Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life

sweetbean

Holy cow - I really skimmed this book when I was first diagnosed, but am really reading it for the first time now. It has a lot of info that I already know at this point, but it is laid out in a very approachable way.  Plus, the author had cancer himself, so he gets it.  I highly recommend it!  

sweetbean

Haha!  Me too!   Roasting brussel sprouts for lunch as I write!  

SAB

Love, love, love this book.  Every time I reread it I find something new. It was the start of a lot of positive changes for me.

thankful4life

What is the name of the book and the author? Thanks!

sweetbean

The title of this post is the title of the book.  It's by David Servan-Schreiber.

croceau

I was given this book when I had my lumpectomy in 2009.  I read it from cover to cover.  I already ate a healthy diet but the food recommendations now form the basis for what I eat. I was already gluten and casein intolerant so I had ditched the white flour awhile ago. Bok choy and broccoli feature heavily in my diet as do blueberries.  My naturopath already had me off most soy products.  And I switched to an antiperspirant without aluminum in it.  What I like is that his recommendations are all backed by recognised scientific research, making it hard for my more conservative friends to refute his observations.

 Now I give this book to everyone who is diagnosed with cancer.  Actually, anyone who is at risk of cancer (like my daughter) should read this book for some easy life style changes that could lessen the risk of getting cancer.

fredntan

I havnt read the book,



But my naturalpath says



Low glycemic diet-no splenda, stevia okay

Recommended gluten free- does he say this in book too?

Says organic

No cows milk

Going all vegetarian(but use seafood)

Said eat the rainbow-said greener, redder better

Make sure water source good

Exercize



Is this the gist of the book?

Hate to buy another book



One of the foods on one of the sheets made me laugh-has anyone heard of kudzu?

Its a invassive crop that was introduced years ago hear. My family has been trying to kill it for many years. It can grow up to foot a day. Now it can help me fight cancer:-)

sweetbean

He doesn't talk about going glutenfree, just organic, plant-based, low glycemic diet.  Honestly, out of all the books I've read, this is by far my favorite because he actually had cancer.  He "gets it," which I found very appealing.  I think you have the gist of the book.

jacee

I loved the book. The author passed away last July at the age of 50. His brain tumor returned. But he lived 19 years after being diagnosed at 31.

pip57

I just loved the book.  It changed my lifestyle and life.  He explains reasons for the foods he suggests and backs them up with science.  

I am getting ready to read it for a third time.  I find it very inspirational. 

sweetbean

I honestly think everyone should read it.  At least, anyone who is not particularly interested in getting cancer.  I gave it to my sister.

Kaara

It sounds like the diet and lifestyle I'm following at this moment, but I am going to order the book for reference and research...thanks for suggesting it.

We just returned from a vacation in Scottsdale Az.  They really are into healthy lifestyle choices.  The restaurants we had to choose from were abundant and the food was excellent.  Two that come to mind are True Food Kitchen, backed by Dr. Andrew Weil, and Piccazo's, an organic italian restaurant where you can get pasta and pizza gluten free...outstanding!  There were many to pick from.  Most of these restaurants have sites in California....so why not Florida?? 

sweetbean

Kaara, this book is right up your alley - you will really like it.  

those restaurants sound awesome!  I wish we had more healthy options in CT. 

Anonymous

All the good things you've heard about this book are true.  Really worth having, to keep reminding ourselves there is something we CAN do to help ourselves.

Gluten free was a real catalyst for me, completely eliminated my joint pain, an SE from Arimidex I was having.  Have more energy, less bloat, and convinced me to go dairy free too.  Really feel better.

Giving up fat free yogurt was the only "stress" - but feeling as good as I do without any dairy is well worth it!

Anonymous

fredntan

KUDZU?????  really, you're not kidding about this???  Hysterical - really makes me smile

ETA - for those who don't know about kudzu, it's also known as "the vine that ate the South" - amazing growth patterns, literally grows feet daily, invasive beyond anyone's imagination.  Introduced in the South years ago to use a fodder -  ah, well...

mdg

It is a great book.  I ate pretty healthy before but now I have upped the veggies that have cancer fighting traits and also have ditched the white flour, white breads, etc....I also have cut out sugar and decreased wine consumption.  I eat less beef and less chicken but when I eat any meat/dairy products it is definately organic or free range.  I don't each much dairy anymore - maybe 1 serving a day of something lowfat. 

crazy4carrots

The author's research partner, Dr. Richard Beliveau, wrote a best-seller "Foods that Fight Cancer" back in 2006.  He and a colleague, Denis Gingras, have published another book "Cooking with Foods that Fight Cancer".  All available on Amazon.  Haven't read it yet, though.

