Eden MacDonald Feeds Life to starve cancer

Eden MacDonald has F_____ cancer BIG TIME! Diagnosed with melanoma three years ago, she chose to THRIVE with a whole foods and lifestyle approach that was then translated into Feed Life.

Feed Life is a nutrition and lifestyle program Eden and her husband Colin developed to help people starve and prevent cancer and other illnesses or maintain good health. Their workshops are packed with attitude (you can so be in charge of your health), resources and recipes you just have to try (see Kale Waldorf Salad below).

Read on about Eden’s journey to health and then check in with a word or two about how you are taking CHARGE of your health.

1. You are such an inspirational survivor. Can you share more about your diagnosis?

A physician friend of mine saw a spot on the back of my leg that he thought might be odd – it was very small so I brushed it off. But when my GP requested one last visit before retiring, I asked her about the spot. She removed it and a week later I was diagnosed with melanoma (the most dangerous of skin cancers).

It was such a shock. I never thought someone as health conscious as I am would end up with cancer – especially at 25!

2. What was your process towards healing?

The conventional medical system does not provide patients with a holistic, proactive path to healing. As a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (since 2004), I wanted to actively participate in my healing and prevention through a mind/body approach and with whole foods.

I was already a vegetarian but I cut out dairy and sugar and incorporated more whole, nutrient dense foods into my diet. I also immersed myself in cancer research and explored different healing modalities, which inspired me to write and design the Feed Life Starve Cancer program.

In these classes we educate our students on what cancer really is and what we can do to help create a terrain in our body in which cancer cannot thrive. We focus on whole food, nutrient dense, plant-based recipes that taste amazing and don’t make you feel like you’re sacrificing flavour for nourishment. We also share lifestyle tools like yoga and meditation.

Its been three years since my surgeries and I am kicking cancer’s butt everyday with the right foods and lifestyle.

 3. What’s your lifestyle like now?

I am so conscious of nourishing myself in every way, including the products that I use on my skin and hair, the music I listen to, the movies I watch and the people that I surround myself with. I believe that all these things influence our health and state of mind.

Whatever I know and and continue to learn, together with Colin who is also a health coach, is shared in our Feed Life courses. In November, our new Prevention workshops will teach people how to boost their immune system and enjoy more vibrant energy. Our THRIVERSHIP program coming up in 2013 empowers cancer patients and their loved ones with the Feed Life Lifestyle, mind-body connection approach and tools that support healing.

Our community is all about giving people the confidence to take control of their health and make sustainable change.

Kale Waldorf Salad

This is one of my favourite salad recipes. The dressing is creamy and thick and pulls all the flavours in together to create a tangy salad that is a great start to any meal – or simply eaten as a meal!

Ingredients

• 2 cups kale chopped (de-stemmed)
• 2 cups spinach chopped
• 2/3 cup red apple chopped
• 1 cup thinly sliced celery
• 1/2 cup red onion chopped
  

  Photo credit: Feed Life

• 2/3 cup walnuts roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 TBS apple cider vinegar
• sea salt

Method

1. Place kale, spinach, celery, onion, 1/3 cup apple, 1/3 cup walnuts, and 1/4 cup raisins in a large bowl.
2. Put remaining apple, walnuts, raisins along with remaining ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
3. Pour dressing over salad ingredients and toss.

Eden MacDonald is working on a new cookbook that will be released in the next six months. Stay tuned with her for lifestyle updates and new recipes on Facebook and Twitter.