My brother-in-law Mike died last April of a rare form of liver cancer.  I share this not to gain sympathy, but to point out a realization this has lead me to about food.

Cancer is an insipid disease.  It starts at the cell level, impacting the structure of the cells, mutating them, preventing them from forming and functioning as a normal cell.  This change to the cell structure then leads to malformations called tumors which mess with the function of the organs of our bodies – whether it’s the liver or the lungs or the bone marrow.  Because cancer starts at such a microscopic level, it can take years to develop.  And then, cancer is discovered, and in what sometimes is a relatively short period of time (two months for my brother-in-law), loved ones pass away.  The cancer has caused the body to stop functioning as it should, and this tragedy started at the microscopic level.

Cells of our bodies are always regenerating.  Liver cells, red blood cells, bone cells – there’s a constant flux in our bodies of old cells dying and new cells forming.  This is, perhaps, the most important thing about health that we should remember because our daily habits – the choices we make each and every day – are impacting the formation and functioning of all these cells.

So now, when I think about food –  what I might have for breakfast today or whether I really need to run through Dairy Queen with my son – I think about those cells in my body.  Am I giving them all the nutrients they need to be formed in the best way possible, in a way that will keep me healthy for years and years to come?  Have I had a wide variety of nutrients today?  Am I feeding my bone cells with calcium and vitamin D?  Have I put anything into my body that might cause the malformation of cells?

With the busyness of daily life, it can be difficult to keep long term health top of mind.  I get that.  The results aren’t obvious right now.  You may not feel any different right now.  Life is busy.  But for me, losing a loved one to cancer has made me think long and hard about the options within my control to keep this body I live in functioning at optimal performance.

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