Foods for wellbeing

Milly21

I was wondering if anyone has had advice about eating for wellness or has seen a dietitian?i find it all confusing,books I’ve read say vegetarian? No dairy,just wondering what people have been told is best?one doctor told me to cut out carbs.i realise minimal sugar and minimal alcohol are advised.

kmakm

I see a dietician Milly. Broadly speaking, a quarter of your plate should be lean protein, a quarter starchy veg (potatoes)/carbs (preferably wholemeal) and half veg, the more colours the better. Make everything you put in your mouth count from the point of view of nutrition. 30g of nuts a day for a snack. Two serves of fruit a day (two kiwi fruit would count as one serve). If you're menopausal and especially if you're on an AI, four serves of low fat dairy a day. A serve is a 250ml glass of milk. You can also get calcium from almonds and some other sources. Don't deny yourself the sweet treat, but if you do indulge, once or twice a week and good quality. Make sure it fits in your kj allowance for the day.

It's so easy to say/type, so hard to do! K xox

Afraser

Hi @Milly21
 
I am not a dietician but most good advice clusters around a well balanced diet, in moderation. I drink low fat milk and hav e done so for years - I need to keep my calcium up and don't need the fat.Ditto yoghurt. As you suggest, no doctor will recommend alcohol or sugar as major parts of your diet!Probably not even minor parts. Diets high in meat may also be high in fat - but fish is generally considered good, and vegetarians ( real ones!) don't eat fish. Back to baiscs - lots of vegetables, some fruit ( fresh is better than juice which tends to be high in sugar and lower in fibre), grains, nuts, lower amounts of meat. Cutting out carbs sounds excessive. Reduce the nutritionally bereft but maybe not cut entirely. A little of what you fancy occasionally is part of a balanced diet. Really important part is your diet needs to reflect more of you than a cancer diagnosis - your level of activity, your general health, are you needing to build up anything particular? Advice is cheap and we have all been told we should eat this or that or avoid something else. But relatively rarely from doctors. Most of all avoid the websites purporting cures or cancer protection from activated almonds, kale or some such nonsense. Some of the purveyors of these myths have been publicly discredited. If only it were that easy......Best wishes.

lrb_03

Hi @Milly21, you may find this link helpful 
https://www.cancercouncil.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/UC-Pub-CAN756-Nutrition-Web-Lo-Res.pdf

arpie

@Milly21 - I am not a dietician but I did train as a Home Economist ...... and worked in a major Sydney Hospital, helping in arranging diets for patients with special needs, e.g. Diabetics, Low Cholesterol, weight loss etc.

As the girls above have mentioned - everything in moderation - nothing to excess.  Limiting the number of times you eat 'shop prepared food' (like frozen foods, e.g. lasagnes, pies etc) and trying to cook your own meals (even cooking double sized and freezing some or later!!) is a good thing.  If you are worried about Carbohydrates, cut out the Gravy or just have 1/2 potato instead of a whole one .....    A good mix of everything is great - cutting out one whole type of food like Carbohydrates is more of a 'fad diet' - as the body needs Carbohydrates for energy.  NOT eating CHOs could lead to weight loss.  If this is what you are aiming for - well & good (for a short period of time) but not to be done 'long term'!  If not provided with the required CHOs for energy (from the diet) -  the body may start breaking down it's own flesh to try & get the nutrients it needs!   This will lead to weight loss.

Pretty well everything you eat will eventually break down into 'simple sugars'!   So cutting out Carbs (4cal/gm) won't  necessarily work anyway - as even 'fats' eventually break down to 'simple sugars' (9cal/gram)!

Snacking on nuts between meals can be good - a handful of Pistachios and/or cashews now & then - but needs real discipline, as they are so tasty!     ...... and keep your exercise levels up to keep the body supple and lean ..... 

All the best with your recovery.  xx