What foods are you eating to reduce recurrence?

yensmiles

hi everyone! enjoyed reading on the juicing part of the thread. The day begins with a glass of veggie juice for me: celery, carrot+parsley.. with occasional apple or other veg/fruit thrown in. Whenever i feel that i'm coming down with a flu/sore throat.. i usually buy freshly made juice from a juice bar near my home, and i would feel better. It never works if i try taking supplements like vit c, only if i take fresh juices, and the blends i choose would include pineapple and berries for the anti-inflammatory effect + high antioxidants. I'm careful though, to avoid very sweet fruit like apple. 

Pipers dream, i'm having fresh pawpaw or here, better know as papaya as i'm writing. Since i'm still on chemo, it's great to get the digestive enzymes to help digest whatever i'll be having for dinner later. Pawpaw itself is high in vitamin c, so i doubt it'd negate vitamin c?!?! plus, eating the fresh food greatly helps the entire digestive system and bowel movements too. 

pipers_dream

yen, pawpaw is not the same as papaya.  It's a strange fruit that seems to be tropical but grows well up into temperate regions and many compare the flavor/texture to bananas. I've never actually eaten one tho I've kept an eye out for years, bc they are hard to find--the animal that they once depended on to spread the seeds went extinct thousands of years ago. 

exbrnxgrl

Tropical papaya and paw paw are not the same, however in Australia, papayas are also called paw paw.

yensmiles

oh i see, thanks, i didn't realise they were different till now! what's the purpose of pawpaw?

sad to hear about the animal that went extinct.. somehow that makes me think of monsanto and bees..

pipers_dream

yes yen, me too, but for once humans had nothing to do with it. 

flaviarose

I live in northern massachusetts and have been growing 2 pawpaw trees for quite a few years.   They have survived the winters, but have had some problems due to deer eating them.   They are still very small, but I've put fencing around them.   Hopefully one day I will have pawpaws.   I read that graviola, a tropical plant, is related to pawpaw.   Graviola is reputed to cure cancer.  I wonder if the deer really loved the pawpaw leaves because they are full of beneficial stuff.   Yesterday I ate a small leaf off of the tree and it tasted terrible!

pipers_dream

Flavia, I read this but don't remember where now--that pawpaw is actually more effective at treating cx than graviola. You can buy supplements but I'm waiting to do that bc I'm on megadoses of vit C and the advice was to avoid taking c with pawpaw. 

yensmiles

i eat graviola fruit (better known as soursop here) every now and then.. love it! and love it as a drink too! taking whatever's good around my environment!

SchoolCounselor

Papaya and paw paw are the same thing. I grew up in Nigeria, it is called pawpaw there. The same exact fruit is called papaya in America.

Headeast

School! How are you doing?!? I see you got your new foobs! 

exbrnxgrl

Paw paw and papaya are two different species, though in some countries the names are used interchangeably.

"Pawpaw and papaya are terms that are often used interchangeably and, in many cases, assumed to be references to the same type of fruit — a yellow, melon-like fruit that grows in many tropical climates. Despite the confusion, pawpaw andpapaya are two separate species of plants, with the dominant papaya species called Carica papaya being grown in the West Indies, South America, and Hawaii, as well as India and other countries. There are roughly 45 well-cultivated species of papaya and these are sometimes also referred to loosely as pawpaw. True pawpaw, however, is a member of the Asimina genus of eight species that are native to the North American countries of the US and Canada, and are much less widely cultivated and eaten there."

If you google it and look at photos, they are not the same. 

painterly

Anyone heard of the zone diet?

Was with a group of women after golf yesterday and got into the conversation about smoothies. I mentioned that I adore my vegetable smoothies with just a tad of a fruit as I understand that we should be putting more green veg into our bodies  (it is so easy to reach for a piece of fruit but not as easy to reach for a veg) and fruit can increase our glucose levels if we have too much.

In response to my comment, one gal mentioned that it doesn't matter if it is just a fruit smoothie as long as you are adding a protein to it. She uses almond milk for her protein. She added that the protein balances the glucose in the fruit. I then asked how she knew this balancing took place. She responded that it is according to the zone diet which has been around a long time.

Interesting!

Anyone following this zone diet?

 

BrooksideVT

From a nutritional viewpoint, what the protein, or fat, or fiber, does is slow the absorption of the glucose or sucrose so that it does not
give you that delightful sugar high.  This is good practice, as a sugar spike prompts a spike in circulating insulin, and they are finding that some of our cancers have insulin receptors which truly enjoy a good meal of insulin.

I usually nibble on nuts or something before indulging in simple, even complex, carbs.  Might be important, might not, but I've decided to "buy" it.  I'd do that before juicing also, to replace the discarded veggie fiber with something the stomach has to work on.

yoga_girl

Many foods in combination with each other.

I have modified this program to fit my lifestyle and ability to prepare the food choices in my kitchen.  I am fortunate to have a chain grocery store within 5 miles that has extensive organic choices.  I have several health food stores that have the ability to prepare organic, fresh, live drinks (juicing) and smoothies to order.  I attended the international education class in San Diego and met some amazing people from all over the world facing cancer in all stages.  This is part of my journey, as I choose to share the knowledge with those who would like to know more.