SAB

fredntan- you don't have to buy it, just pick it up at the library.  Worth reading and thinking about.

Anonymous

I read the Anti Cancer book as well. Lots of information and easy to read.

Another one I read is Beating Cancer with Nutrition, by Patrick Quillin. There are some recipes in the book as well. He lists supplements, minerals and vitamins and describes why you need them & how much to take. Excellent book.

Norah

Mallory107

I agree-this book is amazing!  And it goes beyond just diet suggestions so anyone who thinks they have it under control and are well-versed in cancer care will still learn so much from it.  It really goes into the reasons behind everything which I love.  I have been telling everyone to read it-even non-cancer people. 

DivineMrsM

Those of you on a gluten-free diet, would you care to say, in simple form, what a day's worth of food is that you eat?  What does your breakfast, lunch and dinner menu consist of?  What do you snack on?

susanes

I ate kudzu years ago.... my fiber guild had a program on it. It's great for baskets and weaving, but as food? I don't think so:) My new anti-cancer diet is no caffeine or alcohol, no white flour, no sugar. I'm working reeeeeeally hard on the sugar part! When I get that down, I'll read the book and try to do more.

Anonymous

gluten free - nothing in particular - just make sure there is no gluten in it. Example: the wraps I use to make tamales, are made of TEFF.  There is SO much to choose from, any health food store will have a massive amount of gluten free products.  Eat whatever you want to eat - just buy the gluten free stuff: bread, pasta, etc.  Lots of health food ( Annie's ) have gluten free burritos too.

You will notice how much WHEAT is aded to everything - which is why I very rarely use ANY processed, ot prepackaged food - except for the Teff tamale wraps ;-)

Anonymous

susanes

I use agave liquid instead of sugar.  Haven't used sugar in years, used to use honey.  Also everyone I know is raving about any kind of Stevia, but I find it has a wicked after taste, being told that's cuz I used too much..may give it another try when I run out of Agave ( which is supposed to be low glycemic)

wallycat

I am all for healthy eating but I am sad to say that I was a vegetarian and ate POUNDS of fruits and vegetables daily.  I still got cancer.  I exercised, had a great BMI...

and I know people that eat crap and processed foods and never got cancer.

I am not advocating eating crap; I am a dietitian and believe in good nutrition and healthy, unprocessed, whole foods but it breaks my heart that people believe it will alter their cancer outcome.  I personally think cancer is a crap shoot and you can do all the wrong things and not get it (or get it) and vice versa.  My dad smoked for years; quit when he was 66 and never got lung cancer...go figure.

croceau

Divine Mrs M:  I have followed a gluten and casein (cow's milk) free diet for over 6 years.In that time the selection of gluten free products has grown substantially.  I live in Australia and the range is more limited than what's available to you so you will have more choices in baked goods and pasta than I do.  One word of warning: to make up for the lack of gluten most GF baked products have a LOT of sugar and fat.  I once bought a packet of GF muffins (my weakness) and ate one before reading the nutritional information.  Nearly choked when I saw that one muffin had over 500 calories!

So here's what I eat:

Breakfast: alternate between GF cereal/muesli with blueberries and sheep's milk yogurt (or rice/soy milk);  and eggs with GF bread.  If you are not a coeliac and can tolerate a very small amount of gluten, there are some great varieties of cereal and bread with spelt in it.  Also have some fruit and coffee or tea. You could also do French toast with GF bread or try the GF pancakes.  Again, the GF brands of pancake mix here taste lousy and most mornings I'm too rushed to make them from scratch from a GF flour, like buckwheat.

Lunch: I eat a lot of salads, using baby spinach instead of lettuce and a broad range of veggies, including red onions, broccoli, red or green peppers, tomatoes, the usual.  I add protein to every meal so I also throw in either chick peas, some Bulgarian feta (made with Sheep's milk) or a small can of salmon, preferably one with the bones in for the extra calcium.  Or left over chicken too.  Sometimes I'll have a sandwich with GF bread and the usual sandwich fillings.

