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Common Sense, Mountainside, Gordon's Bay (2025)

30/08/2022

JUDGE NOT

If you or a loved one is dealing with a cancer diagnosis it can be helpful to understand how the grieving process works. Yesterday, I received a call from Sophie whose husband had just been diagnosed with leukaemia. Emotional and desperate she asked that he immediately book an appointment with me to discuss his nutritional needs. He declined offering that he does not need help. She was frustrated with him and took it personally. After all from her perspective she was just trying to be a supportive wife and help. His reality though, is that he is not ready to ask for help. This could be a form of denial and that’s OK.

The 5 Stages of Grief is a theory developed by Elizabeth Kubler – Ross. She offers that we go through 5 stages of loss / grief. It is so important that we bear in mind that grief is complex and that the grieving process is not the same for everyone. Here are the five stages of grief:

1. DENIAL - we can’t yet accept the reality of what is going on and in this case the diagnosis.
2. ANGER - extreme emotional discomfort as we adjust to our new reality.
3. BARGAINING - you will do anything to alleviate or minimize the pain.
4. DEPRESSION – we start to absorb the reality of our present situation.
5. ACCEPTANCE – we are no longer resisting the reality of the situation

29/08/2022

Thomas Edison once stated, “The doctor of the future will give no medication but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.”

Simple diet and lifestyle changes can put you on a path to prevent and reverse disease.

Many Doctors today are still primarily prescribing drugs as their go-to solution for disease. Medication can have devastating side effects. One drug turns into two, two drugs turn into four, and before you know it you’re downing a handful of pills for the rest of your life, while dealing with a whole host of uncomfortable and painful symptoms which are often worse than the original symptoms you had to begin with. In many cases as with most stages of cancer you had no original symptoms at all.

25/08/2022

No one, not even your doctor has the power or authority to predict your future unless you
give it to them.

15% - 25% of cancer patients choose not to treat their cancer and live out their lives.

15% - 25% of cancer patients actively seek to heal their cancer.

50% – 70% of cancer patients opt for traditional treatment (chemo, surgery and radiation)

Your cancer probably took years to develop.

You do have the time to educate and empower yourself. Don’t feel pressured to rush your decisions. By taking charge of your healing journey you will:

1. Manage your mindset and dissolve all limiting beliefs.
2. Accelerate your own healing.
3. Choose your own integrative support team.
4. Learn how to detoxify and remove things from your life that are causing cancer.
5. Know of the most scientifically validated anti-cancer solutions (these are not chemo).
6. Hope becomes a possibility as you learn from others who have sought answers and healed themselves.

24/08/2022

Eating to live.. breakfast option 💥

Cooked rolled oats with any or all of these - poppy seeds, coconut flakes, sliced banana, blue berries and added plant based milk!

So yum, quick and easy, fun to make and full of good nutrition to keep you feeling fabulous.

22/08/2022

Patricia is a new client in her early thirties, a mom to a five year old and recently diagnosed with stage 3 metastatic breast cancer. In our first consultation she wanted to know what she could do in addition to traditional treatment to help heal her body. Her focus was to stay alive so that she could continue to look after her son. At the time of her diagnosis her diet consisted of mainly animal products and processed foods all filled with artificial additives, preservatives, flavours, and colourants. Further, she enjoyed eating in restaurants and buying take outs. Restaurant food can be loaded with sugar, salt, preservatives and oils. At the end of the consultation, I made some recommendations which included a diet high in whole plant-based foods while eliminating animal products and processed products. She said, “ok I’ll try”. This is in fact the response of many people even those with a cancer diagnosis. You see when you are facing a cancer diagnosis and told to change some of your food choices (which are comforting you) it can be almost impossible to make the changes.

We do not fully comprehend the role nutrition can play in healing our bodies. Most people blissfully eat food that their body was not designed to eat and are hopeful at best that they will not get diagnosed with an illness.

I highly recommend that you take time to educate and empower yourself about nutrition so that you know which foods best serve your body and offer you a better chance of a disease-free life.

If I can help you with any questions regarding the above please be in touch.

20/08/2022

The very first thing I tell every cancer patient looking for answers is that a cancer diagnosis is actually a divine tap on the shoulder. Cancer is a wake up call and there is a message of hope attached to that tap. The message: “the way you are living your life is killing you” AND it is now time to take full responsibility for your life. The question is will you?

18/08/2022

Some cancer patients have underlying beliefs about their cancer. A common one is that the cancer represents a “blockage” on either a physical, emotional or spiritual level. These cancer patients become focused on clearing anything that is “stuck” in their being whether on the physical level, emotional level or spiritual level.
One of my clients who believed that her cancer was caused by a blockage on an emotional level was a lady called Ann. Ann was diagnosed with Stage 1 Small Cell Carcinoma with a very good prognosis. After a surgery to remove the growth and changing her diet to clear out any physical blockages in her body, she focused on releasing harboured emotional blockages from her past. She did a lot of emotional release work which turned out to be resentment towards her mother. The thing is that if you can find out what created the disease to begin with you can fix it and there is then no way for the physical aspect of the disease to exist.

