It’s possible that eating certains types of meat changed my mother’s life expectancy. I believe I’m changing history. My personal history, and I believe that you can do the same. It was only 3 weeks from diagnosis to death for my mother who died of colon cancer at the age of 68 in 1993. I was 34 years old, the same age that she was when she gave birth to me.
My daughter didn’t meet my mom in the conventional way. Instead, she’s depended on hearing family stories and looking at photos of my mom. When my now teenager was about 10 we visited my mother’s grave and my daughter knelt down and traced her fingers on the headstone inscription. They share the same first name. My daughter “met” her grandmother in the cemetery and shared a private moment and placed a small piece of an American flag on her grave. This is not the way I ever envisioned my daughter meeting her namesake.
My mom was thin, and like many women of her generation she was a cigarette smoker. She also embraced the standard American Diet. Mom was a product of her time. She raised her children in the post World War II era during the advent of packaged, processed foods. Like most women of her generation, she fed her family what she believed to be the healthiest of foods. I believe that this added to our shock at the fact that we thought she was leading a healthy life (with the exception her nicotine habit). We had to deal with the fact that she suffered from one of the easiest types of cancer to overcome.
Risk Factors
What we didn’t recognize was our mom undoubtedly had been experiencing symptoms of the disease but chose not to confront it. This took some getting use to on my part. I know I had to process the fact that if she had taken action sooner, she may have been able to beat the cancer. According to the World Health Organization colorectal cancer has a high cure rate when detected early and treated according to best practices.
What I’ve since come to learn is that the food that she consumed no doubt contributed to her cancer. I’ve also learned that I’m not destined to repeat in my mother’s footsteps. I can take active measures to change what seemed to be a certain trajectory and avoid colon cancer.
According to Medical News Today, This type of cancer is more likely to appear in older individuals, but there are many other risk factors associated with its emergence, such as genetic and lifestyle factors.
Of the latter, one of the most cited risk factors is diet — referring specifically to poor dietary habits. In October of 2015 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) which is an arm of the World Health Organization published their findings. The findings classified processed meat as a carcinogen (something that causes cancer) and red meat as a probable carcinogen.
Processed and Red Meats Role in Colon Cancer
We know that processed meat (treated to preserve and/or flavor it) includes the likes of hot dogs, ham, bacon, sausage and certain deli meats. Red meat refers to beef, pork, lamb and goat. After reviewing more than 800 studies the twenty-two experts from ten nations concluded that eating 50 grams of processed meat every day (that’s about 4 strips of bacon or a hot dog) increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 18%. There’s also evidence of increased risk of colorectal as well as pancreatic and prostate cancer with the consumption of red meat.
Of course I have many fond memories of my mom. I remember her subtle sense of humor and her deep abiding faith. I also remember her love of deli ham sandwiches and bacon and sausage, especially kielbasa. We also ate something called chipped beef on toast. It was processed beef sealed in a creamy sauce packaged in a plastic pouch. The pouch was placed in boiling water. The salty, creamy mixture was poured over toast and served as a quick weeknight meal.
I’m certain that my mom’s eating habits contributed to her cancer. I’m also certain that since I chose to adopt the whole-food, plant-based lifestyle I’m arming myself with the means to avoid colon cancer.
Colon Cancer Screening
Due to my mother’s death from colon cancer, I got my first colonoscopy at age 40. This is a full ten years sooner than the widely recommended age of fifty. (It should be noted that in May of 2018 the American Cancer Society updated their recommendation to 45 years old.) You may want to learn more about the screening options for colon cancer, including colonoscopies. Dr. Michael Greger of Nutrition Facts. Org makes recommendations about colon cancer screenings and asks “Should We All Get Colonoscopies at Age 50?” I’ve shown no signs of colon cancer. Since switching to a plant-based lifestyle, I continue to be spared of this disease.
I recognize that some might say I’m genetically predisposed to colon cancer due to my mother’s history. My doctor shared that the predisposition is stronger when a parent dies at age 55 or younger. Because my mom died at 68, the genetic predisposition is weaker for me. This information and negative colonoscopies and lifestyle choices position me to avoid repeating in my mother’s footsteps.
The evidence is strong that switching to the whole food, plant-based lifestyle provides numerous benefits. Among them is to help prevent the likes of colon cancer. I’m thrilled to think that I’m not destined to follow in my mother’s footsteps. On this, the 26th anniversary of her death, I continue to miss her. I’ve made peace with the fact that she chose to ignore the symptoms. Instead she died within three weeks of the diagnoses. I’ve also made peace with the fact that things might have been different today. I’m pretty sure if she were alive, my mom would encourage my lifestyle choice. She would applaud my decision to switch my way of eating. I would only hope that she would have joined me in the switch.
Choices Can Make a Difference
The great news is that like me, you too have a choice of what you eat. You’re armed with information to help you make decisions that can alter your future. I know that as a result of my choice to live the whole food, plant-based lifestyle I’ve never felt stronger, vibrant or healthier. I ‘ve seen for myself the positive differences in my health as a result of what I eat. It’s also my belief that because of my lifestyle choice that I will not be walking the same path that my mother did. I am determined to take better care of myself so that my teenage daughter will not have to mourn the loss of her mother due to a disease that is treatable and most likely preventable.
In some ways, the cause of my mother’s death fuels me to help others avoid the heartache of dealing with what took her away too soon. I love helping others change their future one bite at a time. Something I wish I would’ve had the opportunity to do for my mom. I may not have my mom by my side today, but I’m able to help others be the healthy mom that they want to be. What a gift!
Want to gift yourself and adopt a plant-based lifestyle but you’re not sure where to start? Check out our getting started section to learn how.
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