A cancer survivor and certified nutrition health coach, Michelle Patidar, has shared her healthier alternatives to foods often deemed 'unhealthy'.
Posting a reel on Instagram, she aims to provide fellow cancer survivors with the 'tools they need to heal themselves inside out'. The foods she's found healthier replacements for include pasta, baked goods, pancakes, crisps, and even hot chocolate.
In the short reel, Michelle is seen opening a bag of crisps and pouring them into a bowl, all while smiling at the camera. Diagnosed with cancer in 2016, she titled her reel "Unhealthy foods I say YES to as a 7 year cancer survivor and nutrition health coach."
The caption reads: "There are so many foods out there that are deemed ‘unhealthy’ but there are some GREAT alternatives I indulge in from time to time."
She then lists the foods and how she swaps some ingredients to make them more nutritious. For instance, pasta, her "ultimate favourite", is swapped from regular wheat pasta to organic red lentil pasta, which she explains provides her body with a good amount of fibre, protein and contains fewer toxins.
The nutrition coach is a fan of baked goods but prefers to create her own healthier versions, using ingredients like almond and coconut flour, pumpkin puree, and fresh herbs and spices for her muffins. Pancakes are a regular family treat; she revealed that she whips up homemade gluten-free pancakes every weekend.
Michelle said: "I add ground flax seed and basil seeds to the batter, as well as cinnamon, vanilla, wild blueberries or dark chocolate chips."
When it comes to crisps, she opts for those with "basic ingredients and no seed oils". Her favourites include sea salt crisps from Mexican-American brand Siete Family Foods or Boulder Canyon's, which she notes are made with avocado or olive oil and "have three simple ingredients".
Michelle's Instagram reel has impressed the online community, racking up 445,000 views, receiving 1,545 likes and attracting nearly 900 comments. She invited her followers to drop a 'treat' comment on the reel to get her free whole food swap list, and many have obliged.
Other comments celebrated healthy lifestyles, with one saying: "Two year cancer survivor here. I make buckwheat pancakes which are super delicious and nutritious! " Another mentioned: "Treat. I am four years in remission and would love to learn about some healthy swaps."
A third complimented her, saying: "Your captions are both witty and informative."
Michelle was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2016 when she was just 32. After undergoing six rounds of inpatient chemotherapy, she noticed a lack of programmes to help her detox and rebuild her health and immunity. In response, she founded Revival Health and Wellness to guide others on their recovery journey from cancer.
The NHS states that eating a healthy, balanced diet is an important part of maintaining good health. That means eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportions. We should aim to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, eat some higher fibre starchy foods, some daity or dairy alternatives, eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other protein, and drink plenty of fluids.