16/08/2022

Cancer is an extreme disease that most of us hope we never have to face. We do not anticipate such a diagnosis. In fact, we mostly ignore the possibility of one. The reality is that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 2 men will face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime.

When faced with a cancer diagnosis panic sets in and we feverously question what it takes to heal.

Welcome to Common Sense, I’m Jeanine. I am the founder of Common Sense, Holistic Cancer Coach, Nutritionist, Plant Based Chef and been working with cancer patients for 20 years.

Leave a comment and I will answer questions you may have about your cancer journey or what it takes for your body to heal.

30/06/2022

My family is trying some home made celery, apple and carrot juice!

24/06/2022

Today was day 1 of school holidays with teenagers in the house! It was only when I stepped onto the beach this evening that I felt the stresses of the day dissipate. I walked slowly with the dogs, breathing the fresh air and watching the sun set. It was a reminder to “not sweat the small stuff” as stress we know plays such a big role in creating an acidic environment in your body which is then hospitable to disease. Always be aware of what is possible when looking to prevent and or reverse disease.

14/06/2022

Pumkin and Ginger soup

Nothing beats warm soup on a winters day. Understanding nutrients per calorie is key to health and longevity. Today I made a simple pumpkin and ginger soup then added haricot beans. Nutritionally speaking I had carbs, protein, fibre, Vit A, Vit C, Calcium and Iron from the pumpkin. Magnesium, Vit C and Potassium from the Ginger. The haricot beans provided carbs, protein, potassium, magnesium, iron, Vit B6 and calcium. What your body does not need it will either discard or store for when you do. The kicker is that this is a very affordable meal! 💥

23/05/2022

In pursuit of clearing my mind, connecting with nature and feeling good! Yesterday we did Constantiaberg in the mist and over to Klaasenberg via that tree 😳and of course coffee at Constantia Nek!

19/05/2022

Supper anyone?

17/05/2022

Common Sense on Kale

If a cup of Kale yields a nutrient/calorie score of 112, 110g of chicken a nutrient/calorie score of 4 and oil a nutrient/calorie score of zero I think I may find a way to eat kale. To make it more fun we started phase 1 of our vegetable garden! Hoping they will grow into tasty nutritious bunches!

16/05/2022

A diet high in green vegetables is essential for your health. Green vegetables protect against heart disease, cancer and enable you to age slower and live longer.
Today being overweight means malnourished. On average only two percent of our diet is vegetables of which half a percent is green vegetables. You can eat lots of green veggies with no fear of overeating and or gaining any weight as they are so low in calories. Studies on green vegetable consumption, indicate that the more greens consumed the younger and healthier our blood vessels are. High green vegetable consumption is associated with freedom from atherosclerosis and plaque. Green vegetables activate the NRF2 transcription proteins which in turn prevent plaque adhesion. That is, it can’t stick to the wall, and they reduce endothelium formation. Cholesterol is laid down in areas where the wall of the blood vessels is inflamed. You can measure your heart disease risk more accurately than the cholesterol level simply by measuring the intake of green vegetables. You can do a blood lutein level test as lutein measures how much green vegetables you are eating. Lutein is the carotenoid that colours green vegetables green like lycopene makes red vegetables red and carotene makes orange vegetables orange. So, it is a marker of green vegetable intake which give a direct indication of how heathy you and your blood vessels are.
Another study looking at 100 000 Chinese adults showed that the longest lifespan occurred in those who ate the most green cruciferous vegetables. No other food had this powerful longevity building properties. They tracked cruciferous greens such as cabbage, bok choi and mustard greens. Cruciferous vegetables have the most ITC’s (isothiocyanates) which are powerful anti – cancer compounds. They have powerful antioxidant effects in that they detoxify carcinogens that cause cancer and prevent toxins from binding to the DNA. They support the repair of damaged DNA and these green vegetables activate immune defences to kill abnormal cells that may become carcinogenic or cancerous later. These leafy greens contain hundreds of other phytochemicals besides the ITC’s that are so protective against cancer. They are higher in Vit K, Magnesium, Vitamin B, Co Factors, Calcium and many other essential nutrients including Folate. These nutrients are critical for the normal cell pathways and normal cell function and help prevent the ageing process that is going to occur at an excessive rate if you don’t consume green vegetables. If you want to look better and more youthful and age slower, you must eat a lot of green vegetables. These green vegetable and green vegetable compounds even lower oestrogens that would promote cancer like breast and prostate cancer. The high levels of Vit K and Magnesium and Calcium in leafy greens activate osteo calcium – the primary bone building hormone. Middle aged woman who eat one serving of green vegetables a day will reduce their risk of hip fractures by 45% from just one serving a day. Lettuce has been found to be an extremely protective food against bone fracture. In a study on vitamin and mineral intake from green vegetables it dramatically lowered hip fractures and spinal collapse. Greens are also essential for normal immunity, not just to fight off cancer but to resolve infections and stop more serious infections from happening when we are exposed to microbes. They essentially can render microbes harmless. If everybody was eating enough the Covid epidemic and all these deaths would amount to almost nothing.
Today eat a large salad including lettuce and as may green cruciferous vegetables plus some sprouts.