Dinner:  stir fry with lean chicken or beef, curries, or just broil a piece of lean beef or lamb (lamb is relatively cheap in Australia) and steamed or sauteed vegetables.  I also eat a lot of salmon; buy a big fillet and cut it up into single serves and freeze. And I eat a lot of rice, always basmati. The GF pasta here is lousy so I gave up on pasta based dishes but when I have visited my family in the US I found some great GF pasta so it would be worth checking a few.  I found dinners to be the easiest as it didn't take much variation from what I ate before to accommodate the intolerances.

Snacks: almonds, pistachios, GF crackers with almond spread or peanut butter, lots of fruit, trail mix.  My doctor has recommended a high protein diet so I try to pick snacks that have some protein in them.

 There is a magazine called Living Without that my mother sends me from the States.  It has excellent recipes, good articles for people with food allergies and sensitivities and the ads give you a good idea of what products are out there.  I believe their website is www.livingwithout.com.

DivineMrsM

croceau, thanks so much for your detailed menu; it helps me see the picture more clearly when you map it out so well.  I'll have to look into that Living Without magazine.Thanks for all your tips, insight and advice.

wallycat, I so agree about bc being a c.r.a.p.s.h.o.o.t  Two women I work with never had children and are quite large, are my age, yet no bc for them.  I have three older sisters, one who's smoked her whole adult life, another who never had kids, one with lots of stress....no bc for them. Ect., ect., ect.... 

I use stevia in my coffee and cereal.  I've made some adjustments in my diet, love the AntiCancer book, eat lots more fruits and vegetables, cut out soda pop (even tho all I drank was diet) and eat less meat, even tho I don't think I ate too much meat before.

croceau

wallycat:  To a certain extent, I agree with you re: cancer is a crap shoot.  I have a long family history of breast cancer so I always figured it was a case of when, not if. I don't think anyone should believe that just eating healthy is enough to protect you from cancer.

When I got diagnosed I felt pretty despondent considering I had always eaten a healthy diet, exercised a lot, had the good BMI, etc and asked my doctor whether all that stuff was worthwhile.  My doctor's response was that genetics may 'load the gun' but lifestyle 'pulls the trigger'.

So if white sugars and white flour is like fertiliser to tumour growth (a comment made by the author in the Anti-Cancer book) and I appear to be prone to making tumours, it stands to reason that avoiding those foods is probably a good idea.  I don't think it means that  I will never get another tumour but it may mean that the tumour will be much smaller without the 'fertiliser' and more easily treated.  My cancerous breast lump was only 6mm and perhaps the lack of these foods in my diet for some time was a contributing factor.

Same thing with using antiperspirants that don't contain aluminium.  Since taking out lymph nodes during my lumpectomy my lymphatic system is permanently compromised on my right side under my armpit.  Why use a deodorant with metal in it that will be absorbed into a compromised lymphatic system when there are good alternatives without that chemical?

By the way, my gluten free diet has nothing to do with cancer and that's not why I follow it.  I discovered I was gluten intolerant years ago and following the diet stopped the bloating, the stomach cramps and better yet, the hormonal mood swings.  I haven't heard that following a GF diet is related to a decreased incidence of cancer.

SAB

Yup.  Definitely a cr**shoot.  But I still enjoy the book because I think it acknowledges that fact.  I like that it talks about diet, environmental factors (including personal care products) lifestyle and mind-body connection in a way that is straightforward and well-supported.  If the author is making a causal statement he shows you the proof.  If he is discussing a correlation he shows you why he is suspicious.  

I have been looking for more good books, so thank you for the suggestions. 

Chickadee

If lifestyle pulls the trigger how do we explain the vegans, vegetarians, marathon runners, etc who already do all the healthy things we are told to do after diagnosis, who still get and die of cancer. Linda McCartney always comes to mind when super healthy diet changes are recommended.



Still a crapshoot. Sells lots of books though.

croceau

I agree with you chickadee, it's still a crap shoot.  I think lifestyle can improve the odds but that's all it does, it doesn'tt guarantee a cure or prevent you from getting cancer.