For most of us, Thanksgiving is a day that is about both gratitude and food. For a Milwaukee area woman, the two are inextricably linked. Kathy Bero survived two bouts with cancer by integrating wholesale changes in her diet with more conventional therapies.
Bero says she wanted to find a compliment to the allopathic treatments she was undergoing. "I wanted to show that you don’t have to stick to what they know," she explains. "You can engage a much larger cache of tools that exist worldwide, not just here."
Bero chronicles her story in a book called EAT: An Unconventional Decade in the Life of a Cancer Patient. "EAT" stands for "evolve, advocate and transform."
Bero, who now works as a coach and consultant for others in similar situations, says that what cancer patients need are antiangiogenic therapies. These inhibit the unhealthy growth of new blood vessels, which in turn inhibits cancerous cell and tumor formation, she says.
Bero notes chemo is an antiangiogenic therapy, as are certain foods including leeks, garlic, and kale. She includes a complete list of the foods she ate in her book, but says you can find out a lot by simply going online. If you're not online, Bero says there are plenty of people who are willing to help you. Plus, the abundance of organic produce available in most grocery stores now means it's easier than ever to supplement your medical treatment with healthy food.
"There is kinda no excuse," she says. "There are really no limitations [getting healthy food] any more."
