I am super excited to introduce my friend, young cancer survivor, and the lovely woman behind the blog Green Drink Diaries, Cortney Campbell, as this month’s guest blogger here on Cowgirls & Collard Greens!
Cortney and I met in early 2009 while attending the Living Foods Institute in Atlanta, Georgia. Within two days of being in a small class of raw food enthusiasts, we gravitated towards each other because not only were we new to raw foods, we were some of the youngest in our class, and we had both been given a recent cancer diagnosis. I was able to get to know Cortney and her amazing husband, Kevin, fairly well over the course of a twelve day period. Not only did we attend daily raw [vegan] food classes, we created and ate new foods together, we bonded over wheatgrass shots, as well as enemas and colonics (certainly not something many of our 20 and 30-something year old friends were experiencing at that time!).
I am forever grateful for the short time that Cortney and I spent together and am so glad that we both used a holistic approach to treat our diagnoses. Cortney’s website and blog, Green Drink Diaries, is not only one of my favorite blogs, but it’s very popular amongst those who are interested in natural cancer therapies. Be sure to check it out. Welcome, thank you, and take it away Cortney!
xo, Kayle
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I didn’t journey into the world of green smoothies because of a diet fad or because I was always into health or nutrition. I stumbled into green smoothie consumption out of necessity, namely SURVIVAL. When I was 26 I was diagnosed with a bizarre form of lymphoma. Other than finding tumors in my neck and armpit and some digestive issues, I felt fine. When my oncologist wanted to treat me with months of aggressive chemotherapy and radiation, I found myself less afraid of the cancer and more afraid of the side effects. The most concerning for me and my new husband was infertility.
You can read the entire story of what we did next on my blog, www.greendrinkdiaries.com, but making a long story short- I didn’t end up doing chemotherapy OR radiation. Natural cancer therapies are legitimate and people all over the world are healing using non-toxic methods exclusively or to support their healing while undergoing conventional treatment. I chose a non-toxic protocol designed by independent cancer researcher, Bill Henderson from his book Cancer-Free: Your Guide to Gentle, Non-Toxic Healing. After 6 months on my natural protocol which consisted of Beta-1: 3D Glucan, the Budwig Mixture, high dose Vitamin C, Green Tea, Rebounding, Essiac Tea, and a mostly organic, raw, vegan diet including green vegetable smoothies, I was declared in clinical remission. That was 5 years ago and two children later, I am an intense advocate of unconventional options in cancer treatment, specifically ones that are non-toxic as a first defense.
Why Such a Love for Green Smoothies You Ask?
Green Smoothies were an integral part of my diet while healing from cancer and remains one even today. My diet at the time I was diagnosed was awful, packed with processed foods and meat, diet sodas, and sugar. What it lacked was true nutrition: raw foods from the earth.
Because of my diet of origin, salads were very difficult for me to eat. Lots of gagging ensued during the first few weeks of my new cancer-fighting diet and I lost a lot of weight that I really needed to maintain. Green Smoothies saved the day. By adding my salad to my Vitamix with some water and blending, I was able to consume twice as much salad as I could by chewing. I could also add extra food such as nuts, oils, and avocado. I chugged my green smoothies with my nose pinched for months until my body adjusted to my new choice of food, and I actually began to CRAVE salads.
My Top 5 Reasons I Love Green Smoothies:
1. Green Smoothies allow me to consume way more veggies than I can chew (I started drinking them to make salads easier to consume) and they keep me full.
2. Fiber: roughage cleans the colon and keeps things flowing. (: Colon health is KEY to a healthy, well functioning immune system.
3. Unlike juicing, you can add fats and proteins to green smoothies such as lentils, nuts, seeds, and avocado to create a meal replacement.
4. Easy clean up! Unlike cooked food or even juicing, cleaning up a green smoothie is as easy as adding some dish soap to your blender (I love Vitamix), blending, and washing out with water.
5. I can easily sneak greens, nuts, and other veggies into my daughter’s fruit smoothies.
Still not convinced? Read my Green Drink Psychology post to go deeper.
