymph nodes (the entryway to paths to other parts of your body), but not actually spun out to other organs.
This is the first line of Stef's profile on my.crazysexylife.com:
"I am a 26 year old mother who is married to a wonderful Marine."
Stef was a triathlete and loved to work out. There was no reason she should have been facing stage 4 colon cancer in her twenties. The headline on her page still announces, boldly:
"Today I will make cancer my bitch."
Stef and I were penpals on CSL for a while. I looked forward to her encouraging messages. She always sounded so strong and confident. I was sure she would win. One of her last messages to me was, "results were GREAT!!! 25% shrinkage in my liver!!! yippie!!! so everyone was very impressed and excited about the news!! so thanks for the good mojo thoughts! i hope your surgery goes well. let me know all the details! talk to you soon!!" That was in February of 2009.
In February, 2009 I had my last surgery, and within a few months was back at work (struggling to make it work), and trying to get back to "normal life." I lost touch with a lot of my CSL sisters, and when Stef told me she was on facebook mostly, and not so much as CSL... I took it as a sign that we were both drifting back into our "regular" lives, and didn't make an effort to connect with her anymore.
But in October, 2009 Stef passed away. While I had a book come out in February, 2010, wrote a guest blog (a huge honor for me) for CrazySexyLife.com, and got to go out into the world to enjoy the sun and air and all of life again, little did I know that Stef had gone. She was gone, but she was not a victim. She made cancer her bitch.
Visit My Crazy Sexy Life
Monday, August 23, 2010
Help!! How to Survive a Low Fiber Diet as a Vegan..
A vegan diet is seen by many as being very limiting. Upon beginning my life as a vegan, I must admit, the “limits” seemed somewhat daunting. But like many vegans, my eyes soon widened to the bountiful options a vegan is privy too. Especially in present times, we have so many new cookbooks, restaurants and food products catering to our lifestyle to choose from. My vegan path narrowed again when I chose to exclude most processed foods and focus on whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Again what seemed like strict limitations at first proved not so challenging as I so greatly enjoyed the foods I was eating, and appreciated the fruits of the earth even more when I consumed them close to their natural forms.
Then I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. The tumors were large and imposing and one was threatening to completely obstruct my gastrointestinal tract. My surgeon, however, did not want to operate immediately in hopes of treating me with chemotherapy before removing the tumors. This meant I had to do everything possible to prevent the tumors from becoming obstructions. I was immediately put on a “low residue” diet by my doctors, with this in mind. Most people who are put on this sort of diet encounter a program that is slightly less limiting than “low residue” called a “low fiber diet." These diets exclude all whole grains, most vegetables, most raw fruits, nuts, seeds, and pretty much everything else we’ve learned are “healthy” as vegans. Generally, medical professionals know that these diets are not nutritionally favorable for anyone. The reasons that people are prescribed them are immediate issues of safety, such as a threatening condition in the gastrointestinal tract. The colon processes fiber, and so if you are trying not to irritate your colon, it makes sense to exclude it. Low fiber and low residue diets are generally temporary, so though you will lose out on the nutritional benefits of certain foods for some time, they do not pose a permanent threat. I never went off of my vegan diet when put on a low residue / low fiber diet. Now that I’ve learned to navigate this type of diet as a vegan, I've even been able to dine in restaurants regularly when on them (like earlier this year when I had some post-surgery complications). You just need to know a few tricks.
