healthy eating

Cobie I did heaps of reading on this - books and internet - when I was first diagnosed, plus I also attended a talk about cancer and nutrition at the Olivia Newton John cancer facitlity and I agree with Fiona. We just need to eat the same kind of balanced diet that is recommended for good health for everyone - lots of vegetables, some fruit, wholegrain products, plenty of fibre, fish, lean meat and avoid processed foods - espeically processed meats - and alcohol. I was told by my oncologist not to cut out dairy products because we need them for a balanced diet ie calcium. (Many of us that have ER+ BC end up having to take aromatase inhibitors which can weaken the bones so it's important to keep your calcium up.)

Having said that I have read that there is some scientific evidence that certain foods are associated with a reduced risk of cancer or cancer recurrance. That's not to say they will prevent cancer but they may create a less favorable environment in your body for cancer to grow. So in particular I try to include more broccoli, carrots, walnuts, green tea and apples in my diet. Pomegranate juice is also thought to have anti-cancer properties (although I find it unpleasantly sweet).  I try and avoid margerines and vegetable oils (I only use extra virgin olive oil). Sometimes I throw some extra flax seeds on my breakfast cereal. And of course it's important to get plenty of vitamin D - I take supplements for that. I will look forward to reading that new book too. I think while it's basically about a balanced diet with lots of vegies there are little tweaks we can make to our diets that may help. Best of luck Cobie. Janet.

I too had ER and PR+ breast cancer, can I ask why you don't eat mushrooms? I have been told to eat them.........I don't like them so I take them in a supplement. I hope I am doing the right thing.

Joanne

Hi Joanne,

According to Ian Gawler the occasional mushroom is okay on his healing diet, but my naturopath said not to eat them at all.  I didn't question why, because I really don't like them anyway!  I think when making dietary choices it is a good idea to be under the supervision of a good naturopath.

Cathy

Thanks Cathy,

All the evidence I have read and a well known naturopath told me the best thing you can do is have mushrooms they are like a 'bomb' going off. In Japan they actually encourage this with chemotherapy as they apprently enhance immune system. Food for thought. I also found this article interesting.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/5000582/Eating-mushrooms-daily-may-cut-breast-cancer-risk-by-two-thirds.html

Jo

I have just started on Arimidex, and have joined their Verve club, they send out a magazine. In the issue that I have just received there is an article Cancer- contesting cuisine, wish I could copy article for everyone, but here is a basic run down copied from the mag.

Eat lots of fresh fruit and vegies.

Carrots contain falcarinol which is a natural pesticide with anti-cancer action.  Eat raw or if cooking boil befor cutting.

Lentils - for their fibre 

Brussel sprouts/cabbage cauliflower and broccoli are cruciferous vegies, shown to protect against bc thanks to compounds called isothiocyanates anti cancer.

Parsley contains apigenin, an antioxidant that has a chemopreventive property, could help in the fight against bc.

Lychee's the juicy translucent pulp is a rich source of flavonoids that research suggest may kill breast cancer cells.

I thought mushrooms were good as well, especially shitake - the American Cancer Society have an article on this to google.

Not sure if you can go to the Arimidex site and look at this magazine which is for breast cancer Welcome issue,  also in the mag are the latest results of ATAC research (Arimidex,Tamoxifen, Alone or Combination), which I did look up (thank you Mr Google) and is worth reading for those who are unsure about taking this drug. 

Viv

I wonder why the medical establishment is so reluctant to recommend we include certain foods in our diet when it seems to me - from what I've read - that there is defiinite scientific evidence that some foods can be helpful in reducing the risk of recurrence or of getting cancer in the first place? I have read books on this issue where long lists of academic studies are cited showing that particular foods show promise in reducing the likihood of cancer. You can find research on the internet into these issues using Google Scholar. Are all these studies rubbish?

I'm not one to put my faith in fanciful or way out alternative ideas but it just seems logical to me that the food we eat plays a huge role in creating the very complex bio-chemical environments that make up our bodies. It also seems logical that there may be certain foods, because of their chemical make-up, that influence that bio-chemical environment in a way that mininises or reduces the risk of cancer.

And yet the medical establishment seems reluctant to ever say anything more specific than eat a balanced diet with lots of vegetables. I don't understand this.

Are medical authorities worried that we will misinterpret more specific information about food?

Do they think we will believe that eating pomegranates or mushrooms or some other individual food will somehow cure our cancer?

Is there a concern that we will reject conventional therapy - chemo, radiation, drugs etc - in place of eating the "right" foods.

Are they worried that we will try to hold them to account if we eat lots of broccoli, drink lots of green tea and still our cancer returns?

While the "eat a balanced diet with lots of vegies" line is safe I find it just a little patronising. It's as though we, the general population of women with breast cancer (and I suppose people with any form of cancer), are too silly to handle any more specific and nuanced information.  I think we are all well informed enough these days to know that cancer is an insidious disease and that whatever you do there are no guarantees. You can have all the conventional treatments and eat mountains of  broccoli, drink litres of green tea and still the bastard can come back. 

I just feel that in dumbing down the message about diet the medical authories may be denying cancer patients potentially helpful information. I'm not having a go at you Annie btw, it's just something that has been playing on my mind for a while now and I wanted to have my say on it. Janet.