A Taste Of Recovery

Guest post by Virgil Anderson 

If you suffer from cancer or mesothelioma, the importance of eating healthy cannot be overstressed. Focusing on consumption of vegetables and fruits can go a long way in helping to reduce the symptoms from cancer. The American Cancer Society strongly suggests eating a minimum of 2 ½ cups of these foods per day. Fruits and vegetables are typically low in calories and they are abundant in antioxidants, phytochemicals, minerals and vitamins. Typically, the foods with the greatest amount of color, such as orange, yellow, red and dark green, have the most vitamins and nutrients. In order to help reduce pain and other symptoms from cancer, you should try to consume a variety of vegetables and fruits each day.

If you are having a hard time trying to imagine what a ½ cup looks like, you should know that half a cup of fruit or vegetables is approximately the size of a half baseball. If you want to be really sure, you should of course use a measuring cup. Consuming 2 ½ cups of fruit and vegetables per day isn't very difficult at all when you take the time to space out your portions.

BREAKFAST

If you usually eat cereal for breakfast, consider slicing a banana across the top. Juice that you have in the morning will count towards fruit as well. Try to have unsweetened, low sodium vegetable or fruit juice. Four ounces of juice will equal half a cup. If you don't like cereal, you could have half a cup of frozen berries in a cup of low fat yogurt. This quick meal can be eaten at home with a banana sliced across the top or taking in the car if you are in a hurry to get to work. Taking these portions of fruit or vegetables means that you've already consumed one cup of your daily quota.

SNACK AT MID MORNING

Having a snack in the middle of the morning is an excellent way to sneak more vegetables or fruit into your body. A small orange, five or six baby carrots or a single serving container of applesauce will add another half cup to your quota. You're more than halfway there and it's only the middle of the morning.

LUNCH

If you need to have a quick lunch, you could have a wrap or pita sandwich with vegetables, or a cup of vegetable soup. Either of these will easily give you at least a half cup of veggies. If you have a small salad on the side, you'll be at more than two cups for the day!

DINNER

It's not at all hard to add some veggies to your dinner. Simply heat frozen or canned vegetables in the microwave to make a quick side dish or, if you want something tasty, microwave a sweet potato with a splash of apple juice, a teaspoon of butter and a light sprinkle of cinnamon or sugar. Congratulations! You've met your minimum requirement!

Additional health tips to help reduce your mesothelioma symptoms include avoiding tobacco products, getting plenty of exercise and keeping up with your doctors' appointments.