When on a low fiber diet I focus on two food groups: starch and protein. This doesn’t necessarily add up to healthful eating, but it helps me to avoid days of eating predominantly white starches, which is an easy trap to fall into. Given the parameters of the diet, it would be simple to eat a bagel for brunch, and then pasta for dinner, every day. In the starch category are (non-whole grain) breads, pastas, crackers, processed cereals, white rice, white potatoes without skin, etc. Some people define rice cakes as low fiber and some do not, so please check with someone in your doctor’s office before adding them to your diet. Some vegan low fiber safe starches are Ritz crackers, Rice Krispies, Thomas New York Style Bagels (plain), and white pastas (such as Ronzoni – but read the ingredients list to make sure what you’re buying is vegan). In my second, protein food group there is a vast variety of processed soy products. On a low fiber diet I give myself full permission to indulge in any and all of these processed products that I normally avoid, such as vegan sliced meats and cheeses. Tofu (including seasoned tofus) is a great source of protein that is allowed on this diet. My absolute favorite vegan low fiber food is soy yogurt. It provides protein and is very good for you if you are taking antibiotics (which some people on a low fiber diet will be on because of their related medical conditions). The soy yogurt flavors that are low fiber diet friendly are vanilla, plain, peach, and anything that doesn’t have seeds (like raspberry) or skin (like blueberry or cherry). It’s great for breakfast or an afternoon snack!
Although your intake of fruits, vegetables, and nuts is hugely limited on this diet, it is not completely excluded. I recommend stocking up on tomato sauce for pasta, tomato soup, canned beets, asparagus (you can eat asparagus tips), baby carrots (these must be cooked well), and bananas. You can also eat apple sauce, and canned cooked fruit (though I am personally not a fan of canned cooked fruit). You can drink fruit juices but not with pulp, so apple juice and pulp-free orange juice are fine. You can also eat approximately two tablespoons of creamy (ONLY CREAMY) peanut butter a day. Two tablespoons may not seem like a lot, but if you are looking for a great vegan low fiber breakfast, you could have some creamy peanut butter on crackers and a soy yogurt. Two tablespoons will be more than enough!
Given all of those ingredients I’m sure you can come up with some great meals for yourself, but here are some ideas if you’re having trouble, or looking for additional options:
Breakfast:
plain bagel w/ plain vegan cream cheese
crackers w/ creamy peanut butter, and soy yogurt
tofu scramble (w/o vegetables) and potatoes (no skin)
Rice Krispies w/ soy milk and sliced bananas
vegan banana chocolate chip muffins
Lunch:
sandwich using white bread w/ vegan meat slices and vegan sliced cheese, Vegenaise and yellow mustard
sandwich w/ vegan egg salad (Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s recipe of tofu & Vegenaise seasoned to taste with cumin and turmeric)
tomato soup topped with a few shakes of vegan parmesan cheese and a few dots of hot pepper sauce, w/ a banana on the side.
Dinner:
spaghetti w/ marinara sauce, accompanied by steamed asparagus tips and baby carrots on the side (seasoned with olive oil and lemon juice)
white rice w/ sliced steamed tofu (seasoned with sesame oil and soy sauce) w/ a side of steamed baby carrots
vegan pizza w/ vegan pepperoni slices.
Some additional great low fiber vegan foods you can cook yourself are vegan pancakes (plain, with bananas, or with chocolate chips), plain vegan scones, and vegan chocolate chip cookies! AND you can freely eat all of those great vegan desserts (as long as they’re not made with whole grains) such as vegan “Death by Chocolate” cake from Vegan Treats (www.vegantreats.com), Newman’s Own “Newman-Os”, and non-dairy frozen desserts such as Soy Delicious (just make sure there aren’t nuts in them).
Now a low fiber diet isn’t sounding so bad, is it!?
Then I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. The tumors were large and imposing and one was threatening to completely obstruct my gastrointestinal tract. My surgeon, however, did not want to operate immediately in hopes of treating me with chemotherapy before removing the tumors. This meant I had to do everything possible to prevent the tumors from becoming obstructions. I was immediately put on a “low residue” diet by my doctors, with this in mind. Most people who are put on this sort of diet encounter a program that is slightly less limiting than “low residue” called a “low fiber diet." These diets exclude all whole grains, most vegetables, most raw fruits, nuts, seeds, and pretty much everything else we’ve learned are “healthy” as vegans. Generally, medical professionals know that these diets are not nutritionally favorable for anyone. The reasons that people are prescribed them are immediate issues of safety, such as a threatening condition in the gastrointestinal tract. The colon processes fiber, and so if you are trying not to irritate your colon, it makes sense to exclude it. Low fiber and low residue diets are generally temporary, so though you will lose out on the nutritional benefits of certain foods for some time, they do not pose a permanent threat. I never went off of my vegan diet when put on a low residue / low fiber diet. Now that I’ve learned to navigate this type of diet as a vegan, I've even been able to dine in restaurants regularly when on them (like earlier this year when I had some post-surgery complications). You just need to know a few tricks.