This program is not for everyone, as with anything only you can decide what path is the best one for you, your lifestyle and life choices.

Many chronic degenerative diseases have two underlying causes: toxicity and nutritional deficiency. Eliminating these underlying problems returns the body’s immune system to proper functionality, allowing the body to heal itself.

In this video, a compilation from the Gerson Basics Online class, experts from the Gerson Institute give an introductory overview of each of these 4 components of the Gerson Therapy and how they work.  Juicing is a major part of the program.

The Gerson Institute is a non-profit organization in San Diego, CA, dedicated to providing education and training in the Gerson Therapy, an alternative, non-toxic treatment for cancer and other chronic degenerative diseases.

http://gerson.org/gerpress/video-the-4-components-of-the-gerson-therapy/

http://gerson.org/gerpress/faqs-juicing/

http://gerson.org/gerpress/faqs-diet/

 

yensmiles

Thanks yoga girl for the information!

pipers_dream

I just ran into a recipe for a food that I had forgotten all about.  When I first saw this, I thought, "Yeah right, like I'm gonna do that!"  Of course this was before I had BC.  It's called rejuvelac, and basically you take wheat or rye sprouts and lacto-ferment them.  It looks easy so I'm now gonna do that.  Recipe

The cool thing is that you can use the liquid as a base for smoothies or juicing and it has probiotic benefits and makes other nutrients more available. I'm also thinking you could add broccoli sprouts, though that could def add a strong flavor.  Maybe after the rejuvelac has fermented.  I think I need this too b/c my bowels have never worked correctly, not even with probiotics.  Now, after working with a holistic doc for several months they are much more reliable, but I want to keep them that way and I do think that this has probably contributed to my BC.  I read that heavy metal toxicity can contribute to poor bowel tone too and I'm almost over that.  You would not believe how this has helped my happiness level!  

juneping

Diet question -- do any of you completely cut sweets out of your diet? i
was never a big sweet person but i was big on snack (fries, chips were
my faves). but now i only eat chip/fries occassionally. and now i do
want some sweets from time to time...i meant like chocolate cookies, ice
cream...i eat those though not everyday but quite regularly, like once
or twice a week. to be more precise, it's green tea ice cream and the
cookies are both from Wholefood, thought it's a healthier option....how
do you take care of your sweet tooth? should i stop eating those? would
love to read your opinions....thanks

exbrnxgrl

juneping,

Although I would never suggest indulging with abandon, if any food brings you happiness, even sweets, having it occasionally probably won't harm your health. Something delicious and well made can be very satisfying. Happiness counts!

Michele2013

Oh, as it has been defined "Cancer is a crap shoot". It does not discriminate! 

As Caryn states, indulge with moderation. Quality of life is important and should not be compromised.

It does not matter what you eat, lifestyle, athletic ability, cancer will spread with its mind of its own. Just wish people would understand this. I truly believe most believe this, however some do not.

Sometimes I skip sweets for a week and treat myself with a glass of wine or two.

Cancer sucks!!!!!!

Momine

I don't eat sweets, but I drink red wine. Not huge amounts, but I decided at some point that even if it carries a risk, it also carries quality of life, for me that is, and I would hate to live the next 2, 3 or 10 years painfully sober and then have the stupid cancer come back anyway (which is very likely).

So, June, if the occasional cookie or ice cream makes you happy, go for it. I skip it mainly because I don't have much a sweet tooth anyway, so it is relatively painless for me to skip the sweets. If I really feel like something sweet, I usually have a piece of 70% chocolate.

juneping

oh crap....am I the only one drinking red wine and eating ice cream?? Lol

Cancer sucks!!!! &@#%¥

SelenaWolf

You're not the only one drinking red wine , although I have to confess that I don't like ice cream.  I do; however, love CHEESE.

glennie19

I love ice cream!  We have a great local home made place!  And I love cheese too.  Mmmmmm, brie,,,,

Cee67

Hi

June, you are definitely not the only one eating those things, though for me it's wine and cheese. I have always believed that people can eat anything in moderation. I got cancer anyway, yet family members eat whatever they want, smoke and are obese, and many years older than me and they're chugging right along.

I'm actually a little less strict with my diet since I was Dx. I'm not going to say no to the extra slice of pizza anymore. My life is uncertain and I'm too worried about everything to think about this or that needing to be (or not) in my diet.

I'm not going hog wild on anything. I'm just having something if I want it.

I did buy a bullet extractor and make a 50/50 fruit/veggie smoothie almost daily, and sometimes a fruit smoothie after dinner when hubby is home. I've tried veggie drinks and can't get them down without gagging. A friend told me the juice won't help you if you won't drink it. She suggested adding fruit, so now my smoothie of choice is:

1 handful spinach

1 carrot

1/3 cucumber (unpeeled)

1 tomato

A few slices of red bell pepper (on occasion)

Parsley (when I have it)

1 lime wedge (on occasion)

1 Golden Delicious apple or a D'Anjou or Bartlett pear; (Apple makes the juice "sparkle" more than the pear, but pear is still good and sweet).

