There is no such thing as a “CLL diet.”  When I was first diagnosed, back in July 2001, I clearly recall the hematologist telling me to eat well, exercise and get a good night’s sleep.  Unfortunately, he wasn’t very specific about the diet or exercise part.

In the years since, I’ve become a natural cook. (This means I cook everything from scratch.)  There is a ton of information about this, but for the purpose of this post, I will outline four important points.

1. Vegan vs Meat
Everyone I know, who has prevailed against the diagnosis of CLL leukemia, eats meat.  They’re omnivores (eat plants and animals). If you want to get well, I would encourage you to eat organic meat and poultry — and wild-caught fish.  Organic means no hormones, no pesticides or herbicides in the feeds, and no antibiotics.

2. Raw Food
Even if you’re eating healthy meats, the rest of your diet should be fresh, organic and as raw as possible.  Raw includes such things as fermented pickled foods, like sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir, etc.  Add to that fresh vegetables and a small portion of fruits (all organic).  Vegetables should be cooked at low temperatures only, and should be eaten, whenever possible, brightly colored and crisp.

3. No Processed Food
This is a tough one for Americans (and everyone living a high-paced lifestyle).  So here’s a thought: slow down.  Take the time to shop and cook for yourself and for your family.  I used to pride myself on half-hour dinners.  Now I feel lucky when it takes me twice that time.  Does it cut into my day? Absolutely!  But it’s absolutely worth the time.  You won’t get well on a fake-food diet.

4. The Way God Made It
I’m not an actively religious person, but I’ve come to realize that the best way to eat is the way God originally planned it.  It’s hard for man (woman) to improve on it.  This means that an organic baked potato is better than a box of potato flakes or tater tots.  Broccoli from the produce section (in its original form) is better than frozen “medleys” drowned in process cheese.  Fresh cuts of organic meats, simply prepared at home are healthier than pre-breaded (with God-knows-what!) processed meals.  Don’t even get me started on going out. (I do, but only one-to-two times a week.)

This is one of my first posts.  I anticipate that there will be many, many more posts about what to eat  (and what not to eat) for CLL leukemia.