When on a low fiber diet I focus on two food groups: starch and protein. This doesn’t necessarily add up to healthful eating, but it helps me to avoid days of eating predominantly white starches, which is an easy trap to fall into. Given the parameters of the diet, it would be simple to eat a bagel for brunch, and then pasta for dinner, every day. In the starch category are (non-whole grain) breads, pastas, crackers, processed cereals, white rice, white potatoes without skin, etc. Some people define rice cakes as low fiber and some do not, so please check with someone in your doctor’s office before adding them to your diet. Some vegan low fiber safe starches are Ritz crackers, Rice Krispies, Thomas New York Style Bagels (plain), and white pastas (such as Ronzoni – but read the ingredients list to make sure what you’re buying is vegan). In my second, protein food group there is a vast variety of processed soy products. On a low fiber diet I give myself full permission to indulge in any and all of these processed products that I normally avoid, such as vegan sliced meats and cheeses. Tofu (including seasoned tofus) is a great source of protein that is allowed on this diet. My absolute favorite vegan low fiber food is soy yogurt. It provides protein and is very good for you if you are taking antibiotics (which some people on a low fiber diet will be on because of their related medical conditions). The soy yogurt flavors that are low fiber diet friendly are vanilla, plain, peach, and anything that doesn’t have seeds (like raspberry) or skin (like blueberry or cherry). It’s great for breakfast or an afternoon snack!
Although your intake of fruits, vegetables, and nuts is hugely limited on this diet, it is not completely excluded. I recommend stocking up on tomato sauce for pasta, tomato soup, canned beets, asparagus (you can eat asparagus tips), baby carrots (these must be cooked well), and bananas. You can also eat apple sauce, and canned cooked fruit (though I am personally not a fan of canned cooked fruit). You can drink fruit juices but not with pulp, so apple juice and pulp-free orange juice are fine. You can also eat approximately two tablespoons of creamy (ONLY CREAMY) peanut butter a day. Two tablespoons may not seem like a lot, but if you are looking for a great vegan low fiber breakfast, you could have some creamy peanut butter on crackers and a soy yogurt. Two tablespoons will be more than enough!
Given all of those ingredients I’m sure you can come up with some great meals for yourself, but here are some ideas if you’re having trouble, or looking for additional options:
Breakfast:
plain bagel w/ plain vegan cream cheese
crackers w/ creamy peanut butter, and soy yogurt
tofu scramble (w/o vegetables) and potatoes (no skin)
Rice Krispies w/ soy milk and sliced bananas
vegan banana chocolate chip muffins
Lunch:
sandwich using white bread w/ vegan meat slices and vegan sliced cheese, Vegenaise and yellow mustard
sandwich w/ vegan egg salad (Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s recipe of tofu & Vegenaise seasoned to taste with cumin and turmeric)
tomato soup topped with a few shakes of vegan parmesan cheese and a few dots of hot pepper sauce, w/ a banana on the side.
Dinner:
spaghetti w/ marinara sauce, accompanied by steamed asparagus tips and baby carrots on the side (seasoned with olive oil and lemon juice)
white rice w/ sliced steamed tofu (seasoned with sesame oil and soy sauce) w/ a side of steamed baby carrots
vegan pizza w/ vegan pepperoni slices.
Some additional great low fiber vegan foods you can cook yourself are vegan pancakes (plain, with bananas, or with chocolate chips), plain vegan scones, and vegan chocolate chip cookies! AND you can freely eat all of those great vegan desserts (as long as they’re not made with whole grains) such as vegan “Death by Chocolate” cake from Vegan Treats (www.vegantreats.com), Newman’s Own “Newman-Os”, and non-dairy frozen desserts such as Soy Delicious (just make sure there aren’t nuts in them).
