vegan diet and cancer

CrazyKitties

I love organic peanut butter!   Also I make smoothies out of half a bottle of Bolthouse farms smoothies, plus 2 more fruits, plus 3 oz. of acai-berry juice, 3 ice cubes, flaxseeds and a little flax oil, no yogurt or soy protein, NO WHEY EITHER, and that seems to fill me up.

What does turmeric do?

pip57

XmasDx and Sagina....thanks for the book suggestions.  I am going to check them out.  I found 'Anti Cancer: A New Way Of Life' and 'Foods That Fight Cancer' very informative and easy to read.

CrazyKittie...turmeric has several anti cancer properties. If you google "turmeric, breast cancer" you will find many references. I also like the Bolthouse juices.  I eat a lot of fruit so I only drink the juices on occasion.

sagina

Hi Cynthia, I was opposite, I had a large tumor that we decided to shrink first with chemo.  I didn't have to make a surgery decision until last month.  It worked for me, the chemo shrunk it to nothing!  They had to insert a wire to find the area for surgery.  They still took a lot of tissue, I had a lot to spare! 

While in chemo I took everything the onc told me to heart and followed what she said, like keep food in your stomach so you won't get nauseated... who knew.  I think following a vegan or any diet would have been extremely difficult in chemo.  She told me just to eat, whatever I could, didn't matter since the body needs fuel to keep going.  Avoid any uncooked/undercooked foods in restaurants, she told me no buffets or cafeteria style places - I still can't eat in them, grosses me out now...the brain is sooooo weird!  I ate soup, since it's boiled I figured all bacteria was killed!  I bought lots of packages of steamable in the micro veggies with rice types (hence I can't eat rice now)  I stayed all the way away from mustard, since it's my fav and no calories. I stayed away from my favorite perfumes etc.  Smells are still a little tricky, don't know how long that lasts after chemo!  I ate Mcdonalds and Wendy's on purpose...can't go back there either! That was a good thing for me!  Let me know how your appointment goes.  I had about an hours worth of education with a PA before my chemo started.  Are you taking someone with you to help you remember everything?

sagina

Has anyone tried juicing?  I bought one off the Internet recommended by a friend, it's large and scary looking.

gfbaker

Don't forget that it is not just protein but all amino acids that must be met. Only quinoa meets all the amino acid needs and I don't know how much you need to eat each week. If you don't eat quinoa then you need to make sure you are eating a proper diet to cover all your needs.

sagina

I actually really like Quinoa as a pasta - is that as good too? or do I need to eat it just as a grain like in a mixed salad like Tabule?

pejkug3

I really can't contribute anything to what you ladies have already shared, but I'm loving all the ideas for eating well!

Tonight I made two big pots of soup for eating this week.  I'm in the midst of my chemo treatments and nothing sounds good to me.  I'm hoping my soups do the trick!

I'm having trouble coming up with non-meat protein sources though. 

sagina

Peanut butter worked for me.

pip57

Watermelon and boiled chicken breasts were my main staples during chemo. It is pretty much all I could eat.

I love my dh's homemade soups.  I have not tried juicing. But I love fruits and vegetables in their original form so much that juicing them almost seems like murder.  LOL 

mumito

My DH and I drink a 5 grreen mixture everymorning before breakfast.It has been helpful in lowering his Cholesterol #'s.

In the juicer I put fresh green pepper , cucumber, cellery,bitter mellon and a green apple.I also add a large slice of ginger root.And in mine I add a beet for liver cleansing.

1Lbick

I have heard the same about a low fat diet/four legger free diet too.  I have also seen the positive results in my father who has prostate cancer.  Not only has he lost weight, his PSA levels have dropped too.  Instead of having to deal with radical treatments, he has been able to maintain an active surveillance status for almost 2 years now.  After breast cancer diagnosis this past fall, I have adopted the same type of diet for myself as part of my treatment now and to prevent reoccurrence.   Google Dr Snuffy Meyers.  Although, a urologist, he has weekly web casts and talks a lot about the importance of diet and its links to cancer.

sagina

Lbick~ will check out the website.

Mumayan~ what is bitter melon? your recipe sounds good.  Please send any other ones tried and liked! thank you.

gina

mumito

Its a green cucumber like vegetable with ridged skin here in Canada we can find it in most produce sections.If the apple doesn't make it sweet enough then add carrots or more apple.

sagina

Thank you.

MaryGuentner

Hi-

Check out the website Life Over Cancer and book by the same name by Dr, Block.  I am getting my chemo at the Block Center and am transitioning to a vegan diet.