Wednesday, October 5, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
21
Finding a new kind of comfort food post-cancer
By Katy Yoder
Correspondent
Comfort food has been a
source of contentment and,
yes, comfort my whole life.
My mom’s creamed tuna on
toast was a childhood favor-
ite. I’d watch that buttery
sauce bubbling in the pan and
my mouth would start water-
ing. It was warm, salty and
felt like a hug in my tummy.
Then there was the secret
stash of chocolate eclairs my
great-grandmother kept in her
“china closet.” We cousins
knew what those pink boxes
meant … sugar, chocolate
and a high that had our heads
buzzing. It made Oma happy
watching us devour them and
we knew the sweets were her
way of letting us know how
much she loved us. How
could anyone lose in a deal
like that?
I can still see big bowls
of ice cream laced with milk
chocolate and hardening
caramel sauce that my best
friend and I would eat after
school. That kind of food was
off-limits at my house. By
then Mom had transformed
our kitchen into a health-
food factory, and ice cream
was no longer allowed in
our house. The only time we
ate ice cream was when we
drove to Baskin-Robbins.
I loved those drives in my
dad’s Buick Riviera. We’d sit
at the ice cream store and eat
our sugar cones laughing and
rehashing the day’s events.
In college, my comfort
food became what was cheap,
filling, and reminded me of
home. Macaroni and cheese
did the trick. Often under a
buck per box, that quick, easy
meal became all too familiar
in our communal kitchen.
After a hard day trying to
keep up with my classmates
that golden pan of pasta and
fake cheese filled my belly
and quelled my anxiety.
My diet improved consid-
erably once I was free from
school and on my own. But
then Ben & Jerry’s took the
place of Baskin Robbins and
with every new flavor they’d
create, I found myself unable
to resist the sugary sweet-
ness. I’m not sure I was even
aware of the addictive quality
sugar had for me. I knew it
was powerfully alluring but
any weight gain I’d had so far
wasn’t enough to sound the
alarm.
Over time the pounds did
creep on and one day I woke
up and realized I had a prob-
lem. I couldn’t move the way
I wanted to. I couldn’t keep
up with my fitter friends
and my self-confidence was
dashed by the constant mes-
sages in women’s magazines,
billboards and television let-
ting me know I was fat and
undesirable.
Unfortunately, my plum-
meting self-esteem brought
on by my weight-gain was
often comforted by the
same foods that got me into
the mess in the first place.
Processed sugar, carbohy-
drates and fats from animal
products were taking their
toll on my health.
I seem to be a slow learner
— and it took my cancer
diagnosis, painful treatments
and recovery before I truly
decided to take control of my
diet. It was time to admit that
I could either choose food
that acted as medicine or poi-
son. Everything I put in my
mouth either kept the can-
cer away or led me toward a
reoccurrence.
It was time for a new
version of comfort food. I
wanted a new feeling after I
ate — one that left me feeling
confident, proud, and satis-
fied. The question was could
I do that without processed
sugar, meat, or dairy?
I can confidently say the
answer is, “Yes!”
I know for many hearing
those words evokes an instant
rebellion. I’ve heard all kinds
of remarks, “You’ll have to
kill me before I’ll give up
meat!” or “I can’t live with-
out dairy!” It’s a little ironic
to hear that kind of response.
For me, eating too much
sugar, meat, and dairy could
very well have killed me. No
one knows for sure why I got
breast cancer, but in some of
my research I’ve found many
references to our body stor-
ing fat which contains the
toxins it was unable to pro-
cess. Having that stored in
my body over a long period
of time certainly didn’t help.
Comfort food for me
includes many of the foods I
loved, just in a different form.
I make a delicious vegan mac
and cheese. But the pasta is
gluten-free and the cheese is
made with cashews, Dijon
mustard, lemon and deli-
cious spices. It’s amazing
what you can make without
dairy and meat. There are
more vegan blogs and web-
sites than I could ever visit.
Many have recipes for cook-
ies, main courses, delicious
side dishes and more ways to
prepare vegetables and fruits
than I could have ever imag-
ined. Once I found those sites
the transformation was much
easier.
I’ve always called myself
a carnivorous hypocrite,
meaning I love to eat meat
but don’t want to know what
happens to the animals dur-
ing their lives and deaths.
I worked on a cattle ranch
in my college days so I’m
not completely ignorant of
the lives cattle live. I never
worked in a feedlot but I’ve
seen enough images to know
it’s not a happy existence and
it’s not healthy for either the
animals or the person eating
them. So, not eating meat or
dairy has opened my eyes to
the reality of the system we
have in the U.S. I feel good
about my choice and can’t
imagine going back.
If the cancer comes back
again, at least I won’t have
regrets about how I ate.
That’s the kind of comfort I
can live with.
Central Oregon Eyecare
Doc, I’ve got crusty irritated eyelids, can you help?
The crustiness you see on the lashes in the
above picture isn’t a critter, but the byproduct of
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and eyebrows. If it multiples uncontrolled, symp-
toms may start such as itchy, red eyelids or crusty
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At Central Oregon Eyecare, we employ the latest
research and products to successfully cure this com-
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The products and procedures we use are formu-
lated to kill the Demodex. Controlling the Demodex
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For all your eyecare needs — from immediate con-
cerns to regular eye exams, for children and for adults
— contact Central Oregon Eyecare.
Tools to Renew,
Grow & Thrive.
Offering people the opportunity to
achieve the life of their dreams and enjoy
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Director, Kelly Davis
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541-668-5238
kelly@achievewellnessllc.com