Now a low fiber diet isn’t sounding so bad, is it!?
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Stats
OK, I'm really going to make an effort now. Seriously. I am on a mission.
I knew the first thing I needed to do to educate young(ish) people about colon and rectal cancers, was to find some statistics. If colorectal cancer knows no age, let's see some numbers, right? Well, I'm sitting at Sloan-Kettering (just had a check-up) right now, and that's exactly what I have for you... numbers.
According to the government website, http://www.cancer.gov/, of the cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed from 2003-2007, "Approximately 0.1% were diagnosed under age 20; 1.1% between 20 and 34; 3.8% between 35 and 44; 12.4% between 45 and 54; 19.2% between 55 and 64; 24.4% between 65 and 74; 26.8% between 75 and 84; and 12.2% 85+ years of age."
Now wait! Seems like the percentages for young people are pretty small, huh. Well, you know, if you add up the numbers of those diagnosed under the age of 45, it comes to 5%. That means that 5 out of every 100 people diagnosed with colorectal cancer from 2003 to 2007 were under the age of 45. But wait, there's more. These are the people who have been diagnosed. Doctors don't generally recommend colonoscopies for anyone under the age of 50. That means that for someone between the ages of, say, 20, and 45 to have a colonoscopy / be diagnosed, their cancer has to have progressed to the point that they're feeling symptoms... so they're probably pretty far along... meaning that it's bad.... and the early stages aren't getting caught because they're not feeling symptoms and not having colonoscopies. I haven't collected the statistics yet, but I would guess that that means a higher mortality rate for young people.
Are you seeing what I'm seeing?
I knew the first thing I needed to do to educate young(ish) people about colon and rectal cancers, was to find some statistics. If colorectal cancer knows no age, let's see some numbers, right? Well, I'm sitting at Sloan-Kettering (just had a check-up) right now, and that's exactly what I have for you... numbers.
According to the government website, http://www.cancer.gov/, of the cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed from 2003-2007, "Approximately 0.1% were diagnosed under age 20; 1.1% between 20 and 34; 3.8% between 35 and 44; 12.4% between 45 and 54; 19.2% between 55 and 64; 24.4% between 65 and 74; 26.8% between 75 and 84; and 12.2% 85+ years of age."
Now wait! Seems like the percentages for young people are pretty small, huh. Well, you know, if you add up the numbers of those diagnosed under the age of 45, it comes to 5%. That means that 5 out of every 100 people diagnosed with colorectal cancer from 2003 to 2007 were under the age of 45. But wait, there's more. These are the people who have been diagnosed. Doctors don't generally recommend colonoscopies for anyone under the age of 50. That means that for someone between the ages of, say, 20, and 45 to have a colonoscopy / be diagnosed, their cancer has to have progressed to the point that they're feeling symptoms... so they're probably pretty far along... meaning that it's bad.... and the early stages aren't getting caught because they're not feeling symptoms and not having colonoscopies. I haven't collected the statistics yet, but I would guess that that means a higher mortality rate for young people.
Are you seeing what I'm seeing?
Am I rambling too much?
I'll try to explain calmly and sanely. Say both a 20 year old and a 60 year old develop pre-cancerous polyps (how colon cancer starts) in their colons. Six months later the 60 year old has a colonoscopy at the recommendation of their doctor, and the polyp is removed, so no cancer develops. The 20 year old doesn't have a colonoscopy, since colonoscopies are generally recommended for people 50 and over. The polyp grows and develops into cancer. It could take 6 years before the 20 year old feels any symptoms. That's when they finally do a colonoscopy, and the cancer is diagnosed... but by that time it is stage 3 and the chances of death from cancer are greater than if it was discovered early on. It also means that the 20-something will probably have to endure chemotherapy and surgery, when the 60 year old only had to have a small polyp removed while they were (probably) unconscious, or heavily sedated.
5% ain't nothing. Especially when you're one of that 5% and you realize that your colon cancer could have been easily removed as a polyp if caught at an early stage during a colonoscopy.