09/05/2022

I spent the better part of Mother’s Day doing Little Lions and Southers Peak on my journey to complete the 13 Peak Challenge. I’m always reminded of all the benefits of exercise as I experience it first hand. The biggest for me is that I always feel SO happy afterwards 😉 as all the feel good hormones do their job. Apart from feeling good you work your musculoskeletal system, cardiovascular system, immune system, lymphatic system, digestive system and respiratory system. All of this lending itself to good health and longevity.

07/05/2022

Micro nutrients - why they matter!

Calories come from macro nutrients not micronutrients. Macronutrients are called macro because they are the nutrients that humans need in higher amounts and quantities. Water is a macronutrient, but the other macro nutrients are the calorie containing nutrients fat, carbohydrate and proteins. It is well established in scientific literature that excess consumption of macro nutrients meaning calories shortens human life span. What you want to be focusing on is moderate calorie and a high micronutrient intake. Everything you put in your mouth matters.

A piece of chicken is like a piece of white bread WHY? Because both are concentrated in sources of calories. They are rich in macronutrients not micronutrients. Chicken is mostly protein and bagel are mostly carbohydrate but neither one contains significant micronutrient load. They both do not contain any protective antioxidants or phytochemicals. According to Dr Furhman, the latter are the most important determinants of predicting whether you’ll get cancer or not. Nutrient IQ scores (nutrients / calorie) will show you that green vegetables have the greatest nutrient density of all foods and are linked to longer life span. Other colourful foods such as tomatoes, egg plants, apples, carrots, mushrooms are also rich in nutrients per calorie. Animal products are relatively low in in nutrients and processed foods even lower. For example, one cup of kale gives you a Nutrient IQ Score of 112 where 110g of chicken a Nutrient IQ Score of only 4. When you receive micronutrient adequacy your hunger will diminish and your appetite normalises. It’s almost impossible to lose weight and keep it off when you are not focusing on the quality of the food you are eating. Low nutrient foods like white bread, biscuits, breakfast cereals, meat, and pasta you become a calorie consuming monster and it becomes impossible to remain at a favourable weight. To start the process of getting good nutrients / calorie into your diet start by including a big serving of green vegetables – raw or cooked with each meal.

05/05/2022

NUTRITIONAL EXCELLENCE

I am a proponent of applying nutritional excellence as a therapeutic modality to prevent and or reverse disease. I love the idea that people can get off their drugs and make complete recovery from serious illnesses. I advocate a dietary portfolio that includes the most powerful anti-cancer and longevity promoting foods which I will refer to as a NUTRITARIAN DIET. A way of eating that is designed for excellent health. When you eat so healthily you will naturally lose your desire to overeat. You can’t control your caloric drive if you don’t consume sufficient nutrients. The chronic diseases inflicting most people can be avoided. Understanding this allows you to live longer. A NUTRITARIAN DIET, further maximizes your brain power and creativity so you can live with full mental capabilities to the end of your life.

It’s important to achieve your ideal weight and keep it off for the rest of your life. This is the critical point of maximising your health and lifespan. Over 30% of people die of heart attacks and strokes and about 30% die of cancer. We can avoid these tragedies- you don’t have to have a heart attack or stroke or get cancer. We can prevent more than 90% of common non-smoking related cancers such as breast, colon and prostate cancers. You can do this and there is science to support this claim. Mostly, our current westernised diets leave it normal for us to feel sick, be in pain as we age, develop high blood pressure, diabetes, memory loss and heart disease.

Food can be divided into three categories - processed foods, animal products and unrefined produce. Most people eat 60% of their diet from processed foods and 30% from animal products. So only 10% of our calories come from produce and only a few percent from whole grains. Eating this way brings on premature death as well as many years of pain and suffering before you die. You may endure discomfort and have to rely on invasive medical procedures before the dying. Sickness and disability do not have to accompany ageing.

It’s most important to maximise nutrient density. Your health is proportional to the nutrient density of your diet throughout your life. If you eat lots of foods rich in nutrients per calorie you can have great health. Here I am referring to micronutrients which are vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals. They have critical functions in the body. Micronutrient deficiencies are ubiquitous amongst all people. Insufficient micronutrient intake is so common because our diets are insufficient in fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds. These insufficiencies have far reached consequences and as mentioned earlier lead to chronic disease and premature aging and premature death.

Common Sense