Diet and lifestyle...what changes have you made?

PLJ

Hi all,

I've done a lot of investigating regarding research on lifestyle, diet/supplements and wondered what you were doing in this regard. Sticking with North American diet, going Mediterranean, Asian, Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw, Budwig, Gerson etc...the possibilities are endless! Also, what do you drink, matcha, alcohol, lemon water, tap water, r/o, ionized? Do you include sugar or reach for agave, stevia, maple syrup or acacia honey? Are you taking Metformin or any other drugs or supplements including hormonals and herbals? If so, what and why did you decide to do this? Are you very active or a couch potato? Do you meditate, if so, how often and for how long? Do you have Reiki, massage, acupuncture or any other alternative therapies? Just curious to know what changes others may have made and why. Thanks for feeding my curiosity!

elimar86861

I could not even presume to know why I got B/C in the first place; therefore, I would say I have changed nothing due to my diagnosis.  All of my dietary changes, supplementing, activity level, etc. is strictly to feel good and have a decent energy level.  It was on this discussion board that I read a lot about Vit.D and because of that awareness, I added that to my supplements but, again, I don't consider it as aprotective measure.

Over in the Alternative forum are many, many threads, probably for everything you have mentioned.  Read thru' there if you want to compare notes with others who have felt the need to make changes after getting Dx.  You will find many who will respond to you in that forum, I'm sure.

LtotheK

Considering the fact my great friend who was a serious meditation expert got HER2+ cancer, I ain't wastin' my time on that ; )

Seriously, tho--I've become a moderate.  I'm still vegetarian, have been for 22 years.

What I've done different:

gotten my Vitamin D up

take fish oil

take calcium, as I now have osteoporosis thanks to treatment and early menopause

think a little bit more about all the sugar I used to pound, but still eat some

cut way back on caffeine

get physical exercise every day of the week, whether it's a 4 mile walk, weight lifting, yoga or swimming, etc.

try to keep my stress level down and not be toxically angry at people who diss me

have a daily crisis over whether milk, grains, meat, nuts, etc. etc. are good/bad/indifferent based on whatever crazy article seems to be out this minute.

orlandpark65

I'm really trying to do everything in moderation.  I don't want to deprive myself but don't want to overindulge.   I actually went out last weekend and had a few drinks, danced and had a late night burrito.  That felt good!!

VictoriaB

Hi PLJ,

 I read the book "The China Study" and I am trying to follow a plant-based diet. No animal products of any kind--meat, cheese, dairy, eggs, etc. Whole, slightly cooked foods. Use agave, vit D. More broccoli and kale and leeks. My DH has lost 15 lbs and I have lost 4 so far. We were not really overweight but I think the plant-based diet is just less calories. We feel better!

pitanga

I believe in moderation. I was not a vegetarian before my diagnosis and still eat meat, however I have cut back a lot on chicken and eggs because of the hormones they are given to stimulate growth (I am er+).

I dont take supplements but I do eat a lot more fruit and fresh-squeezed than I used to, especially papaya and pineapple which help my intestine do its work in a timely fashion. I would eat blueberries if I could get them here in Brazil, because I love them and also because of the antioxidants, but since I can´t I eat other deeply colored fruits and vegetables.

Speaking of antioxidants, I was relieved to hear that coffee is now considered to have them. So I still have my morning java, but I limit it to that because otherwise I have a hard time getting to sleep. 

I do Pilates twice a week but feel a lack of aerobic exercise. I dont have a car and so walk more than some people, always choose stairs over elevator/escalator when there is a choice, but I want to find a way to work more activity into my daily routine. I am a researcher and spend way too much time in front of my computer, analyzing data and writing....one reason I try to limit my time on BCO is that I like to get away from my computer when I have free time!

Lisa 

janey47

LtotheK, I know you're kidding, but I have to say that if it weren't for my meditation practice, I probably would have gone nuts during treatment.  Meditation isn't magic, but it really does lend itself to seeing the truth of impermanence and what part of our experience is real and what is added on by us. 

Mandalala

I have changed very little: I go on bicycling to work and almost everywhere else, still avoid sugar and cut out cereal products, still eat a lot of fruit and I still don't drink alcohol. I am thinking about eating less red meat and more antioxidants, and maybe less carbohydrates as they are transformed into sugar, doing the same thing in the body. I can see that some of you mention Vitamin D, which I didn't know was relevant – so maybe salmon for dinner.

bellydancer

Here is what I have done:

 supplement with 2000mg vitamin D daily

increased daily servings of Veggies, I now have at least 2 servings with every meal including breakfast.

no red meat as per either/or The China Study of AntiCancer: A New Way of Life

increased plant based protiens

3 cups daily of loose leaf green tea, increased water, limit soda to once every other week

I have taking up running, well actually what I do looks a bit different, in order to decrease my percentage of body fat.

I took mediation course but found it wasnt really for me.

jojoxoxo

Calcium supplements with vitamin D.

Try to get Organic (hormone-free) milk when I can.  

Stopped drinking because it is one of the few lifestyle factors that correlates with increased risk of breast cancer. 

VictoriaB

I also take vitamin D supplements (advice from my onc who also said NO Vitamin C or multivitamins!), and no more alcohol. I wish I had known all this before the diagnosis. Also, I avoid sugar, as it feeds tumors. 

Kaara

I am on a gluten free diet...no flour, sugar, potatoes, white rice, etc.  We eat lots of leafy green veggies, carrots, broccoli salads (raw), green salads, and a little fish and hormone free chicken.  We do a lot of juicing, plus I'm ordering a Vita Mix for Xmas for smoothies and soup.  I feel and look better than I have in years (I'm 71) and have lost weight around my middle, which has always been difficult for me.  I can't imagine eating any other way, even if I was not diagnosed with bc.

I take Vitamin D-3 (5,000 IU's) and my levels have gone from 27 to 57 in 6 months.  Also take multi vitamins, plus extra calcium.   Because I might need radiation after surgery, I am going to make an app't with an Integrative physician to evaluate my diagnosis and see what he can do to offset the SE's of radiation. 

kal21

 i don't understand this.. my dr said only soy products because of increase of estrogen.Which includes i guess parabens in cosmetics,NOTHING about alcohol.. just said no soy in vitiams. All drs have such a different opinion.

pitanga

Yes, what one year's study says may cause breast cancer the next year's study hails as a cure for it, and vice versa.

When I was first dx'd in 1999, all the natural treatment mavens were saying to eat lots of soy products. You would not believe the amount of tofu and soymilk I chugged down. Couple of years later, suddenly they were saying the phytoestrogens in soy could stimulate the growth of ER+ tumors (which mine was). To this day I wonder if all those soy products I consumed may have had something to do with my recurrence. 

Now it´s red wine. After years of reading that alcohol consumption is a risk factor, I just read a study that talked about the cancer-fighting properties of resveratrol and that these are only in wine. not found in grape juice. 

More and more I take all this stuff with a ton, not a grain, of salt!