5% ain't nothing. Especially when you're one of that 5% and you realize that your colon cancer could have been easily removed as a polyp if caught at an early stage during a colonoscopy.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
What is colorectal cancer?
I could try to write about what cancer is, but it's defined at www.cancer.org , and I'm not much of a science writer.
I personally think of it as cells in chaos. Cells normally work in our body towards a common good; towards life and growth. Cancer cells work towards a common bad, and they are driven to kill you. When you find out you have cancer, you are in a race against an irrational killer. It doesn't matter if you have a stage I or stage IV cancer, it can kill you. Luckily for me colorectal cancer moves slowly. One of my doctors said that he thought that I'd had cancer for about seven years before I caught it. Because colorectal cancer starts as small pre-cancerous polyps in the colon / rectum, it is easily prevented by regular colonoscopies. Before I showed symptoms of cancer, I didn't even know where my colon was. Do you? It's a portion of your gastrointestinal tract. It's the last portion of your digestive system and connects to your rectum. All I knew about colonoscopies was that Katie Couric had had one on national television. Now I know that they are life saving. If I had had a colonoscopy at age 30, my cancer may have been caught as a polyp, swiftly removed, and therefore... no cancer. My hope is that colonoscopies become standard for people age 25 on, and not only for people aged 50 and older. Colon cancer at age 30 shouldn't be a death sentence because it wasn't caught in time. Colonoscopies are not complex procedures, you're put to sleep and someone sticks an itty bitty camera up your butt to look around. No big deal. Wouldn't it be great if health insurance companies paid for them in people age 25 and up. Something to work on :)
I personally think of it as cells in chaos. Cells normally work in our body towards a common good; towards life and growth. Cancer cells work towards a common bad, and they are driven to kill you. When you find out you have cancer, you are in a race against an irrational killer. It doesn't matter if you have a stage I or stage IV cancer, it can kill you. Luckily for me colorectal cancer moves slowly. One of my doctors said that he thought that I'd had cancer for about seven years before I caught it. Because colorectal cancer starts as small pre-cancerous polyps in the colon / rectum, it is easily prevented by regular colonoscopies. Before I showed symptoms of cancer, I didn't even know where my colon was. Do you? It's a portion of your gastrointestinal tract. It's the last portion of your digestive system and connects to your rectum. All I knew about colonoscopies was that Katie Couric had had one on national television. Now I know that they are life saving. If I had had a colonoscopy at age 30, my cancer may have been caught as a polyp, swiftly removed, and therefore... no cancer. My hope is that colonoscopies become standard for people age 25 on, and not only for people aged 50 and older. Colon cancer at age 30 shouldn't be a death sentence because it wasn't caught in time. Colonoscopies are not complex procedures, you're put to sleep and someone sticks an itty bitty camera up your butt to look around. No big deal. Wouldn't it be great if health insurance companies paid for them in people age 25 and up. Something to work on :)
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Introduction
I was hoping to have more of a concrete idea of what to write about, and statistics, when I began this blog. But now I just want to start writing it, so hopefully I'll have statistics for you soon. I was diagnosed with two stage III colorectal cancers one week following my 36th birthday. Technically, rectal and colon cancers, but I generally told people that I had colon cancer, more because I wasn't ready to process the fact that I had two cancers. At first it seemed odd to me, and to others, that someone my age would have colon cancer, a cancer more generally associated with people age fifty and beyond. But as I moved forward, I discovered that there were many other people in their twenties and thirties and forties with colorectal cancer, and they were being diagnosed at late stages, because like me, they didn't know what the symptoms were, and weren't getting colonoscopies, because of their young age. So this blog is an entry point for me, to try to inform others about colorectal cancer, at all ages, and to work towards developing a more formal, informative website, and materials. Eventually I'd really like to find a way to get younger people in for colonoscopies. Treatment for colon cancer is expensive, and it seems the insurance companies would end up saving money by funding colonoscopies in people younger than the current recommended age for them, instead of having to pay the hundreds of thousands of dollars it costs to treat them. More than that, it would save lives.
So this is just a start point. But stay tuned for more....
So this is just a start point. But stay tuned for more....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
