A 17-year-old girls brain cancer is in remission and she credits her diet for the amazing improvement.

When she was just 13 years old, doctors diagnosed Meghan Sherow with stage 3 brain cancer. They said the disease was most likely fatal unless Meghan followed an aggressive treatment regimen of chemotherapy and radiation. Even with those treatments and two surgeries, Meghans long-term prognosis was still less than encouraging.

Thats when the teen took matters into her own hands and turned to a diet-focused approach to improving her condition. Meghan had heard about other patients using a raw diet to improve their health and figured she would give it a try too. Just a year and a half after switching to a diet of raw fruits and vegetables, Meghan received incredible news her cancer was in remission.

Meghan said she had more energy than ever before and all from her diet. And, contrary to the reason many say they cant follow a raw, vegan diet, Meghan says she did it in a way that was affordable and that many people can emulate.

For breakfast, Meghan most often eats a banana whip with mangoes and strawberries. Lunch is typically another banana whip or a smoothie made with pineapple and banana. Dinner is a salad of romaine lettuce. Depending on the day, her diet may have included a few more fruits and vegetables or even something sweet and energizing like dates.

Why Raw?

Meghans recovery is undoubtedly something to celebrate, but hers is one of many similar stories of people who have found the power of raw diet in beating disease. On a raw diet, nothing is heated over 112 degrees Fahrenheit. By eating food in this state, the enzymes of the fruits and vegetables that have the power to nourish the body have not been altered or destroyed through the heating process. The essential vitamins and nutrients remain intact and are readily available for the body to use to fight infections or invaders of any kind.

Cooking also has the potential to turn foods more acidic. The more acidic the food, the more likely cancer cells are able to thrive. On the flip side, cancer cells and other disease-causing cells cannot survive in an alkaline environment. Most raw fruits and vegetables are alkaline in nature when consumed and therefore have the potential to help fight disease.

Raw foodies also consume grains and legumes that have been sprouted, which makes the nutrients more available and usable by the body. Another theory is that raw foods contain a life force that makes them easier to digest without causing the body to do as much work as is necessary to digest cooked and processed foods and these foods move through the body more easily and successfully.

Scientists Weigh In

A few small studies have been conducted to support the idea that a raw diet can improve cancers. Still, others warn that people following a raw diet need to be extra aware of consuming enough nutrients. If you are following a raw vegan diet, nutritionists recommend you make sure to get enough iron and vitamin B6 through your diet and/or supplementation.

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