My Favorite Cancer-Fighting Green Veggie Smoothie Recipes:
Cortney’s “Kick-Butt” Cancer Fighting Concoction (I drank this while healing from cancer)
4 cups filtered water
1 cup filtered ice
1/2 avocado
2 brussel sprouts (ends cut off)
1 leaf kale
1/2 apple
3 handfuls of baby greens or spinach
1/2 cup broccoli
1 cup broccoli sprouts
1 cup lentil or mung bean sprouts (or both)
1/2 handful of sunflower sprouts
1/2 handful of buckwheat lettuce sprouts
1 tbsp dulse or kelp
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
“Green Smoothie” (Post-Cancer)
4 cups filtered water
1 cup filtered ice
½ avocado (no pit!)
3 handfuls of baby greens, spinach
1 cup broccoli sprouts
1 handful of sunflower sprouts or buckwheat lettuce sprouts
½ any color pepper
1 medium tomato
2 whole carrots (even the leafy tops are really good!)
1 cup lentil or mung bean, sprouted 2 days (if I don’t have these I will put cooked blacked beans or canned if I’m desperate!)
1 apple if desired (cut in 8 pieces)
For more green smoothies recipes from my blog visit my Smoothies page on my website: www.greendrinkdiaries.com.
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Cortney Campbell authors the holistic cancer blog, Green Drink Diaries, inspired by her experience healing from cancer using a non-toxic, holistic approach. A former elementary school teacher turned full-time mom, she dedicates her spare time to educating and encouraging others to prayerfully consider their options for healing from cancer.
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Truly fascinating that green diets can heal cancer so you can avoid or minimize traditional chemo and/or radiation therapies! Thanks for sharing, Kayle!
I think it’s pretty amazing too Wendy! Drink up your greens. Yeehaw!
The Green Smoothies must work. I am amazed at how vibrant you and Cortney are. As the saying goes…you are what you eat.
Thanks Jeanne! I think Cortney is a living testament to drinking her greens for sure!
I’m interested in green smoothies have just had mastectomy for breast cancer did chemo first now to have radiotherapy just want to keep this disease away xx
Best of luck on your journey Michelle. I’d highly suggest drinking green smoothies and also green juice.
How many times a day do you take smoothies. I find that smoothies are very filling. Do you take cook food?
While I was fighting cancer I did not eat cooked food at all as I was on a 100% raw food diet. My diet consisted mostly of fresh juiced greens rather than smoothies. Now that I am several years out from having a cancer diagnosis, I drink both raw juices and smoothies and eat cooked food as well. Thanks for your inquiry!
Thank you so much for sharing! I am 31 years old and currently battling cancer for the third time in 9 years. I have already undergone extensive rounds of radiation and multiple types of chemotherapy in fighting my most recent (Stage 4) diagnosis over the past year and a half. I have always believed in the holistic approach to fighting cancer but wasn’t confident enough to put all of my eggs in that basket. My most recent treatment (or the combination of all of them over the years) may have caused infertility. I am in the middle of treatment, taking oral chemotherapy twice a day, but am researching holistic, natural remedies to fight my cancer as well. I would LOVE to be able to rely more so on the natural remedies in hopes of reversing or stopping whatever infertility is on my heels. Too bad there isn’t a program that donates free (or reduced price) Vitamix blenders to cancer patients!! Living on disability assistance makes it difficult to pay all of my bills, let alone such a pricey purchase. Struggling with my current “smoothie blender” requires a solid 30minutes of frustration for one smoothie. But I don’t let that stop me! Thank you again for sharing your inspirational story!!
You’re so welcome! I am happy to help in anyway that I can. Feel free to email me if you’d like: kayle@cowgirlsandcollardgreens.com. I hope that your spirits are high during this challenging time. I had cancer twice and I thought that was tough. I hope that you have an incredible support system around you. As I tell people who meet me and ask me about my journey with cancer, “veggies aren’t going to hurt you”. My advice? Be gentle with yourself and listen to your body right now. Eat and drink as many raw veggies as possible (keeping fruit to a minimum because of the sugar content). Are you familiar with Kris Carr and her books and film Crazy Sexy Cancer? Maybe a friend will donate/buy a Vitamix for you? That’s what one of my friends did for me and it was essential to my raw food diet. I wish more than anything there was an organization or non-profit that would help with non-traditional medical costs. I’m severely in debt because of all of my alternative treatments, but you know what? I have my health and that’s the most important thing. Please feel free to reach out again if you’d like. Sending you my best wishes. Love and yeehaw!
Wonderful info. Thank you for sharing.
You’re so welcome! Thanks for reading and tuning in Deb. Yeehaw!
THANKYOU..for all you are doing.
Thank you for your kind words of support!