1 banana

Different combinations of:

hemp seeds, flaxseeds, chia seeds, acai powder, gogi berries (hubby sometimes adds in cacao nibs to his)

The apple and banana pretty much wipe out that bland veggie taste so you can get the veggies down easily and enjoyably (for those of us who don't like plain veggie juice)

We never ate tons of sweets, but we do like candy bars and ice cream and eat them occasionally. We've changed the kind of sweets we eat - mostly the fruit smoothies I mentioned. They aren't nearly as sweet as candy but we're slowly retraining our palates.

One thing we've slowly been eliminating even before my Dx is soda. We're Pepsi addicts! But we hardly ever touch it now. We switched to iced tea that I sweetened just a little. When we feel the yen for a soda we've switched to Mexican soda which have sugar in them instead of the high fructose corn syrup in the Pepsi we loved.

Have a great day everyone

Geniego

green veggies:kale,chard,spinach,beet greens

Crucifers: cabbage,Brussels sprouts,broccoli ,cauliflower 

Ginger,garlic,turmeric

Avoid all processed food, hidden sugars,and carbs which turn to sugar.

Limited fruit : small amounts of blueberries which at high in antioxidants.

Geniego

I found that a great replacement for soda is kombucha tea. It can have a fizz but not sweet. Another delish drink is organic apple juice diluted with quality sparkling water, and add some lemon or lime to fresh ginger.

pipers_dream

June, I quit them but I was way over the top with them--like an alcoholic and while sweets might not cause cancer directly, or indirectly in everyone, I"m convinced that it had a lot to do with mine so I went cold turkey the day after xmas and have stayed "clean n' sober" ever since. And like an alcoholic, I must stay away--I've gone off before and one taste brought me right back.  

I had other reasons too--the same week I got my BC dx I also had a diabetes scare and that was made worse by the fact that the meter I bought to check, was reading 35 pts too high and I thought my fasting sugar was 126.  It scared me and I sure didn't want to be dealing with a double dx so the sweets had to go.  I've lost about 40 lbs now and 10 more to go and I hit my lowest weight since college this morning.  So, there is quality of life in that too b/c I'm having a blast buying clothes.   

sciencegal

Good for you pipers dream! Awesome.

I too try to be good but can't say I have a HUGE amount of success- chips and salsa and cheese and bread are my poisons rather than sugar. 

But I am sure trying to balance that with kale and healthy stuff MOSTof the time!!

And turmeric- daily- since diagnosis two years ago.SO important to my personal health. No more asthma yay. OR cancer- I hope!

Good luck to all on the healthy pathway to NED, with a little fun thrown in once in awhile!

yogamama

I've been an oncology Registered Dietitian for many years, taught vegan cancer-preventative cooking classes, was a guest speaker for ACS, LLS, AICR on the topic of nutrition to prevent cancer,  and practiced what I preached, and still got cancer!  I felt like such fraud.  But, who knows what other cancers I prevented and how it may have slowed the progression of the one I have (that was missed for four consecutive years of mammos).  As I sit in the waiting room before radiation now, and I hear other ladies lamenting about how they have to cut things out of their diet they enjoy…I now advise them that there is no magic bullet>  By all means do your best to eat clean, eat mostly veg, beans and legumes, fruit, less meat and animal products, whole foods, INTACT grains, nuts and seeds, and as unprocessed as possible.  And, if you love chocolate.  EAT it (in moderation, preferably dark for the polyphenols and less sugar)and savor it. With a glass of wine.  Being severe zaps the joy out of a truly amazing part of our lives food inhabits that is wrapped up in celebration, family, love, adventure.  So, yes, there are definite benefits to making positive dietary changes, not just for cancer prevention, but for so many other diet related morbidities, but there is just no firm reason to be radical to the point of misery.  

Chris_G

Great discussion! I am doing the same as many here..mostly pescetarian but a bit of chicken now and then. Low carb, organic vegetables ..relying heavily on the cruciferous vegetables and beans. I juice (kale, carrots), probably eat too much organic fruit, eat stevia sweetened dark chocolate (my guilty pleasure) and even organic coffee. Cannot go too much raw foods as my adrenals and therefore digestion are weak (as is my liver these days).

I mostly adhere to the LEF.org protocols when it comes to supplements. I don't take all of them (or alternate days) and have added Colostrum-LD and iodine to the list as well as DIM. I also take a multi (whole foods kind as much as I can) fish oil, minerals, extra B12,B6,B5 etc.

http://www.lef.org/protocols/cancer/breast_cancer_les.htm

Wish I could exercise as much as some I see here..but chronic pain from the mastectomy prevents it so far (am one month out of surgery)..seems I might be one of the unlucky ones there. Breaks my heart as I am a yoga enthusiast. Kudos to those who have gotten their BMI down to 20. Mine is also but with 23% fat could probably go lower. Am experimenting also with a bit of bio identical progesterone with testosterone (steering clear of estradiol) or pregnenolone and some isocort since my adrenals are weak. So far it's blowing me up like a blowfish so having to work with it. (can't seem to 'wound' heal without it)