As many of you know, in late 2018, I sustained a knee injury that changed my life substantially. As a fitness professional and long-distance runner, it was a very emotional time for me. It took months to determine that the knee injury was cancer—the diagnosis; stage one, Non-Hodgkin's Large Diffused B-Cell Lymphoma.

After all the years I taught fitness classes, trained clients, and educated anyone who would listen about living a healthy lifestyle, it came as a shock to find out I had cancer, as I walked the talk! Once the shock wore off, my mind went to how the F&*K did this happen? I researched the cancer diagnosis. Who gets it? Why do they get it? What are the causes? What are my chances of beating it, etc.?!! In all honesty, I sometimes still find myself in shock and thinking, "Wow, I had cancer"!

Other than chemical exposure, I don't have any other things that can cause the type of cancer I had. I did have years of exposure to cleaning chemicals, as I owned a cleaning business for 17 years. I'm sure down the road, there will be studies and lawsuits on those products' harmful effects. I did have exposure to Round Up, as I used the product for weed control.

Food is medicine, or is it?

In 2006, Glyphosate was introduced to our food supply system. It wasn't until years later that the issues with this agricultural chemical were brought to light. At the time, and unaware, I thought I was eating healthy processed foods; bread, cereals, flour, and many other grain products that are sprayed with Glyphosate.

Food isn't supposed to make us sick!! Clean, healthy eating can help with a whole host of issues and keep us from getting sick. I, like you, was vulnerable to our nation's food supply. We still are! However, now that studies prove the side effects and the diseases caused by Glyphosate, we can do something about it, as the food industry IS NOT!

We can choose to …

• eat unprocessed foods
• eat whole foods
• eat more fruits and vegetables
• eat grass-fed and grass-finished meat
• and to voice our concern

I would encourage you not to take my word for it but listen to the people who are advocating for us to have healthier food supplies and live healthier lives. One of my favorite people who is supporting us is Dr. Mark Hyman. In a recent post, Dr. Mark Hyman wrote,

"The most widely used pesticide in our food supply is Glyphosate. It's used worldwide on more than 70 different food crops, including corn, soy, and wheat, and is linked to some serious health risks, including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It's terrifying to consider that a bowl of Cheerios has more Glyphosate per serving than vitamins D and B12, both of which are added to try to boost nutritional value".

You can find the post and podcast here.

Today, I choose healthier foods. It's not easy. Some days I want to grab that quick thing to eat and not take the time to prepare a meal that doesn't have processed foods. What I found to be helpful is …

• creating a meal plan around my activities
• purchasing many of my groceries from the local farmer's market
• buying meats from a local farmer
• and establishing a routine around eating whole foods and ditching the processed stuff

You'll be surprised at how much better you'll feel once you are eating whole foods and not eating the processed stuff they call food.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments on this issue.

In Health,
Vonie

P.S. if you haven't heard about the "Dirty Dozen," here is a list of foods that are considered dirty and a list that is deemed to be dirty. When it comes to the dirty food list, purchase organic to avoid the pesticides.

The EWG "Dirty Dozen" list includes:
• Strawberries
• Spinach
• Kale
• Nectarines
• Apples
• Grapes
• Peaches
• Cherries
• Pears
• Tomatoes
• Celery
• Potatoes

The EWG "Clean 15" list includes:
• Avocados
• Sweet corn
• Pineapple
• Onions
• Papaya
• Sweet peas (frozen)
• Eggplants
• Asparagus
• Cauliflower
• Cantaloupes
• Broccoli
• Mushrooms
• Cabbage
• Honeydew melon
• Kiwi